Bookmans has always championed animal rights and welfare, and we're proud to continue that with our special presentation of the award-winning documentary Mine at Bookmans Phoenix on Wednesday, August 4 at 5:00 p.m. Following the documentary, join mediator Karlie Hustle for a discussion of this poignant film.

Mine takes in an in-depth look at the living arrangements of rescued pets after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Hundreds of abandoned animals were rescued after the storm and many found new loving homes all over the country, but what happens when the original owners, who had no choice but to leave their animals behind temporarily in order to save their lives, want their pets back? See both sides of the story in this critically acclaimed film.

We're gathering our gear and getting ready for the 21st annual Baby Fair at the Tucson Convention Center on Saturday, August 14. From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., we'll be hanging out at our booth at this FREE community event, doing a great interactive photo booth and prize giveaways! We've even arranged for the one-and-only BOOKMAN to take some time out of his busy schedule to join us.

Parents and parents-to-be have come to the MIXFM Baby Fair for the last two decades to find everything a growing family needs. You can expect lots of exhibitors with products and services to make your life (and your kids' lives) easier, safer, and better. We're proud to once again support this free community event. In addition to all of the great Bookmans goodies we'll be giving away, you can expect:

•Ronald McDonald's Magic Show
•The fantastically funny Diaper Derbies (bring your camera!)
•The Daddy Diaper Olympics
•Tween Zone (play area for older kids)
•Children's play areas
•Jumping castle
•Educational Seminars
•The annual Baby Issue from Tucson Lifestyle Magazine
•Lots of other awesome gifts and prizes!

We hope we'll see you there!

Bookmans in Flagstaff was sad to see the end of summer kids events at the Orpheum, but we are continuing to host great kids events at the downtown public library, and we hope to see your family there. On August 30th at 10:30am, we'll be hosting Fandango Puppet Making, and October 1st also at 10:30am, we'll have Banned Books Story Time in honor of Banned Book Week. If you like puppets and freedom of speech, come on down and join us for both events; it'll be a party!

It's Movie Madness Month at Bookmans, and we're excited to sponsor all sorts of film-related events, including Flagstaff's Friday night Movies on the Square. Family-friendly movies are screened every Friday night at sundown (around 8:00 p.m.) in downtown Heritage Square, preceded by some great local music beginning at 6:00 p.m.! All of the events are FREE. Bookmans is a proud sponsor of the classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, on Friday August 27.

We love E.T. because it is cute, and it teaches kids that they needn't always fear the unknown. The show will open with music by Chuck Cheesman, the instructor for Bookmans Music in the Classroom (MIC) Program, which brings free music and movement education to Flagstaff Head Start classes. To learn more about Movies on the Square, see the Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy the show!

Even though our infamous Summer Kids Events are over, Bookmans is still proud to host lots of great FREE educational events for kids each week in our stores. We've got storytimes, music, instruments, learning and more. Check out what's happening at your nearest Bookmans each week:

Tuesdays, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Speedway – Music Hour with Nature: We've got all kinds of different instruments to play, make up songs, learn about sounds, and have a rockin' good time. All ages welcome.

Phoenix – Positively Portable Preschool: Back by popular demand, join us for a fun and interactive preschool-style class on wheels. We've got story time, activities and more. Ages 0-4.

During Movie Madness Month, Bookmans Grant is welcoming local filmmakers into our stores to give them some exposure and to show off their wares. Earlier this month, we welcomed Jeremy Schliewe & Ben Manker-Seale, who showed us a series of short films, including selections from the series Lowbrow Hipster.

Tonight from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., we're presenting Dave Pike's film Red Door about a man trapped in an office with a door that leads to hell. Thursday, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., join us in welcoming welcoming Ben Thomas, with his film 7:01, a short film about a manipulative drug dealer whose karma comes back to haunt her.

On August 26, we're wecoming Billups Allen with his 2008 documentary Vinyl Scrapyard, about the birth and death of the independent record store, told through the eyes of the clerks who both love and hate working in them. Parental discretion is advised for all of our films, and we'll provide the free popcorn! For more of our Movie Madness events at your nearest Bookmans, click here.

This Saturday, August 21, at our Grant, Ina and Mesa stores, we're happy to announce several author and book-signing events. From 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Bookmans Grant, we will welcome Roberta Serface to sign her new book, “The Forgotten Highway: Broadway of America,” which is the first of several soon-to-be-published books containing original, historic photographs from the 1910s through the 1940s. They tell a story of the town Roberta was born and raised in and the people who visited, worked and lived in that town. The book also features pictures of the old Highway 80 that ran through Arizona.

Starting this Thursday, Bookmans Underground Cinema presents an exclusive engagement: House at Madcap Theaters. For just $8, House (35mm) will air on Thursday at 8:00 p.m., and on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.

How do you describe this 1977 Nobuhiko Obayahshi’s film--perhaps as a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby Doo as directed by Dario Argento? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home, only to come face-to-face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat.

Too absurd to be genuinely terrifying, yet too nightmarish to be merely comic, House seems like it was beamed to Earth from another planet. Or perhaps from the mind of a child? The director fashioned the script after the eccentric musings of his 11-year-old daughter, then employed all the tricks in his analog arsenal (mattes, animation, and collage) to make them a visually astonishing, raucous reality. Never before released in the United States, and a bona-fide cult classic in the making, House is one of the most exciting genre discoveries in years.

