Whether you purchase a Phoenix Arizona home for sale or Scottsdale golf real estate, take the family out to mingle costumed characters at the Arizona Renaissance Festival every winter in Apache Junction.  Harkening back to the celebrations held in European village during the 1500s-1600s, the Renaissance Festival features a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, 30-acre circus, arts and crafts fair, jousting tournament, and a marvelous feast.

One of the most interactive entertainment venues available for residents of Phoenix and Scottsdale, the amusements and antics continue non-stop with comedy, music, dancing, circus performers, and jousting knights on horseback.   Games, rides, and the festival marketplace offer plenty of interesting options for all generations to experience.

Special events held during the 2009 festival, the 21st annual event, included performances by Artiste du Jour Paolo Garbanzo, winner of The International Jester competition and an invitation by The King and Queen to couples to celebrate the Age of Chivalry at the Renewal of Vows at the Festival Wedding Chapel.  The Medieval Babes in concert, Venetian Carnevale, wine lectures and tasting, Ahoy ye Landlubbers Treasure Hunt and Pirate Costume Contest, Fairyland Merriment, Celtic Nations Celebrations, Sexiest Knees in a Kilt Contest, Royals vs. Peasants, Princess Contest, Huzzahs, and so much more.

Games and rides, like DaVinci’s Flying Machine, Voyage to the New World, Butterfly Ride, Swan Swing, Dragon’s Climbing Wall, Dungeon Tour, Local Yokel’s Village, Dragon Tail Tower, Piccolo Pony, and Jacob’s Ladder, offer children and youth a day of fun activities.

Creativity abounds.  From glass-blowing demonstrations and crystal mining to metal works and unique jewelry and dramatic fashion, the marketplace is like nothing in the metropolitan area.  This is also the place to purchase unusual candles, home accessories, books, swords, pottery and ceramics, pewter, instruments, leather goods, and fanciful clothing.

A grand medieval feast, the culminating Pleasure Feast features six courses of fine foods and drink accompanied by raucous entertainment.  “Let the Feast Master’s boisterous serving wenches and tavern knaves dish up a roaring good time!” exclaims the advertisement.  There are two feasts each day.  The Fairhaven Feast Hall is also available for private events.

A great time for humorous family photos, there are also many opportunities available to dress in period costume or to pick up souvenirs.  Other services include Ancient Arts, Celestial Circus, Enchanted Images, Face and Body Painting, Family Name Histories, Fantasy Hair Weaving, Gypsy Eyes, Caricatures, and Body Art and other fascinating offerings.

For more information about the estate homes and luxury real estate in the area, contact the LUXE Real Estate Group at 1-888-900-LUXE.

Another boon to Scottsdale, Arizona real-estate values is the spring training facility at Scottsdale Stadium.  Located in vibrant downtown Scottsdale real estate next to Old Town, Scottsdale Stadium is the most popular venue to watch a baseball game in the Cactus League.

Spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games commonly used by Major League Baseball teams before the start of the regular season.  It allows new players to audition for roster and position spots and offers practice time for everyone.  Today, all major league teams use facilities in the warmer states of Arizona (the Cactus League) and Florida (the Grapefruit League).  Spring training lasts from the end of February through March.  Pitchers and catchers report a week or two before players from other positions arrive for team practice.

In modern training, teams that train in Arizona play other Arizona training teams in their exhibition games.  They also play teams from Arizona State University, minor league baseball clubs, intra-squad games, split-squad games, and B Games, which are unofficial Spring Training games.

The following teams are in the Cactus League in the Greater Phoenix area:  Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and in 2010 the Cincinnati Reds.  Two more clubs hold Spring Training in Tucson:  Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies.

A modernized Scottsdale Stadium replaced the facility that housed several major league teams since World War II ended.  After residents of homes in Scottsdale approved an $8M bond issue in 1991, the 1946-era original stadium at the corner of Osborn and Drinkwater work began to demolish and replace Scottsdale Stadium.  A beautiful new design by HOK Architects provided a spacious concourse and 12,000 seats, including berm seating.  Field dimensions are left field, 360 feet; right field, 330 feet; center field, 430 feet with a 10-foot high outfield fence.

