Mesa Amphitheater - Center & University - (480) 644-2178 Mesa Arts Center - 1 East Main Street -Box Office 480-644-6500, Admin 480-644-6501 Mesa Convention Center - 201 N. Center St. Mesa Historical Museum - 2345 N. Horne Street - (480) 835-735 Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre - 5247 E. Brown Road - (480) 325-6700 Briar Patch Marketplace If you are new to the Valley, it’s possible that you have never experienced a shopping day at the Briar Patch Marketplace. However, if you have lived here for even a few years, you might already know that Briar Patch Marketplace is the largest traveling “arts and crafts” show in town. Owner Jeannie Cueto and her dedicated family often bring together more than 100 vendors each spring and fall at various locations around the Valley. Spend the day strolling among this gathering of professional crafts, home-based entrepreneurs and regional artisans, nibbling on a bakery-style cinnamon bun or other hand-made goodie. You’ll always find fun jewelry and trendy fashions, home accessories and quilts, holiday décor, antiques and collectibles, pottery, folk art and more. The fall schedule for Briar Patch Marketplace, which benefits each of the host schools athletic departments, is as follows: • Nov. 10-11, Red Mountain High School, 7301 E. Brown Road in Mesa • Nov. 23-25, Sequoya Elementary School, 11808 N. 64th St. in Scottsdale • Dec. 8-9, Mesquite High School, 500 S. McQueen in Gilbert Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sundays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.briarpatchcrafts.com. Las Sendas Arts & Crafts Show The Las Sendas Retirees Arts & Crafts Show will be held Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Trailhead Members Club at Las Sendas Mountain Dr. and Eaglecrest Dr. The Las Sendas Retirees club members and other Las Sendas residents will showcase their creative talents, presenting only original, handmade items. Red Mountain Fall Boutique Come to the Red Mountain Ranch Elementary Multi-Purpose Room on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to do all your holiday shopping! Many vendors will be selling a variety of items perfect for gift-giving, including Cookie Lee (jewelry), Close to My Heart (scrapbooking and stamping supplies), Pampered Chef (kitchen tools), Janson Literary Services (children’s chapter books), Mary Kay (cosmetics), After Sunset Designs (handmade beaded jewelry), Soy Pleezin (scented candles) and Avon (cosmetics). There also will be a variety of household decorative items, custom wood pens, handcrafted clay nativities, custom cards and gifts, herbal supplements, holiday décor, baby/wedding gifts, glass jewelry and art, cookbooks and more! You won’t want to miss this special event. For more information, e-mail Brenda at sibleys@cox.net. Red Mountain Ranch Garage Sale The 18th-Annual Red Mountain Ranch Garage Sale will be held Nov. 16-18, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sponsored for the third year by the Red Mountain Ranch Social Club, the Garage Sale is a great way to give back to the community. More than 216 families participated last year! Come and see lots of great bargains. The sale will take place at Red Mountain Ranch between N. Power and Recker Roads. The area just south of Thomas to Virginia, bounded by Power and Recker, is also part of the community. Look for our banner and signs. For additional details, call 480-272-9970 or visit www.rmrsc.com. All Saints Golf Tourney in November The All Saints 7th-Annual Golf Classic will be held at Las Sendas Golf Club on Nov. 19. The fund-raising event for All Saints Church will follow a shotgun format, with a 10 a.m. start time. It includes a box breakfast, golf, cart, raffles and luncheon. The Raffle will include prizes from Sierra Golf Works, Broadway Palms Theatre, Vito’s Pizza Place, Organ Stop Pizza, Massage Envy, Landmark Restaurant and more. Players can sign up at Las Sendas Golf Club, located at 7555 E. Eagle Crest Dr. in Mesa, or call chairperson Jo Flores at 480-325-5432. Player fees are $100. If you have an established foursome, please call ahead so that your team can be registered together. All Saints Church is located at 1534 N. Recker Road in Mesa. All proceeds from this event will go to the new church building fund. For more information on All Saints Church, visit www.asccm.org. Free Small Business Seminar Anyone starting or running a small business can learn about free community resources at the Jumpstart Your Business: Free Small Business Resources program, to be held Nov. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Main Library, 64 E. First St. The free evening workshop will feature presentations and information from many local resources, including the Arizona Department of Commerce, U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, Small Business Development Center, Self-Employment Loan Fund, Mesa’s Office of Economic Development, Mesa Tax and Audit Collections Office, and the City of Mesa Library. Following the presentations, participants can meet one on one with representatives and learn how to use the library’s business databases for business and marketing research. Door prizes also will be given away. No registration is necessary. For more information about this program and the library, call 480-644-2207 or visit www.mesalibrary.org Donate for Eye Care Mission Central Christian Church of the East Valley and the Lions Vision Center of Phoenix are sponsoring the 3rd-Annual Medical Mission to Poltava, Ukraine June 18-28, 2008, and need your donations. The group screens hundreds of low-income people for eye disease and brings donated eyeglasses, medical supplies, glaucoma and antibiotic eye drops. The Lions provide slit lamps for the exams at churches, orphanages, prisons, clinics and remote villages. The need is great and the people are very grateful, many seeing Americans for the first time. All donations are tax deductible. Please make checks to Central Christian Church with “Ukraine trip” as the note, or donate online at www.cccev.com. For more information, contact trip leader Dr. Robert Spurny at Lwolf@evglaucoma.com. Creative Memories Hosts Open House Creative Memories representative Kim Hicks is hosting an Open House Nov. 7-10 to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. The event runs 10 a.m.