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Lynn Trimble
Grand Avenue Changes
Changes could be coming to a Phoenix-owned property at 723 West Polk located near a section of Grand Avenue known for arts and historic preservation. The city is in negotiations with a developer that plans to purchase the property, then build new housing (with a preference for veterans) while preserving some elements of the existing American Legion post. The city is currently making presentations at various meetings, and several small business owners and creatives based on Grand Avenue are hoping to meet with the developer and city to provide additional input about changes on the site and their potential impact for the area.
This week you can see classic cars, snag vinyl records, hear sonic sculptures, or watch hot air balloons in flight. Here’s a look at the best things to do around the Valley, whether you’re into books, sports, films, or tiny houses.
Local Bookstore Love
Hopefully you had a chance to shop local on Saturday’s Independent Bookstore Day. Now, there s a new reason to swing by the Phoenix location for Changing Hands Bookstore. More than two dozen new works by Laura Spalding Best, who paints offbeat urban and desert landscapes on everything from decommissioned traffic signs to vintage ironing boards, were recently installed inside the First Draft Book Bar.
Artist Chip Thomas, who often creates work using the name Jetsonorama, is also an activist, physician, and photographer. He has lived and worked for more than three decades in the Navajo Nation, where he curates a mural project called the Painted Desert. His work, which often addresses social justice issues, has focused in recent months on minimizing COVID-19 impacts in Indigenous communities. Recently, he created work for the Heard Museum and Walter Productions, working with poet Esther Belin.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free. Since we started
Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who ve won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award t