In 2006, another $23M, made available through Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, Maricopa County Stadium District, and the City of Scottsdale, funded a walkway connecting the berms, full and half practice fields, and VIP seating for season ticket holders in the Charro Lodge pavilion and terrace in right field over the bullpen.  The Giants signed on until 2025 with an option to extend an additional ten years.

For more information about luxury real estate in the area, contact LUXE Real Estate Group at 1-888-900-LUXE.

Several PGA golfers own second homes in Scottsdale Arizona, or real estate in Greater Phoenix, for good reason: sunny practice time.  There are over 200 golf courses near beautiful Scottsdale real estate, including the TPC of Scottsdale.  We also have a wide selection of luxury homes in Scottsdale’s golf communities set in the Sonoran Desert with views of the majestic McDowell Mountains and city skyline.

Possibly trumping it all, Scottsdale hosts the FBR Open, formerly known as the Arizona Open and the Phoenix Open, at the Tournament of Players Club (PTC) of Scottsdale.  The FBR Open holds the record for having the highest spectator attendance of any golf event, with more than 500,000 in 2008.  Over the decades, the nationally televised event brought name recognition to the City of Scottsdale.

Held annually at the end of January, the 2009 schedule included Ladies Invitational, Practice Rounds for pros, Pro-Am and Celebrity-Am tourneys, Hoyt Family Foundation Dream Day activities, Junior Golf Clinic on Practice Range, CBS Outdoor Special Olympics Open on Putting Green, Opening Dinner, Shot At Glory on 16th Hole Stadium course, and Birds Nest entertainment before the FBR Open begins.

History of the FBR Open

The Phoenix Open began in 1932 with a $2,500 purse.  Ralph Guldahl of the United States took home $600 for his first place winnings.  After the 1935 events, the tournament was discontinued.  However, avid golfer Bob Goldwater Sr. determined to revive it.  He cajoled fellow Thunderbirds, a prominent civic organization in Phoenix, into helping him to get it going again.  Although they agreed, Goldwater printed the tickets, sold sponsorships, obtained the use of the Phoenix Country Club, and invited a few important friends to tee up.  They were Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Ben Hogan.

The 1939 Phoenix Open was a royal success and the show has gone on every year except during a wartime 1943 hiatus.  By 1946 and 1947, Ben Hogan took home $1,500 and $2,000 for first-place standings.

By 1955, the Arizona Country Club hosted the Open on alternate years.  Then, from 1975 to 1986, it remained exclusively at the Arizona Country Club.  In 1987, the tournament moved to its current home at the Stadium Course at the TPC of Scottsdale.   By that time, the purse had gone up to $600,000.

As of 2003, the tournament’s new title sponsor, the investment bank Friedman Billings Ramsey (FBR) joined the team.  When Kenny Perry took first place in 2009, the purse was $6,000,000 and Perry earned $1,080,000.

Spectator tickets are always available.  Sold for $25 a day, the Thunderbirds make room for everyone who wants to participate.  Portions of the proceeds go to funding the Phoenix activities of the Special Olympics.

For more information about luxury real estate in the area, contact LUXE Real Estate Group at 1-888-900-LUXE.

TPC Scottsdale is one of the finest venues on the PGA TOUR for players and fans alike.  Many folks now retiring to Scottsdale AZ real estate anticipate leisurely rounds of golf at The Tournament of Players Club of Scottsdale.  Some spotted the TPC tourneys on television during the FBR Open, formally called the Arizona Open and the Phoenix Open.

The younger set may select Scottsdale homes for their families after watching the FBC Open from the gallery on the 16th hole when they attended Arizona State University.

