“The Friends of Tempe Center for the Arts is holding its Annual Friend’s Gala at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway.

The fundraiser benefits the Friends of TCA, a non-profit group that supports the center through funding, programming and special projects.

The gala will feature a performance by Franc D’Ambrosio, who has played the role of the Phantom more than 3,000 times in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” D’Ambrosio will perform pieces from the Phantom and other Hollywood tunes in the center’s theater.

Former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano will be the master of ceremonies.

Guests are invited to explore the center and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and main course cuisine from 6 p.m. until D’Ambrosio’s performance at 8 p.m. Dessert and coffee will follow the show.

Gail Fisher, president of Friends of TCA, said the center is a great validation for the arts in Tempe.

“The fact that we have a beautiful arts center like this, and that we’ve had so many supporters in our first year is wonderful,” Fisher said.

The Tempe Center for the Arts celebrated its first anniversary in September.

Tickets cost $250 per person, and can be purchased by calling 480-350-2884 or visiting www.friendsoftca.org.”

“The Desert Botanical Garden, located at Papago Park, has announced its lineup of upcoming events and attractions in Arizona. Papago Park, located at the north end of Tempe (www.tempecvb.com), is also home to the kid-friendly Phoenix Zoo and Hall of Flame Fire Museum.

One of the most prized local attractions in Arizona, the Desert Botanical Garden (http://www.dbg.org/), contains more than 50,000 plants and has a full calendar of events for the fall season, including:

* The Music in the Garden Fall 2008 Concert Series held Friday evenings from 7-9 p.m. through November 14. Musical styles range from blues to Latin. Garden admission is included in the ticket price.

* The Desert Botanical Garden will host Chihuly: The Nature of Glass (http://www.dbg.org/index.php/chihuly) from November 22, 2008 through May 31, 2009. Dale Chihuly is known for his innovative glass sculptures and his spectacular creations can be found in more than 200 museums worldwide.

* 15 installation areas will host Chandeliers, Towers, the Sun and Moon, and other beautiful exhibits. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with three timed admission periods: 8 a.m. – noon, noon – 4 p.m. and 4 – 8 p.m.

* During the holiday season, Chihuly: The Nature of Glass will be accompanied by Las Noches de las Luminarias (http://www.dbg.org/index.php/lumi), a holiday tradition at the Garden. Visitors can walk through paths lit by thousands of luminarias and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment, food and beverages. The Garden will be illuminated from 5:30-9:30 p.m. beginning November 28, continuing on selected evenings through December 23.

For more information about the Desert Botanical Garden, including ticket information for special events, visit www.dbg.org or call 480-481-8188.

 For visitor information, contact the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.tempecvb.com or 800-283-6734. 

About Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau:

The Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization devoted to marketing Tempe, Arizona as a desirable visitor and group destination site. The Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau’s mission is to provide visitors, media professionals and meeting planners with information on hotels, restaurants, entertainment and local points of interest.”

“If you’re looking for a good scare this Friday night, then come aboard the S.S. Night Fright for the 5th Annual Halloween Boat Tour on Tempe Town Lake.

At 7 p.m., the Halloween cruise will disembark from the Rio Lago Boat Dock and Sailor Randy will tell frightening stories about shipwrecks, ghosts and unexplained happenings on the lake.

The free ride is put on by the Friends of Rio Salado and is for thrill-seekers ages 10 and older. Seating is limited, so reservations are highly recommended. Call (480) 838-2414 for information and to reserve seats.

And if you’re looking for some alternatives to trick-or-treating on Oct. 31, check out these activities:
• Tempe High School will hold its annual Homecoming Parade down Mill Ave. starting at 1 p.m. The parade will start at Monti’s La Casa Vieja and travel south, ending at the school at 1730 S. Mill Ave. Then, at 7 p.m., the Tempe Buffaloes will play its Homecoming football game against the Arcadia Titans. Tickets to the football game cost $5 for adults and $3 for students with ID. Children 5 and younger are free.
• Tempe’s 31st Annual Family Halloween Carnival is free and fun for all ages. It is 5:30-9 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, 6005 S. All-America Way. There will be entertainment, face painting, carnival games and food booths, in addition to an all-ages costume contest. Tickets for the booths can be purchased for 25 cents each. The money will go to the local civic groups operating the booths. Information: www.tempe.gov/recreation or call 480-350-5200.”

“Tempe, Arizona – Goodbye gray skies, hello blue – Happy Days – A New Musical hits the stage at Tempe’s ASU Gammage, November 18-23, for eight performances. Tickets are on sale now.

