Listen to Season 4, Episode 4

Sponsored by Mesa Arts Center

It’s time for Dia de los Muertos! Otherwise known as The Day of the Dead. But don’t let the name fool you, because no matter who you are or where you’re from, you’ll discover the Day of the Dead is a very-not-scary, even joyful event. If you’ve never understood the meaning and significance of this special holiday, you’ve landed in the right spot. 

mesaartscenter.com/diadelosmuertos

Listen to Season 4, Episode 3

Forget the bearded Dos Equis pitchman with his thick shock of salt and pepper hair. The most interesting man in the world might be a clean shaven, bald dude named Russell “Rusty” Bowers.

A fourth generation Arizonan, Rusty is as Mesa as it gets. Growing up he was a devoted boy scout and then a committed Mesa High Jackrabbit – a God-fearing gym rat who made a habit of fouling out of most basketball games.

But he later became a renown painter and sculptor. Eventually, he put his creative skill and sharp elbows to work as a politician, representing Mesa for almost two decades as a member of both the Arizona House and Senate. He loved it.

And then came the test of a lifetime when he was pressured by a sitting president – the man he campaigned for – to participate in overturning the results of the 2020 election in Arizona. The gym-rat-turned-artist-turned-conservative politician refused. The Most Interesting Man in the World, indeed.

Listen to Season 4, Episode 2

Sponsored by Sheraton Mesa Hotel and Courtyard Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West

Mesa is known for many things, but for a lot of people across our country, Mesa is synonymous with one thing: Spring Training. Every February and March, Mesa hosts both the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park and the Oakland A’s at Hohokam Park. You might think that’s just how it’s always been. But the story of how once-sleepy Mesa became the epicenter of the Cactus League will surprise you. At the center of the story is Dwight “Pat” Patterson, a quiet cattleman-turned community champion.  The story behind Spring training is just one more reason we can say, "It’s Always Cool in Mesa.”

Listen to Season 4, Episode 1

Sponsored by Caliber, Ahlstrom/Farnsworth Family of Companies (Farnsworth Construction, Farnsworth Realty and Management, Sunland Home Care and The Summit: Assisted Living and Memory Care)

On the Friday evening after Thanksgiving, we kick off the holiday season at the Mesa Arts Center with a theatrical retelling of The Man Who Killed Santa Claus. Audiences love it. But never so much as this last year when it was performed for the first time as a musical. Mayor Giles sits down with the show's creator and writer, Brian Nissen, the producer, Mark Arnett, and the musical director Emily Susan Pack, and asks them how they did it. If you've only heard the non-musical version, you haven't really heard this true Mesa story. Disclaimer: No actual Santa Clauses were harmed in the production of this musical.

Listen to Season 3, Episode 6

Sponsored by Visit Mesa

In the full version of our “Always Cool” theme song, there’s a line that goes, “If you say Venice makes you wistful, Well, we’ve got canals by the fistful!”

And it’s true - miles and miles of canals that deliver water to every reach of the city. They also provide a place to walk, bike, and enjoy our Arizona sunsets. The story of how the canals came to be is an epic and sacred one. 

Listen to Season 3, Episode 5

Sponsored by Visit Mesa.

Everyone calls it "the Dinosaur Museum.” And that's fine. But it's actually the Arizona Museum of Natural History. And while its dinosaur offerings are truly incredible, it has a lot of non-Dino stuff that makes it one of the Southwest's premier natural history museums.

Listen to Season 3, Episode 4

Sponsored by Visit Mesa.

The story of how the Mesa Arts Center got built and almost didn't get built is a lesson in vision and persistence. And Mesa didn't just build an arts center. We built a world-class, international award-winning arts center. If you've ever wondered how Mesa pulled it off, here's the decades-long story.

Listen to Season 3, Episode 3

Sponsored by Caliber - The Wealth Development Company

All cool American cities have their annual traditions. Boston has its marathon. There's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. And Ashland Oregon has a world class Shakespeare festival. Here in Mesa, we don't take ourselves so seriously. Every year we get together and celebrate the fact that 90 years ago we killed the jolliest man on the planet.

Listen to Season 3, Episode 2

Sponsored by Visit Mesa

If you were asked in 2021 to name an Academy Award winner from Mesa, you probably would have broken the Google machine trying. But if you search today, dozens of articles will tell you all about Troy Kotsur, winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2022 for the film CODA. He’s the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar. Best of all, he’s Mesa born and bred. How cool is that? 

Downloadable Transcript [PDF]

For more info about Visit Mesa’s passports, visit VisitMesa.com/passes

Listen to Season 2, Episode 7

Sponsored by Legacy Park

Every Olympics has its "first-evers." One of the “first-evers” in the most recent summer Olympics came from Mesa, Arizona. Jagger Eaton, the kid with a moniker to match his style, grabbed America’s first-ever skateboarding medal – a bronze in the men’s street competition. Shaggy-haired and super chill, but at the same time extremely hard-working and wise beyond his years, Jagger both reinforces and smashes skateboarder stereotypes. Lots of things make Mesa cool. This kid may just be the coolest.