The amazing Midnite Movie Mamacita herself, Andrea Beesley-Brown, got an exclusive Q & A session with filmmaker Bob Ray, whose films Hell on Wheels and Total Badass are showing at Madcap Theaters this Saturday, August 21. Hell on Wheels airs at 8:00 p.m., and Total Badass is at 10:00 p.m. Each film is $8. Bob Ray will be in town for his "Down and Dirty Austin Film Tour," so don't miss out on this great opportunity!

Hell on Wheels takes a from-the-trenches look at the dizzying clash of athleticism, exhibitionism, egos, politics and business that is modern-era roller derby. A group of hard-hitting Texas women overcome myriad obstacles in resurrecting and revamping the sport, only to find internal strife ripping the fledgling organization apart. Two leagues emerge from the clash, and what follows ignites an international roller derby revival. Shot over a five-year period by Bob Ray (Rock Opera) and Werner Campbell, Hell on Wheels was edited by award winning editor Conor O'Neill (Murderball, Word Wars, Capitalism: A Love Story) and features original music by And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.

Total Badass is the Texas tale of a hilarious, crazy-ass writer/publisher/singer/weed-dealer/sex addict/Guinea pig enthusiast/dad/pirate radio host/raconteur and general man-about-town as he rides out the last six months of felony probation and, ultimately, must change his ways when a financial crisis befalls his estranged family.

Bookmans is proud to support Reading Seed and their efforts to ensure that Tucson’s youth are given the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. As a longtime community partner, Bookmans has witnessed the incredible impact Reading Seed coaches have made in our community. In fact, numerous students working with Reading Seed coaches progress at least one reading level in only two months!

If you have one spare hour each week during the school year, than you can volunteer to be a reading coach! The job of the coach is to make reading fun so students become independent readers who are excited about what they can learn. To become a reading coach, you only have to attend a single training workshop. Most trainings are taught by the founder of Reading Seed, Allan Tractenberg, who has been a reading coach for more than 15 years.

It's Movie Madness Month at Bookmans, and we're excited to sponsor all sorts of film-related events, including Flagstaff's Friday night Movies on the Square. Family-friendly movies are screened every Friday night at sundown (around 8:00 p.m.) in downtown Heritage Square, preceded by some great local music beginning at 6:00 p.m.! All of the events are FREE. Bookmans is a proud sponsor of the classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, this week on Friday, August 27.

We love E.T. because it is cute, and it teaches kids that they needn't always fear the unknown. The show will open with music by Chuck Cheesman, the instructor for Bookmans Music in the Classroom (MIC) Program, which brings free music and movement education to Flagstaff Head Start classes. To learn more about Movies on the Square, see the Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy the show!

Each week brings tremendous progress toward reopening Bookmans Flagstaff store. Workers are installing plumbing and electrical, the gorgeous new blueprints are on display at the warehouse, and the new orange shelves, rows and rows of them, are being filled with books. Our Store Manager Andrew Shkolnik and Assistant Store Manager Desiree Ducharme, along with our trusted supervisors, including Matt (in books), Nick (in music), Ryan (in customer service), and Ben (in electronics) are all gearing-up to make sure their departments are stocked and ready for the reopen.

Bookmans believes that music literacy is a vital part of early childhood education. That's why we're proud to sponsor free music hours each week in our stores, and are pleased to be featured in this morning's Arizona Daily Star. You can read the article here.

At our Ina store in Tucson, Story Tunes happens every Friday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., and includes sing-a-long activities, story time, a coloring activity, a beverage and a snack!! At our Speedway and Wilmot location, we feature Music Hour with Nature each Tuesday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. It's an hour of hands-on fun and music making for your little ones, accompanied by interactive storytelling and songs.

Clean out your family's closets and make a difference in a student's life! EEF and Voices for Education have joined forces with Buffalo Exchange to accept gently used clothing and school appropriate shoes (in both children and adult sizes) during a one time community-wide drive at Buffalo Exchange's Speedway and Campbell store. On Saturday, August 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ONLY, at Buffalo Exchange on 2001 E. Speedway (just east of Campbell).

All donations from this drive are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law and will go either to the TUSD Clothing Bank, serving financially in-need TUSD students in grades pre-K to 12th, or to Voices for Education's annual "Shop Your Girlfriend's Closet Sale" of high quality women's clothing in early October.

Bookmans last day buying and selling at the Chamber of Commerce will be Saturday September 11th so we can focus all of our efforts on the final push to reopen! However, if you miss us then, we will be buying and selling (lots of great music merchandise) just outside of Pine Mountain Amphitheater during Pickin' in the Pines, September 17th, 18th, & 19th. Bookmans is a proud sponsor of Pickin' in the Pines, and will also have a booth inside the Amphitheater for activities and give-aways! Don't miss the Bookmans sponsored Chuck Cheesman kids' shows, or the Bookmans led reusable tote-bag decorating in the Kid Zone.

Join us tonight at The Loft Cinema for a special celebration of Cult Classics with THE DARK KNIGHT!! For the last 3 years, Bookmans has been the proud sponsor of the weekly Cult Classics movies shown every Friday and Saturday night at The Loft, and this weekend we're taking the opportunity to highlight this great community partnership.

The first 50 people to arrive this evening will receive a FREE pass to the movie and everyone will have a chance to enter-to-win one of three $100 gift baskets or one of six $50 gift certificates! We'll be on The Loft patio starting at 9:30 p.m. and the shows starts at 10 p.m. We hope to see you at this amazing community celebration of movie madness!

This week, Bookmans is giving away free passes in Tucson and Phoenix for the suspense thriller The American starring Academy Award winner George Clooney. To win passes, follow our @BookmansTucson and @BookmansPhoenix Twitter feeds and follow directions when the cue comes to retweet the phrase, "Why buy new? http://bookmans.com".