Fireworks in the Valley of the Sun 2014

Do you know where you are going to be on the Fourth of July? Here is a round-up of events going on in the Valley of the Sun. Check out the list of events in Greater AZ here.

Writing and images by Marily

Central

Phoenix
There are a couple of fireworks shows that will happen in Phoenix before the 4th. After Dark in the Park is a free family festival held at Deer Valley Park on Saturday, June 28th starting at 7:00 PM. Inflatables, food vendors, and a fireworks show. Thursday, July 3rd is Light Up the Sky Celebration at Maryvale Baseball Park beginning at 6:30 PM. Bounce houses, games and activities, and fireworks. The big Phoenix event is of course the Fabulous Phoenix 4th from 6:00 - 10:00 PM at Steel Indian School Park. There will be a kids' ride zone, splash zone, classic cars, patriotic exhibits, and of course fireworks. All of these Phoenix events are free.

Scottsdale
Scottsdale's 4th of July at Westworld starts at 2:00 PM on July 4th. This event is in a huge indoor air-conditioned space so you may be a little more comfortable paying more to go to this party. Admission is $10, or $5 for Scottsdale residents, with kids 6 and under free. Sesame Street Adventure, Lego race track, BMX shows, and more. Wristbands for the indoor amusement park are an additional fee, plus there is a parking fee, even if you just go to watch the fireworks.

Anthem
The Independence Day Celebration happens on July 3rd from 6:00 - 10:00 PM at ACC Community Park. Free admission $12 for wristbands to do inflatables, water slides, and rides.

Ahwatukee
Red White and Boom is Thursday, July 3rd from 5:00 - 10:00 PM at the Ahwatukee Country Club. Kids zone, vendors, and fireworks at 9:00 PM.

East

Tempe
Tempe 4th is at Tempe Beach Park starting at 5:00 PM on July 4th. Admission is $5 pre-sale or $8 at the gate with kids 12 and under free. Look for a food court, inflatables for the kids, and live music. Fireworks shoot over Tempe Town Lake around 9:15 PM and go for a good 30 minutes or more.

Fountain Hills
Head to Fountain Hills to get a nice fireworks show without the crazy crowds at some other cities. Fourth at the Fountain is Friday, July 4th from 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM and includes bounce houses, food vendors, and fireworks at 9:00. Ages 20 and under are free, 21 and over are $5/person.

Chandler
Chandler's Fourth of July Celebration happens on Friday, July 4th from 4:00 - 10:30 PM at Tumbleweed Park. Live music, bike parade, and more. $5 parking. Fireworks at 9:30 PM.

Mesa
Arizona Celebration of Freedom is a free event in downtown Mesa on July 4, 2014 from 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Look for a patriotic car show, lots of music, Revolutionary War reenactments, inflatables,a splash zone, and lots of stuff for kids as well as some great and meaningful patriotic displays and areas. The location has moved a bit since last year so make sure to check the map.

Arizona Celebration of Freedom

Living Word Bible Church in Mesa is also hosting fireworks. The show starts at 9:00 PM

Gilbert
Fire in the Sky is held at Central Christian Church. Event begins at 6:00 PM, fireworks go off at 9:00. Music and food vendors, as well as a couple other viewing areas if you'd rather stay near your car.

Queen Creek
Central Christian is hosting the show at Schnepf Farms this year. Gates open at 6:00 PMon July 4th. There will be a few games and food trucks.  The fireworks will start about 9:00 PM. $10 a carload or 10 cans of food.

Apache Junction
Hometown Fireworks Celebration held at AJHS football stadium from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Smaller crowds, free family event, and fireworks.

West

Peoria
All-American Festival at Peoria Sports Complex on Friday, July 4th starting at 5:00 PM. Admission is $5/person, children 12 and under are free. Lots of fun is to be had here: a couple of water play areas, kids areas, a few stages with bands, and more.

Buckeye
The Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration starts at 6:00 PM at Youngker High. Fireworks at 9:00 PM.

