Tempe events this week – Arizona Dragon Boat Festival

03/18/2013 By Leave a Comment

Who would have thought that dragon boat racing, with its roots in southern China as an ancient folk ritual for the past 2,000 years, would find its way to a modern, man-made lake in the middle of the Arizona desert? Since emerging in modern times as an international sport event in Hong Kong in 1976, dragon boat racing has spread throughout the world. It found its way to Tempe Town Lake ten years ago and has been going strong ever since.

The 10th Annual  Arizona Dragon Boat Festival, March 23-24 will celebrate Asian culture in Tempe, Arizona with two days of dragon boat races, vendors, food booths and performances by martial artists, musicians and dancers. The beautifully decorated dragon boats are manned by teams of up to 20 paddlers. One team member pounds a drum to keep the paddlers’ oars in sync; the drum represents the heart of the dragon.

Here’s a sample of the huge variety of events going on in Tempe this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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12/03/2012 By Leave a Comment

If the holiday spirit hasn’t seized you yet, this week Tempe offers plenty of events that will help you toward attaining some degree of holiday bliss. One of my favorites, the Tempe Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade takes place this Saturday, December 8 at Tempe Town Lake. Companies, organizations, families and individuals float down Tempe Town lake in boats all decked out in a dazzling array of colored lights. You’ll see everything from great big boats to little single seat kayaks, all looking so fancy and festive. I’m always impressed at how creative people are when it comes to decorating their boats. The boats float along at a leisurely pace, allowing everyone plenty of time to take it all in. Then, after the boat parade comes to an end, the sky lights up with a beautiful fireworks show. I love it!

The festivities start at 5 p.m. with pre-parade entertainment, Santa Claus arrives at Tempe Beach Park at 6 p.m. and the boat parade begins at 7 p.m. You won’t find anything else like it in our area and it’s a wonderful way to spend a beautiful balmy December evening.

The boat parade is just one of a many terrific events that will help put you in the holiday mood. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

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Tempe This Week – Arizona Dragon Boat Festival

03/27/2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s always great to be in Tempe, but this week it’s especially great because there are so many outstanding events going on.  In addition to great live music taking place throughout the week, we have two fantastic festivals to look forward to over the weekend and both are free! The big one that’s been around for 34 years is the Tempe Festival of the Arts.  It brings more than 400 artists as well as musicians, street performers and children’s activities to Mill Avenue and provides a great opportunity to purchase beautiful, original art.

Lesser-known, but also fantastic, is the Arizona Dragon Boat Festival that will take place on Tempe Town Lake. Now in its ninth year, this colorful event celebrates Asian culture with two days of dragon boat races, vendors, food booths and performances by martial artists, musicians and dancers. The beautifully decorated dragon boats are manned by teams of up to 20 paddlers. One team member pounds a drum to keep the paddlers’ oars in sync; the drum represents the heart of the dragon. Close to 60 teams will participate, including our own ASU team.

These are just two of many events taking place this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

 

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Mill Avenue District

03/15/2012 By Leave a Comment

Red and black Mill Avenue District signs can be spotted as you walk along the popular path of Mill Avenue, but have you ever wondered what this organization actually does?

Basically, the Mill Avenue District’s job is to create the experience when people are in Tempe – they create the environment to give people a good time downtown.

The Mill Avenue District is an enhanced service district that has a team of ambassadors, usually seen wearing red polo shirts around town. Their jobs include cleaning, landscaping, emptying trash cans and other tasks that bring Mill Avenue’s standards to a level that the community is proud of and tourists can enjoy.

I’ve seen the red-shirted ambassadors busy at work on Mill Avenue, watering plants, replacing signs and cleaning throughout the day.

Employee Wann Sierra said he, "likes his job because it's something different every day."

Nancy Hormann, president and executive director of the Downtown Tempe Community said, “We have what’s called a “Clean Team”- people who are out on the streets cleaning all the time, emptying garbage, etc. The City does it once a day in the morning, but for the remainder of the day, we take over that responsibility,” Hormann said.