Based on the hit Paramount Pictures’ television series, Happy Days – A New Musical reintroduces one of America’s best-loved families, the Cunninghams and the days of 1959 Milwaukee. This time capsule is complete with familiar friends, Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, Joanie and Chachi, Pinky Tuscadero and of course, the king of cool: Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli.

Arnold’s – the famed drive-in malt shop is in danger of demolition, so the gang teams up to save it with a dance contest and TV-worthy wrestling match. Complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops and jukebox sock-hoppin’, Happy Days – A New Musical brings back the nostalgia of the 50s in a perfect family entertainment.

GARRY MARSHALL has created, written and produced some of television’s most beloved situation comedies, including “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy” and “The Odd Couple.” He has directed 16 movies. Among them are Pretty Woman, Beaches, Overboard, The Princess Diaries 1 & 2 and Runaway Bride. In 1997, he built a theater in Burbank, California with his daughter Kathleen, called the Falcon Theatre. Academy Award-winning composer PAUL WILLIAMS brings a new energy to the 50’s genre. His timeless standards have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, R.E.M and Kermit the Frog (”The Rainbow Connection”).

Tickets are on sale at ASU Gammage and Ticketmaster. 480.784.4444 or asugammage.com. HAPPY DAYS – A NEW MUSICAL is a season ticket offering of M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona series and is presented by ASU Gammage and Broadway Across America.

About ASU Gammage
Located on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, ASU Gammage is among the largest university-based presenters of performing arts in the world.  ASU Gammage is the home theater of M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona and Beyond series.  Its mission is connecting communities by providing artistic excellence and educational outreach to the public.  ASU Gammage is an historic hall designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  asugammage.com“

“Tempe, Arizona – Be part of a historic event by volunteering for light rail grand opening festivities in Tempe!

On Saturday, Dec. 27, the first 20 miles of light rail in the Valley will be open and ready for riders to board. Residents will be celebrating this historic event at different stops as they ride the train for free through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.

Tempe’s biggest celebration will take place around the City’s new Transportation Center at Fifth Street and College Avenue, and will include food, entertainment and fireworks.

Volunteers will be needed to serve in the children’s activity and information booths and assist with set-up and take down. Shifts are available between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Volunteers will receive a long-sleeve T-shirt to wear at the event and keep as their souvenir of this special day.

For more information and to volunteer, call the City of Tempe volunteer office at 480-350-5190.”

asunews.asu.edu reports:

The barbecue-and-football tradition of ASU Family Weekend has evolved into a three-day celebration for the whole clan, and a chance for younger siblings to dip their toes into the campus waters.

On ASU Family Weekend Oct. 24-26, sisters and brothers of current students are offered a whole schedule of activities including games at the Student Recreation Complex, a residence hall tour and a special tour of Sun Devil Stadium with Sparky and ASU athletes. Siblings must be in the 6th – 12th grade.

Mom and Dad can go to class with their student, attend different tours and open houses, and sample workshops on helping and understanding their student, and on sustainability. President Michael Crow will share with parents the new developments in ASU’s efforts to be a green campus.

As always, there’ll be plenty of fun–a hike up “A” Mountain, planetarium shows, a tailgate party before the Saturday night football game with the Oregon Ducks. But parents who want a chance to tickle their gray matter won’t be disappointed.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host an interactive faculty forum and debate on issues of current national and global concern at 3:15 p.m. Oct. 24. The W.P. Carey School of Business will offer a faculty panel discussion on “Wall Street Meets Main Street: Straight Talk on the Financial Crisis from Experts Who Are Not Running for President,” at noon Oct. 25.

At Barrett, the Honors College, parents even have advance homework before attending a Mock Human Event class at 10 a.m. Oct. 25. Faculty have assigned required reading to parents, from Dante’s “Inferno” to Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” and Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals.”

Most ASU faculty members will allow family to visit their classrooms with their students during Family Weekend. At the West campus, Professors Brian Sullivan and Andrew Kirby have invited parents to their classes on “Natural History of Arizona” and “Honors ASU 101: The ASU Experience.”

Welcome receptions will be held at all four campuses. Shuttles will transport students and families from West, Polytechnic and Downtown campuses to Tempe on Oct. 25 for the tailgate party on Old Main Lawn and football game at Sun Devil Stadium.

Sustainability efforts for the weekend’s activities include using recycled paper products, catering with food from local distributors and choosing gifts such as water bottles and tote bags that are earth-friendly and reusable.