Surprise
The 4th of July Celebration is a rookie league baseball game and fireworks show at Suprise Stadium. Free admission with canned food donation. Games starts at 5:30 with fireworks after the game.

That is quite a lot of options, and actually not even complete! I have done my best to gather this information and hope it's all accurate, but please do your homework before you head out somewhere.

Check out the list of fireworks in the surrounding parts of AZ here and check back to this list for updates as I add more cities to the list.

Know of an event not on our list? Leave a comment below so I can add it.

Where is your favorite place to go for the 4th? Let us know in the comments or on our I Heart AZ Friends page.

Fireworks in Arizona for 4th of July, 2014

The 4th of July is coming up and it's time to make some plans! No matter what part of the state you live in, there should be something fun on this list for you. Today's portion of the list includes cities all throughout the state. Maybe this will be a good year to get out and experience another city in AZ for Independence Day. A small town 4th of July just can't be beat. Here you go!

Writing and images by Marily

Northern AZ

Flagstaff
There will be a parade Friday morning, an art show, free outdoor symphony concert, and fireworks show at 9:00 PM. There is also a show in Winslow.

Cottonwood
This family event is $1 for parking, then rides and treats available for purchase. Free hot dogs and hamburgers provided. Fireworks at 8:45 PM. More info here.

Sedona
Get there early in the week for Wet Wednesday in Sedona.  Celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month in Sedona by running through the sprinklers each Wednesday in July from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM.  Then afterwards head over to the community pool for recreation swim. Friday evening is the  Sedona Laser Light show and Concert.  Enjoy live music, food vendors, and being surrounded by the redrocks.  Laser Light show set to begin around 8:45 or at dark.  No fireworks in Sedona, but you could head to Cottonwood or Flagstaff nearby for their shows.

Page
This city claims the largest fireworks display in Northern Arizona, but I'm pretty sure someone else is boasting that too. You can see the fireworks over Lake Powell or at a spot in the city. There is also a parade in the morning. Go here and here for more info.

My husband has the kids help fly the flag and then say
the Pledge of Allegiance for 4th of July and other patriotic holidays.

Eastern AZ

Heber
There will be a festival on Friday, but most of the fun will be on Saturday. Saturday's events include a parade, festival, live music, and fireworks show at 9:00 PM.

Show Low
There will be a parade on Friday morning as well as a family festival and rodeo throughout the day capped off by fireworks at night.

Show Low 4th of July Parade

Taylor
Most of the festivities in Taylor will happen on Saturday. That day there will be a fun run, patriotic program, BBQ, rodeo, and fireworks.

Alpine
Festivities take place on Saturday with a parade in the morning, celebration during the day, and fireworks to cap it all off that night at 8:30 PM.

Eager
My friend goes with her family to Eager for the 4th every year and they love it there. There will be a parade, barque, rodeo, dance, and of course fireworks.

Gila Valley
The event will be held at the Fair Grounds in Safford. Decorate your bike and join the parade that begins at 10:00 AM. Fireworks begin at 9:00 PM.

Central AZ

Payson
This would be a fun and easy over-nighter for Valley-dwellers. Head up Friday for the kids' games and foot races or just enjoy the live music in the evening. Fireworks begin at 9:00 PM. Stay overnight and hit the farmers market before heading back to town.

Prescott
Kids 12 and under can participate in a kiddie parade Friday morning. Then take your pick or hop between the rodeo during the daytime, the family carnival, or a wine-tasting event. That evening the fireworks start at 9:00 PM. The next morning is the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo Parade as well as other fun going on in the town.

Southern AZ

Tucson
There is a helpful write-up here about events in Tucson and the surrounding cities. Fireworks will be in downtown Tucson, at the Ritz-Carlton, the Oro Valley, Marana, and Casa Grande.

Sierra Vista
The annual People and Pets Promenade is in the morning with an arts and craft fair going on throughout the day. There is also a talent show and street dance the night before. Fireworks start just after 8:00 PM.

