FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2008 Contact:Toni Smith & Amy Richert 800-283-6734 toni@tempecvb.com amy@tempecvb.com What’s New in Tempe, Arizona ASU Gammage Announces “Mini-Package” – first chance to get Wicked tickets. ASU Gammage has announced a new mini-subscription package, which includes four shows and starts at just $49 - a great gift for the holidays. The mini-package is also the first way to get tickets to see WICKED. Ticket buyers can select four or more shows from the following line-up to create their very own mini-subscription: DISNEY’S THE LION KING ● January 2- February 8, 2009 RENT ● MARCH 17-22, 2009 FROST/NIXON starring Stacy Keach ● March 31-April 5, 2009 CATS ● April 7-12, 2009 STOMP ● May 5-10, 2009 CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG ● June 16-21, 2009 WICKED ● July 1-July 26, 2009 Back by "Popular" Demand, The New York Times call WICKED "Broadway's biggest blockbuster," and when it first played the Valley in 2006 it broke box office records and sold out in record time. Winner of 15 major awards including a Grammy and three Tony Awards. WICKED is a show "local audiences embraced...enthusiastically" (Arizona Republic). Mini-subscribers are assured priority seating, great seats for every show, priority ticket offers for special Broadway engagements. Plus, additional benefits, ticket exchange priviledges and lost ticket insurance. To buy a mini-subscription, visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/tempe or call the Box Office at 480.965.3434 . ASU Gammage is located on the main campus of Arizona State University at Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard. M&I Bank Broadway Across America - Arizona is presented by ASU Gammage and Live Nation, Inc. Segway Tours at Tempe Town Lake Visitors can explore the pathways around Tempe Town Lake in a whole new way beginning this fall. Segway of Tempe brings you the Tempe Town Lake Discovery Tour aboard the world’s only self-balancing personal transporter, the Segway! After thirty minutes of training, visitors will be ready for an hour tour of Arizona’s jewel in the desert, Tempe Town Lake . Tempe Town Lake is a 220-acre urban oasis, located north of Arizona State University and south of Papago Park , a Sonoran desert preserve. Water is contained in the lake by an inflatable dam system. The tours will traverse the nearly 5 miles of pathways that surround the lake. Guides will give operating instruction for the vehicles prior to the tour. The fee will be $75 per person. For more information, please visit www.segwayofscottsdale.com The Engrained Cafe offers sustainable dining at ASU The Engrained Café, located on Arizona State University campus, offers an opportunity for patrons to engage in sustainable dining through a living-learning restaurant committed to using locally grown food and environmentally friendly practices. Patrons are connected with the farms from which their food was harvested, receive tips on ways they can change their day-to-day behavior and make a positive impact. An educational thread runs throughout the restaurant featuring eco-friendly products and eco-saving techniques, creating a live atmosphere that is exciting. Engrained features locally grown food and harvested food prepared to order. Organic produce, Fair-Trade coffee, cage-free eggs and chicken, free-range beef and sustainable seafood will all be available from a seasonal menu.  Engrained is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed on weekends. For more information, please call Chelsea Dufrene, the Engrained Café Director, at 602-930-7934. The Mill Avenue is named one of America's "Ten Great Streets" The American Planning Association has named Mill Avenue one of America's "Ten Great Srtreets" for 2008. Mill Avenue achieved this prestigious award by demonstrating a public- and private-sector commitment, a willingness to take risks, and a dedication to community design and historic preservation to create a place of lasting value. Playing host to a variety of cultural and sports events each year, such as the Insight Fiesta Bowl Block Party and the Tempe Festivals of the Arts, Mill Avenue is always popular with visitors to Tempe. For more information, please visit http://www.tempe.gov/millave/. P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon The P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon will fill the streets of Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale with more than 30,000 participants on January 18, 2009. The race will feature an assortment of live music and spirit teams staged approximately every mile of the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses, providing runners and spectators with continuous entertainment and motivation. The event begins in downtown Phoenix, races through Scottsdale and finishes at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Runners will keep rockin’ that evening with a concert at Tempe Beach Park featuring a major headliner. The concert is free to all participants. For more information, or to register, visit www.rnraz.com. Aloft Set to Open in 2009 Location: Rural Road and Playa del Norte, just south of the Loop 202 Starwood’s much-anticipated new brand in the select-service hotel category, aloft hotels, deliver stylish design, accessible technology and a hip urban attitude. The first aloft hotels opened in early 2008, with 500 properties worldwide expected by 2012. Each aloft hotel features a modular development program based on a 138 room prototype, and incorporates W’s heritage: a totally sensory experience, with design integrity and attention to materials as much as to details. The expected completion date for Tempe’s aloft Hotel is early 2009. www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/ Upcoming Spring Events in Tempe Tempe comes alive this spring with a variety of events and festivals. For more events in Tempe, please visit www.tempecvb.com/calendar.asp. Desert Botanical Garden: Chihuly Art Exhibition November 22 – May 31, 2009 Desert Botanical Garden The Desert Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition by renowned artist, Dale Chihuly. The exhibit will feature new and unique works of glass sculpture located along the Garden’s trails. http://www.dbg.org● 480-481-8188 32nd Annual Spring Festival of the Arts March 27-29, 2009 Mill Avenue District The Tempe Festival of the Arts consistently ranks among the Top 20 art festivals in the nation. More than 400 artist booths fill the Mill Avenue District, presenting unique, and hand-made artwork. 10 a.m. to dusk each day. http://www.tempefestivalofthearts.com● 480-355-6075 6th Annual SRP Arizona Dragon Boat Festival March 28-29, 2009 Tempe Town Lake The 6th Annual SRP Arizona Dragon Boat Festival will be at Tempe Town Lake’s north shore. Spectators will be treated to 2 days of races, performances by martial arts and dancers, music and vendors, all celebrating Asian culture in the Wild West. http://www.azdba.com/ Circle K Tempe Music Festival April 3-4, 2009 Tempe Beach Park The Circle K Tempe Music Festival returns to Tempe Beach Park featuring more than 30 regional and national acts on 3 stages, interactive displays, extreme sports demonstrations and much more! http://www.tempemusicfestival.com● 480-663-0700 ###