Many cities also have enhanced services districts, like the downtown areas of Chandler, Phoenix and Mesa. Currently, Glendale and Flagstaff are both exploring similar ideas in their areas. The term “enhanced services” really means that the Mill Avenue District takes over the maintenance and care of Mill Avenue, where the City of Tempe ends their services.

“It’s typical in every major city across the U.S. They’re called different things in different states. Some are called business improvement districts, city improvement districts, enhanced services districts, but they’re all exactly the same thing,” Hormann said.

The Mill Avenue District receives its funding from local property owners, who voted to tax themselves for this specific purpose, but is actually employed by the Downtown Tempe Community. The DTC is a non-profit organization that works with the City of Tempe and downtown stakeholders.

“The property owners pay into this district in order to provide services that go above and beyond what the city already does, but the City [of Tempe] will not reduce their services because we are adding services,” Hormann said. “So we just have a higher level services here - more cleaning, landscaping and safety.”

In recent months, a safety team has been added to the area. The Safe-T-Patrol Guides, can be spotted wearing bright yellow polo shirts and may be patrolling around town on foot or by bicycle. The Safe-T-Patrol Guides act as goodwill ambassadors that welcome visitors, provide directions or a safety escort and can give recommendations of where to go in Downtown Tempe. You might also notice the Safe-T-Patrol in the park at Tempe Town Lake. Their territory also extends to the park, in order to be more helpful to Tempe visitors and provide a sense of visual security.

You might have also noticed the addition of credit card enabled parking meters in Tempe, which has made it easier for visitors to find parking - especially when they are all out of quarters. This action, by the Mill Avenue District, was in hopes to better accommodate customers in their downtown Tempe experience.

Hormann said, “It’s fabulous, but it’s not a money-maker. It’s about convenience and customer service and we are trying to expand on that.”

Credit card parking meters

Since the program began, there has been a positive response to the credit card parking meters and one could only image that convenient parking would lead to happier customers and more business on Mill Avenue.

The Mill Avenue District also manages parking garages and lots in Tempe. I learned that sometimes when you need to park for an extended period of time, it’s better to use a parking garage than a meter with time restrictions.

“We want to encourage people, if they are coming for longer periods of time, to park in parking lots or parking structures because you have a short window of time on the meters,” Hormann said. “But you can stay as long as you want in parking lots and structures. And in the ones that are branded with the Parkit Logo, they’re all free for the first hour.”

Parking garages are the better choice in the summertime, as well, to keep your car from baking in the sun while you are off enjoying lunch or shopping.

Parking can be such a hassle and I really appreciated the insiders’ tips for parking in Tempe.

Now that you have knowledge and a higher appreciation for what the Mill Avenue District provides for our city, you’ll know who they are next time. If you see a red-shirt ambassador or Safe-T-Patrol Guide, say hello or ask if you need help!

Some other activities and events associated with the Mill Avenue District:

Festival of the Arts

Links:

More info:

  • To see upcoming events in Tempe, click here.
  • For a better parking spot in downtown Tempe, click here.
  • To apply for a job with the Mill Avenue District, click here.
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The Tempe Tourism Office: A Resource For Visitors and Locals

01/02/2012 By Leave a Comment

Tempe is a small city, just 40.2 square miles, but carries the spirit of a lively metropolis with beautiful weather, growing families, brilliant students, small businesses, unique restaurants, mountainous skylines and a successful university, making it the perfect, sunny climate to reside or visit.

The city stands out with attributes like Arizona State University, Tempe Town Lake and the Mill Avenue District, and enjoys sharing its turf with multiple large-scale events that residents and visitors enjoy throughout the year.

Tempe is known for hosting numerous large events like the Insight Bowl, the Ironman Arizona Triathlon and the P.F. Changs Rock “n” Roll Marathon and Half Marathon, all of which bring large crowds to Tempe.

The job of the Tempe Tourism Office is to promote Tempe, helping to encourage travel to our city.

