Our mission is to combine reading and family fun! The perfect combination of books, fun, and reward in October is nearly here! The AZ State Fair is offering a fantastic promotion to encourage literacy in our youth. Kids, read 3 age-appropriate books before you go, and turn in a form at the Fair to receive 3 free rides!

The Book

Choose 3: Read three age-appropriate books and earn 3 free rides at the AZ State Fair.

Age: Students age 5-14 years old

It’s true, there is such a thing as a free ride, a free carnival ride that is. In fact, there are three free rides awaiting young readers at the 2009 Arizona State Fair.

The ABC 15 program supported by 99.9 KEZ returns this year to encourage children to read by rewarding them with Fair ride passes. Each student who reads three books can earn up to three free carnival rides when they complete the official Read & Ride book report form. The program is open to all Arizona students ages 5 to14.

Riding a wave of success since its debut in the year 2000, the reading program has distributed more than 189,000 ride passes donated by Ray Cammack Shows to Arizona students. Last year alone, more than 6,900 children read over 20,000 books in order to earn ride passes during the 2008 Fair.

The Blast

The Arizona State Fair

Dates: October 16-November 8

Location: 1826 W. McDowell Road
Phoenix AZ 85007 (map & directions)

Cost: Adult $10
Child (ages 5-13) $5
Senior (ages 55+) $5
Children under 5 FREE

Hours:

Opening Times
Tue. – Fri. 12 noon
Sat. – Sun. 10am
Closed Mondays

Closing Times: Admission Gates
Sun. – Thurs. approximately 10pm
Fri. – Sat. approximately 12 midnight

Parking: Tuesday – Sunday parking is $10 in all Fairgrounds parking lots.

Non-Fair Parking: Parking in all Fairgrounds lots is $7.

It’s a blast! The AZ State Fair “has something for everyone.” The price of admission includes rodeos, racing, the petting zoo, science and 4-H exhibits, and lots of free entertainment. Don’t forget to check the Fair’s Concert Series for your favorite bands. Look here for a list of all the great rides! Check the Community Stage Calendar to see when all of the best local acts are performing. And of course, make a little room in your budget and your tummy for all of the delicious treats you can’t (and probably shouldn’t) eat any other time of year.

Extra Tips for a Good Time!

• The Fair has so many ways and days for discounts I couldn’t list them all. Look here to get a list of all the ways to save.
• Wednesdays are the days to go! Not only will you miss the weekend crowd, but the fair offers free admission with a specific donation and certain rides are only $1. Look here for details.
• The Fair is a very big and very busy place; bring strollers for little ones, keep a tight hold on your kids, and dress them in something noticeable and memorable. Make sure your kids know what to do if you get separated.
• There lots of Special Days at The Fair, including a 5K run/walk and a very special Family Day on Halloween with extra treats and family package prices.

The Mysterious Benedict Society was on our list for months before it was available at the library, and it was worth the wait! Trenton Lee Stewart weaves a fantastic plot of mystery and discovery. Kids love reading about other children who outwit nasty grown-ups . . . and in this case, a small group of brainiac kids save the whole population from the evil plan of a plotting scientist.

When your kids are finished with the book, challenge them to apply any newly found super-sleuthing  skills to solve the mystery at the new community theater play WhoWhatWhenWhyHow!

The Book

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The Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Illustrator: Carson Ellis

Recommended Age: Grades 5-9

Book Brief: “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”
When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their new found friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?
Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

About the Author: Trenton Lee Stewart, graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and author of the the adult novel Flood Summer, lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, with his wife and two sons. The idea for this, his debut children’s nove, first appeared in the form of a chess riddle, which he thought of on the way to a restaurant. Where it came from, he had no idea. But by the time he reached the restaurant he had decided it ought to go into a children’s novel. So began The Mysterious Benedict Society.

About the Illustrator: Carson Ellis received her BFA from the University of Montana and has established a loyal following for her artistic collaborations with the band the Decemberists. She lives in Portland Oregon.

www.mysteriousbenedictsociety.com

The Blast

WhoWhatWhenWhyHow!

