What a great event! Amazing Aussies is dedicated to rescuing Lethal White Australian Shepherds and matching them with new forever families while raising awareness to eradicate Merle-to-Merle breeding through educational programs. AALWR had dogs to meet and greet as well as literature and resources to help and educate. The term "Lethal White" applies to more that just the Australian Shepherd. Great Danes, Border Collies, Catahoulas, Shelties, Collies, Dachshunds, and any other breed that has the Merle gene has the potential to be a Lethal White. The Amazing Aussies website provides a downloadable pamphlet with more information on Lethal White Syndrome.

Amazing Aussies will be back here at the store for another amazing event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday November 14. Find us on Flickr to check out the pictures froms this weekends event. PeaceLove

NYAZGirl's latest vlog for Bookmans covers the five essential ingredients for a scary movie and acts them out con gusto. But be warned, her accuracy is DEADLY! Watch it -- if you dare.

Check out her new venture into the world of cookbooking vlogs with Phenovelnoms (doo doo da dooodooo).

Thanks Gretchen!

For the truly brave at heart Bookmans Mesa celebrated All Things Creepy this Saturday with our annual Halloween Festival of Fright. What is the Festival of Fright you ask? Well if you didn't make it to this store-wide event, man, did you miss out! Patrons were greeted at the door by the maniacal Dr. Eggbert. Dr. Eggbert is not your typical scientist, his love of candy, love of chickens, and his high pitched cackle would appear to the average person as true madness. This good Dr. took evil delight in passing out eyeballs, discussing his latest science experiments, and handing out special edition store maps that led victims, er, people throughout the store to frightful places of interest. If they dared....

We were thrilled to have local poet Brian Armstrong visit Bookmans Speedway on Oct. 9 and Bookmans Grant on Oct. 23. Brian has had a pretty interesting life travelling to Europe (where he met his wife, who also did the illustrations in his new book) and, more recently, self-publishing his first book of poetry. His experiences paint his poetry and he was glad to share both with our customers. His new book Pangaea: Transforming the Landscape is an assembly of post-modern poetry, combining symbolic imagery of natural and industrial elements to reflect on the many frustrations, hopes, and expectations of contemporary life.

Find us on Flickr for photos from Bookmans Speedway.

I knew about Bookmans before I signed up to be their Community Relations Manager, but I had no idea how the stores operated on a daily basis. This weekend I had the opportunity to meet my cohorts at the Phoenix and Mesa stores. I was treated graciously by all the employees and felt like I was is in the place I was always meant to be. I was excited to attend Ignite Phoenix 8 and the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival.

We all know by now that "going green" is easy, right? But is it, really? I had the opportunity last week to spend an evening listening to the only man I've ever seen give a presentation in a fuzzy purple goat-horned hat--Doug Fine, author of Farewell, My Subaru--on just that subject matter.

This past Saturday, Bookmans Ina was treated to a visit by Lisa Dembowski from the Postal History Foundation. She brought thousands of stamps with her and set-up a couple of fun crafts that were enjoyed by kids and parents alike. As you should know, October is National Stamp Collecting month and Lisa was on hand to drop some knowledge about the history of the postal service. In addition to many historical stamps, she also brought with her the very first stamp every produced. Known as The Penny Black, it comes from Great Britain and features a representation of Queen Elizabeth.

Fall has arrived here in Flagstaff. On my way into work, I witness every color on the spectrum. There are bright pink bushes, red trees, pines in every shade of green, and the aspens in shades of yellow, orange, gold, and brown. The lichen on the rocks almost glows in the early morning light, its light turquoise is in deep contrast with the wet forest floor’s shades of brown. The Aspens near my house have stopped their gentle green clapping in favor of dry golden clicking.

Last Friday night, Tony McMillen took us on an adventure we won't soon forget (the fact that he ended his performance in his skivvies pretty much guaranteed it, but I digress)! Tony showed up to perform his You Are a Suicide Sex Bomb with a bow tie and guitar in hand. What the hell are we talking about? Well, Tony had this concept where he wanted to recreate the old Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories but for adults and with the audience getting to participate and choose.

The Konamis is a webcomic by Jack Crawford and Bookmans own Tavis Maiden (@tavismaiden). Updated each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the adventures of The Konamis, a real comic tale about the real comic adventure of The Konamis (meaning "little waves"), the little ol' rock band that makes a big splash!

The Konamis: To the Back

Blog by Chuck Cheesman, instructor for Bookmans Music in the Classroom program

Inspired by Todd Crowley's Musical Petting Zoo, I’ve been trying to introduce the children to as many different kinds of musical instruments as I can find. So, after the children did such a beautiful job singing along with “Biddy Bum” the other day, I put down my guitar and pulled out my mandolin.