For information on registration and schedules, go to http://students.asu.edu/familyweekend.”

“…Five decades, 16.2 million ticket-holders, 36 Fiesta Bowls, four national championships, some blockbuster concerts, two massive expansions, two seasons of USFL, a Super Bowl, one pope, “Babs,” a Coen brothers movie, $10 million in structural repairs and infinite memories later, the building between the Buttes is still an iconic East Valley landmark.

“We had no other competition in the community for the sports dollar,” said former player Harold Slemmer, now the executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association. “There were no pro (teams). There was a lot of people, that was their only means of activity.”

But what was once the home to every conceivable major event in the East Valley has lost a bit of its luster.

First, the Cardinals moved when University of Phoenix Stadium opened in 2006. Then the BCS (Fiesta and national championship) bowls followed suit.

So, too, did the Super Bowl, The Rolling Stones, high school football championships, and WrestleMania in 2010.

Barring a $300 million windfall that university officials don’t foresee, the home of ASU football will remain.

But at some point in the coming years, it’ll need a structural and aesthetic overhaul estimated to cost between $50 million and $60 million in repairs and renovations to keep the stadium safe.

The concrete and support beams weren’t waterproofed during initial construction, and 50 years of rain and spilled drinks collected and eroded away parts of the structure.

The university spent $10 million in 2005 for immediate upgrades to keep the stadium safe for a few more years, but this grand old place ain’t what it used to be.

“Nothing is, whether the cars we drive or places we went,” ASU graduate and Fiesta Bowl president John Junker said. “Time takes its toll on everything and everybody.”

Physically, it needs massaging. Emotionally, however, it still soothes.

“It hasn’t changed much,” former ASU tackle and Arizona’s all-time winningest high school football coach Karl Kiefer said. “You still have the same feeling as the West Texas game. The buses, people, the fans, the enthusiasm. I still have the same admiration for it.”

Pope John Paul II and 75,000 spectators were there. So were U2, the Rolling Stones, a USFL team and one of the greatest national championship games in history.

But for most Sun Devils fans, it’s the football team that – sorry, Babs – lights the corners of their minds. So for whatever stadium memories ring most loud and clear for you since 1958, time (and money) will tell if you’ll have a chance to do this all again in 2058.

“I think it’s one of the best stadiums to view an athletic event,” Kush said. “Any seat is a panoramic view of the entire field. If they need to fix it to take care of the fans, then do it.”

Misty watercolor memories of the way we were …

Fifty years ago Saturday, ASU christened the largest pit of steel in Tempe. In the ensuing years, Sun Devil Stadium has hosted countless football games, concerts, events and stars. From Frank Kush to Dennis Erickson; John Jefferson to Pat Tillman; Pope John Paul II to Barbra Streisand. From the epic 1996 win over Nebraska to the stunning 1999 loss to New Mexico State; from the Fiesta Bowl to the BCS national championship, the grand old stadium has seen it all. Today, we remember the past and wonder: If we had the chance to do it all again, would we? Could we?

1958: Arizona State says goodbye to Goodwin Stadium for good and moves into its new 30,000-seat home under first-year coach Frank Kush. The Sun Devils defeat West Texas State, 16-13, in the building’s Oct. 4 unveiling, led by tackle Karl Kiefer, whose 308 career high school coaching victories are (for the moment) No. 1 in Arizona history.

1971: Led by Danny White and Woody Green, Arizona State outlasts Florida State, 45-38, in the first Fiesta Bowl before a crowd of nearly 52,000. After three fumbles in the first half had Green in tears on the sideline, he plunged in for the game-winning touchdown and his third score of the night with a little more than one minute remaining. It is the first of three memorable December nights for Green, who had 74 carries for 434 yards and 10 touchdowns in three Fiesta Bowls.

1975: The first NFL game is held at the stadium, a preseason matchup between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

1976: Though most of the film was shot in Tucson, do-everything diva Barbra Streisand has portions of her concert at Sun Devil Stadium used during her remake of “A Star Is Born,” alongside Kris Kristofferson. Peter Frampton and Santana also play during the all-day concert before 55,000 fans. Tickets were $3.50.

1977: The last of two successive stadium expansions in consecutive years is completed, boosting capacity up to 57,722 in 1976, then 70,491. The $11 million for the project was raised privately.

1983:The Rolling Stones release “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” a 1981 concert filmed at Sun Devil Stadium.

