Good morning, Scottsdale. The National Weather Service has an extreme heat warning up across the region until 8 PM Sunday, so anything outdoors this weekend belongs before 9 AM or after dark.
- 🚶 A free indoor walking group starts at Fashion Square. Ten weeks, Thursday mornings, air conditioning included.
- 🎨 ArtWalk and a SMoCA sound bath both run tonight. Old Town, both at 7 PM.
- 🎸 Gene Simmons plays Talking Stick on Saturday. Fan Halen is at Casino Arizona Friday. Both sit across Pima Road in Salt River.
- 🏫 SUSD has more schools in the closure conversation. The campuses under review have not been named here.
- 🏠 Homes here are taking about 76 days to sell. That is the current median time on market.
- 🌵 Four Valley shows tonight worth the drive. Atmosphere, Hermanos Espinoza, a Tom Petty tribute, and Martin Lawrence.
A free walking group that never steps outside
Blue Zones Project Scottsdale is running a free 10-week walking group inside Scottsdale Fashion Square, which with an extreme heat warning up through Sunday is about the only place a morning walk still makes sense.
Key facts:
- What: a Walking Moai, a group walking program modeled on the world's longest-lived communities
- Where: Scottsdale Fashion Square, 7014 E Camelback Road
- When: Thursday mornings at 9. The next one is today.
- Cost: free, and it runs 10 weeks
- Who's behind it: Blue Zones Project Scottsdale
The mall-as-walking-track is not a new idea in this valley, but a scheduled group with a ten-week commitment is a different thing than laps past Nordstrom on your own. The Moai format leans on the group showing up more than on the mileage. It also solves the August problem: the Indian Bend Wash path and the Preserve trailheads are effectively closed to anyone with a job and a sense of self-preservation until the temperature breaks.
What to watch: the program runs through the fall, so the group will still be meeting indoors well after outdoor mornings come back. Details.
The weekend
Thursday
- 🖨️ 3D Printing 101 at Civic Center Library. 5:30 PM, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes. Attendees pick a small item to print on the new Makerspace equipment. Details.
- 🍺 Trivia night at Arena Sports Grill. Weekly, teams welcome, prizes. 6245 E Bell Road, Suite 101. Check the listing for the start time. Details.
Friday
- 🐕 Buggin Out Agility at WestWorld. An AKC-licensed Border Collie club running agility and herding trials at 16601 N Pima Road. Free to watch, and the horse barns are shaded. Details.
- 🍪 Scottsdale Bakes meets online at 10:30 AM. The library's informal virtual baking club, trading cookbooks, recipes, and technique. Details.
- 🍴 Foodies and New Friends, young pros edition. A meetup at the week's featured restaurant, built around local restaurants and food banks. Details.
- 🎸 Fan Halen at the Showroom at Casino Arizona. 7:30 PM, at 101 and McKellips, across the line in the Salt River community. Tickets.
Saturday
- 🔥 Gene Simmons Band at Talking Stick Resort. 8 PM, 9800 E Talking Stick Way, on Salt River land just east of Pima Road. One night only. Tickets.
Sunday
- 🏃 Barry's Scottsdale hosts a charity class. A bootcamp session supporting a rider's NYC Marathon fundraising for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Details.
🌃 Old Town and nightlife
Galleries, a museum, and a Sunday guitar, all inside the same square mile.
🖼️ ArtWalk runs tonight at 7. Extended gallery hours across the Arts District, with wine tasting, small bites, and live music at participating galleries. It happens every Thursday and has since the district clustered here decades ago, which is exactly why most residents forget to go. Details.
🧘 Glow Up at SMoCA, sound bath edition, 7 PM tonight. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art at Civic Center. Same evening, same neighborhood, two blocks from the gallery crawl. Do both. Details.
🎶 Nikki Shue plays Wayward on Sunday. Live music in Old Town on the quietest night of the week. Details.
Around Scottsdale
🎬 Scottsdale baseball moms are getting a reality show. "Team Moms: Baseball" is executive produced by Kim Kardashian and the producers of "Love Island: USA," and it lands on Paramount+ Sept. 24. The cameras were pointed at local youth baseball bleachers. Details.
🏠 Homes are taking about 76 days to sell. That is the current median time on market citywide, per Redfin. Details.
🤖 The city picked up two national AI 50 awards. Recognition for innovation and responsible use of artificial intelligence in city operations. Details.
⛈️ The city walked through its storm response. The Aug. 17 city update covers what crews do when monsoon damage lands, which is timely reading with several weeks of season left. Details.
From the schools
🏫 More SUSD schools are in the closure conversation. The Scottsdale Progress reports more district campuses are under review for closure. Specific campuses and a board timeline have not been confirmed here. Details.
🎒 Chaparral's back to school night is Tuesday at 5:30 PM. Curriculum night for Firebird families. Bring your student's schedule to follow for the evening. Parking is limited, so arrive early. Details.
📋 Saguaro runs club rush at lunch on Aug. 28. Sabercats sign-ups in the auxiliary gym. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Scottsdale for, all of them tonight.
🎤 Atmosphere and Friends at The Van Buren. Downtown Phoenix, 6:45 PM. The Minneapolis rap duo in a room small enough to hear the crowd rap back. Tickets.
🎺 Hermanos Espinoza, LINAJE Tour, at Arizona Financial Theatre. Downtown Phoenix, 8 PM. Tickets.
🎸 The Broken Hearts play Marquee Theatre in Tempe. 7:30 PM. A Tom Petty tribute, which is the rare tribute act that works because the songs were built for a bar band. Tickets.
🎙️ Martin Lawrence at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler. 8 PM, two dates. The longest drive on this list. Tickets.