Regardless of how, tournaments at the TPC of Scottsdale draw record-breaking crowd and introduce golf enthusiasts to the idea of owning golf real estate in Scottsdale.  TPC of Scottsdale is part of a chain of Tournament of Players Club golf facilities built to accommodate tens and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

TPC of Scottsdale opened in 1986 with the Par 71, 7215-yard Stadium Course.  In 2007, the Par 71, 7115-yard Championship Course followed over 20 years later.  The 36 holes exhibit the strengths of the greats and encourage well-rounded playing skills.  All players here walk the fairways and enjoy the services normally reserved for the greatest players in the world.

Named as a Top 10 Public Golf Courses in Arizona by Golf Digest, Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf designed the Stadium Course that opened for play in 1986.  It was the first golf course in Arizona to be designated an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary and it has achieved that designation year after year.  The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System provides information and guidance to golf courses to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat and protect natural resources.

The newer Champions Course, designed by Randy Heckenkemper, is a collaboration of the City of Scottsdale, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the PGA TOUR.   The ultimate desert golf experience unfolds over Bermuda fairways, pristine greens, and challenging bunkers, natural ravines, and picturesque foothills, trumped by the last four holes.

The Champions Course includes a beautiful new modern clubhouse with expanded banquet and catering capabilities.  It is available for tournament receptions, business gatherings, and other special events.

The TPC is comprised of destination and private membership properties.  Membership in any PTC Club may earn playing privileges at other clubs in the TPC Network.  Tournament of Players golf courses host PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, and Nationwide Tour events.  The network of private and destination golf clubs maintain an excellent reputation.

TPC Scottsdale is located north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard between Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101 Freeway (Pima Road).  For more information about luxury real estate in the area, contact LUXE Real Estate Group at 1-888-900-LUXE.

Since 1992, the Scottsdale League for the Arts contributed approximately three-million dollars to support art and art education for children of Scottsdale, Arizona.  While fully embracing the relaxing lifestyle available in Scottsdale , these volunteers help shape the cultural landscape by staging signature events such as the fabulous Annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival held in April.

Residents of Scottsdale take great advantage of the festival’s sunny days to enjoy each other’s company.  Destination events also bring out residents of Greater Phoenix metropolitan area along with snowbirds from around the nation to enjoy the company of professional artists.  They contribute to the artsy mystique of Scottsdale, AZ.

During the food, fun, and festivities of the six-day Scottsdale Culinary Festival, the host of casual-to-upscale events includes demos by the nation’s top chefs.  The fest features awesome food, drink, and live music from acclaimed bands.

The Scottsdale League for the Arts hosts over 40,000 guests for the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind in the United States.  The League organizes the event and welcomes other volunteers to help at the entrance gates, beverage booths, and ticket booths.

The League awards grants on a competitive basis to non-profit 501(c) 3 agencies that provide direct services or activities related to the arts.  The Phoenix Symphony, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arts in Education Council, and Phoenix Boys Choir are past recipients of funds.  Businesses can help by purchasing cost-effective sponsorship packages that provide a wonderful opportunity for exposure while supporting the local arts community.

The 2009 event included the following events:

• Friends of James Beard Benefit Dinner at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
• Bubbles & Bliss at W Scottsdale
• Chef Tribute Dinner at J&G Steakhouse
• Mixologist On the Rocks at Hotel Valley Ho and Mondrian Scottsdale
• Culinary Hall of Fame Awards Dinner at Wrigley Mansion
• East, Drink & Be Pretty and Cooks & Corks at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
• Great Arizona Picnic at Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza
• Chefs Wine Dinners
• Wine Country Brunch at InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa
• Best of the Fest at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch

Tickets range from $10 to $225.  In a partnership with Food & Wine Magazine, the magazine donates a 12-issue subscription to anyone who purchases at least $40 worth of tickets.  The next event associated with the 2010 Culinary Festival is cocktails at Trader Vic’s at Hotel Valley on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about luxury real estate in the area, contact LUXE Real Estate Group at 1-888-900-LUXE.