Location: Fountain Hills Community Theatre

Dates: October 9-25

Cost: Adult – $15; Child – $12 (17 & under)

Website to purchase tickets

In WhoWhatWhenWhyHow! famous sleuths gather in a spooky mansion to solve a mystery! Lots of laughs! A hoot of a who dunnit!

Fountain Hills Community Theater

Youth Theater -Fall Season 2009-2010

• Captain Preston
• WhoWhatWhenWhyHow?
• The Nutcracker
• Cinderella
• You Don’t Have to Take It!

Extra Tips for a Good Time!

• Check out www.mysteriousbenedictsociety.com its a great site with a lot of fun activities to extend the adventure!
• Buy your tickets early and plan ahead for an excellent incentive to read the book.
• If your child is interested in theater, this is a great choice! See the website for information on auditioning and volunteering . . . they could really get involved!
• View the website for Youth Workshops in Acting, Dancing, and Voice.

This is one of my favorite times of year. We’ve purchased the perfect backpacks and new shoes, and I love all of the organizational boxes and notebooks! Like you, we are looking for ways to get the gears turning in the brain after a summer of pools, fun, and sun. Phantom Tollbooth is a crazy book all about Math, but it is so much fun! Another great way to brush up on their math skills is with all of the clearance sales. Let your kids calculate the new price of the items you buy. It might be crazy and a tad stressful, but have fun getting ready for school anyway. P.S. The Phantom Tollbooth might be a great book for you to read too, it will bring back a flood of memories of math and English you have blocked out for years.

The Book

Title: Phantom Tollbooth

Author: Norton Juster

Illustrator: Jules Feiffer

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: Readers of all ages will find much wit and wisdom in Norton Juster’s beguiling, offbeat fantasy about a boy names Milo “who didn’t know what to do with himself.”

Through the Phantom Tollbooth lies a strange land and a series of even stranger adventures in which Milo meets some of the most logically illogical characters ever met on this side or that of reality, including King Azaz the Unabridged, unhappy ruler of Dictionopolis; the Mathemagician; Faintly Macabre; the not-so-wicked Which; and the Watchdog Tock, who ticks. In his quest for Rhyme and Reason, Milo helps settle the war between words and numbers, visits the island of conclusions (which can only be reached by jumping), and ventures into the forbidden Mountains of Ignorance, whose all-to-familiar demons menace his every step.

The Phantom Tollbooth is a remarkable story whose humor, irony, sense and non-sense (illustrated with nearly 100 superb Jules Feiffer drawings) make it one of the most unusual and appealing books of the twentieth century.

Author: Norton Juster is an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children’s books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academay-Award winning animated film. He has collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on the libretto for an opera based on The Phantom Tollbooth. An amateur cook and professional eater, Mr. Juster lives with his wife in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Illustrator: Jules Feiffer is the author of two books for young readers The Man in the Ceiling and A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears. He has won a number of prizes for his cartoons, plays, and screenplays. Mr. Feiffer lives in New York City.

The Blast

Back to school shopping with your kids

Location: Your favorite store with great sales.

It’s a blast!

For kids, it’s Christmas in August. New clothes and shoes; sharp pencils and even sharper back packs. Make it educational this year. Allow your kids to calculate the price of their clothing after the sale discount. Better yet, give them a budget and have them keep track and plan out how they will use the money wisely to get what they want. It will be a great experience to get those wheels turnin’ and ready for class again.

For fun I’ve included some statistics from the US Census Bureau about Back to School Shopping.

Back-to-School Shopping

$7.6 billion
The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2008. Only in December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2008 totaled $2.4 billion, an amount approached in 2008 only by sales in January.
Source: Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2006, there were 25,430 family clothing stores, 6,417 children and infants clothing stores, 26,699 shoe stores, 9,425 office supply and stationery stores, 23,270 sporting goods stores, 10,989 bookstores and 9,969 department stores.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006

Extra Tips for a Good Time!

• Take it slow; make a day out of it. Talk about peer pressure, grades, expectations, drugs, and other school-related topics. Give them time to talk and think, and they will open up. Help prepare them emotionally for going back to school too.
• Lunch or ice cream makes anything special. Clear your calendar for a few hours and spend some quality time with getting the kids prepped for the summer to end.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a fantastic book about childhood, imagination, ingenuity, and fun! I read this book to my  five year old daughter. Not only was the imagery fantastic enough to keep her attention, but it also jump started her imagination and she loved it!