Western AZ

Lake Havasu
Spend the 4th on the lake and enjoy fireworks on Friday over the lake in a boat or on the shore.

Kingman
Family festival starts at 9:00 PM capped off by fireworks at 9:00 PM

Check back tomorrow for even more fireworks (in the Valley) and check back to this list for updates as I add more cities to the list.

Know of an event not on our list? Leave a comment below so I can add it.

I have done my best to gather this information and hope it's all accurate, but please do your homework before you head out somewhere. Also, you will want to stay updated on whether or not any of these events get cancelled due to fire dangers.

Where is your favorite place to go for the 4th? Let us know in the comments or on our I Heart AZ Friends page.

A Fun Summer Activity: Pinterest Week

Written by Marily. Images from Marily and from their original sources (see links below).

Last week was Pinterest Week at our house. I have lots of great ideas for things to do/places to see/ things to eat on my Pinterest boards but we rarely actually try something. If you have a Pinterest account, there is a good chance we share that in common. So I sat down with my boys (ages 2-9) and went through a couple of my Pinterest boards--mostly kids' activities and recipes. We picked several things we wanted to try and added them all to a new Pinterest Week board. Then, we got ready for the week by purchasing the items we needed ahead of time in order to make it happen.

Here is what we tried as well as a verdict on each (HIT or MISS):

Birthday FREEBIES from I Heart AZ

text and images by Kathryn

Two birthdays on the 20th, skip a day, one birthday on the 22nd, and two more birthdays on the 23rd.  This is what our June looks like.  Crazy?  Yes.  Five birthday crammed into four days.  Very odd and very unplanned, but we have embraced the freak status and actually use it to our benefit.

There are freebies offered by many establishments on your birthday and sometimes even the month of your birthday.  So for a family like ours, this comes in very handy.  I thought I would share some of our favorite places and some others I would like to try out for free birthday goodies.  Some deals require you to sign up online, others, simply take in an ID or your child's birth certificate.  I have noted when you need to sign up online.

Happy Birthday To You Freebies:

IHOP - free Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity meal the week of your birthday when you sign up online.  They also send an "anniversary" coupon celebrating when you signed up for the rewards club.  I signed myself and my husband up in June so that he can use his "anniversary" coupon when the rest of us are cashing in our birthday coupon.  Six Rooty Tooties for free.  Now, not every IHOP will allow six coupons at once, but the IHOP at Riverview in Mesa has always been so kind to us.  We love their management.  In fact last year they even brought my girls free birthday ice-cream sundaes.  It is one of my girls' favorite birthday week traditions!

Firehouse Sub - Free medium sub on your birthday.  Just show ID.

The Joe Restaurants - Liberty Market, Joe's Real BBQ, and Joe's Farm Grill all offer $10 towards any order.  Sometimes we eat at Joe's BBQ with $10 off and then head across the street to Liberty Market for free dessert because they will give you another $10 off.  Sometimes we just go to Joe's Farm Grill for delicious shakes before having a little date night with our girls for their birthday.  We love this deal and hope Joe keeps it up.  (Thanks Joe!)  Must show ID.

Genie Car Wash in Mesa - Free car wash on your birthday with ID.  It makes it much easier to enjoy your birthday with a clean car!

Bookmans - Sign your kids up online for the Kid's Club.  A $10 gift certificate postcard will be sent to your home the month of your birthday.  We just got our four in the mail and they do not even have an expiration date.  Awesome.

Changing Hands Bookstore - Choose whether you want a 25% off discount or $10 off your purchase during the month of your birthday.  Just simply show ID.  

Click below for even more great FREEBIES, including Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

Giveaway: Winner of Four Pogo Passes

Picking a winner is sometimes excruciating.  We really want everyone to be the winner!  However, names were totaled from Facebook and Instagram, a number randomly drawn and....

