We all have that friend. You know the one: a few pints in suddenly every sentence starts with the all-condescending, “actually…” followed by some obscure nugget of knowledge most of us either never knew or would never remember. The kind of friend who makes the perfect asset to any trivia…

While the rest of the country flirts with fall, Indian Summer is upon us, preventing Arizonans from leaving air conditioning until the cover of darkness — or at least the early evening.Ballet Arizona takes full advantage of these September “summer” nights with Ballet Under the Stars. For 16 years, thousands…

Is it knit one, purl two? Or knit two, purl one? We really can’t remember, and if you’re anything like us (or if that “scarf” you started last winter looks more like a coat for an iPhone), local craft haven Frances has just the class for you. The knitting refresher…

September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, commemorating contributions from Hispanic and Latin American countries — and this year your Arizona Diamondbacks are taking their celebration to the streets.Los D-backs are throwing a street fair before Saturday’s game against NL West Division rivals the Colorado Rockies. Fans can…

Let’s talk about sex.Downtown Phoenix is taking a page out of Salt N’ Pepa’s playbook this month with “Sex: A Woman’s Perspective,” put together by Beatrice Moore, Grand Avenue’s unofficial resident curator. For Moore, popular culture’s incessant projections on how women view and enjoy sex drove her to a realization:…

For Arizonans, Brazil’s independence from Portugal may not be as well known as our own Fourth of July or even Mexican Independence Day (which, contrary to popular belief, is not Cinco de Mayo), but each September thousands gather for a celebration nearly rivaling Carnaval.Brazilian Day Arizona boasts a crash course…

If slaving and sweating over a hot grill in 100-plus degree heat falls under your definition of “labor,” there’s a different way to satisfy your cravings this Labor Day weekend — let someone do it for you at Phoenix Cooks. Benefiting Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the 9th Annual event features classes,…

Chances are you’ve seen Maddie on something. Be it balancing on a bicycle in Michigan or a basketball hoop in Iowa. Stretched out between two staircase railings in Pennsylvania or posing inside a giant watermelon in Mississippi. Driving a tractor in North Dakota or curled up inside a barbecue at…

There was a time when the words “convention” and “tattoo” were never uttered in the same sentence. But it’s 2013, an era when tattoos are not only conventional — but often come with their own congregation. Weekend-long body modification events have become commonplace throughout the Valley, and The Hell City…

Chances are you’ve seen Maddie on something. Maddie balancing on a bicycle in Michigan or a basketball hoop in Iowa. Maddie posing inside a giant watermelon in Mississippi. Maddie inside a barbeque at a park in Wyoming.It may not sound worth documenting, except that Maddie is a dog — a…

For nearly 30 years, a little house in Arcadia — the first house in Arcadia — has doubled as a home for the arts. With year-round classes and hands-on instruction from local artists, The Shemer Art Center and Museum, funded by an association of the same name, is a haven…

We don’t know about you, but ever since the Royal Water broke we’ve had baby fever. But because nine months is a hell of a long time to wait for our own, we’ll settle for other people’s birthing stories.Enter Theater Works’ Push!, which opens Friday, August 9, at the Peoria…

Every year the East Valley transforms into a fantasy mecca with the CopperCon science fiction convention, presented by the Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society. This weekend’s CopperCon: Revolution gives serious fans of sci-fi and fantasy literature an opportunity to embrace their passion with workshops and autograph signings.Catch the CopperCon Film…

Pencil in some time to “Get the Lead Out!,” the West Valley Art Museum’s exhibition of pencil-only artwork. The compositions span a century and are on view through Thursday, August 15.Two artists from the museum’s permanent collection are featured: George Resler a self-taught etcher who gained notice in the early…

In a culture brimming with “cult classics,” only one can claim to have created the genre. After countless adaptations, The Rocky Horror Show comes to Scottsdale Desert Stages Theater, 4720 North Scottsdale Road, with a production fit for veterans and virgins alike.The transvestite tour de force chronicles the encounter between…

Family Day at monOrchid was an idea spawned by associate curator Nicole Royse’s own, well, spawn.“Downtown includes so many young families who are afraid to go to museums,” Royse, a mother of three, said. She sees Saturday as an opportunity reconnect children and their parents with their community.The day revolves…

A new crop of “ganjaprennuer” is growing out of this country’s flowering legal acceptance of cannabis. As states pass legislation allowing medical marijuana and even decriminalization, pro-pot activists are finding their once-lofty dreams of legalization a reality.Enter Doug Fine: goat farmer, NPR contributor, and author of Too High to Fail:…

Doug Fine wrote the book on marijuana. The book Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution delves into a cannabis-based economic plan and its leaders, “ganjapreneurs.” It chronicles the journey of a single flower from farm to patient in Mendocino County, California. Just north of the…

A new exhibit at Mesa Contemporary Arts invites the viewer to explore the possibilities of madness. “Bipolar,” by artists Alice Leora Briggs of Texas and Albert Kogel of Tucson, highlights the feverish nature of insanity. The installation is a testament to both artists’ affinity for mixed media work, encouraging museum-goers…

Valley art lovers can expect a cool time — weather notwithstanding — when the Scottsdale Gallery Association presents its 24th annual Summer Spectacular Artwalk this week. A creative way to beat the heat, the event includes exhibition openings, painting demonstrations, and musical street performances.Wilde Meyer Gallery presents “The Local Scene,”…

“Think outside the lunchbox.” That’s the mantra behind the Herberger Theater’s Lunch Time Theater series, which opens Friendly People Productions’ Five Stages this week.The 45-minute one-act is set at a fun-yet-therapeutic evening where five female friends gather to drink wine and swap stories. Each story covers the topic of loss…

Phoenix celebrates Independence Day with a bang and its largest fireworks display ever at this year’s Fabulous Phoenix Fourth.The fireworks blast off at 9:30 p.m. and last approximately 25 minutes. This year’s show relies heavily on aerial shell fireworks, boasting 355 shells per minute for an incredibly large firework display…