“Tourism: (n.) travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. Tourism is important and in some cases vital for many countries. It brings in large amounts of income in payment for goods and services.” -Wikipedia

The tourism office also serves as the destination expert of where to stay, eat, and go while in town.

Recently, when I interviewed the President and CEO of the Tempe Tourism Office, Stephanie Nowack, I noticed the large display of colorful brochures that lined the lobby wall near the entrance. There was information on shopping, restaurants, museums, national parks and attractions, locally and throughout the state of Arizona. [Stop by their office on 51 W. Third St. Suite 105, across from the light rail station for free brochures.]

A large part of the Tempe Tourism Office’s job is to form relationships in the community by linking the travelers’ needs to what Tempe has to offer.

“The value of the tourism office is facilitating connections for those people who want to come to town, whether it’s leisure or business, and make that link with the businesses in town,” Nowack said. “We’re trying to drive revenue to the businesses, to the hotels, to the restaurants, and provide information about the attractions that Tempe has to offer, like Sea Life [at Arizona Mills Mall] is a great location that we promote.”

The Tempe Tourism Office establishes connections with people such as meeting and event planners, tourists and travel agents and also organizations like ASU academic and sports partners.

The tourism office advertises with social media, PR campaigns, travel writers, AAA programs and commercials to reach specific demographics. Tourism can play a role in the success of our local businesses, hotels and restaurants, during slow times of the year.

“One of the greatest opportunities and the greatest challenges of our job is really to differentiate Tempe, to figure out what is it that makes Tempe different from any other city. Because when we are talking to meeting planner, or a possible traveler, I need to describe what is it about Tempe that will make them decide to come here. Tempe Town Lake is for sure a deciding factor, as well as ASU, Gammage and the Mill Avenue District.”

Tempe draws visitors from all 50 states and even many other countries making Tempe unlike any other city in Arizona.

“We get both business visitors, people who are coming for conferences and business trips, as well as leisure travelers. Our percentage is definitely higher for the leisure traveler,” Nowack said. “According to recent research, the main reasons that people come to Tempe are visiting friends and family, coming for special events and activities, and ASU.”

Being near the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport also makes Tempe an easy option for travelers. Research tells Nowack that our guests mostly come from California, Texas and Colorado. The top countries for our travelers are Canada and Mexico.

Once you arrive, public transportation is easy to use and is available by cab, bus or light rail. Or rent a bicycle for a day or two at The Bicycle Cellar.

The Ironman Arizona Triathlon is a great example of the process the city takes to approve an event because the race was already established and wanted to add the Tempe location to the schedule.

“I got a phone call one day from the president of Ironman North America. He said we are aware of Tempe and think you have a great city. We’re looking to expand our marathon series into the Southwest and we would like to talk to you about bringing it to Tempe,” Nowack said.

The special events manager from the city, along with Nowack, conducted extensive research and then traveled to Madison, Wis., to experience how an Ironman race was handled. Because of the Ironman’s flawless execution and the guarantee for large crowds, they decided to bring the event to Tempe.

“We could see it first hand. What was really involved with the operations? What were the logistics? What would be required for us to put on an event like that? It was a very thoughtful, methodical process, which has really turned out to be one of our greatest events ever.”

Over 3,000 people participated in the Ironman Arizona Triathlon that was held on Nov. 19, 2011, at Tempe Town Lake with the highest number of participants from California, Texas and Colorado.

For that one event, which is a one-day event, the economic impact is between $4 million and $5 million in revenue, Nowack said. It’s a great visitor to attract because they are from a high demographic.

The Ironman Arizona will return to Tempe next November, but the P. F. Changs Rock “n” Roll Marathon and Half Marathon are the next large events to gather in Tempe. The race expands to parts of Phoenix and Scottsdale, as well. This race is a qualifier for other marathons, which should bring in large numbers of people from outside of the state to compete in Tempe.

P. F. Changs Rock “n” Roll Marathon and Half Marathon

When: Jan. 15, 2012 at 7:30 a.m.

