Hello, lovely Downtown Devil readers! My name’s Thomas Triolo, but you can call me T.J. I’ll be taking over the Downtown Digest, so I’ll be your guide to what’s happening in downtown Phoenix each week. Here are some events we have coming up:
Tuesday Night Folk Dancing with Phoenix International Folk Dancers
- Tuesday, Jan. 30
- 7 – 10 p.m.
- Irish Cultural Center, 1106 N. Central Ave.
Full disclosure: I’m not good at dancing; however, I do enjoy doing it! I’ve never tried folk dancing, but it sounds like an interesting event. The Phoenix International Folk Dancers offer dances on Tuesday nights starting at 7 p.m. They start with warmup dancing, followed by instruction for beginners (so even if you’ve never folk-danced before, you can give it a try!), and then comes regular folk dancing. From 9 to 10 p.m., they even allow requests for the participants’ favorite dances. A donation of $3-$5 per person is requested. Put on your dancing shoes and get on the dance floor!
Blind Wine Tasting: Rosé!
- Wednesday, Jan. 31
- 6 – 7 p.m.
- Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave.
Valley Bar is having a blind wine tasting, featuring different rosé wines. Probably a good thing for people like me that it’s a blind wine tasting, because I don’t know how to tell different wine brands apart. This is probably because, being under 21, I haven’t had them! The tasting will feature five different brands for sampling. Have fun guessing which is which! Tickets are $15 per person, and the wines will be available to take home as well.
CREATE: Intro to Shopbot
- Thursday, Feb. 1
- 5 – 8 p.m.
- Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St.
You’re probably wondering what a Shopbot is after seeing this. It’s what’s called a CNC Router, which is probably another unfamiliar term for most people. Simply put, it’s like a 3D printer: it can cut foam, plastic or wood into different shapes using a computer program. This class will teach you all the basics you need to know to use one, including safety tips, machine terminology and what materials are okay to use. After passing the class, students will be able to reserve the Shopbot for their own projects. Who knows? Maybe you could create something new that no one has made before with wood! Students in this class must have already taken the Intro to Woodworking class offered by the Science Center, and the cost for this class is $55.
ASU Open Door 2018
- Friday, Feb. 2
- 4 – 8 p.m.
- ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus, 411 N. Central Ave.
Once a year, ASU hosts this event encouraging the public to come check out all the top-secret (and not-so-secret) facilities and projects ASU students and staff get to work with. Participants can see the facilities at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, College of Health Solutions, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and the College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Multiple kid-friendly activities will be available across the campus. This is just my opinion, but the best part has to be the fact that there’s a 175-gallon reef aquarium involved. Who doesn’t want to see all the amazing fish and corals? The event is completely free, too!
Motoring Through Time and Heritage Festival
- Saturday, Feb. 3
- 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Heritage Square, 113 N. Sixth St.
Okay, here we’ve got an event featuring some of my absolute favorite things: lots of classic cars! There will also be live music from local band Territorial Brass and vendors selling handcrafted items. There will be food trucks on site to satisfy any cravings you may have. This event is also free to attend!
Contact the columnist at tjtriolo@asu.edu.
Downtown Devil's community section editor. I also write the Downtown Digest, a weekly column with things to do, with experience writing news articles and creating news videos as well. Graduating from ASU in May 2020.