POGO passes are awesome for family entertainment, date night ideas, friend fun for on the cheap.  I know several families that love using their passes during Spring Break and Summer Break so that their kiddos are entertained every time school lets out.  Marily  mentioned buying POGO passes to give as wedding gifts (um, that would have been awesome if these were around 12 years ago when I got married).  If you have a close group of friends and everyone purchases one, gone are the nights of sitting around trying to plan something fun to do instead of actually going and doing something fun.  

Sunsplash, laser tag, bowling, The Phoenix Zoo, Comedy Theater, Jump Street, The Rock Gym, Diamondback games, Arizona Museum of Natural History, Rattlers Games, Sea Life Aquarium, ASU games, Enchanted Island, Paintball, Skateland....entrance to all these places for one low cost of $39.98 with code IHEARTAZ.

POGO passes are great for any age, any season of life!  If you are wanting to purchase a POGO pass, remember, using code IHEARTAZ will save you 60%.  You can purchase passes here.

Oh, the winner?  

Emily Wilkinson Norton

Congratulations! You won the 4 POGO passes.  Please e-mail us at contactus@iheartaz.com to claim your prize!  

This is my daughter and my husband before their date to the Diamondbacks game last June.  (She refused to look at the camera and smile but had the time of her life! She came home with a baseball and wouldn't let it out of her sight for days.)

*Yes, Marily and I do get a small compensation if you purchase a POGO pass using our code.  However, we would not promote it if we did not feel it was a great deal.  Besides, even while blogging at I Heart Mesa, every dollar we earned went right back into growing the blog to serve our community better and doing more giveaways for our readers.  

Air-Conditioned Fun for a Hot AZ Summer

Written by Marily

The last post in the series is designed to give you lots of options for indoor places to take your kids this summer. When it's 110 degrees outside and you don't want to apply sunscreen and head to the pool, here are some ideas for things to do:

Buy a Pogo Pass. Consider this an investment that will last you an entire year.  Use code IHEARTAZ and get 60% off, which makes these passes $39.98 each. For an entire year, your Pogo Pass will get you to Sunsplash, AZ Diamondbacks games, Sea Life Aquarium, Phoenix Rock Gym, and lots more for FREE. We went to a Rattlers game recently and had a blast. These passes are fun for adults or families with small children and really anyone else.

Try some classes at your local community center. We love the Red Mountain Multigenerational Center in Mesa. Oftentimes they have open gym for a very reasonable price or other activities like Wiggle Worm Adventures (for 5 and under) at the McQueen Park Activity Center in Gilbert.

Summer Reading Guide

Words and images by Kathryn.

You probably already know about your local library's summer reading program. But if your kids are anything like mine, they breeze through that program in no time. Or if you are in a smaller town in AZ, you may not have program with your library to participate in. We have compiled a list of other reading programs and ideas for keeping reading fun all summer long.

Bookman's Read 10 Get 1 Free (all year long)  Also, while you are clicked on that link, sign your kids up for Bookman's Kid's Club.  A $10 gift certificate on their birthday is always a nice present.

Changing Hands Bookstores Club Read (all year long)

Events: June 11, 2014

Written by Marily. Images by Kathryn

In the Valley:

Full Moon Hike
June 13 starting at 8:00 PM. 2-mile guided hike at Usery Park on the east side of the Valley.  Admission into the park is $6 per car.

Summer Splash Tour (Valleywide)
This Saturday it will be held at Dr. AJ Chandler Park, June 21st - Sunset Park in Peoria, June 28th - Glendale Community College, and the last one will be July 5th - Queen Creek Summer Splash. For the tour schedule click here.

Arizona Bridal Show (Phoenix)
Saturday, June 14 from 9:00 am - 3:00 PM. Come on. How fun would it be to head out to the Arizona Bridal Show with a girlfriend for a day? (That's even if there isn't any actual "wedding planning" involved.) Tickets are $12 at the door but if you buy today you can order online at 2 tickets for $12. 

