The 9th Annual Arizona Irish Festival will be held this year on Saturday, October 31st. Events will be held at Margaret Hance Park and the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix.
Activities are for all ages! If you have kids 12 and under you can sign them up for the costume contest and parade located at Tragedy Ann’s Costume Contest Headquarters. Here will be four categories of costumes: funniest, scariest, best family or group and best Celtic costume. These events will be taking place at 1:00 PM. If your kids want to Trick or Treat they can do so safely at the various vendor booths. There will also be Faerie face painters, animal balloon classes and big, bouncy things to play around in or on. If your kids want to catch a show, two Deb’s dragons and other misunderstood creatures shows are offered for free at 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
Be sure to check out the Trip to Ireland Raffle- only 1500 tickets will be sold. They are $10 each and can be purchased at either one of two raffle booths, which are located near each gate or from any of the green-aproned volunteers who are roaming around the Festival grounds. If you are the lucky grand prize winner, you will receive a $2500 voucher for a trip to Ireland, which can be scheduled for anytime of year after the festival. See the website below for the 2nd and 3rd prize packages.
The Irish Cultural Center is located at 1106 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix. For more information on the festival visit: https://festival.azirish.org/
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Some of the current exhibits and events include:
July 11, 2009-October 18, 2009 – 
In the We Are! Arizona’s First People exhibit, be sure to check out the mural titled “Fear of a Red Planet” which showcases scenes from American Indian history that have had an impact on the lives of American Indian people living in the Southwest.
For kids, there are three galleries which feature hands-on take-home activities and interactive displays. They can make a Yaqui-inspired paper flower or bandolier bag.
Claiming to provide moving stories is the Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience.
The Heard Museum shop buys directly from hundreds of American Indian artists and offers jewelry, pottery, katsina dolls and more. It also features a great selection of books by and about American Indians.
Be sure to grab a meal or snack at The Café. The food is has a Southwest-inspired flavor to it.
The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N Central Avenue in Phoenix. For more information visit: 
by Joe Szabo, Szabo Group
Calling all race fans! Phoenix International Raceway has some offerings for fan experiences including the Budweiswer Roll Bar, which features driver appearances during races and live music. Check the website listed below for more information.
The SPEED Cantina, which is located just outside Turn 2, features a bar and grill and live entertainment as well.
Some upcoming events include:
November 15-17, 2009- NASCAR’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 – the last race of the year. Jimmie Johnson will be driving For ticket information and event schedule, visit 
Some other upcoming events include:
Biergarten – September 25, 2009 – 7-10 PM
Cost: $70 for members; $75 for general public
Enjoy great beer, the great atmosphere of the gardens, and great music provided by four different groups.
Las Noches de las Luminarias – December 3-30, 2009
Member tickets are on sale now and are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets for the general public go on sale October 1st and are $25 for adults and $12.50 for children. Thousands of hand-lit lights cast a glow on all of the garden’s featured plants. Enjoy this special event with your whole family! For more information on this event visit 
