Game on, arts and events fan.

Football isn’t the only big deal kicking off in September.

Mercifully, in the books is another brutal August.

Though the summer of 2025 temperatures didn’t quite match the records set over the last two years, it was hot enough – and more.

“I’ve never seen foot traffic for all of Old Town this dead in the summer,” groused Bob Pejman, a longtime Old Town gallery owner.

He pointed to the recent closings of several Old Town mainstay restaurants, including RA Sushi, RnR Gatropub and Buca di Beppo.

But, like the flick of a switch, the beginning of September is the end of the misery period for Scottsdale businesses.

As Mark Stanton, president and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, put it, “All indicators point to a strong and robust season, and we

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