The Handlebar Tempe is now open and it is all we had hoped it would be. Tons of beers, great pretzels and brats, and cool urban reclaimed decor.

Whether you want to explore a classy art festival or cheer at the ostrich, or even Chihuahua races, the East Valley has it! Let’s take advantage of our Arizona paradise and dance outdoors to live music, indulge during a cook-off, put on our boots for the rodeo and Old West Days, or run foot races.

Looking to mark Oktoberfest with something other than a rowdy festival? Celebrate with a German dinner and live band while cruising around Saguaro Lake near Mesa.

Local band Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers has no trouble filling a sizeable venue by itself. Add the lure of sizzling sausages, cold beer and good old-fashioned Bavarian-themed amusements, and you’ve got the makings of one giant party on your hands.

OK, I must confess I am a German, so I am a little biased in my post about Brat Haus in Scottsdale, the latest creation by locally famous Chef Payton Curry.

Salt River Fields is offering fans a chance to purchase an exclusive season ticket package for its 2012-13 entertainment lineup, featuring more than 10 major events for $65.

Salt River Fields is offering fans a chance to purchase an exclusive season ticket package for its 2012-13 entertainment lineup, featuring more than 10 major events for $65.

Salt River Fields is offering fans a chance to purchase an exclusive season ticket package for its 2012-2013 entertainment lineup featuring more than 10 major events for only $65.

You know what they say about Arizona’s weather: It’s paradise, except for the three months when we languish mercilessly in the triple digits. Options for getting out and about do dwindle in the summertime, but we more than make up for it the rest of the year — when we pick peaches, race ostriches, dance at outdoor concerts, browse arts festivals, run foot races and navigate corn mazes.

You know what they say about Arizona’s weather: It’s paradise, except for the three months when we languish mercilessly in the triple digits. Options for getting out and about do dwindle in the summertime, but we more than make up for it the rest of the year — when we pick peaches, race ostriches, dance at outdoor concerts, browse arts festivals, run foot races and navigate corn mazes.

Have you ever stood in front of the myriad apples at your grocery store and wondered what the difference is? Rather than make a mistake, do you grab the same apples you’ve always purchased?

Cooler weather has brought pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted houses to the Valley, but you can find fall color and seasonal frights farther afield. Get your autumn on with a day or weekend trip to these destinations not (too) far from home.

Cooler weather has brought pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted houses to the Valley, but you can find fall color and seasonal frights farther afield. Get your autumn on with a day or weekend trip to these destinations not (too) far from home.

Cooler weather has brought pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted houses to the Valley, but you can find fall color and seasonal frights farther afield. Get your autumn on with a day or weekend trip to these destinations not (too) far from home.

Cooler weather has brought pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted houses to the Valley, but you can find fall color and seasonal frights farther afield. Get your autumn on with a day or weekend trip to these destinations not (too) far from home.

With carnival rides, wiener dog races and nonstop live music, there’s plenty to see and do at Tempe’s annual Oktoberfest celebration. But it’s the beer — specifically, the authentic German beer — that could be the main draw.

Since 1971, Tempe Sister Cities has bridged friendships with communities as diverse as Timbuktu, Mali; Zhenjiang, China, and Regensburg, Germany. This week, the organization will celebrate its 40th anniversary with events across the city:

Wickenburg Children’s cultural Organization will stage an Oktoberfest celebration for its fall Music in the Park on the grounds of the Garcia Little Red Schoolhouse.

Wickenburg Children’s cultural Organization will stage an Oktoberfest celebration for its fall Music in the Park on the grounds of the Garcia Little Red Schoolhouse.

Wickenburg Children’s cultural Organization will stage an Oktoberfest celebration for its fall Music in the Park on the grounds of the Garcia Little Red Schoolhouse.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce may consider doing Red, White and Boom a little differently in the future and is thinking about using outside help to do it.