Arizona State Fair Coming Soon!

October 16th. You may be asking yourself “What is the big deal about the 16th”? The answer is “It’s the opening day of the State Fair”! YAY! It’s sure to be amazing! Filled with fun, happiness, and joy, the State Fair is by far one of my most favorite things to attend every year. With all the rides, exhibits, concerts, and Food, there is always something there to keep you entertained!

This year the concert lineup is sure to impress. Just to name a few there will be Bob Dylan, Stone Temple Pilots, The Black Crowes, Old School Jams, David Cook, Little Big Town and Billy Currington, and Kelly Clarkson. This is just a fraction of the bands and artists playing at the Fair this year.

If concerts aren’t your thing, there will be plenty of rides to keep you busy! From the Ferris wheel to the mini roller coasters, there is a ride for everyone and every age group. Tickets for the rides will be put on a credit card sized pass that will hold “e tickets” which are the electronic tickets that you will use to get on the rides. The costs for tickets are $20 for 40 tickets, $50 for 100 tickets, and $100 for 200 tickets. The Fair will be running some ride specials throughout the week including unlimited ride wristband days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

These are just a few of the events going on at the State Fair this year. I hope this has got some of you stoked for this Fair season; it should be a great one! On that note, Have a Great Weekend!!!



Lonni Summers

So Many Activities for this Week!!!

I was looking for different activities to do for this week and thanks to azcentral.com I found a ton of events for this entire week! If you’re bored or are looking for something to do, check out azcentral.com and check out their “Things to Do” section. I’m sure you’ll find something that catches your fancy. Here are some of the event s and activities that are going on this week.

Monday: The Killers at the Dodge Theater. 8pm and Tickets cost $33-$44

Tuesday: Creed at Jobing.com Arena. 7:30pm and Tickets cost $10-$85

Wednesday: Arizona Iron Chef. At 6pm in the Sub-Zero/Wolf Showroom. Cost $65 and reservations are required.

Thursday: Jamie Foxx “Blame it Tour” at the Dodge Theater. At 7:30pm and Tickets cost $59.75 - $69.75.

Friday: Phoenix Fashion Week at the Hotel Valley Ho. This is a three day event from Oct 1st-3rd. It is from 9am to 2pm and Tickets cost $165 for 3-day VIP package; $60 for VIP per day; $75 for 3-day general admission; $30 for general admission each day.

Saturday: Oktoberfest at Fountain Hills, Tempe Town Lake, Phoenix Old World, and Litchfield Park. Times and cost vary from location to location.

Sunday: “Star Wars: In Concert” at the Jobing.com Arena. Show times are 2pm and 7pm. Tickets cost $294.75 for the platinum package; $144.75 for the hot seat package; $29.75-$69.75 general admission.

These are just a few of the exciting events taking place here in the Valley. If you want more info or want to find other activities visit azcentral.com and click on the “Things to Do” link. There is a ton of events that you can attend this week and I hope everyone finds something that is particularly interesting to them. Have an awesome day everyone!!!



Lonni Summers

Drive-In Movie Idea

For this Friday, my date and I were trying to figure out something to do that wasn’t too expensive but would be fun for the both of us. He and I have been on dates before and we’ve done the whole movie thing but I didn’t really want to do that again. I started brainstorming some ideas and some of them included a night hike on South Mountain, picnic, or even just going to the movies again! Then it hit me, I suggested we go to the movies, but in a nontraditional way. Hence the drive- in movie idea was born!

I started looking up locations and prices and finally came across one that was close by. It is called the Scottsdale 6 Drive-In. It is located on McKellips Rd. and it is literally down the street from the Tempe Marketplace so if you and your date wanted to grab a bite to eat then head over to the drive in, you won’t have to worry about a long drive. This place is awesome for dates and also families because it only cost $6.25 for adults and kids 5-11 cost only $1.00 to get in and also all movies at the this drive-in are double features. That means you would see two movies for the price of one!

The management suggests getting there early so you can get a good spot. Also you can bring in blankets, lawn chairs, pillows, and even sleeping bags into the complex which is awesome! If you are looking for something fun to do that won’t cost you an arm and a leg I highly suggest checking out the drive-in movies. If my date and I decide to go, this will be my very first drive-in movie! If you have any questions or concerns you can check out their website for what movies are playing and the show times. Hope everyone has a great weekend!



Lonni Summers

Fall Frenzy Crazy Fun!

Just this past Saturday I went to Fall Frenzy to see a couple of amazing bands including Blink 182! This being my first kind of outdoor musical festival, I was so excited! I brought along my friend Reyna with me and on Saturday at 1:30pm we stood in a LONG line to get into the Tempe Beach Park and have what would surely be one of the craziest fun times, Ever.

