Tempe Fire Medical Rescue received its sixth consecutive international accreditation recently, placing it among the top agencies in the world. There are 301 accredited agencies around the world, with 114 also having an ISO rating of 1. Since 2019, Tempe Fire has held both designations.

Festival season kicks off this weekend

Boots in the Park, Oktoberfest, among great opportunities for fall fun

Are you ready? September begins fall festival season in Tempe. It's time to shake off that summertime hibernation, find your party shoes and kick up your heels at Tempe Beach Park. 

Check out Tim McGraw and other top country artists at Boots in the Park this Saturday. Celebrate with craft food and beverages, line dancing, art installations and much more. Have an '80s flashback party with the Freestyle Festival on Sept. 24. Lisa Lisa, Berlin, and The Cover Girls, will perform, along with several other favorite '80s acts. And the 49th Four Peaks Oktoberfest takes place Oct. 7-9 with all the traditional Bavarian culture - along with carnival rides, weiner dog races, stein-holding competitions and live music. (The event is looking for volunteers, too.)

Get out and groove! There's an entire calendar of cool things to do in Tempe. Find some fun for your friends and family.

Find some fun

Join Councilmembers Garlid and Hodge for their community meetups this week

Spend time with two Tempe City Councilmembers this month at their community conversation events: Backstage Pass with Councilmember Doreen Garlid and Breakfast with Councilmember Berdetta Hodge. 

- Take a free tour of Tempe History Museum with Councilmember Doreen Garlid, museum staff and others at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15. 

- Have coffee and conversation with Councilmember Berdetta Hodge at her inaugural community meet-up at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Tempe History Museum is located at 809 E. Southern Ave. 

Details and RSVP

City of Tempe Night at Sun Devil Football

It’s time for a great annual tradition – City of Tempe Night at one of the first ASU Football games of the season! This year, it’s the Sept. 17 game vs. Eastern Michigan. Discount tickets are now available to Tempe workforce members and residents here! The first 50 ticket purchasers will be able to participate on the field after halftime in a “fan tunnel” to welcome the players back onto the field. 

Library Card Month

Discover what new things you can do with your Tempe Public Library card! Today's libraries have programs and resources like digital books and magazines, gaming and craft events, story times, audiobooks, free videos and more. During the month of September, anyone who registers for a new library card or who uses their existing card will be eligible for some great prizes.

Bowl with businesses

The annual Stars and Strokes Bowling fundraiser by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce helps support military personnel in the Greater Phoenix area. Get your strike on this Wednesday, Sept. 14 at the AMF Tempe Village Lanes. Details

Calendar

Classical Arabic poetry
Monday, Sept. 12
6 p.m. 
Online
Films, poetry and culture led by the ASU Council for Arabic and Islamic Studies

Tempe History Society Lunch Talks - Albert Monreal Quihuis
Wednesday, Sept. 14
11:30 a.m.
Tempe History Museum 
Become inspired by this author to learn more about Hispanic culture, traditions and history

Harriett Tubman and Frederick Douglass
Wednesday, Sept. 14
7 p.m.
ASU Sun Devil Stadium 
Free double-documentary early screening event  
Watch a trailer

Tempe Comedy Series
DJ Payne
Friday, Sept. 16
7:30 p.m. 
Tempe Center for the Arts

Music at Tempe Marketplace
Friday, Sept. 16 : 
Sugar Skulls
Saturday, Sept. 17: 
MT and the Streamliners
Free family-friendly shows run 6 to 9 p.m.  

Plant Swap
Saturday, Sept. 17
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Tempe Public Library
Come swap a plant with other houseplant lovers!

Phoenix Amplified Jazz Experience: Will Downing
Saturday, Sept. 17
8 p.m.
Tempe Center for the Arts

High school students:
Learn to row on Tempe Town Lake with your friends.

Tempe Junior Crew is looking for students interested in learning a new sport, traveling to regattas and maybe earning athletic scholarships.

Get costs and details.

Raising awareness and fighting cancer

September is both Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Tempe City Hall will shine teal from Sept. 13 through the end of the month  to show support for those fighting ovarian cancer. This Saturday, you can take part in the CHAMP 5K walk at Kiwanis Park to benefit local non-profits that fight childhood cancer.

Mayor Corey Woods donned childhood cancer awareness socks and presented proclamations in honor of those affected by cancer at the Sept. 8 Tempe City Council meeting. 

CARE & HOPE Line 

Call the city's CARE & HOPE Line to let us know about a person in need or experiencing homelessness or to ask for help for yourself.

Trained specialists are here 24/7 to help anyone connect to resources. If you receive a recording, please leave a message. Our specialists are helping other callers and we want to return your call promptly.  

Investing in your drive

Twenty new street improvement projects planned in the next year will make the ride smoother for everyone in Tempe. Find out how Tempe cares for and reinvests in your city streets: https://mailchi.mp/tempe/pqi9122

Hackett House gift shop reopens

Hackett House gift shop, now called Millie's Boutique, reopens this week for its 37th season. The shop benefits Tempe Sister Cities programs with its sales of jewelry, decorative items and foods from around the world. The store is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The shop was recently renamed for beloved longtime volunteer Millie Wuger. 

Updated COVID-19 booster available

An updated COVID-19 vaccine booster, designed to protect people from subvariants Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, was released last week. The booster may only be used after the full course of the original vaccine has been received. 

The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for people 18 years and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for those 12 years and older. 

The updated booster adds Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition, helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination by targeting variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading.

The new vaccine may be received in tandem with the annual flu shot. Both are recommended to keep people healthy this fall and winter. 

Read the White House plan to navigate COVID-19 in the coming seasons.  Read information about the updated booster from the Federal Drug Administration.

Find a vaccine location near you

COVID-19 and vaccine data by zip code

Community COVID-19 level in Maricopa County is currently low. Check the statistics as they evolved from 2020 to present in this New York Times graphic.

Column 1: COVID-19 Cases by zip code are defined as new positive COVID-19 test results reported to Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) within the last month. These figures, as well as overall total cases, may still be found at AZDHS. Home tests would not be included in this figure.
Column 2: Percentage of the total number of people in each zip code who have received bothdoses of vaccine. This weekly data is provided by Maricopa County. <

Check Tempe's COVID-19 dashboard for wastewater data and more.

Still not vaccinated? Why wait? 
Text your zip code to 438829 for the nearest vaccine location. You can also check azhealth.gov/FindVaccine.