A favorite Thanksgiving Tradition growing up was for my family to participate in a Fun Run or Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Morning. I have searched all over and gathered all the Fun Runs in Arizona going on this Thanksgiving Week. A few are the weekend before Thanksgiving and a couple are after Thanksgiving. I’ve listed them all by date and then alphabetically. Take a look at the list and find one in a city near you or go experience a new city.

Have fun!

 (picture from City of Yuma, AZ’s 2010 Turkey Trot)

Multiple Dates

• Kayenta

Turkey Trot Walks

(7 series) – Last 3 are on 17th, 22nd and the 29th

November 19th

•  Payson

Turkey Trot 5K

A special prize given for the coolest and wackiest socks

• Prescott

Prescott Turkey Trot   

Free, if you bring $10 of food to donate instead of entry fee

• Show Low

4K Family Fun Run

• Yuma

Turkey Trot - 5K/10K Run and Fun Walk

November 22nd

• Bullhead City

Total Body Boot Camp Turkey Trot -5K Run/Walk

• Lake Havasu

23rd Annual Turkey Trot - 5k, 2 Mile Fun Run

November 23

• Casa Grande

Turkey Trot Health Walk -

Scroll down the page by date to view details 

November 24

• Anthem

ANTHEM TURKEY TROT - 10km Run, 5km Run/Walk & Kids Dash

Kids Dash is free!

• Douglas

Douglas Run/Walk for the Cure – Competitive 5K, 5K Fun Walk, and for the younger kiddos a 800, 400 and 40 yard run

• Fountain Hills

Turkey Trot 5K Run & Fitness Walk -

Check-In prior to November 22nd for the pre-registration price

•  Mesa

Mesa Turkey Trot - 10K Run, 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk, 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk

• Peoria

Thanksgiving Day Classic - 10 Mile, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run

• Peoria Seniors – Rio Vista

5K Turkey Trot and Mashed Potato Mile - Fun Walk for adults, 50 years and better!

Pancake Breakfast Served by the Fire Fighters

• Phoenix

Turkey Day 5K

• Pima

2011 Turkey Trot Around the Corner - 5k Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run

• San Tan Valley

5th Annual Turkey Waddle – 5k Family Fun Run/Walk

• Sedona

Sedona Turkey Trot 5K

Note: No race day registration

• Tempe

The 8th Annual Southwest Valley Regional YMCA Thanksgiving Day - Youth, Adult & Relay Sprint Triathlon/Duathlon

• Yuma

Turkey Trot – 5K/10K Run and Fun Walk

November 26

•  Cave Creek

After Thanksgiving Turkey Trot/Hike – a moderate hike approximately 3.2 miles in length

Wilcox

5k Turkey Trot/Walk - 

 No charge for participants under 16

Bring a can of nonperishable food for Benson Community Food Pantry

If you live in or near Tempe, Scottsdale or Surprise, you can take advantage of a free family movie night at you local theater!

The Schedule:

2nd Monday of every month: Tempe Pollack Cinemas, 7 pm

3rd Monday of every month: UltraStar Cinemas Scottsdale, 7:10 pm

4thMonday of every month: UltraStar Surprise Pointe Cinemas, 7 pm

Seats are  first come, first serve and the feature film is usually announced 24 hours in advance on the sponsor’s site, KKNT960.

So, if you are looking for something fun and affordable to do with your family, give this movie night a try. My family plans on taking advantage of this fun night soon!

During the summer, it’s hard to find activities for families that don’t involve a lot of money or are out in the desert heat.  Chick-Fil-A has been the best thing to happen to our family.  Our son loves their play area and I love the different activities they have during the month.  This past Friday was Cow Appreciation Day.  Although we had other plans, it is just one of many activities that they do.  Last month we went to their Hollywood Night and our son participated in the crafts, drawing and just hanging out listening to the music and getting pictures with the cow!  This Friday, July 15^th, is 50’s Night.  If you dress up, they have specific things for you.  Even if you don’t dress up, it is a wonderful family event.  Because it is open to everyone, we saw quite a few special needs kids participating with their families.  Even if your child is physically challenged, they can still participate in  the activities.  I highly recommend it as a family night out!

