Good morning, Tempe. Highs sit near 104 today and climb toward 107 through the weekend, so push errands and outdoor plans to the early hours.
- 🏈 The Cactus Bowl is returning to Tempe. The college bowl game heads back to Mountain America Stadium on the ASU campus.
- 🎤 Open mic and trivia tonight. Powerful Voices on a Tempe stage and a weekly trivia night on Mill Avenue, both Thursday.
- 📚 A full weekend at Tempe Public Library. Bilingual storytime, a writers' group, Lego engineering, cupcake decorating, and a puzzle build.
- 🎓 ASU's summer reads and the garden after dark. The State Press summer guide, plus light trails and a Juneteenth night at the Desert Botanical Garden.
- 🏠 Tempe's housing market cooled. The median sale price is $483,000, down 11% from a year ago.
The Cactus Bowl is coming back to campus
A college football bowl game is returning to Tempe, and it lands on the ASU campus.
Key facts:
- What: The Cactus Bowl, a postseason college football game, is being brought back to Tempe.
- Where: Mountain America Stadium, ASU's on-campus stadium (the former Sun Devil Stadium).
- Who's behind it: The Fiesta Sports Foundation, the nonprofit that also runs the Fiesta Bowl, with ASU athletic director Graham Rossini involved.
For Tempe, a bowl game on campus is more than a Sun Devil story. A marquee night at the stadium fills Mill Avenue, the hotels, and the restaurants around downtown, the same way a home football Saturday does. It is another big-event date on a calendar the city already builds a chunk of its economy around.
The matchup, date, and broadcast details are still to come. Details.
The weekend
Thursday
Friday
- 👶 Cuentos Contigo bilingual storytime. Spanish and English stories, songs, and rhymes for kids 0 to 5 and their caregivers. Tempe Public Library, 10 AM. Details.
- ✍️ Writers Connection. A free, all-levels critique group for aspiring writers. Tempe Public Library, 2 PM. Details.
- 🧱 Lego Lab. Hands-on engineering and computer science with LEGO SPIKE for ages 6 to 11. Tempe Public Library, 4 PM. Details.
Saturday
- 🧁 With a Twist: cupcake decorating. AZ Cake Shoppe walks through the basics, country soundtrack included. Tempe Public Library, 2 PM. Details.
Sunday
- 🧩 Sunday Funday: make your own puzzle. Kids build and solve their own puzzle. Tempe Public Library, 3 PM. Details.
Coming up: Snakes & Lattes on 6th Street runs Toy Story Trivia on June 18 and Transformers Trivia on June 23. Toy Story details. Transformers details.
Around Tempe
- 🏠 The housing market cooled this spring. Tempe's median sale price was $483,000 in May, down 11% from a year ago. There were 167 new listings, and homes typically sold in 54 days. Details.
- 💡 Help with summer utility bills. As cooling costs climb, assistance programs are available for Arizonans who qualify. Details.
🎓 ASU & Mill Avenue
Summer thins out the campus, so here is what is worth a look around ASU and the garden.
- ☀️ The Sun Devil summer guide. ASU's State Press laid out what is open and happening on and around campus through the slow season. Details.
- 🎶 A summer music preview. The State Press rounded up the albums and shows it is watching this summer. Details.
- 🌙 Garden After Dark. The Desert Botanical Garden's summer night walk runs more than a dozen light installations in monsoon-inspired colors, with drinks from the Cactus Cantina. A good way to be outside without the daytime heat. Details.
- 🕯️ Juneteenth at the Garden. The Desert Botanical Garden marks Juneteenth with storytelling, art, performance, and community discussion celebrating Black culture and history. Details.