-3 p.m. each day, and will feature the newest Creative Memories products, services and solutions. Demonstrations and door prizes will be given, and everyone who attends will receive a gift simply for coming! Bring a friend, and both people will receive an exclusive friendship gift. Those who are members of the Memory Keeper Club will be able to double their points at this event, as well. A portion of the proceeds garnered during the event will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Open House is located at 1838 E. Fountain St. in Mesa. For more information, call Hicks at 480-464-1820.. Relax and Enjoy the Out to Lunch Concert Series Bring your lunch and enjoy a free outdoor concert! Mesa Arts Center invites music lovers to enjoy its Thursday lunch hours at Mesa Arts Center’s Wells Fargo Garden for the Out to Lunch Concert Series. The lunchtime concerts will feature local soloists and duos playing a variety of music, including folk, classic rock, reggae, country, classical and world music. Chairs and some lawn seating is available – stadium cushions and blankets are welcome, along with brown bags and picnic baskets. Here’s the upcoming schedule: • Nov. 8: Joe Hopkins Jazz Band, Dixieland jazz • Nov. 15: Symphony of the Southwest Woodwind Quarter • Nov. 22: (no concert; Thanksgiving holiday) • Nov. 29: Banda Très, Brazilian jazz and world music • Dec. 6: The Alston Sisters, sweet sounds of the Southwest In addition, guests can combine their lunchtime visit with a free tour of Mesa Contemporary Arts, the five visual arts galleries at Mesa Arts Center. Sponsored by Salt River Project, this program continues through 2007, allowing patrons to view the exhibitions for free from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 480-644-6500 or visit www.MesaArtsCenter.com 50th Annual Christmas Idea House This holiday season marks the 50th anniversary of Desert Club’s Christmas Idea House. Desert Club is a non-profit, all-volunteer women’s organization that begins working in late spring to make fabulous holiday decorations and gourmet items. The decorations are displayed in a beautiful home that has been generously loaned to the group by a family in the community. The home is open for tour and all items are for sale. All proceeds go back to the community. The Club’s 2007 theme is “Right Down Santa Claus Lane.” This year’s event will take place at a luxurious home in northeast Mesa. Visitors will be welcomed by a charming courtyard before entering the home. Once inside, they will be wowed by the beautiful hand-painted ceilings in several rooms and the gourmet kitchen, which showcases a brick-domed ceiling in the nook. Several events are happening at the Idea House this season: • Public home tour: Nov. 30, 4-9 p.m.; Dec. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets for the home tour are available now from Desert Club members or the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, or may be purchased at the door. • Preview Gala Dinner: Nov. 29, 5:30 p.m. This black tie-optional event features a home tour, gourmet dinner and silent auction. • Sneak Peek Brunch or Lunch: Nov. 30, 8:30-9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Choose one of two seatings, and enjoy a delicious catered meal followed by a home tour. To get to the Christmas Idea House, located in northeast Mesa: Exit the 202 at Val Vista Dr. and head south towards Brown Road. Follow signs to parking; or exit U.S. 60 at Val Vista Drive and head north to Brown Road. Follow signs to parking. For additional information, visit http://christmasideahouse.org/christmasideahouse Parents, Public Invited to Tough Talk Youth addiction has reached alarming proportions. It doesn’t matter if kids are from affluent homes or the inner city – as long as drugs and alcohol are available, there will be adolescents willing to use them. There is no single reason why young people turn to drugs or alcohol, but some of the common ones are: attempting to fit in, escape their problems, mask feelings of inadequacy, rebel against adult authority, or seek thrill and excitement by taking risks. Parents, people who work with kids and other caring adults are invited to a community forum to learn more about how this issue is affecting Mesa, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of addiction, and what resources are available to help Mesa families. The sessions will be held as follows: • Nov. 6: noon-1:30 p.m. at Mesa Community College, Kirk Center, Navajo Room. • Nov. 7: 6:30-8 p.m. at Rhodes Junior High Auditorium, 1860 S. Longmore (Spanish language interpretation is available at this forum) • Nov. 8: 6:30-8 p.m. at Brimhall Junior High Auditorium, 4949 E. Southern Ave. This community forum is the second in a series of citywide public dialogs dealing with difficult issues facing young people in Mesa, and is presented as a public service by The Arizona Republic, Mesa Public Schools and Mesa Community College. For more information, visit www.mesa.azcentral.com or call 480-472-0239. Art League Fall Festival The First United Methodist Church and Mesa Art League are collaborating to host the Mesa Art League Fall Festival Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 15 E. First Ave. To be held rain or shine, the festival promises to include artist demonstrations, fine art sales, games, vendor booths, balloons, a fine art exhibit, clowns, dance performances, live music and food! For more information, contact the Church at 480-969-4405.