Jagger Eaton: Red Bull Athlete Profile

Listen to Season 2, Episode 6

Sponsored by Visit Mesa

We’ve got quite a few world-class things in Mesa. A world-class Arts Center, Asian District, and sunsets, to name just a few. Add this to the bunch: The Hawes Trail System. A network of desert trails attracting mountain bikers from across the country. Hikers and horseback riders enjoy it, too. The story of how Hawes Trail came to be (and almost didn’t come to be) is one for the ages.

Hawes Trail Maps

A Brief History of Mountain Bikes

Listen to Season 2, Episode 5

Sponsored by The Boeing Company

When Mesa resident Fred Engstrom was 18-years-old, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and learned how to fly. Two years later he flew twenty-five missions over Germany in the plane that some people say won the war – a B-17 bomber. Today you can take a ride in a B-17 (and other vintage warbirds) at Falcon Field Airport, operated by the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum. That’s where I met Fred. It was an honor to ride along with him on his 26th mission.

More about the flying airplanes in the Arizona Commemorative Air Force collection.

Listen to Season 2, Episode 4

Sponsored by Crescent Crown Distributing

In 2021 legendary guitar-rocker Alice Cooper, who Rolling Stone called, "the world's most beloved heavy metal entertainer," opened his second Solid Rock Teen Center right here in Mesa. The goal is to help young people find purpose in creativity. Turns out "No More Mister Nice Guy" is a really nice guy.

Listen to Season 2, Episode 3

Sponsored by DPR Construction

We may have started a new holiday tradition. The day after Thanksgiving, the Merry Main Christmas tree was lit as it has been for several years, but then afterward we went into the Mesa Arts Center to enjoy some holiday entertainment – including the retelling of a true Mesa story, The Man Who Killed Santa Claus.

Watch The Man Who Killed Santa Claus

Listen to Season 2, Episode 2

Sponsored by Sheraton Wrigleyville

Every American city has an iconic piece of architecture. Seattle’s skyline would be incomplete without its space needle. St. Louis has its Gateway Arch. And one of the most iconic buildings in Mesa is its Latter-Day Saint Temple. It was built almost a century ago and just recently underwent a major restoration.

Listen to Season 2, Episode 1

Sponsored by Visit Mesa

Before Ronald Reagan told his team to "win one for the Gipper," and long before Winston Churchill told England to "be calm and carry on," Mesa’s very own Zedo Ishikawa inspired generations with his final words. What Mesa High has done with those words, in the near-century that's followed, is just one more thing that makes Mesa, very, very cool.

Listen to Season 1, Episode 6

Who would have thought?! Downtown Mesa has one of the finest pub crawls in the state of Arizona! The story of how the craft beverage scene helped a historically dry town roar back to life is filled with long odds, a lot of hard work, and a collection of the warmest most determined people you’ll ever meet. 

Featured in the episode:

Oro Brewing Company on the web, Facebook and Instagram

12 West Brewing Downtown Mesa on the web, Facebook and Instagram

Cider Corps on the web, Facebook and Instagram

Listen to Season 1, Episode 5

If you’ve been to downtown Mesa lately, you realize big things are happening. But you might not realize this: Part of the reason lies three miles to the east. The Diving Lady sign. What’s she got to do with Mesa’s downtown renaissance? You’ve have to listen to find out. Watch Mayor Giles 2016 campaign video on the same topic.

Listen to Season 1, Episode 4

If you drive down Dobson Road in Mesa, Arizona you'll quickly see that we have the most vibrant center for Asian culture in the entire Southwest. It's called the Asian District, and it all started in 2008 with MeKong Plaza. The story of the man behind MeKong Plaza, Peter Quach, is one for the ages - from his escape from communism to his battle against all odds to live the American dream.

Mekong Plaza on the web, and on Facebook.

Mesa’s Asian District on the web, and on Facebook.

Listen to Season 1, Episode 3

Sarah Williams gets a lot done. A lot. If she gets a good idea, even if it’s a little crazy like paddle boarding in the desert, or a lot crazy like goat yoga, she goes for it. Her two winning attitudes are, she doesn’t overthink things and she’s not afraid of failure. Did we mention her Guinness world record? Be brave, people.

• Find Arizona Goat Yoga on the web, Facebook and Instagram.
• Find Desert Paddleboards on the web, Facebook and Instagram.
• On Feb. 23, 2019, in the Mesa Amphitheatre, over 350 people and 84 goats showed up to set a Guinness Book of World Record for the Largest Goat Yoga Class. 

Listen to Season 1, Episode 2

What is the connection between the Historic Mesa Cemetery and the Queen of England? The answer is 23 Royal Airforce pilots. How they ended up in our Cemetery is one of Mesa’s treasured stories.

Mesa Cemetery History

Listen to Season 1, Episode 1

Because it is always cool in Mesa. And more people should know about it. And who better to give the scoop than lifelong resident of Mesa and the city’s 40^th Mayor John Giles.

In this episode, "It’s Always Cool in Mesa" Host, Mayor John Giles, is interviewed by "It’s Always Cool in Mesa" Producer, Brian Nissen, on exactly what "It’s Always Cool in Mesa" means and why we should be talking about it.

Mesa resources:

Visit Mesa

Downtown Mesa Association

City of Mesa

Mesa Chamber of Commerce