Plan a Road Trip:

Mountain High Music Fest (Pinetop-Lakeside)
Kick-off event held Friday, June 13th at 6:00 PM and event held Saturday, June 14th from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Pinetop-Lakeside Annual Father's Day Fishing Contest
June 15, 2014 - 26th  Registration begins at 10:00 a.m.; fish from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Prizes, trophies, free hot dogs and soda. Meet at the Woodland Lake Park Boat Dock.

Flagstaff Chili Festival 

June 14 - June 15. Family-friendly activity with chili tasting kits for $3 and additional tastings for $0.50

Looking Ahead:  

June 24th: Dia de San Juan Festival in Tucson

July 4th:  

• Arizona Celebration of Freedom in Downtown Mesa
• Home Town Celebration in Payson 
• Taylor Independence Day Celebration and Night Rodeo
• Show Low 4th of July Parade and Freedom Fest

July 25th-26th:  Snowflake Pioneer Days

August 15th - 17th:  Payson's Rodeo and Parade

Other things you might be interested in:
10 Deals for Dads on Father's Day
16 Places to Watch the World Cup
A Great Deal on 2014 Entertainment Books from Arizona Families (great deals for summer)

Hope you have a great week and don't forget to enter our giveaway for FOUR Pogo Passes for free fun at 15 awesome places around the valley.

Pogo Pass Promo Code

This is it! The answer to your summertime question of "What are we going to do today?" Check out all that the Pogo Pass includes: Sunsplash, Diamondbacks, Phoenix Zoo, Jumpstreet, and tons more. Use the promo code IHEARTAZ to get 60% off!  Instead of the regular price of $99, for only $39.98 per person you get a year of fun. The Pogo Pass is likely the best deal in the Valley.

We bought some Pogo Passes as a wedding gift recently for my sister and her new husband. Now they have a year's worth of FREE dates! The passes are also perfect for teenagers or families of all sizes. Buy them for yourself or buy them as a gift.

Have fun!

15 Pictures that Prove Arizona is More Than Just Cactus

Have you ever had that conversation - you know the one in which the person you are conversing with thinks that Arizona is just cactus and tumbleweeds?  Well, we are here to rescue you.  Proof that Arizona is one beautiful state!

(All images taken personally by my husband Ryan)

Okay - this is a cactus picture, but, don't forget about the summer monsoons!  Very few states get to claim these beautiful (sometimes a little destructive) summer storms.  

Recipe: Watermelon Slushy

This is one of our favorite summertime treats. I serve it with the kids' lunch or when friends come over to play. It's a slushy, but much better because it has no added sugar and is made entirely out of fruit. And it couldn't be simpler to make. 

Ingredients: 

• watermelon
• apple juice
• a few frozen or fresh berries (optional)

Step 1: Cut your watermelon into cubes. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and pile the watermelon on this. Set watermelon cubes into freezer and freeze. Once frozen, you can store your watermelon in a freezer bag until ready to use. It doesn't matter if the watermelon is a bit clumped together when frozen, just so long as the chunks are small enough for your blender to blend it up. When I buy watermelon we typically eat about half of it fresh then I throw the other half in the freezer for slushies. 

 Step 2: Load the frozen watermelon chunks and a few frozen or fresh berries into your blender. There is no measurement for this but this is what my blender looked like with the frozen fruit nearly filling the blender. The berries add a little more flavor to the slushy. 

Step 3: Add apple juice to cover about 2/3 or 3/4 of the berries. Start blender. Add more juice until blender just barely can handle blending it up. This will make for a thick slushy, add more juice if you want a less icy drink. 

Step 4: Pour into cups and enjoy!

Variations: 

• Use fresh watermelon and pour the blended drink into popsicle molds and freeze. 
• Try substituting other juices or lemonade for the apple juice.
• If you don't want to prep ahead of time, try using fresh watermelon, ice, and apple juice concentrate. Add a little water, as needed.

