Good morning, Tempe. Highs run 108 today with lows near 88, so early errands beat the afternoon.
- 🕹️ Level 1 Arcade Bar is coming to Mill Avenue. Pinball, a full kitchen, and 20 beers on tap. Targeting November 1.
- 🍎 Kyrene approved two teacher pay plans. The district covers south Tempe and parts of Chandler.
- 🛹 Street League Skateboarding lands at Mullett Arena. Saturday afternoon on Packard Drive.
- 🥬 Farm Express parks at the library Tuesday. Cash, card, and SNAP, with SNAP buy-one-get-one up to $20.
- 🏠 167 new listings came on the Tempe market last month.
- 🎸 Four Valley picks this week. The Cubs at Chase Field, ZAYN, Hulvey, and Jason Bonham.
Level 1 arcade bar is expanding to Mill Avenue
Level 1 Arcade Bar is opening a Mill Avenue location and targeting November 1.
Key facts:
- Classic arcade games and pinball, the same format as the existing location
- A full kitchen, not a bar snack menu
- 20 beers on tap
- Mill Avenue District, Tempe
- Target opening: November 1
Mill Avenue is Tempe's downtown spine, named for Charles Hayden's 1874 flour mill and held at old-town scale by the city's 1973 redevelopment plan. The street runs along the western edge of the ASU campus, and the blocks between University Drive and 5th Street carry the bulk of the district's bar and restaurant traffic. A games-and-kitchen room is a different kind of tenant for that stretch.
Watch for a confirmed address and a hard opening date closer to fall. Details.
The week
Monday
Tuesday
- 🥬 Farm Express, 1:30 PM. The mobile produce market parks in the library driveway. Cash, credit, debit, and SNAP/EBT, and SNAP purchases are buy one, get one free up to $20. Details.
- 🧱 Level Up LEGO, 4 PM. Engineering and computer science build session for ages 12 to 18. Details.
- 🐸 Muppets trivia at Snakes & Lattes. 20 W 6th Street, one block off Mill. Details.
Wednesday
- 🎯 Party games at Rekreation Games, 5:30 PM. Telestrations, Just One, Cabo, and Taboo. Outside food is allowed. Details.
Thursday
- 🎸 IV and the Strange Band at Yucca Tap Room, 8 PM. 29 W. Southern Avenue. Tickets.
- ❓ Two trivia nights run the same evening. Recess at 2000 E Rio Salado Parkway, and Fat Tuesday at 680 S Mill Avenue.
Saturday
- 🛍️ Spice Night Market at Bouldering Project. Free indoor night market with more than 20 Arizona small businesses, plus a raffle benefiting Puente AZ at the door. Indoors matters in August. Details.
Sunday
- 🎶 Rite Yah Suh Jamaican Vibez live music night. 502 S College Avenue, no cover, food and drinks for sale. Details.
Around Tempe
🎓 ASU & Mill Avenue
Campus events, Sun Devil sports, and what's playing down on Mill.
🛹 Street League Skateboarding, Tempe Takeover. Saturday at 2:15 PM, Mullett Arena, 411 S. Packard Drive. Mullett opened in 2022 and has held hockey, wrestling, and three seasons of Coyotes games. A skate course is new for the building. Tickets.
🎛️ Two nights at the Marquee. 730 N. Mill Avenue. It's A 2000's Party Saturday at 9 PM, then Punchis Punchis, a banda rave on Friday, September 4, also at 9 PM.
🏈 Sun Devil football opens at home. Morgan State visits Mountain America Stadium on Saturday, September 5, at 500 E. Veterans Way. Kickoff time has not been set. Tickets.
🖼️ ASU Art Museum's rotating exhibitions are up. The current run covers new media, Latinx and Latin American art, contemporary craft, and prints from the Americas. A cool building on a triple-digit afternoon. Details.
From the schools
🍎 Kyrene approved two teacher pay boost plans. Kyrene, the district covering south Tempe and parts of Chandler, signed off on two separate plans to raise teacher pay, with the Kyrene Education Association named in the reporting. Dollar figures and the phase-in are in the Tribune's writeup. Details.
🏈 Tempe High holds its fall sports assembly Friday. Late morning, on campus, for Buffaloes fall rosters. Calendar.
🌭 Marcos de Niza's PTO tailgate is set for Friday, September 4. 4:30 PM in the student parking lot, ahead of the Padres' night. Calendar.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Tempe for this week.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Cubs, tonight at 6:40 PM. Chase Field, downtown Phoenix. The closest of these four and the one reachable by light rail. Tickets.
🎤 ZAYN, The Konnakol Tour, tonight at 8 PM. Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix. One date, no second night. Tickets.
🎧 Hulvey, Could Be Tonight Tour, tonight at 7 PM. The Van Buren, Phoenix. Tickets.
🥁 Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix. Bonham plays his father's catalog in a room small enough to hear it. Tickets.