Give any child an extra treat by taking them to a real chocolate factory. Cerreta Candy Company in Glendale offers a free factory tour. Make the long hours of summer a little bit sweeter . . .  read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and take a tour of one of AZ’s chocolate factories.

The Book

Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Author: Roald Dahl

Illustrator: Quentin Blake

Recommended Age:9-12

Book Brief:

Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten little girl whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregaurde a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

Author:

Roald Dahl is one of the world’s favorite children’s authors. He first became interested in writing children’s books by making up bedtime stories for his daughters Olivia and Tessa. This was how James and the Giant Peach came into being. An unbroken string of bestselling titles followed; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, Danny the Champion of the World, The Twits, The Witches, Boy, Matilda, and Going Solo. Roald Dahl was a great believer in the importance of reading. “I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers.”

The Blast

Cerreta Candy Compay Factory Tour

Location:

Cost: Free

Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-1pm

Website: www.cerreta.com

Its a blast!

The Cerreta’s strive to create a fun, lively atmosphere where everyone can see candy magic being made. Take a special guided tour of the family-owned hometown candy factory. See how a sea of caramel becomes a tasty treat. Learn how cream centers are enrobed in luscious chocolate.

30-minute guided tours are offered Monday through Friday at 10am and 1pm. For groups of 30 or more, please call (623) 930-1000 and arrange for a private tour.

Self-guided video tours are available during normal factory hours, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 6pm. Television monitors throughout the facility provide plenty of information while you watch chocolate flow right before your eyes.

Extra tips for a good time!

• Cerreta offers extra events this summer, including Mom & Tots Chocolate Pizza and tour party and Saturday Cheese Pizza and Chocolate Pizza Parties. Click here to print $2 off coupons.
• Print a Golden Ticket entry form to enter when you go.
• You can also view the tour online.

America has a rich and exciting history!  Help your child journey through time, back to Boston and the American Revolution. Johnny Tremain is a Newbery Award-winning book about a fictional boy who experiences the events surrounding the coming of America. This novel will bring to life events of the Revolution and peak your child’s interest in history!

After reading and brushing up on the events that led to our independence, celebrate! Tempe 4th commemorates the 4th of July in style with one of the best fireworks shows around. In this amazing show, fireworks are timed to some of the best patriotic music. The celebration is free for kids under 12 and includes a free inflatable village for families. Celebrate our great country with  Johnny Tremaine and Tempe 4th!

The Book:

Click here to find more products in our Amazon Store.

Title: Johnny Tremaine

Author: Esther Forbes

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: A story filled with danger and excitement, Johnny Tremain tells of the turbulent, passionate times in Boston before the Revolutionary War. Johnny, a young apprentice silversmith, is caught up in a dramatic involvement with James Otis, John Hancock and John and Samuel Adams. Johnny is swept along by powerful currents that will lead to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington-and finally to an important discovery in Johnny’s own life.

Johnny Tremain is historical fiction at its most gripping, portraying Revolutionary Boston as a living drama through the shrewd eyes of an observant boy.

About the Author: Esther Forbes, a historian and novelist, wrote for adults as well as young people. She received the Pulitzer Prize for history for Paul Revere and the World He Lived In and Johnny Tremaine won the Newbery Medal.

The Blast:

Tempe 4th

Date & Time: Saturday, July 4th; Gates open at 4pm with fireworks at 9pm

Cost: Children under 12 are free; Adults $8  at the door or 2 for $15. Discount tickets for $5-$6 can be purchased at Frys, ProTix, and City of Tempe. Click here for more detail.

Location: Tempe Town Lake

Its a Blast!

An afternoon and evening celebration on Tempe Town Lake. Kiwanis Club of Tempe 58th Annual Fireworks Spectacular will present the best fireworks show in the Valley shot from Mill Avenue bridge. The spectacular family night Fireworks Show will  be choreographed to patriotic and classical music.

Additional Activities Include:

Splash Playground- Before the fireworks begin cool off and chill out at the azcentral.com Splash Playground. Water fun and games for all ages.