Events: June 4, 2014

In the Valley:

June 7 is the kick-off Saturday for the Summer Splash Tour. This is basically a traveling water party! Each Saturday a different city will play host to this tour which consists of water slide, bounce houses, dunk tank, kiddy play land, maze water tag, water balloon battle grounds, carnival games, swimming lessons and more.  This Saturday it will be held at the Gilbert Civic Center.  June 14th - Dr. AJ Chandler Park, June 21st - Sunset Park in Peoria, June 28th - Glendale Community College, and the last one will be July 5th - Queen Creek Summer Splash. For the tour schedule click here.

Build! Toy Brick Art
It's a Lego exhibit without using the trademarked name of Lego. Open at the Heard Museum in Phoenix this summer. Admission is $23 for adults, $12.50 for kids 6-12, and $5 for kids 1-5.

Phoenix Comicon
June 5-8 Phoenix Convention Center. This event is downright ginormous. Tons to do including a Minecraft block party, zombie brain-eating contest, lego build-off, Geek Prom, a car show, cosplay fashion show and much, much more. Buy tickets here (prices go up the day of the event.) Children 12 and under are free.

Target Free First Friday at The Children's Museum of Phoenix

Water Fun and Splash Pads in Arizona

Written by Marily, Images by Marily and Kathryn

Here is a long list for you of water activities and splash pads in AZ. It is not comprehensive yet, but with your help we can add to this list and create a great resource for each other. 

Check out our I Heart AZ Friends page to add your favorites to this list.

Influential Arizonans: Kelly Smith

Written by Kathryn, image via aztechbeat.com

Every so often we like to tell the stories of Arizonans who have done something amazing.  These are everyday citizens that use their talents and time to make a difference here is Arizona.  We hear enough about the bad, we want to highlight the good of this state.  Kelly Smith is a game changer.  Last year Kelly began a program called Code Club, a place where kids can learn to program free of charge.  He wants kids of Arizona to be prepared for our changing economy.

Kelly is a Mesa native.  He gradated from Mesa High in 1998 and soon after left town, living in places like Utah, Portugal, Mozambique, Boston, the Bay Area, and Wisconsin - doing engineering and

business by day and raising a family with the rest of his time. He is married, and together with his wife, has four kids ranging from age 9 years to 2. Their family moved back to Mesa a year ago when Kelly took a job at an internet start-up and was able to choose where to live.  It was time to come home.  

Kelly is passionate about kids and education, tech and entrepreneurship and Arizona.  Code club is a combination of those passions.  Last year Kelly began volunteering at the Mesa library, teaching computer programming to kids ages 8-18.  They meet weekly for two hours and the kids make games and animations.  We know it is a great club because Marily's oldest son has been loving his time in the Code Club.  It is very creative and fun while the kids learn the skills that will help them in this changing economy. This video gives a little insight into the club.

This club is all free and 100% volunteer!  Other volunteers like Andy Jennings of Mesa (who we also know is a great guy because he has freely helped us with some tech support here at I Heart AZ) and Sarah Prosory who is a Red Mountain Branch Librarian have been volunteering to get code club going strong.  Six more volunteers are giving of their time now as well.  Code Club is now available for kids in downtown Mesa, east Mesa, and Camelback High School, with more opening in Scottsdale, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler and downtown Phoenix. Kelly says, "The goal is to introduce thousands of AZ kids to programming and make it 'cool.' Maybe we'll find the next Mark Zuckerberg right here in AZ..."

Code Club needs your help and support to keep growing and expanding and reaching more children.  They are having an event at the IDEA museum in downtown Mesa on Thursday, June 5th from 5:30 - 7:00 PM to get more and more people interested in coding.  At this event, kid coders will be showcasing the games and animations they have been working on this past year.  Come see what is possible with technology.  This is a family friendly FREE event, but you do need to reserve your tickets.  Click this link to reserve your free tickets. 

Also, make sure to go like Code Club on Facebook here.  Or donate to their IndieGoGo campaign here.

What are you going to do with your talents and passions to make Arizona a better place?  Tell us here or on Facebook.  Thanks Kelly for sharing yours.