Axios Phoenix

September 25, 2024
πͺ What's today?! Hump Day!
Today's weather: High of 109, kicking off an excessive heat warning that's expected to last into the weekend.
π Happy birthday to our Axios Phoenix members Tim Jordan, Betsy Marks and Susan Hermann!
Today's newsletter is 634 words β a 2.5-minute read.
1 big thing: A haunting at Four Peaks
What's the only thing scarier than a haunted brewery? Spilling your beer β something you're likely to do if you dare to get spooked by the ghosts that roam Four Peaks Brewing Company this fall.
The big picture: Four Peaks is again hosting its annual flashlight tours through every corner of the working brewery, which was featured on "Ghost Adventures" last year for its supernatural proclivity.
- "Resident ghost guy" Carter Nacke will lead you on an hourlong journey with ghost-hunting devices and eerie stories about the lingering spirits from 8th Street's early days.
Why it matters: The tour, while perfect for paranormal enthusiasts, also weaves in the fascinating history of one of Tempe's oldest buildings.
Flashback: The Creamery Building was constructed in 1892 by a pioneer ice maker named F. A. Hough who later expanded his business with a creamery to service the expansive farmland in the southeast Valley.
- The facility was later sold to the Borden Milk Company and remained one of Tempe's largest employers until the late 1950s.

Zoom in: Perhaps the most legendary ghost at Four Peaks is Victor, an old man whose spirit is said to hang around the industrial cooler.
- According to Nacke, one of the Four Peaks founders met an old man shortly before the brewery opened in 1996. The man said he used to work at the Creamery Building as a superintendent for the Borden Milk Factory and almost died in an accident there.
- Before the Four Peaks founder could ask any more questions, the man disappeared.
Between the lines: Months later, the founder was paging through old photos of the Creamery Building provided by the Tempe Historical Society and saw the mysterious man in one of them. He researched and learned his name was Victor Vogel and discovered he died in the 1970s β more than 20 years earlier.
- Vogel's daughter still comes to Four Peaks to be near her dad's spirit β and for the fish and chips and Peach Ale, per Nacke.
Zoom out: Four Peaks employees say they regularly see several other ghosts including a little girl, a tall gray-bodied man and a territorial spirit named Anthony.
If you go: Tours are offered Sundays-Wednesdays through Halloween at 7pm and 8:30pm.
- The $40 ticket includes a commemorative T-shirt and special-edition growler of the famous Pumpkin Porter.
2. Chips & salsa: Let's go, Mercury!
π The Phoenix Mercury are seeking revenge against the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA playoffs tonight. Minnesota leads the best-of-three series 1-0 after defeating Phoenix on Sunday. (AZcentral)
πΈ Amid a loss of $24 million in state funding, a surcharge of about $350 for full-time ASU students will be imposed starting in the spring 2025 semester. (12 News)
π½ Mr. Baan's Bar and Mookata, a Thai eatery in downtown Phoenix, was named one of the New York Times' top 50 restaurants in the U.S. for 2024. (New York Times)
Shots were fired into a Tempe office used by Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and the Arizona Democratic Party. (Axios)
3. πΊοΈ Plan your free national park trip
Celebrate National Public Lands Day with free entry to all national parks and monuments this Saturday.
Why it matters: National parks are home to some of the most breathtaking trails and natural marvels.
The grand picture: Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is Arizona's most popular park.
- It usually carries a $20 per-person fee or $35-per-vehicle price tag.
Yes, but: Arizona has plenty of lesser-known but equally enjoyable national parks and monuments, including:
- Saguaro National Park
- Sunset Crater Volcano
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Petrified Forest National Park
Zoom out: Up for a bit of a longer drive? Our Axios colleagues in California, Colorado and Utah recommend:
π Jeremy checked out the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul and was impressed.
π Jessica is not ready to give up this brisk Midwestern weather.
This newsletter was edited by Gigi Sukin.
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