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Like many businesses, salons and spas had to temporarily close when the pandemic hit. But unlike bars and restaurants, they couldn’t provide takeout services. However, Remedy Salon & Spa owners Suzanne Theune and Michelle Keoghan thought outside the box, creating custom at-home color kits for their clients while the salon’s doors were closed. “If you were an existing client of the salon and we had your formula, you could call and get your base color...

Four Silos owner Mike Barclay connects with his Gilbert community in so many ways through his brewery & coffee house.

With the suspension of large events and many of our favorite venues shut down until further notice, it’s time to get creative when it comes to things to do. From kitten yoga to coffee deals, here are five ways to have fun this weekend while staying safe. 1. Celebrate National Coffee Day. National Coffee Day is technically next Tuesday, September 29, but there’s nothing wrong with observing the holiday early. Starting this Sunday, Teaspressa is...

With the suspension of large events and many of our favorite venues shut down until further notice, it’s time to get creative when it comes to things to do. Here are five ways to beat the quarantine blues in the Valley this weekend. 1. Find your Zen (virtually). Almost anything can be done virtually now – including aligning your mind, body and soul. Amid the pandemic, Phoenix-based organization Only Human has been providing a platform...

For many of us, 2020 has been a difficult year and sometimes it’s hard to see the bright spots amid the chaos. Enter the Feed Phoenix Initiative, a collaboration between Local First Arizona and the City of Phoenix. It launched in August to provide high-quality meals to vulnerable populations using funds from the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act). Rather than use a large caterer or food service company to make and...

With the suspension of large events and many of our favorite Valley venues shut down until further notice, it’s time to get creative when it comes to things to do. Here are five ways to beat your boredom while staying safe this holiday weekend. 1. See the Sonoran Desert from 7,000 feet in the air. What could be more socially distant than soaring several thousand feet above the rest of civilization? Try it for yourself...

Many Valley residents miss feeding the giraffes, getting up close and personal with the goats and other exciting animal encounters at the Phoenix Zoo. Guests aren’t the only ones that miss that connection. The animals noticed the absence of people in the park, so the zoo’s staff stepped in to give the animals extra attention. The zoo temporarily shut its doors to the public in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. “That is our busiest...

On a typical day, OdySea Aquarium visitors could find Jessica Peranteau feeding sea lions and penguins or chatting up guests with an exotic bird or reptile perched on her arm. But these days, it seems, a typical day doesn’t exist. Peranteau is OdySea’s director of animal care and education, which means she’s in charge of “basically any animal that isn’t a fish” as well as the education team and volunteer program. It also means she...

With the suspension of large events and our favorite Valley venues shut down until further notice, it’s time to get creative when it comes to things to do. Here are five online events and socially distant activities to enjoy this weekend. 1. Enjoy (and support) the Grand Canyon from home. Be a trailblazer! Walk, jog, hike or bike anywhere to raise funds to preserve and protect Grand Canyon National Park and celebrate the National Park...

Bar owners across Arizona have joined a lawsuit to sue the governor’s office after an executive order was issued June 29 to shut them down in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. In late July, Governor Doug Ducey extended the closure order, which will be reevaluated every two weeks. The lawsuit, filed by Ilan Wurman, an attorney and associate professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, originally represented 26...

It’s a bummer that most local stages remain silent and dark. But on the upside, local artistic troupes remain active and you can watch their work live – even while loudly unwrapping candy or drinking beer out of a cup without a lid. You can’t do that in a theater, now can you? Arizona Theatre Company Presents Alma Written by Arizona Theatre Company’s 2019 Latinx Playwright Award winner Benjamin Benne, Alma tells the story of...

Dr. Kristen Ray knows that a person’s physical health is an important component of their mental wellbeing. “People experience and manifest stress and illness in a lot of different ways and a lot of those ways overlap,” she says. As Bayless Integrated Healthcare’s Vice President of Wellness and Lifestyle Medicine, it’s her job to promote this correlation to patients. Bayless is an integrated health care agency, which means its services focus on whole-person care. It...

As with so many businesses in the age of coronavirus, Arizona-based event company Cloth & Flame has had to adjust to the new normal. Since Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order prohibiting large gatherings went live, Cloth & Flame has been concentrating on smaller gatherings, including corporate events (splitting larger parties into smaller groups) and micro weddings. They specialize in “boundary pushing” custom-designed experiences in “accessible and seemingly impossible locations.” We recently spoke with owner Matt...

