Consider visiting downtown Glendale with its Glendale Glitters programs on Friday and Saturday evenings (6pm to 10pm), Dec. 3-18.   It will be aglow with 1.5 million sparkling holiday lights, and Murphy Park will be filled with entertainment, arts and crafts, delicious food and horse-drawn carriage rides. Each weekend has a special theme with all kinds of fun for all ages.

Another place to see lights is Zoolights at the Phoenix Zoo.  This runs nightly through January 9, 2011 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.  Tickets cost $10.00 per person for Sunday through Thursday nights and $12.00 on Friday and Saturday.  There is a discount for Zoo members.  Kids age 2 and younger are free.  Fry’s has discounted tickets for sale.

One of our favorites is Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden.  Stroll through the garden which is lit by lights and luminarias.  Stop at the many different spots to listen to musical performances.  There is place to get refreshments.  I do recommend that you purchase tickets in advance as some nights sell out.  You can purchase tickets on-line.  This event is mostly attended by adults.  However, if you have a child or teenager who enjoys sitting quietly and listening to music, they will enjoy it too.

Downtown Tempe is hosting the Fantasy of Lights in the Mill Avenue district.   From November 27 to December 10, you can enter their Window Wonderland contest for a chance to win a $250 shopping spree.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a beautiful lights display at the Arizona Temple in Mesa.  This runs from 5:30pm to 10:00 pm daily and is free.   There is usually a half-hour outdoor concert at 7:00 pm.  The Temple is located at 525 E Main St in Mesa.

Gilbert used to be the town that was way out there. Past the highways, past the malls, past the paved roads. It was synonymous with ‘Day Trip’. Not today. Now you can get on the Superstition (US 60) or the 202 and get anywhere in Gilbert in minutes. Plus, you have the option of the old downtown, the newer Gilbert Town Square or SanTan Village for shopping and dining.

 You can visit the Raparian Preserve and see an assortment of birds and waterfowl. Go to Freestone Park and ride the train, play softball or workout in the city gym. Explore  the canal trail system on foot or by horseback. You can even learn about Gilbert at  the Gilbert Historical Museum for fun. You can enjoy an evening at the Hale Theatre (pictured above) or playing softball at Big League Dreams.

Gilbert is southeast of Phoenix and Tempe. It borders Chandler and Mesa and being the fastest growing city in Arizona it will soon have over 200,000 residents. There’s not a lot of industry, so much of the employment is office and retail in nature. The city was know as the ‘hay capitol of the world’ in the early part of the 20th century and still has farms and ranches to the south and east.

Gammage Auditorium , ASU Tempe Campus - hosts a Broadway series as well as numerous other performances

Hale Theater , Gilbert - hosts children’s theater as well as family and adult plays.

Broadway Palm Dinner Theater , Mesa – where you can eat dinner and see a show

Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe – hosts a variety of programs including the well know Childsplay productions, dance productions, and a variety of other plays and programs

Mesa Center for the Arts, Mesa – see Southwest Shakespeare Company, East Valley Children’s Theater, Ballet Etudes, Symphony of the Southwest, and more

Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler – hosts a free summer concert series and a variety of performances throughout the year

Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale – see the popular “Late Night Catechism” or any of the other great program

Phoenix Theater, Phoenix – hosts a season of popular plays

Great Arizona Puppet Theater, Phoenix – presents great puppet shows geared mainly towards elementary age children.  They also offer a Puppet Slam program for adults.

Actors Theater, Phoenix – present a variety of plays mostly geared towards adult audiences

Stilt

We enjoyed a visit to the Gilbert Water Park/Riparian Reserve near the corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe.  This is a great area if you enjoy birding but also for those who just enjoy a nice walk.  It is in Gilbert but you feel like you have gotten away to a park outside the Greater Phoenix area.  There is also a nice children’s playground and the public library is right next door.  For those of you who are avid birders – here is a list of what we saw yesterday.  My father did the identifications – I don’t claim to be an expert.  I especially enjoyed the Stilts.  There is a box with maps of the park and a list of birds you might see available in the parking lot.

Bird's next - view of bottom entry

Strange But True -Simulated Martian Surface

CNN/Money Rankings of Best Places to Live in 2008:

Gilbert, AZ - 28
Chandler, AZ – 30
Scottsdale, AZ – 47

Sustainability Rankings 2008:

Mesa, AZ – 50

Best Sports Cities Ranking - Sporting News 2008:

Phoenix/Tempe – 6

Polar Ice – Gilbert

Polar Ice – Chandler

Polar Ice – Peoria

Once inside you notice why people are going to love playing here. The fields are manicured to a tee. The seating behind home is stadium seating. But, what people love the most are the walls. Click on the photos to enlarge and leave a comment on what you think of “Big League Dreams“ This field is a replica of the Big A in Anahiem.
I’m sure Angels fans will love seeing this.

Boston fans will recognize the Green Monster right away. Yankee stadium is right next to it, too.

If you lived in St. Louis way back when, you might recall Sportsman’s Park. Here it is back to life. This is a view from the right field wall. The fans you see are photo on board. From a distance you can tell what it is, but you’ll still love it.

This is the Sportsman’s Park infield. Do you remember where The Polo Grounds werer? You can even play in a replica of that grand old park.

And for Chicago Cubs fans, here’s Wrigley Field. The only thing missing is the ivy on the walls.

In the middle of the park is the clubhouse with all kinds of food to eat and a large indoor soccer field.

This is just another reason to love living in the east valley.