After waiting in line for about 30 minutes we finally made it through security and we were in the park at about 2:15. The first band up was Authority Zero. We missed the first few songs but we caught a couple of good ones including “One More Minute”. Having not eaten all day, we made our way to the food vendors. If there was ever a place I would spend the most money for the day, it would have to be all the food tents they had set up. There was everything from Indian Fried Bread and burgers to Snow cones and Jamba Juice. Reyna and I decided to split an Indian Fried Bread with the all the works. The price for food was kind of expensive, but we were expecting that even before we got there. With our tummies full we headed back to the main stage to get ready for the next set.

Up next was Asher Roth. At this time, the heat was really starting to kick in and it was getting hot! Even with the heat the crowd went nuts for Asher Roth. He had so much energy and was a big crowd pleaser. He got the crowd going with his hot singles “I Love College” and “Be by Myself”. Everyone was dancing and just having a good time. Next up was Anberlin. This band was a little heavier but they totally rocked out! For some reason the sound quality was a little off and it was hard to hear some of the vocals during their set, but all in all it was fun. At this point, the crowd was getting bigger and now starting to create mosh pits. This part of the event was a little scary, especially when you don’t want to be in the mosh pit! With all the aggressiveness of the “pits”, Reyna and I avoided them.

After being in the heat for so long, we needed to refuel ourselves. We headed back to the food vendors, bought some curly fries with cheese (yum!) and more bottle water. The band that was up next was Pepper. We missed about half of their set but what we did get to see was pretty good. There was a lot of dialogue between the band members that was a little raunchy, but funny. After Pepper, Slightly Stoopid took the stage. At this point the crowd was really getting rowdy and pushy. Reyna and I made a BIG mistake and wore flip flops to the concert and of course our feet got stepped on like crazy! Yet, when Slightly Stoopid started to play, the masses calmed down and we all just vibed out and danced to the music. Slightly Stoopid put on an awesome show! We loved them!

After an awesome show Slightly Stoopid put on, the next band really had to rock. Unfortunately, the next band, in my opinion, didn’t really deliver. Fall Out Boy came on and they did alright. The band was greeted with cheers and boos as well. Many in the crowd were not feeling the music and continued to boo the band. Fall Out Boy did their set and continued to endure the negative energy. They did ok, but I was really expecting more out of the group. After their set was done, they pretty much just walked right off stage. After, it was the moment we had all been waiting for. The main reason many of us endured 8 hours of heat and sweat. Blink 182 was up next.

The crowd’s energy began to build and build as the roadies set the stage up for Blink. Everyone in the crowd was getting restless and anxious. At this point I was just being violently jostled around and shoved by people trying to push their way forward to the stage. It was literally just bodies to sweaty bodies, and of course my feet were getting stepped on every second. This had to be a scary low point in the concert because it was hard to breathe let alone move.
Unfortunately I saw a couple pass out and hit the floor from the closeness and heat. These unlucky ones had to be rushed out of the crowd and taken to the medical tent. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the lights come up and the emcee announces that he had some bad news. He said “The bad news is… we ran out of churros, But here is BLINK 182!!!”. The crowd roared with excitement and then Blink took the stage.

Blink dominated that night! Not only were they amazingly awesome, but they were so dang energetic! Musically they did mess up on a few of their faster songs, but I don’t think the crowd minded that much. The band really showed off musically on some of their slower songs such as “I Miss You” and “Stay Together for the Kids”, which is one of my personal favorites. During their entire set they were happy, fun, and just awesome to watch and listen to. Everyone completely rocked out, and I mean we all Rocked out Hard!

Drained of all energy, hungry, dehydrated, bruised, sore and sleepy, I still couldn’t come down from my natural high I got from the concert. I was just so dang happy! I have to say that had to be one of the best times in my life. Even though I went through a world of pain and because of it and ended up bruised and sore, it was SO worth it. Next time I just have to remember not to wear flip flops! Fall Frenzy was so crazy fun, and I can’t wait for the next one!


Lonni Summers

International Day of Peace

Once again in my Inclusive Communities class, we had another great guest speaker. Today Judy Butzine came in and spoke to our class about the International Day of Peace which will be taking place on September 20th and 21st. There will be a ton of activities in the Downtown Phoenix area on both of those days and so much for everyone to partake in.

Monday is the official Day of Peace and some the activities include yoga at the Japanese Friendship Garden in the morning, a peace program in the ASU Downtown Campus lobby, and also a Flash Mob Dance in the Arizona Center. These are just a few of the activities and there will be plenty more throughout the day.

This is a great day to not only explore Downtown Phoenix but also get involved during our International Day of Peace. If you would like more info about some of the events taking place that day take a look at their calendar and scroll all the way to the bottom and you can view the list and times of the events. I hope everyone will participate in one of these events, it should be a great day! Hope everyone has a Peaceful Day!


