Free Outdoor Movies

I love the feel of free community events where anyone can be in the audience, like outdoor concerts or Ballet Under the Stars.

Outdoor movies are particularly interesting because they turn the whole movie viewing experience on its head. In the theater, it’s all about blocking out the surrounding environment – controlling light and sound so that nothing distracts from what’s on screen. Outdoors, the environment becomes part of the experience.

As a teenager, I saw the movie Twister at a drive-in while a monsoon storm was moving in, the wind gusting hard and the sky turning a surreal shade of orange. I’m pretty sure I thought it was a better movie than it actually was because of the natural drama around me. On the other hand, sometimes the sound isn’t good or something blocks your view or the people from the Portlandia sketch show up.

Do you ever go to free or outdoor movie events?

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Some places for free movies (inside or outside) here in Arizona…

May 2016:

Tempe Kiwanis Park
Sun City West Beardsley Park
Chandler CinePark

Summer:

Tucson Movies in the Park

Ongoing:

2nd Friday Nights Out – monthly in Downtown Mesa
Phoenix libraries – Weekly Wednesday Afternoon Movies at Burton Barr and Classic Movie Thursdays at Agave.
City Lights Movie Night – monthly at Cityscape (Double feature of Back to the Future I & II May 13)

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April 11, 2016April 11, 2016

A Dash of Wine

When Phillip and I took our anniversary trip to Florence, Arizona, we saw a handmade sign in front of a house that just said “winery” with an arrow.

Obviously, we had to investigate.

It turns out the winery in question was not, as the sign seemed to suggest, in someone’s backyard, but a totally legit operation down the street. The Windmill Winery was quiet except for a few donkeys, and it turns out the tasting room is closed on Mondays. We moved on with no wine and only a little whine.

The scene was very different when we were back months later. Even though it was early Sunday morning, people were already bustling around and a DJ was spinning. The winery was hosting the Dionysus Dash, a 5k run for a charity that Phillip’s work supports.

The scene before the #dionysusdash at @windmillwinery – tutus, togas, and a wine tasting afterwards!

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Apr 3, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT

After the runners were done running and we were done running the raffle booth, we got to visit the barn for a special tasting set up for the event, then say hi to the donkeys and chickens and check out the lake and the outside of the actual tasting room.

Maybe one of these days we’ll actually visit during regular hours and go inside.

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February 18, 2016August 11, 2016

Happenings in Arizona: February 2016 and Beyond!

We’ve been including a list of hand-picked maker/artist/explorer events in our monthly newsletter, and I thought I’d share the Arizona portion here today.

Arcosanti cafe

Now – Apr 30 Arcosanti Resident Art Show

Arcosanti, near Cordes Junction. Art by Arcosanti residents and alumni for sale. The day we had breakfast at Arcosanti was also during an art show. Work for sale included jewelry, photography, and mixed media pieces.

Gourd Art: Mar 2 + Apr 6. Basic gourd art for beginners. $35-$45.
Terrarium: Mar 11 + Mar 12. Choose your succulents and create an indoor garden. Walk-in class. $15.

Macayos margarita

Feb 21 – Mar 29 Macayo’s Tequila Dinner Series

Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina, Scottsdale. Read our review of the redesigned Macayo’s Scottsdale.

Feb 21 3-8pm (National Margarita Day!): Tequila & Margarita Tasting to benefit the Leukemia Lymphoma Society with 9 Top Shelf Tequila samples, 9 handcrafted cocktail samples, appetizers, and live music by Nick Hranek. Open house style event. $40/person.
Feb 23 5:30pm: Tequila Dinner & LIVE! Macayo Salsa Challenge
Mar 29 5:30pm: Tequila Dinner

Eucalyptus trees at arboretum

Mar 2 – Apr 6 Craft Classes at the Arboretum

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior. Whether or not you take a class, it’s a lovely place to spend the day.

Gourd Art: Mar 2 + Apr 6. Basic gourd art for beginners. $35-$45.
Terrarium: Mar 11 + Mar 12. Choose your succulents and create an indoor garden. Walk-in class. $15.

Heritage Square Phoenix

Mar 5 Phoenix Flea

10am-5pm in Hertiage Square, Phoenix. Market for vintage goods, fine art & crafts, fashion, and artisan food.

Southwest Maker Fest

Mar 12 Southwest Maker Fest

12-7pm in Downtown Mesa. Read about a previous SWMF or my travel journal workshop.

Quilling

Mar 14 CraftHack

6pm at Gangplank Chandler. Meet other artists and crafters and learn something new or bring your own project to work on!

Art Detour

Mar 19-20 Annual Art Detour

Phoenix. Self-guided tour of studios in Phoenix Arts District.

Mar 10 5-9pm: Art d’Core Gala in Hance Park. Celebration and arts showcase.
Mar 18 6-10pm: Third Friday Art Detour Preview Night.

Ceramic art by Robin Ray.

Now – Apr 3 Arizona Fine Art EXPO

26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 100 artists set up shop under big tents in Scottsdale for 10 weeks. Also cafe, sculpture garden, and weekend music. $10 season pass.

November 2, 2015

Good stuff for makers, artists, and wanderers!

Did you get a copy of our shiny, new, just-relaunched Maker/Artist/Wanderer newsletter in your inbox?!

If not, you have another chance! Sign up by Wednesday, and I’ll pretend you were on the list all along.

I’ll send you the latest issue while you still have time to take a free dance class (in Phoenix) or send a free letterpress snail mail card (anywhere). And in time for a heads up on the happenings going on across the US this month that I handpicked to share with you guys.

Next month’s newsletter is already in the works with goodies like a free ecookbook.

To get in on all this goodness, just enter you email address on our newsletter page or below.

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September 23, 2015September 23, 2015

Ballet under the Stars is Back

In Arizona, we plan outdoor events during most of the year with reckless abandon. Organizers bet on clear skies, because the odds are just too good to pass up.

Of course, sometimes they bet wrong.

Like when the Ballet Under the Stars performance we usually attend in Tempe had to be canceled last year due unseasonably late and unusually heavy rains.

We decided to drive an hour south to the Casa Grande performance at the Paul Mason Sports Complex a few days later. The rain had stopped, and it was a beautiful drive with the golden hour sun dropping below the clouds.

While there was still a great turnout, it was a much smaller crowd with even more of a community vibe and much more convenient parking.

We had packed a simple picnic of cheese, crackers, hummus, fruit, and chocolate. We spread out our blanket as the dancers warmed up and the sky erupted into increasingly spectacular shades of pink and orange.

It was a beautiful show.

What to know about Ballet Under the Stars 2015:

There are 5 performances in different locations September 24-October 2 at 7pm. (Unfortunately, I don’t see Casa Grande on the list this year.)
Admission is free, but you can make a donation to support Ballet Arizona online or at an event.
No photography is permitted during the event.
Bring something to sit on (blanket, lawn chair, etc.).
Expect some background noise. There will be people moving around a bit, kids doing kid things, and parents stage-whispering things like “Don’t hit your brother with that glow stick.” or “Stop asking strangers for snacks.” It’s actually not that disruptive, as long as you don’t get stuck behind oblivious people who decide to chat through the whole performance. May the odds be ever in your favor.