Case Count Surpasses 188,000 With 1,213 new cases reported today, August 11, Arizona’s total COVID-19 case count has risen to 188,737, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Cases have risen by 4.6 percent since last Tuesday, August 4. Death Toll at 4,199 The ADHS reported 45 new COVID-19 deaths today, bringing the total to 4,199. People aged 65 and older continue to remain the most affected, at 71.7 percent of total deaths. Testing...

Summertime at the zoo might be a distant memory for many people right now, but wildlife parks, aquariums and zoos around Arizona still have staff on site caring for the animals – and plenty of animals on virtual display. Here are five animal encounters you can enjoy from anywhere. Zoom with Phoenix Zoo Animals Why bother with such pedestrian meeting distractions as cats running across keyboards or children jumping on furniture when you can have...

Local nonprofit Unlimited Potential focuses on empowering low-income families in South Phoenix through education initiatives. The pandemic put its in-person programming on hold, but it pivoted by continuing classes online and providing food from community gardens and local farms to families in need. “Unlimited Potential ignites unity, pride and dignity through education and advocacy,” board treasurer Joan Brunner explains. Since 1985, Unlimited Potential has addressed the needs of underserved populations. It focuses on the whole...

If you have cleaned your car since the pandemic started, you may be ahead of the curve. According to an Expedia group study, one third of Americans only clean their car once a year and 12 percent don’t clean it at all. It doesn’t take a pandemic to threaten hygiene in your car, though. In fact, the National Center for Biotechnology Information released a study which found that steering wheels can be four times dirtier...

Case Count Surpasses 180,000 With 1,008 new cases reported today, August 4, Arizona’s total COVID-19 case count has risen to 180,505, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. This is an 8.8 percent increase in cases since last Tuesday. Death Toll at 3,845 The ADHS reported 66 new COVID-19 deaths today, bringing the total to 3,845. Nearly 450 deaths have been reported since last week. People aged 65 and older remain the most affected,...

Valley movie theaters are still shuttered, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still catch some cool indie cinema screenings. Here are five virtual film screenings and events from local organizations that should help keep your celluloid dreams alive. Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful No Festival Required presents this documentary about famous photographer Helmut Newton, whose work exploring the female form gave him a cult star status that endures long after his death in...

More than four months into the pandemic, many Valley restaurants are struggling. Between state-mandated regulations limiting the number of people they can serve in-house and a very frightened public, some local restaurant owners have safely divided up their dining rooms and/or turned to enhanced takeout options with contactless curbside pickup. We recently caught up with Christopher Collins of Common Ground Culinary, who owns local favorites Grassroots, Twisted Grove Parlor & Bar, Wally’s, Sweet Provisions, The...

With the suspension of large events and our favorite Valley venues shut down until further notice, it’s time to get creative when it comes to things to do. Here are five things to do in the Phoenix area this weekend – while still abiding by CDC guidelines. 1. Wander around Wonderspaces. This immersive art installation features 13 new artworks never before seen in Arizona, including a dragon made out of tea bags and a sewing...

Case Count Surpasses 165,000 As of today, July 28, the Arizona Department of Health Services reports a total case count of 165,934, an 11.6 percent increase since last Tuesday. The ADHS reported 2,107 new cases today, and numbers show that Maricopa County remains the county with the highest reported COVID-19 cases in the state, at a total of 111,446. Death Toll at 3,408 With 104 COVID-19 deaths reported today, Arizona’s death toll has reached 3,408....

All that Glitters/Waves of Change Gala This year, the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona’s annual fundraiser gala will take place online but aims to offer all the fun of the popular “live action” event. Guests are encouraged to dress up for the affair, which includes some seriously sweet raffle packages including his and hers TagHeuer watches and a wine cellar starter kit. Among the live auction items up for grabs: a five-night stay with daily poolside...

Case Count Nears 150,000 With an addition of 3,500 new cases reported today, July 21, Arizona’s total reported COVID-19 case count has risen to 148,683. This is a 16 percent increase since last Tuesday, July 14. The Arizona Department of Health Services’ Data Dashboard also shows that with 98,988 total reported cases, Maricopa County has the highest number in the state – 67 percent of the total. Death Toll Nears 3,000 With 581 new deaths...