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It's Always Cool in Mesa is a podcast that shares the stories behind some of Mesa, Arizona's most loved outdoor adventures, culinary treasures, and unique history. From Santa Claus falling to earth at the first Merry Main Street to today’s popular ice rink; a Mesa grocer swimming the dangerous communist infested waters of Viet Nam to paddle boarding down the Salt River; and why the Queen of England purchased plots at the City Cemetery. The stories of Mesa are fascinating!
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Spring Training and the Father of the Cactus League
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Mesa is known for many things, but for a lot of people across our country, Mesa is synonymous with one thing. Spring Training. Every February and March, Mesa hosts both the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park and the Oakland A's at Hohokam Park. You might think that's just how it's always been. But the story of how once-sleepy Mesa became the epicenter of t…
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On the Friday evening after Thanksgiving, we kick off the holiday season here at the Mesa Arts Center with a theatrical retelling of The Man Who Killed Santa Claus. Audiences love it. But never so much as this last year when it was performed for the first time as a musical. Mayor Giles sits down with the show's creator and writer, Brian Nissen, the…
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We're Still Here. The Story of Mesa's Canal Builders
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In the full version of our "Always Cool" theme song, there's a line that goes, "If you say Venice makes you wistful, Well, we've got canals by the fistful!"And it's true - miles and miles of canals that deliver water to every reach of the city. They also provide a place to walk, bike, and enjoy our Arizona sunsets. The story of how the canals came …
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A Boy and His Dinosaur: The Arizona Museum of Natural History
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Everyone calls it "the Dinosaur Museum". And that's fine. But it's actually the Arizona Museum of Natural History. And while its dinosaur offerings are truly incredible, it actually has a lot of non-Dino stuff that makes it one of the Southwest's premier natural history museums. And don't miss Visit Mesa's newest music video, featuring the song, "W…
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The Improbable Tale of the Mesa Arts Center
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The story of how the Mesa Arts Center got built and almost didn't get built is a lesson in vision and persistence. And Mesa didn't just build an arts center. We built a world-class, international award winning arts center. If you've ever wondered how Mesa pulled it off, here's the decades-long story.…
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All cool American cities have their annual traditions. Boston has its marathon. There's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. And Ashland Oregon has a world class Shakespeare festival. Here in Mesa, we don't take ourselves so seriously. Every year we get together and celebrate the fact that 90 years ago we killed the jolliest man on the pla…
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If you were asked in 2021 to name an Academy Award winner from Mesa, you probably would have broke the google machine trying. But if you search today, dozens of articles will tell you all about Troy Kotsur, winner of the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2022 for the film CODA. He's the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar. Best of all, he's Mesa…
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Jagger Eaton, Mesa's Skateboarding Olympian
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Every Olympics has its "first-evers'. One of the "first-evers" in the most recent summer Olympics came from Mesa Arizona. Jagger Eaton, the kid with a moniker to match his style, grabbed America's first-ever skateboarding medal - a bronze in the men's street competition. Shaggy-haired and super chill, but at the same time extremely hard-working and…
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We've got quite a few world-class things in Mesa. A world-class Arts Center, Asian District, and sunsets, to name just a few. Add this to the bunch: The Hawes Trail System. A network of desert trails attracting mountain bikers from across the country. Hikers and horseback riders enjoy it, too. The story of how Hawes Trail came to be (and almost did…
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When Mesa resident Fred Engstrom was eighteen he enlisted in the Army Air Force and learned how to fly. Two years later he flew twenty-five missions over Germany in the plane that some people say won the war - a B-17 bomber. Today you can take a ride in a B-17 (and other vintage warbirds) at Falcon Field operated by the Arizona Commemorative Air Fo…
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This year, legendary guitar-rocker Alice Cooper, who Rolling Stone called, "the world's most beloved heavy metal entertainer" opened his second Solid Rock Teen Center right here in Mesa. The goal is to help young people find purpose in creativity. Turns out "No More Mister Nice Guy" is a really nice guy.…
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The city of Mesa may have started a new holiday tradition. The day after Thanksgiving, we lit the city Christmas tree as usual, but then afterwards we went into the Mesa Arts Center to enjoy some holiday entertainment - including the retelling of a true Mesa story - The Man Who Killed Santa Claus.By John Giles
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Every American city has an iconic piece of architecture. Seattle's skyline would be incomplete without its space needle. St. Louis has its Gateway Arch. And one of the most iconic buildings in Mesa is its Latter-Day Saints Temple. It was built almost a century ago and just recently underwent a major restoration.…
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Before Ronald Reagan told his team to "win one for the Gipper", and long before Winston Churchill told England to "be calm and carry on", Mesa’s very own Zedo Ishikawa inspired generations with his final words. What Mesa High has done with those words, in the near-century that's followed, is just one more thing that makes Mesa, very, very cool.…
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Who'da thunk it? Downtown Mesa has the finest Pub Crawl in Arizona! The story of how the craft beverage scene helped a historically dry town roar back to life is filled with long odds, a lot of hard work, and a collection of the finest people you'll ever meet.By John Giles
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If you’ve been to downtown Mesa lately, you realize big things are happening. But you might not realize this: Part of the reason lies three miles to the east. The Diving Lady sign. What’s she got to do with Mesa’s downtown renaissance? You’ve have to listen to find out. Here’s a link for Mayor Giles 2016 campaign video on the same topic. https://ww…
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If you drive down Dobson Road in Mesa, Arizona you'll quickly see that we have the most vibrant center for Asian culture in the entire Southwest. It's called the Asian District, and it all started in 2008 with MeKong Plaza. The story of the man behind MeKong Plaza, Peter Quach, is one for the ages - from his escape from communism to his battle agai…
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Sarah Williams: "I’m not afraid of failure."
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Sarah Williams gets a lot done. A lot. If she gets a good idea, even if it’s a little crazy like paddle boarding in the desert, or a lot crazy like goat yoga, she goes for it. Her two winning attitudes are, she doesn’t overthink things and she’s not afraid of failure. Did we mention her Guiness world record? Be brave, people.…
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What is the connection between the Mesa Cemetery and the Queen of England? The answer is 23 RAF pilots. How they ended up in our Cemetery is one of Mesa’s treasured stories.By John Giles
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"Always Cool in Mesa" Host, Mayor John Giles, is interviewed by "Always Cool in Mesa" Producer, Brian Nissen, on exactly what "Always Cool in Mesa" means and why we should be talking about it.By John Giles
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