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Lindsey Stirling isn’t your typical violinist. Originally hailing from Mesa, she took up the historically classical string instrument and created a modern brand of music that melds rock, pop and EDM. Her high-energy live performances combine her lively fiddling with funky choreography and larger-than-life sets and costumes. Though she’s toured across the globe, she remains humble and remembers her roots. In fact, she will bring her vigor and violin to the Tixr Lawn at the...

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The new year brings an exciting new beer event to the Valley’s winter-spring festival season. Copper State Beer Festival makes its debut in January with craft breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries, as well as a fleet of food trucks and an artisan market featuring Valley makers. It’s poised to be the Valley’s go-to beverage festival in a month that traditionally lacks for such diversions . 12-5 p.m. $20-$80. Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy.,...

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Photo by Nikki Buchanan   I’m a sucker for good fried chicken, so when I read about Fryd Bird, a new fast-casual in Mesa, getting rave reviews, I grabbed a friend and headed there for lunch. Modern and cheerful, one yolk-yellow wall displaying a huge rendering of an UN-fried, alive and kicking bird, the place had a small, steady line during the lunch hour. Lots of the customers appeared to be working guys, there for...

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From Glendale to Gilbert, downtown neighborhoods across the Valley have flourished over the past decade, sprouting high with local restaurants, boutiques, theaters and that all-important “cultural density.” Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, they need our love more than ever.

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This Saturday, October 19, 13 cideries from six states will come together in the Valley at the second annual Southwest Cider Festival. Hosted by Mesa-based Cider Corps, the Valley’s first fully dedicated cidery, the festival will showcase the growing popularity of craft cider in the region. Festivalgoers can enjoy samples of local and regional ciders while feasting on food truck fare and listening to live music. Attendees can imbibe ciders from Arizona’s four cideries –...

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Nestled in an unassuming strip mall, east Mesa newcomer Tucked Away Craft Kitchen and Bar is aptly named. Owned by Sean Hayes and Jo Ann Franko, the couple behind Mesa’s Tipsy Cactus TapRoom, there’s more to this cozy, chef-driven eatery than meets the eye. “Our landlords had approached us with an offer to open a second spot in another of their locations,” Franko says. “Since we already owned a tap room where only beer and...