Mesa Grande Cultural Park, 1000 N. Date St., closed for the summer Monday, May 20, and will reopen Oct. 3 for the fall/winter season.

E-Books and Amazon.com may spell the demise of the publishing industry, but Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, named “Best Bookstore” yet again by “2013 Best of East Valley Voters, continues to thrive.

The great thing about the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum isn’t that it houses expansive galleries chock full of pieces of famous modern art. The great thing is that it doesn’t.

Do you have ideas that can help the Mesa City Council make decisions on major projects? Are you an engineer or planner interested in transportation? Are you interested in the cultural attractions in your community? If so, apply to be a member of one of our advisory boards and committees. Expertise from the community is needed for a host of positions opening up on boards such as transportation, museum and cultural and historic preservation, to name a few.

There are restaurants that slash prices on margaritas or invite a mariachi band for Cinco de Mayo - and then there are restaurants that go a little nuts.

Nearly a month after the Diving Lady was again restored to her perch high above Main Street, the focus of the Mesa Preservation Foundation has shifted to restoring and reopening the also-historic Buckhorn Baths Motel.

Nearly a month after the Diving Lady was again restored to her perch high above Main Street, the focus of the Mesa Preservation Foundation has shifted to restoring and reopening the also-historic Buckhorn Baths Motel.

Architect Paolo Soleri passed away in early April. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is honoring his life with an exhibition of his work.

Is the water supply in the Valley sustainable for the near future? What about for the next 1,000 years? These are just a few of the questions asked in Chandler Museum’s new exhibit, “Choosing a Future with Water: Lessons from the Hohokam.”

Coming soon to downtown Mesa: big changes to one of the city’s acclaimed all-ages attractions.

Coming soon to downtown Mesa: big changes to one of the city’s acclaimed all-ages attractions.

Mesa's Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, will host the popular Dino Egg Hunt 6 to 8 p.m. March 29. During the festivities, the museum will have children’s craft activities and a dinosaur touch cart available, with factual information about dinosaur eggs. Dino eggs will be replenished until 7:45 p.m.

Want to know how a real archaeologist works? Try your hand at an ancient Hohokam ball game? See how they lived?

Spring break is here and that means a much-needed break for teachers, students and parents. However, just because students get a break from the classroom doesn’t mean our kids should stop learning. In fact, spring break offers the opportunity for parents to explore creative and fun ways to keep their kids engaged in learning activities -- activities that challenge them and help them develop critical-thinking and other skills that will help them succeed in college, career and life.

A painting of large, yellow sunflowers adorns a gallery wall — living among other paintings, and sculptures, universally depicting happy scenes and bright colors.

As part of the Arizona SciTech Festival, Mesa’s Arizona Museum of Natural History (AzMNH), 53 N. Macdonald, will host a sleep over in the museum from 6 p.m. Friday, March 15, to 9 a.m. Saturday, March 16. The theme for the night will be, “Hitchhikers Guide to the AzMNH Galaxy,” with lot of space-related activities including a scavenger hunt, crafts, a space-themed movie and snacks. Participants can even make their own robot.

Science beats through most daily activities: cooking, television, even exercise.

Whether you prefer Tempranillo and Sangiovese to Apatosaurus and Diplodocus — or don’t know the difference between any of them — doesn’t really matter here.

The Commemorative Air Force’s Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, FIFI — the only remaining flight ready example of the aircraft in the world — will visit Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Thursday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, March 3.

My interface with Hollywood chiefly consists of driving each weekday underneath the Interstate 10 sign downtown saying “Los Angeles” near my exit, thinking that I should just keep going west, to take a long-delayed shot at pitching my screenplay.

Astronauts from NASA will land across the Valley to participate in events for the public in the coming weeks. The astronauts, specifically chosen by NASA for these events, are in Arizona to promote and raise awareness on space programs and exploration — just as the state’s “SciTech Festival” fires its boosters.

When the ninth-annual Southwest Military Transport Show was initially scheduled for this coming weekend, it was done so specifically not to conflict with the annual Luke Air Force Base open house and air show – traditionally one of the largest such draws in the Southwest.

The first time I saw the work of Mesa artist William Barnhart, I was smitten. When I learned he is also the man behind one of the most interesting buildings in the city — the eye-catching cinder-block and steel Quonset hut on Center Street just north of University Drive — I was over the moon.