1987: Portions of “Raising Arizona” with Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter are filmed in the stadium and a dozen other spots in Tempe and around the state.

1987: Up next on the musical showcase, U2stops in Tempe as part of its “Joshua Tree” tour, and two nights worth of footage is captured as part of the band’s documentary, “Rattle and Hum,” which is released the following year.

1987: Despite Sparky, his pitchforks and the venue being loyal to Devils, Pope John Paul II makes a rare appearance in the United States. Among the nine stops on tour is a speech before an estimated crowd of 75,000 at the stadium, as well as a couple of other quicker speeches around town. T-shirts, “muscle shirts” and sweatshirts were sold outside the stadium. “He was Polish, like me,” Kush said. “I should change my name to Kushowski.”

1988: A final stadium expansion is completed, which adds more than 1,700 additional seats and the $28million athletic complex on the south side of the stadium (now the Nadine and Ed Carson Student Athlete Center).

1988: The Cardinals move west, from St. Louis to Phoenix (the team was renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994), and the state’s first NFL team takes up residence at Sun Devil Stadium for the next 18 seasons. The Cardinals lose their first regular-season game to Dallas on “Monday Night Football,” and 79 more home games through 2005, a meager .440 winning percentage.

1996: Rod Tidwell demanded the world, “Show me the money!” Cuba Gooding Jr.’s loud-mouth, average-receiver character from “Jerry Maguire” put on a show in the Sun Devil Stadium end zone during a pivotal late-season game against the Dallas Cowboys. (He won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role.) The second coming of Jerry Rice, he was not, but the Cardinals showed him the money anyway the following week on “Up Close” with Roy Firestone. In the real world, the Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium a few months later.

1996: “Frank Kush Field” is dedicated during halftime of the Arizona State-Nebraska rematch in late September. A year after being waxed by 49 points in Lincoln, the Sun Devils return the favor with a 19-0 whipping of the No. 1 Cornhuskers, who entered the stadium with a 26-game winning streak. “When confidence turns to arrogance, you lose that fear,” ASU coach Bruce Snyder said after the game. “That’s not good. I think a lot of guys on our team right now are saying, ‘Damn, we’re good.’ Can you blame them?”

1996: A new ASU football attendance record is set and broken again in a three-week span. The Sun Devils host USC in mid-October, drawing 74,947, or 858 more fans than the ASU-Nebraska matchup. Three weeks later, ASU and California play before 74,963 fans, a stadium logjam surpassed only by the pope’s visit nine years prior.

2003: Just as the calendar turns over another year, the last national championship game held at Sun Devil Stadium becomes a game for the ages. Miami and Ohio State leave a crowd of more than 77,000 speechless and dizzy in the fourth quarter and both overtimes. Miami forces overtime with a 40-yard field goal as time expires, allows a fourth-and-14 conversion to OSU in the first overtime, then endures a controversial pass-interference call against them on fourth-and-goal, which leads to the Buckeyes tying the score at 24-24 and forcing a second overtime. “I’ll never forget how absolutely quiet 76,000 people were,” Junker said of the interference call. “You could have heard a pin drop. It’s never been so quiet and eerie.” Maurice Clarett gives OSU the lead in the second overtime, and the Hurricanes can’t score a touchdown on their subsequent chance. Ohio State 31, Miami 24.

2003: Deadly wildfires in California threaten Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, which temporarily houses residents forced to flee their homes. After a week of hand-wringing and waiting, the “Monday Night Football” game between San Diego and Miami moves to Sun Devil Stadium. Tickets are free, and Miami wins 26-10.

2005: The Cardinals play their final game at Sun Devil Stadium on Christmas Eve, a 27-21 victory against Philadelphia. For the previous 18 seasons it had been a hot, painful existence in Tempe for the Cardinals, who move west to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale in fall 2005. One sign in the stands reads: “Thanks for the memories, both of them.”

2005: Tempe signs an eight-year, $6.5 million deal to host the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium, luring it away from Chase Field. In 2006, Texas Tech stages the largest comeback in Division I-A postseason football by rallying from a 38-7 third-quarter deficit to beat Minnesota in overtime.

2005: Engineers stumble across a series of cracks in the stadium’s infrastructure, most of which are the result of water damage accumulated over the years in a building that wasn’t waterproofed during construction. It leads to $10 million in short-term stadium repairs and then comes the news that between $50 million to $60 million will be required in the next decade or two.”

livedaily.com reports:

“Following a handful of solo shows this month, Keller Williams [ tickets ] will tour with bassist Keith Moseley, guitarist Gibb Droll and drummer Jeff Sipe to support their new album, “Live.”