I asked, “What is this thing?” “A little guitar?” they replied. “Good guess. Sort of…”

And then I told them my sad story. “This instrument got really, really dirty. So I threw it in with the laundry, but then I accidentally left it in the clothes dryer too long. And it shrunk!”

The Broadway Palm Theater is celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season with the Best of Broadway. First up is their production of Sugar, based on the Classic movie Some Like It Hot starring Tony Curtis and Marylin Monroe. The Broadway Palm Theater had been in talks with Actor Tony Curtis to make an appearance on their grand opening night on Oct. 8. Tragically, Mr. Curtis passed away on Sept. 30. Our deepest condolences goes out to his family, friends and fans. He is a true Hollywood legend.

As the saying goes, "the show must go on" and it did -- in style! Upon entering the theatre, patrons received the true Hollywood experience. As theatergoers walked the red carpet, flashbulbs popped, arrivals announced, and "stars" collide. Each guest mingled with the likes of Lady Gaga and Josephine Baker. Many of the regular folk in attendance arrived in the spirit of the event, dressed as Dale Evans, Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Keanu Reeves and Tina Fey. A contest was held for best costume, and the dead ringer for Tina Fey won a trip to Chicago to tour the sites of the Gangsters. How jealous am I? Why, oh why, didn't I dress up?

Guest blog by Chuck Cheesman

We are five weeks into our second year of the MIC program, and I’d like to thank Bookmans Entertainment Exchange for sponsoring music in our Flagstaff Head Start classrooms. I’d also like to thank Kate Beles for her work coordinating the program. I’ve been doing music education for over a decade, and the MIC program has been a dream come true. It’s very difficult to get funding for arts and music in our schools. Bookmans’ support is huge!

Bookmans joined the over 5,000 librarians and educators who celebrate the annual Teen Read Week. We worked with the Phoenix Public Library to bring local Chandler band, Rough Tough Dynamite in for a half hour concert with hits from their upcoming album. The band of five guys set up their amps, guitars, drums, bass and ukulele and put on a fun and energetic show for all of our customers. Teens who came in to see the concert received $5 coupons towards their late fees at any Phoenix Public Library and a Bookmans goodie bag filled with gift certificates, temporary tattoos, brochures about other awesome Teen Read Week events and other swag. The library extends the activity filled Teen Read celebration over the entire month of October. Both the Phoenix Public Library System and Bookmans are glad to help spread the word to Valley youth that opening up a book, magazine or comic can feed your brain like no other form of entertainment. Reading has always and will always be fun and reading drives your imagination. Rough Tough Dynamite sure made fans out of the Bookmans staff and customers, so check out their monthly performances downtown at the Trunk Space and thanks to all of the gentleman in the band of putting on a great show and for helping spread the word about the joys of reading!

The Konamis is a webcomic by Jack Crawford and Bookmans own Tavis Maiden (@tavismaiden). Updated each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the adventures of The Konamis, a real comic tale about the real comic adventure of The Konamis (meaning "little waves"), the little ol' rock band that makes a big splash!

The Konamis: Inspectorate

On my way to drop my daughter off at school yesterday, I noticed a train that was derailed from the track, but didn't think much of it. After dropping Max at school, I noted the greenish apocalyptic light. I was downtown answering email and drinking coffee at Late for the Train when I first saw the the tornado warnings on the police scanner Twitter account.

Yesterday, my whole family slept in until eight in the morning as the rain pitter-pattered away on our roof. It was a miracle, and despite the mad dash to school and work, I was happy for the cold weather, the rain, the thunder, a chance to sport my new orange-red wool sweater. Since I'm from western Washington state, I feel very at home in the rain. I like how the clouds envelop the town and make the sky seem closer. I like how the mist settles between the mountains. I like how the light is gentle on my eyes. I like the excuse to stay in, bundle-up, drink cocoa and read books. Between five and seven-thirty last evening, I must have read my daughter almost every book by Dr. Seuss, and more. We took a hot bath, ate a crock pot dinner, put on fuzzy slippers.

The Konamis is a webcomic by Jack Crawford and Bookmans own Tavis Maiden (@tavismaiden). Updated each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the adventures of The Konamis, a real comic tale about the real comic adventure of The Konamis (meaning "little waves"), the little ol' rock band that makes a big splash!

The Konamis: Role Call

The Konamis is a webcomic by Jack Crawford and Bookmans own Tavis Maiden (@tavismaiden). Updated each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the adventures of The Konamis, a real comic tale about the real comic adventure of The Konamis (meaning "little waves"), the little ol' rock band that makes a big splash!

The Konamis: Endorsements

The Konamis is a webcomic by Jack Crawford and Bookmans own Tavis Maiden (@tavismaiden). Updated each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the adventures of The Konamis, a real comic tale about the real comic adventure of The Konamis (meaning "little waves"), the little ol' rock band that makes a big splash!

The Konamis: Choo-Choo-Choose You