Fantastic Family Fest-Fantastic Family Fest will offer a free inflatable village for all ages with a variety of rides, rock climbing walls and more! Special kid’s entertainment, featuring face painters, relay races and other specialty entertainment.

Food Court- A great food court to satisfy the entire families’ taste buds featuring Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Macayo’s Depot Cantina, BBQ, Roasted Corn, Gyros, Fry Bread, Snow Cones, Ice Cream, Lemonade and lots of cold bottled water, Pepsi products plus a variety of other food vendors.

Main Stage featuring great live local entertainment.

Extra Tips for a Good Time:

• Gates open at 4 p.m. First come first serve on lawn seating. Blankets, portable chairs, personal cameras and personal umbrellas – up to 48” are permitted.
• Only manufacturer’s sealed containers of water (1 gallon / per person) allowed inside the venue.
• No food or coolers allowed.
• No skates, skateboards or bicycles allowed inside the event.
• No Firearms, knives, or other weapons.
• All persons and bags subject to search.
• For the health and safety of our guests, only permitted service animals allowed in the event.
• Entry is free for anyone showing a current military ID.

There are few kings and queens as noble and true as the Pevensies  from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. They ruled with integrity, fairness, and a great sense of adventure. Prince Caspian is the 4th book in The Chronicles of Narnia, and is a wonderful book about what it means to be a steward over a kingdom, what it is to be a true King or Queen.  The castles, battles, and events are all larger than life!

After reading this exciting book, take a trip to a wonderful exhibit, Lego Castle Adventure is currently the featured exhibit at the AZ Science Center. Visitors can build and learn about castles. Don’t miss the chance to combine this fantastic (and cool) summer event with Prince Caspian, a great book that will children excited about reading!

The Book

Title: Prince Caspian, Chronicles of Narnia

Author: C.S. Lewis

Recommended Age: 6-14

Book Brief: The four Pevensies help Caspian battle Miraz and ascend his rightful throne.

Narnia…the land between the lamp-post and the castle of Cair Paravel, where animals talk, where magical things happen…and where the adventure begins.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are returning to boarding school when they are summoned from the dreary train station (by Susan’s own magic horn) to return to the land of Narnia – the land where they had ruled as kings and queens and where their help is desperately needed.

Enter this enchanted world countless times in The Chronicles of Narnia.

About the Author: Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience and his workers continue to attract thousands of new readers each year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loaves, The Srewtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.

The Blast

Arizona Science Center – Lego Castle Adventure

Location: 600 E. WASHINGTON ST.

PHOENIX, AZ 85004

Click here for instructions and directions.

Cost: $12 for adults, $10 kids (3-17), Senior $10

Dates and Times: May 24-Sept. 7 2009

10am-5pm Daily

Website: http://www.azscience.org/lego.php

It’s a Blast!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Come to Arizona Science Center to help design a new castle for the king and queen using one of the greatest building materials of all time — LEGO® bricks! Their majesties have issued a royal proclamation requesting the presence of all aspiring master builders, designers and architects in LEGO Castle Adventure.

Builders of all ages are invited to explore, build and play in LEGO Castle Adventure! In this exhibit, kids and their families are transported to a LEGO kingdom where they can become master castle builders. In LEGO Castle Adventure, visitors can construct castles, learn about real-world castles and their building secrets, and plan their ideal castle’s defenses. Families can even explore the inside of the royal castle, test their fortress designs with a catapult, spot a dragon and climb a battlement wall.

Family Guide

Download LEGO^® Castle Adventure Family Guide [pdf, 861KB]

Use this Family Guide to prepare for your visit to the LEGO Castle Adventure exhibit. After you visit, continue online family fun at home!

Extra Tips for a Good Time!

• The Online Resources and Games are great fun and very educational! Be sure to check them out before and after the exhibit. My favorite games: make your own Coat of Arms and write your own fairy tale.
• Plan for a long day at the Science Center, your elementary age kids will not be ready to leave in a couple of hours.  They have a delicious bakery the City Bakery, pricey for a day out with the kids, so if you don’t want to spend a lot, eat right before you go, or leave for lunch (leave your wrist band on) and come back. Only Bottled Water is allowed in.
• If you have little ones be sure to bring your own stroller. They do not rent strollers or carts.

