May Events & Good Reads
Here’s our curated list of upcoming May events and good reads.
Oral History at the Phoenix Trolley Museum. Phoenix Trolley Museum is doing an oral history project, with a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council, interviewing people who remember riding the streetcars that ran here prior to 1948.
There will be a public premier at Phoenix Trolley Museum, 1117 W. Grand Avenue, on First Friday in May. Afterward, they’ll have a panel discussion with Betsey Bayless, Terry Goddard, Scott Smith, and Jessica Bueno. Like all events underwritten by Arizona Humanities, it is free.
It’ll be outdoors.
Gas in the home. It’s tough as a realtor to discourage folks from having methane gas stoves and water heaters in their homes –even when it means saving money and breathing cleaner air. After all, we’ve all been told for years how great they are. But the more we learn, the more important it is to switch to induction. See this entertaining article from Scary Mommy. “Very simply, burning natural gas produces toxins like nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde, which in turn have a significant effect on our health when we breathe them in, even in small doses that we don’t notice at all.” Also, you are not likely to burn down your house with an induction stove.
See also: Heat Pump. While we are talking about money-saving home improvements, consider the all-electric heat pump. Basically, it is an A/C unit, run in reverse in the colder months. They work best when you also increase your insulation in your home. You can get a home energy audit to help there. As I know from personal experience, you will see savings immediately. You may even pay off your new heat pump and energy efficiency improvements in the first few years of savings.
Which brings me to a question. When I talk about getting a new, energy efficient appliance, friends ask “how long will it take to pay that off?” But I never hear them ask that same question when they buy a new car or re-landscape their back yard.
Mother’s Day at the Japanese Friendship Garden. Give the gift of a unique memory, relaxing activity and mini Japanese flower arrangements this Mother’s Day. Miniature ikebana was first introduced by the second head master of Sogetsu school Ikebana, Kasumi Teshigahara. It is composed of several ikebana works which feature and focus on the beauty of certain small parts of plants. Observe carefully the different shapes and textures of tiny plant materials including petals, pistils, stamens, berries, leaves, branches and stems, to make new discoveries about their distinctive appearance which you may not have noticed before. Make several of arrangements (five or more) in the same way, and display them on a base plate, a tray, a piece of Japanese Paper, or a table center so that movement or flow is felt by the way they are arranged. Ping Wei will teach and guide all guests through the Japanese flower arranging process. The workshop includes all plant materials, 5 small ceramic containers and Garden admission for the day! $80.
The Workshop at the Children’s Museum. In the Workshop, children are invited to invent and build through self-facilitated, open-ended discovery. This NEW makerspace exhibit offers a hands-on, creative space where children can gather materials, create a blueprint, use tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, saws, nails, measuring tapes, wrenches, levels, wires, drills and more! Young inventors can wear protective goggles, hardhats, and safety vests; workspaces offer workbenches, tables, stools, and recycled materials in addition to other repurposed materials. Finished product possibilities are endless! All inventors will gain confidence and stretch their imagination in a safe environment for risk-taking and prototyping. The Workshop is a space that will empower children to create through inspiration. Free with general admission. Tuesday – Saturday.
Desert Rider at the Phoenix Art Museum. Desert Rider explores the sociopolitical realities and imaginative interpretations of automotive and skateboarding subcultures through diverse works by local Arizona and regional artists, focusing almost exclusively on Latinx and Indigenous perspectives that have defined the identity of the southwest.
Free with general admission.
The Never Sleepy Fish at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. Join Great Arizona Puppet Theater for the debut run of their latest production, an original story of “The Never Sleepy Fish“.
Recommended for ages 3 and up. $8 – $12.
Arizona Speaks: What You Need to Know About Elections in Arizona. ASBA will host our signature AZ Speaks event with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. They know a number of businesses view voting as part of their vision of what it means to be a socially responsible business, and the virtual event will be an opportunity to learn more about election laws, voter registration, and election administration from the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office and Elections Department. Join them for a non-partisan, fact-based, and interactive discussion moderated by former Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels to learn more about our voting system in advance of important 2022 primary and general elections. Free online.