This past Friday, my family went to the All Star Fan Fest at the Convention Center in Phoenix.  Having never been to one before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Our son particularly enjoyed the interactive activities for kids and adults.  He was able to throw balls, steal bases, obtain autographs, get pictures with mascots, and hit a real baseball with a real bat!  Although it was quite pricey to attend, it was worth the money to attend.  Thankfully we had discount tickets.  They actually had a lot of activities for all levels of disabilities for children and adults.  Our son isn’t physically handicapped, but he doesn’t understand or comprehend some things and he had no issues with accessibility.

There are a couple of great children’s movies coming out as well this summer, Cars and Winnie the Pooh.  We are planning to take our son to his first movie.  If you bring your child earlier in the day, it is cheaper for you as well and kids tend to do better earlier in the day.  There is also the rare cheap movie theatre to catch some of the other kids cartoons on their way to dvd.

Check it out! CityDeals scored Arizona deal lovers a 20% off discount to Walmart today! CityDeals has hooked us up with a $25 gift card — yes, an actual gift card — and is selling it for 20% off face value! You guys better jump on this quickly because quantities are limited and every time I check there are fewer gift cards available!

Once you create a user account and go through the purchasing process, CityDeals will mail you the $25 card you ordered (or anything you picked up while shopping!) and you’ll have it just in time for Halloween!

Happy deal shopping!

Sports bars have consistently been a safe haven for microwavable appetizers and cheap beer. Well Antar’s Sports Bistro is not any old sports bar. It’s a sports bistro and they don’t support any part of the cheap food trade. They have combined a love of sports with a love for upscale dining, presenting a whole menu of gourmet bar food such as Szechuan garlic chicken wings and onion rings made from real onions along with foodie approved pasta and seafood dishes. Antar’s has enough TV’s and projector screens to ensure whatever game or event you want to watch is on, and if it isn’t they’ll change the channel for you.

There’s no need to sacrifice your taste buds to the sports gods. Antar’s understands that your craving for high quality food can go hand in hand with your craving for sports. They have a menu fit for a connoisseur to whet your appetite and 16 beers on tap to wet your whistle. Sport loving foodies rejoice even more because you can save 60% on your next visit to Antar’s when you purchase a certificate through CityDeals. You can wrap your onion ring fingers around a $25 certificate for only $10!

Couch potatoes, listen up. You might think that bowling with your video game controller qualifies as a sport, or even worse, exercise. It’s time to free yourself from the clutches of your gaming system and step into Let It Roll bowling alley where you can tone those gaming-atrophied arms by lifting a real bowling ball and pitching it down a beautiful glossy wooden runway. Let It Roll bowling alley is a clean and classy bowling establishment where you can bowl all night, stopping only temporarily to visit their bar or Oaxaca Restaurant located right in the same building.

If discounts are up your alley, you can grab one through CityDeals! Pin down a $20 certificate for only $8 – that’s 60% off!

Once you line up your deal, knock out the details of your bowling team at Let It Roll or on their website. If you have a team selected, you can sign up together and if you don’t, you can get placed on a team of friendly strangers. Nothing makes friends of teammates faster or more effectively than experiencing the thrill and despair of competitive bowling together—plus how can you not love a group of people all with ridiculous matching footwear?

Hours

Sun 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Mon 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tue 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wed 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thur 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Fri 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Sat 11:00 am – 1:00 am

Everyone faces a similar problem this time of year: you’ve got to find the perfect Father’s Day gift.  You vow that this year will be different and you won’t give in to the temptation to just get him socks or whatever power tool is on sale.   I think I have found the solution for our problem! A day of golf on a course that my husband is actually excited to play on!

I found out about a surprisingly good deal on CityDeals for Pueblo El Mirage Golf Course, and thought I’d pass it along.  The golf course itself is a quick 30 minute drive outside of downtown Phoenix and is designed by Fuzzy Zoeller, which I guess is some famous golfer—just ask your husband.  The part I like about this gift idea is that the price is reasonable, it’s “manly” enough, and it’s something he’d be spending money on anyway. So, I totally recommend CityDeals, not just for great Father’s Day gifts, but for other things you want to save on like restaurants or activities for the kids. At least in this case, they helped me solve my annual Father’s Day dilemma!

By the way, CityDeals is giving Today’s Mama readers a special bonus! When you make a $20 purchase between May 17- May 31, you’ll receive a $5 credit on your purchase!  Just use promo code TODAYMAMAAZ (note that it’s one promo per customer).