This one is for the grownups.  Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever is written by Mem Fox, a best-selling children’s book author and literacy expert. The book illustrates how reading aloud to your kids can prepare and even teach them to read, improve their speaking skills, expand their vocabulary and (my favorite) strengthen the bond between parent and child. Mem Fox comments, “The time spent reading together provides clear evidence to a child of a parent’s love, care, and focused attention. And it gives the parent a chance to close off the rest of the world, relax, and connect with the child wonderfully.”

Summer is around the corner. Make reading together part of your summer plans. Schedule trips to the library or bookstore and browse our recommended books in our online bookstore. You can even email us for ideas and we will help you find books your kids will love! Work reading time into your plane trips, car ventures, and everyday activities.  We will provide fun, weekly activities to keep your summer moving  and your kids reading. Make a commitment to connect again with your kids this summer through books!

The Book

Title: Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever

Author: Mem Fox

Recommended Age: Parents

Book Brief: We all hope and expect our children will learn to read, but how many of us realize we can get our kids on the road to reading simply by reading aloud to them every day? With passion and humor, Mem Fox explains why reading aloud to young children has such an impact on their ability to read — and on their entire lives.

Writing as an ordinary mother as well as a bestselling author and internationally respected literacy expert, Fox explores when and where to read aloud and emonstrates with clear, easy-to-follow examples how to to read aloud to best effect and how to get the most value and joy out of a read-aloud session.

Filled with practical advice, activities, and inspiring true read-aloud miracles, this book is a must for every parent — and for anyone who would like to know more about how children learn to read.

About the Author: Mem Fox was born n Melbourne, Australia in 1946. She grew up on a mission in Zimbabwe, went to drama school in London for three years in the mid-sixties, and returned to Australia in 1970, where she continued her studies and then taught drama and literacy for twenty-eight years. In 1996, she took early retirement from her position as Associate Professor of Literacy Studies at Flinders University in order to write and consult full time. She has been a literacy consultant in Australia, the United States, Taiwan, Guam, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania and is well known as the writer of several nonfiction books for adults and many bestselling picture books for children, including Time for Bed and Possum Magic. She and her family live in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Blast

Family Summer Reading Program

Location: At home and on the road this summer

Cost: Priceless

If your kids are in school, you have serious concerns about keeping them busy and engaged in learning this summer. If your kids are preschoolers, you’re looking for things to get them prepared for school in future years. And all families  are looking for ways to have fun together this summer. The very best solution: read together. Make it a commitment; you will love it! It will be a great summer, and we’re here to help.

• Not every kid loves to read, but there is a type of book your kid would love. Email us if you’re having trouble; we will help you find it.
• Read the book with your child, even if its a chapter book. They might not let you cuddle up with them and read before bed time. If they are too old and/or too cool, get your own copy so you can talk about it together.
• Reward reading with a Book|Blast and a day out together. This activity will mean a lot to both you and your child.
• Tell us the books you and your kids would like to read this summer. We will read them with you.

Extra tips for a good time!

• Have fun! Make it fun! And enjoy reading together!

Pull on your cowboy boots and braid your hair, Rapunzel’s Revenge is a new graphic novel full of adventure and excitement! No need for guns or fists, Rapunzel uses her mile long hair to save the day and send the bad guys packin’. She first discovers her braided powers when she reigns in an overgrown wild boar with her hair and rides it  like a bucking bronco.  Your buckaroos can test their own fearless riding skills (although we don’t suggest using their hair to hold on) at Rawhide’s Friday Night Bull Riding.  Real cowboys and cowgirls ride the big bulls, but kids can try Mutton Busting (sheep riding), and our graphic novel readers will be interested in taking a turn on Rawhide’s Mechanical Bull, Widow Maker.

Go to the online bookstore or nearby library and grab Rapunzel’s Revenge. When you arrive at Rawhide you’ll be ready to shout “Howdy!” and “Yee-haw!” with the best of them.

The Book

Click here to buy the book and more in our Amazon store!

Author: Shannon and Dean Hale

Illustrator: Nathan Hale

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother… or the person she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the girl played in her grand villa and lush garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the ridiculously huge garden wall. Year after year, things just seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally managed to sneak over the top of the wall and was horrified to see what lay beyond…

Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair, along with a mysterious outlaw named Jack, gallop around the wild and Western landscape, battling creatures and outrageous villains, righting wrongs, and changing their world forever.

