Ever dreamed of getting up close and personal with a Laker Girl? Or perhaps soothing that freaky mascot obsession in the company of such high-flying characters as the NBA's Hugo the Hornet and Turbo the Rocket -- all the while basking in the glow of sports celebrities past and present? Your moment has arrived, courtesy of the Fourth Annual West Valley Celebrity Basketball Game, set for 1 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Westview High School, 107th Avenue and Indian School in Avondale. In past years, the event has been headlined by such names as Dan Majerle, A.C. Green and the legendary Meadowlark Lemon. Benefiting Basketball Congress International and the South Mountain Community College Scholarship Fund, the game will share a plethora of free sports paraphernalia with those in attendance, so everybody leaves a winner.
Tickets, $10, are available at the door or by calling 623-907-2828. - Craig Wallach
Easy Riders
Arizona Bicycle Club sets the pace
Sat 6/28
It's summertime in Phoenix, where "couch butt" spreads like frosting on a Cinnabon. Ride for the cure this Saturday, June 28, in the Arizona Bicycle Club's Easy Pace Road Ride. Cyclists meet at 8 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at Granada Park, 6505 North 20th Street.
Leaders set a comfortable 12 to 16 mph pace and promise no one gets left behind. Newcomers should bring helmets, plus drinks and snacks for the two-hour ride.
The club offers rides for all fitness levels, from "Geezers and Wheezers" to the "Desert Breeze Spin-Cycle"; see azbikeclub.r.m6.net for a schedule. For more information on the Easy Pace Ride, call Kay at 602-264-9318 or e-mail kayz [email protected]. - Kim Toms
Operation Crustacean
Bayou style cookouts
ONGOING
Now Arizonans can eat like they were born on the bayou. The State Game and Fish department invites everyone with a fishing license to catch a mess of crayfish and eat 'em up streamside. Spread the newspaper, boil some corn on the cob, and laissez les bon temps rouler. Our lakes and streams teem with the Cajun crustaceans, which are as destructive as they are delicious. Non-native crayfish devour the snails, fish and tadpoles that keep water healthy and clear. It's time we showed crayfish their proper place in the food chain -- on our plates, with French bread and melted butter. They're illegal to transport, so cook 'em down by the water and feast by the light of a Cajun moon. See www.gf.state.az.us for the reel deal. - Kim Toms