  • Half Marathon – Starts from Downtown Tempe on Mill Avenue & Third Street
  • Marathon- Starts from Downtown Phoenix at CityScape
  • Finish Line: Packard Drive between ASU’s Sun Devil and Sun Angel stadiums

 Tempe Tourism Office links:

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Tempe City Council Considering Top Secret Dam Replacement Option

10/15/2011 By 5 Comments

INSIDE TEMPE:  A Special Report

BY: Dmstrang

TEMPE  (October 15))  According to the Tempe Republic, Tempe is considering four options for replacement of the rubber dam on the west side  of the Tempe’s Town Lake.

Dam It

We have learned that there is a fifth option: “The replacement dam could well be a Beaver Dam.” That is the opinion of an un-named city staffer who prefers to remain anonymous because the Mayor and City Council have yet to make a final decision.

“However,” the staffer says, “the decision to build a Beaver Dam seems obvious.” The research to decide the best alternative to replace the current rubber bladder dam has been narrowed down to a few alternatives: an earthen dam, a concrete dam, some sort of metal construction or….a Beaver Dam. The cost for any of these alternatives has yet to be determined. But, early speculation indicates that a Beaver Dam would be the most cost effective and environmentally sound solution.

City of Tempe staff responsible for the project are currently calculating how many beavers it would take to construct the dam, where the trees and material would come from needed to replace the dam, and how the dam could be maintained by the beavers who would work in conjunction with SRP, the agency that manages the dam’s water flow.

One SRP official said, “If we had thought about beaver technology back in 1910, we might have been able to build Roosevelt Dam for a lot less money. But then we would have had to figure out what to name the dam in the absence of President Roosevelt.”

One of the challenges for the beaver option is that the Town Lake dam would be the largest ever constructed by beavers. The biggest beaver dam known is 40 feet long by 10 feet high, and required 17-21 beavers to make it happen Given the size of the Town Lake dam the city is estimating how many beavers it would have to contract with for the project so that it meets it’s targeted completion deadline.

Another issue to be resolved is the availability of construction materials. It is believed that the city could work with state forestry officials to employ a certain number of beavers who would gnaw down trees from forests in the northern sections of Arizona, especially those areas that need tree thinning to prevent future forest fires. Those trees would then be shipped to Town Lake shores for use in dam construction.

City planners concede that estimates of the number of trees needed for dam construction are, at this point, anyone’s guess. It is also possible that a number of beavers could be employed to explore the river bottom west of the lake to find materials that might be used and, in the process, improve the Salt River’s habitat.

Replacement Alternative

There are hurdles in the way of making a final decision: the dam must contain the lake at consistent levels, and it must provide a means to open the dam for the times SRP needs to release excess water down the Salt River.

Planners believe the Beaver Dam could be managed to meet both requirements.

The dam would be constructed to permit a small trickle. Unlike a concrete, steel, rubber or earthen dam, a Beaver Dam would have natural openings through which water can flow. SRP and Tempe would work closely with a cadre of beavers, who will remain employed after construction, to open and close small sections of the dam to regulate water flow. Beavers often construct lodges as part of the dams they build in which they also raise their children (kits). The city envisions that beaver lodge condos would easily house those needed for dam maintenance.

In the event of a large water release, these same beavers could quickly take down a significant portion of the dam to permit major flows. When the water flow was no longer necessary, the beavers would simply restore the dam.

Planners are also evaluating whether or not specially trained beaver wranglers might be required to coordinate construction and maintenance in order to facilitate communication between the beavers, the city and SRP.  Arizona State University is exploring the possibility of creating a beaver wrangler degree.

Officials noted that there is at least one strong advantage to the Beaver Dam option: it would keep a large number of beavers employed for an extended period of time. In anticipation of this opportunity some Mill Avenue merchants are already contemplating the opening of beaver oriented yogurt shops.

In addition, The Tempe Tourism Office is working with Tempe hotels to offer special weekend beaver observation packages; and Ironman executives said that having beavers swimming with and next to Ironman contestants would certainly offer support and encouragement to the swimmers.

(For additional information about beavers, go to www.globio.org or www.fcps.edu

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