About the Author: Shannon Hale is the author of many highly acclaimed books, including the Newbery Honor-winning Princess Academy; the Books of Ayern – The Goose Girl, Ena Burning, and River Secrets; and for adults, Austenland. Her smartest decision ever was marrying Dean Hale – computer geek by day, crime fighter by night, and writer somewhere in between. They have a young son and daughter and are working on a sequel to Rapuzel’s Revenge in their home near Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit Shannon at www.shannonhale.com.

About the Illustrator: Nathan Hale (no relation to Dean or Shannon) spent over a year on the artwork for Rapunzel’s Revenge. During that time, he listened to sixty-eight unabridged audio books. He’d like to thank the men and women of the book recording industry and his local public library. He lives in Utah with his wife and two children. Visit Nathan at www.spacestationnathan.com.

The Blast

www.rawhide.com

Friday Night Bull Riding

April 24 & May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – 7:30pm and 9:00pm

Location: Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass
5700 West North Loop Road
Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: 480-502-5600

Cost: Admission is free

$1 Mutton Riding, $3 Kids Mechanical Bull Riding, $7 Adult Mechanical Bull Riding

It’s a Blast! Every Friday night Rawhide hosts the most exciting part of a Rodeo – Bull Riding! Come see if the cowboys and girls can make it 8 seconds before being bucked off. This Family friendly event includes Mutton Busting (sheep riding) for kids, but if that’s not enough for the young ones, they can always take their turn on Rawhide’s Widow Maker Mechanical Bull.

Cowboys and Girls interested in competing can sign up through R.C. Mercer Livestock and Rodeo at 602-237-3000.

After conquering the mechanical bull enjoy the town and all Rawhide has to offer, from the world renowned Steakhouse & Saloon to the unique shops and a variety of attractions. It is an 1880′s western town full of fun, good eatin’, great shopping, and a true taste of the old west you’ll not find anywhere else in Arizona. Rawhide is the perfect place to visit whether you are local, from out of town, or out of the country. Bring your family and friends, or bring out of town guests to experience a taste of life in the old west!  You’ll be hankerin’ to return time and again!

Directions to Rawhide:

Rawhide is located south of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and is easily accessible from all parts of the Valley.

• Head south on I-10 East to exit number 162, Wild Horse Pass Boulevard.
• After exiting the freeway, head west (right) on Wild Horse Pass Boulevard to 48th Street.
• At the light, turn south (left) onto 48th Street.
• Signs lead the way to a 4 way stop where guests will need to head west (right) on West North Loop Road. West North Loop Road will lead the way to Rawhide’s Main Parking Lot.

Extra Tips for a Good Time:

• The Steakhouse has great food and the “cowboy-sized” portions are big, so bring your appetite and bring your wallet, it’s not cheap. Go to Rawhide.com to view the menu.
• Friday nights are fun for the family but can very busy at the Steakhouse – call ahead and make reservations whenever possible.
• Rawhide offers shows and attractions at an additional cost. Although you can have a great time without spending extra money, if you want to do these things bring extra cash.
• Wear comfy closed toed shoes, its a lot of walkin’ and a lot dust!
• For a unique family fun activity checkout the Sundown Cookouts ending in May.

Long drives are the perfect time to read chapter books together as a family. Enjoying a story passes the time quickly and keeps the kicking, poking, and yelling to a minimum. One we recently enjoyed, Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Book, is a great story full of excitement and adventure. A chapter book intended for 9-12 year olds, it’s a fun and simple read but the storytelling and imagery are fantastic! We found this to be a great book for boys - it’s a Neverland adventure - and yet there is a brave heroine named Pearl who kept my daughter’s interest. It’s a nail biter for children and tough to put down. You will love imagining the treasure hunt through The Cave of the Dark Wind together.

You could finish the book on your drive down to Benson, AZ - just past Tucson. Here you will find Kartchner Caverns, an amazing cave in pristine condition. You and your children will be wowed as you seemingly enter another world full of stalagmites and stalactitles! It can only be accessed by tour and a reservation is required.  Get the book and plan your trip. It will be an inexpensive mini-vacation the kids will talk about for months!

