Love it or hate it, everyone goes grocery shopping. That’s why Emily Stamey, the new curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, felt that grocery shopping had all the ingredients of an interesting exhibit — one that offered a lighthearted look at an everyday task while also providing touch points for deeper social and economic issues.

Twice a year, two distinct cultural groups — foodies and penny pinchers — meet on common ground, or more accurately, at local restaurants.

It’s not often art lovers get to see a work in progress let alone contribute to it, but Arizona Opera gives fans the opportunity to do just that this weekend when they present the first reading of “Riders of the Purple Sage” — an original opera based on Zane Grey’s western novel, set on the Arizona-Utah border.

Boots may be for walking, but the sneakers at Mesa’s Mountain View High School — at least four pairs of them — are made for painting.

Hard rocker Tom Keifer would be among the first to say that life doesn’t go as planned. The long-time musician, best known for his lead role in the band Cinderella, released his first solo album – ”The Way Life Goes” – April 30 after a 10-year process and a long struggle with partial vocal chord paralysis — the ruination of many music careers.

On Sunday, the popular PBS restaurant review show, “Check, Please! Arizona,” hosts its first food festival at CityScape in Phoenix. While attendees enjoy a plethora of food and wine samples and live demonstrations from award-winning chefs like Robert McGrath and Chris Bianco, one humble festival booth — Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs — takes the next step in its Cinderella story.

It all began when a pair of friends shared drinks together in Greece.

Being outdoors boosts creativity and mood, so why not spend Friday afternoon and evening at Chandler’s Earth and Arbor Day celebration?

Most people know what it’s like to pull up a chair at a family reunion or holiday meal, but not many have tucked their toes under the table at a community harvest feast. Several local art and community organizations are hoping to change that with Saturday’s “Feast on the Street” in downtown Phoenix.

In our wi-fi world of planes, trains and automobiles, travel is taken for granted; in days gone by, it was considered a prerequisite for a well-rounded education. It not only broadened the mind, but also deepened one’s experience and knowledge of the world. That vintage wisdom holds true today, making events like the Gilbert Global Village Festival on Saturday a red-letter day.