Lonni Summers

The Japanese Friendship Garden

Just last Wednesday in my Inclusive Communities class Diana Larowe, the Executive Director of the Japanese Friendship Garden, came and spoke to our class about this spectacular place. The Japanese friendship Garden is located on North 15th Ave, literally just a few blocks away from our lovely Downtown Campus. This garden is just amazing. It is a complete Japanese garden with a pond filled with Koi, a tea house, and of course all the beautiful vegetation all around.

Diana told our class about how the garden was started and all the history behind the Japanese Friendship Garden. She also informed us of the many upcoming events in the near future. Some of these events include Gong Meditation, Otsukimi Moonviewing festival, and the International Day of Peace. I highly suggest checking out some of these awesome events, but that’s not all! If you would like CFE hours you can actually work at some of these events! This is a great and fun way to get a couple of CFE hours. The Japanese Friendship Garden also needs volunteer docents to give tours to visitors and also they need gardener volunteers to help tend to the garden. All of these things are great ways to get some experience in tourism, nonprofit, or parks and recreation.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is a great place to visit and just relax. It is also an awesome place to get some CFE hours if you need them. If you at all interested in volunteering for the Japanese Friendship Garden visit their website and also you can contact Diana Larowe at 602-256-3204. Hope everyone has a Great Day!!!



Lonni Summers

Experiencing ASU Football!

This year I decided to purchase ASU season passes which grants me access to all home football and basketball games. This is my second year at ASU and I never got the chance to experience a football game my freshman year. With seven home football games I was totally stoked to have season passes. My excitement was deterred due to some scheduling conflicts including having to work on the very first game of the season. Saturday morning I got up and got ready for a long day of work at Big Surf Waterpark, I then received a call from my boss informing me that the park would not open that day due to the weather. With a grin on my face, I hopped right back into bed and slept! Upon waking up, my dad asked me what my plans for the day were and just like that, I realized I could now go to the football game! I got part of my homework done, then after threw on my gold Sun Devils shirt, and headed towards my very first college football game.

In high school I attended all the football games, but nothing could prepare me for this game. The energy is INSANE! Students, family, and even children were decked out in gold ready to cheer on ASU. The line to get into the stadium was so long and later I found out that people have been waiting in line since 3 o’clock in the afternoon! Thankfully my group got really good seats in the student section. As it got closer to kick off the energy in the student section continued to rise. It was nothing like I have ever seen or felt before. I couldn’t help but get sucked into it. Screaming at the top of my lungs and creating the Pitchfork with my fingers, I cheered on our ASU football team.

Shouting A-S-U, I watched our Sun Devils dominate the field that night, crushing the Idaho State Bengals 50-3. With numerous interceptions and touchdowns, the game surely did entertain the masses. When the game was over and the students started to file out of the stadium, I felt a great sense of pride being a Sun Devil. Not only because we won, but also just seeing all the spirit in that stadium and watching my fellow peers come together for this one event to support not only our football team, but our university as well. If you haven’t gone to a game yet, I HIGHLY suggest going. Even if you’re not a football fan I still believe every student should try going to a game least once in their college life. This game will forever be a part of my college experience and something I will always remember. Go Sun Devils!!!

Lonni Summers

What is a “New American University”?

Today in my Inclusive Community Development class, three students gave short presentations on diversity and some of the challenges that sometimes arise when there isn’t diversity. One student today began her presentation by asking the class “What comes to mind when you think of a New American University?” The class for the most part was pretty silent. I began to think about what it meant and the only thing that popped into my head was “Having a large student population!” One person yelled out “Michael Crow!” or “ASU”. The student presenter smiled and politely nodded at the answers and then gave her own interpretation of the meaning of a New American University.

She said at first she thought that it meant that the university was only meant for natural born Americans. She thought that it would discriminate against immigrants and transfer students from other countries. She believed that a New American University was something negative and she didn’t understand how ASU could possibly promote that. This was all before she did some research on her own. This student found that ASU becoming a New American University wasn’t something negative but actually something profoundly positive. ASU is trying to break the mold and make positive social, economic, and cultural changes. Arizona State is striving to make an impact on Earth for the better. After getting the real meaning of what a New American University was, her whole view on the idea changed. The student then went on to show a short video of what ASU is striving for and what a New American University really means.

After this student’s short presentation it really made me proud to be a Sun Devil and be a part of Arizona State University. I feel enlightened knowing what it actually means to be a New American University and it makes me want to be more a part of this change ASU is aiming for. Check out the amazing video our class got to watch and also check out this website to get a better understanding of ASU becoming a New American University. Have a Positive Impacting Week!



Lonni Summers