The Book

Title: Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Book

Author: Ridley Pearson and Dave Berry

Illustrator: Greg Call

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: While Peter is away from the island, James and the lost boys discover a mysterious cave.  Shining Pearl and her sister, Little Scallop, warn the boys it is a dangerous place, inhabited by a creature known as the Goat Taker — a beast so scary that even the Mollusk tribe fears it. But the boys can’t resist trying to discover the cave’s secrets. When the first of those secrets turns out to be a tantalizing hint of a famous haunted treasure, Captain Hook and his band of cut throat pirates quickly join the hunt. Before long, the children are fleeing for their lives in a dark and deadly underground labyrinth…and their only hope for escape is to solve the mystery of the Cave of the Dark Wind.

About the Authors: Dave Barry is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of more than two dozen books including The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog; Dave Barry’s Money Secrets; Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys; Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway; and Big Trouble.

Ridley Pearson is the bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including the young adult novel The Kingdom Keepers and the adult thrillers Killer Weekend, Cut and Run, The Pied Piper, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, Beyond Recognition, and Undercurrents.

The pair wrote the thrilling Peter and the Starcatchers series.

The Blast

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Location: Benson, AZ

Click here to find a map and directions.

It’s a Blast! Experience a stunning limestone cave in Southeastern Arizona that boasts world-class features. This “live” cave, discovered in 1974, is host to a wide variety of unique minerals and formations. Water percolates from the surface and calcite formations continue to grow, including stalactites dripping down like icicles and giant stalagmites reaching up from the ground. Tour guides will unveil this fascinating underground landscape during a memorable 1½ hour tour.

In November 1974 two young cavers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, were exploring the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. In the bottom of a sinkhole they found a narrow crack leading into the hillside. Warm, moist air flowed out, signaling the existence of a cave. After several hours of crawling, they entered a pristine cavern.It wasn’t until February 1978 that Tenen and Tufts told the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, about their amazing discovery. During the four years of secret exploration, the discoverers realized that the cave’s extraordinary variety of colors and formations must be preserved.

The cave’s existence became public knowledge in 1988 when its purchase was approved as an Arizona State Park. Extraordinary precautions have been taken during its development to conserve the cave’s near-pristine condition.

Cave Tour Information

To make Cave Tour Reservations and Book Tickets: Call (520) 586-2283. You can call 7 days a week, from 8 am to 5 pm MST.

Kartchner Caverns State Park
Cave Tour Prices

Cavern Tour	Ages 0–6	Ages 7–13	Ages 14+
Rotunda/Throne Tour: October – July	FREE	$9.95	$18.95
Rotunda/Throne Tour: August – September	FREE	$8.95	$16.95
Big Room Tour	N/A*	$12.95	$22.95

* Children 6 and under are not allowed on this tour.

All tours are led by a trained guide, no self-guided tours are available. Twenty tours are scheduled daily, and are available year round, for the Rotunda/Throne Tour and fifteen tours are scheduled daily for the Big Room Tour from mid-October to mid-April. It is recommended that tours be booked as far in advance as possible to ensure availability. No items (bags, purses, packs, bottled water, etc) are allowed into the cave while on tour. Try to arrive at least 1 hour in advance of your tour time. The tour operators request that you familiarize yourself with our very important Cave Tour Rules.

Extra Tips For a Good Time:

• The cave has an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 99% humidity year-round, so it will feel very warm and steamy.
• Most areas are dimly lit and some passages may pass through narrow or enclosed areas. This may be difficult for persons with mobility, respiratory, or claustrophobia issues.
• Schools and group tours should read some additional information.

Every year a crew of actors and artisans revive a themed village on the outskirts of Phoenix, and The Arizona Renaissance Festival comes to life. With jousting tournaments, comedy acts, street performers, artisans, food, games, rides, and more, the Festival is literally a full day of fun for the whole family. It’s a particularly memorable place for me because I watched my brother propose to his wife at the Festival (in front of a huge crowd and at the request of the king, no less).