Williams will return to the road Oct. 16 in Tuscon, AZ, and take his one-man band setup through Tempe, AZ; Kent, OH; Columbus, OH; and Las Vegas. He’ll join up with Moseley, Droll and Sipe Oct. 25 in Asheville, NC, and then head to the West Coast for 10 more dates with the band. Since last check, Williams has also added a couple of late November gigs with Grunge Grass, which plays bluegrass versions of alternative radio hits of the ’90s and features Williams on guitar, Claude Auther on bass and Jay Starling on dobro. The full itinerary is listed below.

November 2008
5 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House*
6 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern*
7 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre*
8 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Casino*
9 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore*
11 – Eureka, CA – Eureka Theatre*
12 – Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom*
13 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre*
14 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom*
15 – Seattle, WA – Showbox*
21 – Lancaster, PA – The Chameleon**
22 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head on Stage**

January 2009
4-9 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Jam Cruise 7

*Dates with Moseley, Droll and Sipe
**Dates with Grunge Grass

“In these bad economic times, one Valley shopping center claims it’s enjoyed a lot of success since it opened a year ago.

Tempe Marketplace has become a prime East Valley dining and shopping venue.

The open-air mall features a fountain and seats where people can lounge and relax and a Harkins Theatres complex.

Not too long ago, it was a dump.

“It was a landfill. There were tire companies and a lot of waste on this land,” said Tempe Marketplace’s Denise Hart. “And we took it over and cleaned it up and made it into something very beautiful.”

The mall’s benefits to Tempe have been tremendous.

“Tempe Marketplace brings a huge amount of tax revenue to the City of Tempe and has done so in just the year since we’ve been here,” Hart said.

The ASU Web Devil quotes Tempe officials as saying the mall, near the Loops 101 and 202 freeways, has brought in more than $3 million in sales tax revenue in its first year.

Hart said Tempe Marketplace — which features a mix of shops, restaurants and big box stores — has been able to withstand the bad economy.

“I think even in this down economic time, people want to feel good, so they got out to restaurants and they eat and they drink… We bring a lot more of the entertainment aspect than the other retail properties around us and we’re near the ASU college scene, so they love to come here.”

Meanwhile, a little east on the Loop 202 is the Mesa Riverview Shopping Center.

Spokesman Stan Sanchez said that is a larger retail center than Tempe Marketplace.

“Because of the overall size — 1.3 million square feet of retail, 250 acres with a true mixed-use component to it — we had to open it up in phases, so some of that may lead some people to say it happened slowly,” Sanchez said.

Mesa Riverview, which opened to its first tenants 26 months ago, is 92 percent under lease, he said.

The fanfare over Tempe Marketplace has presented a challenge for Riverview, said Sanchez.

“The perception is that theirs was up and running and going full-speed ahead all at one time,” Sanchez said, “when maybe ours probably took a little bit longer to bring it to that stage.”

Sanchez noted Bass Pro Shops, Home Depot and Wal-Mart already have opened at Riverview, and said 24-Hour Fitness and Sports Authority will open in the first quarter of 2009.

When finished, Mesa Riverview also will feature a hotel and amusement park.”

“Sun Devil Athletics invites you to show us your talent. On Oct. 8, ASU Athletics will hold an open audition seeking possible performers for halftime at athletic events including men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. Selected individuals/groups will have an opportunity to perform for 3-5 minutes, depending on the event.

All varieties of acts from both the local and campus communities are welcome to try out. We ask that performances not contain any singing or speaking elements. Past halftime shows have included break dancers, hip hop dancers, and martial arts demonstrations. We are looking for similar types of acts and more. Every individual/group should plan on wearing any costumes at the tryouts used in their live performances. If your routine requires music please bring it in CD format and a sound system will be provided. Acts must be family friendly and should be in good taste; this includes both the act itself, and the attire worn during the performance.

All performance group members will receive complimentary admission to the event they are performing at and discounted tickets may be available for family and friends. All ticket offers are subject to availability.

The auditions will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 7-10 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena on the ASU Tempe Campus. For more information, or to reserve a time to audition, contact Drew Ossakow at dossakow@asu.edu or (480) 727-0623. Reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until all spaces are full, or noon, Oct. 8. If you cannot attend the tryout, but would still like an opportunity to perform at an ASU event, contact Drew to submit a DVD or video tape of your act.”