The Festival can help your child envision what life may have been like for the characters in one of our favorite books, Princess Academy. Though the book isn’t necessarily set in the Renaissance period, the descriptions of life on the slopes of Mount Eskel seem to hearken back to a Medieval Era. The villagers go through their own form of awakening and enlightenment that felt to us like a localized version of the Renaissance. Besides the lack of technology, your little reader will find other similarities between the Festival and events in the book, including the singing, dancing, craftsmanship, and (of course) the life of royalty!

The Book

Title: Princess Academy

Click here to get this and other Shannon Hale books in our Amazon store.

Author: Shannon Hale

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: High on the slopes of Mount Eskel, Miri’s family has lived forever, pounding a meager living from the stone of the mountain itself. Miri dreams of working alongside the others in the quarry, but she has never been allowed to work there – perhaps, she thinks, because she is so small.

Then word comes from the lowlands: the king’s priests have divined that the prince’s bride-to-be – the next princess – will come from Mount Eskel. The prince himself will travel to the village to choose his bride, but first all eligible girls must attend a makeshift academy to prepare for royal lowlander life.

At the school, Miri finds herself confronting both bitter competitin among the girls and her own conflicted desires to be chosen. Yet when danger comes to the academy, it is Miri, named for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way to save her classmates – and the chance for the future that each of them is eager to secure as her own.

From acclaimed author Shannon Hale comes a richly imagined novel about would-be princesses and the destiny of one small but determined girl.

About the Author: Shannon Hale started writing books at age ten and has never stopped. With an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana, she published The Goose Girl and its companion, Enna Burning, to critical acclaim. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and their son, Max. Learn more about Shannon Hale at www.shannonhale.com.

The Blast

Arizona Renaissance Festival

Dates & Times:

Saturdays and Sundays through March 29th, 2009

10AM-6PM

Location: 12601 East Highway 60, Apache Junction (7 miles east of Apache Junction on Highway 60)

Parking is free

Website: http://www.royalfaires.com/arizona/

Cost:

Online or at box office -

Adults – $20

Children (5-12 years) – $10 (under 5 are free)

Seniors (60+ years) – $17

It’s a Blast! The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast — all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!

The Marketplace features over 200 artisans displaying a variety of unique, hand-made wares.  Watch as the ancient skills of glassblowing, leatherwork, weaving, woodcarving, blacksmithing, candlemaking and pottery are displayed…IT IS A TREASURE TROVE!

Soar into the sky on the Assault Catapult, ride The Piccolo Pony – the world’s largest rocking horse, take a spin on Da Vinci’s Flying Machine or sail the high seas on the Voyage to the New World.  The Festival’s unique “people-powered” rides provide merriment for the entire family!

Test your abilities at the Festival’s many games:  target-shooting with bow or crossbow, storming the castle in a paintball battle, or throw a tomato at an insulting peasant at Vegetable Justice.  For those patrons in the mood for an extreme challange you can test your physical mettle at the Climbing Tower or show your warrior side throwing a battle axe.

The Festival has 12 stages of continuous, live entertainment, each packed with a unique mix of comedy, music and mischievous antics! You never know what is going to happen, on stage or off . . . Rub shoulders with the King & Queen, banter with the village fool, watch the Birds of Prey or dance with the gypsies! Enjoy swordplay, wordplay, raucous music and roaring comedy at The Renaissance Festival!

Extra tips for a Good Time:

• Admission includes free parking and all entertainment shows, including the Tournament Jousting and Birds of Prey show.  You may choose to purchase arts and crafts items, food or beverage, or enjoy some rides and games (costs vary) – so bring some extra cash!
• No outside food and drink is permitted through the Festival Main Gate, so if you plan to bring some food you’ll need to leave it in the car.
• You can leave and come back in the same day, if you need to. As you exit the front gate, you may have your hand stamped in order to re-enter the Festival that same day.
• Strollers, wheelchairs, wagons, and motorized scooters are available to rent, on a first-come, first-served basis, at the costume rental shop located just outside the Festival Main Gate.
• No pets!
• You are welcome to come dressed in costume and costumes are available for rental.  Costumes are available for rental at the Costume Shoppe located behind the box office prior to entrance to the Festival.  Prices vary based upon costume choice.  Costume swords and daggers are permitted as long as they are properly sheathed and peace tied.
• To help plan your day, check out the schedule of events before you go.