Three simple ingredients — a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers. The symbol of summer and campfire snacking.

A class of fifth-grade students Friday opened up ping-pong balls with small science experiments inside after they returned from a trip to the “edge of space” inside the Earth’s atmosphere.

It’s that time of year to get out and enjoy an entire day picking your favorite pumpkin, eating caramel apples, visiting a petting zoo and ending the night with fireworks and a haunted house. Or, to just take stroll through the pumpkin patch to snap a few photos with your family. Either way, the Valley has it all, and this is your one-stop guide for fall festivities in the East Valley.

If you’re throwing a baby shower for a relative or friend, creating a suitably festive atmosphere is part of the fun.

People are drawn to a fire, whether they’re roasting marshmallows around a campfire during the summer or cuddling up near the fireplace in the dead of winter.

A burglar will use any open door — front, back, side, garage or doggy.

The trouble with s’mores is that you really do end up wanting more and more of them.

School often starts when kids still have summer on the brain. So these easy-to-make bars have summer in mind, too.

Even a poorly executed milkshake still is probably pretty good. But to elevate the classic cool treat to a higher level of indulgence, tips from a milkshake master can help.

Even a poorly executed milkshake still is probably pretty good. But to elevate the classic cool treat to a higher level of indulgence, tips from a milkshake master can help.

The small orange dot of a campfire burning Friday night in the desert above the East Valley won’t look like much from down here, if it’s visible at all. But from up there, it’s a whole different perspective.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the last couple of weeks is the cool evenings and even some cold and rainy nights. If you are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, they are the kind of evenings you can curl up with a warm drink, a favorite movie in the company of good friends.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the last couple of weeks is the cool evenings and even some cold and rainy nights. If you are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, they are the kind of evenings you can curl up with a warm drink, a favorite movie in the company of good friends.

Take a basket full of challenging ingredients, a difficult workspace and time on the clock, and you’ve got Food Network’s “Chopped.” Add cowboy boots, campfires and wagons, and you’ve got the Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off — something akin to an Old West version of the TV cooking contest.

Take a basket full of challenging ingredients, a difficult workspace and time on the clock, and you’ve got Food Network’s “Chopped.” Add cowboy boots, campfires and wagons, and you’ve got the Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off — something akin to an Old West version of the TV cooking contest.

Gather the kids and a camera: the season of autumn-themed backdrops is here. Pumpkin patches open across the Valley on Saturday. From basic, get-your-pumpkin-and-get-out places to festivals with farm animals and fireworks, here’s your guide to a month full of fall fun.

Gather the kids and a camera: the season of autumn-themed backdrops is here. Pumpkin patches open across the Valley on Saturday. From basic, get-your-pumpkin-and-get-out places to festivals with farm animals and fireworks, here’s your guide to a month full of fall fun.

Gather the kids and a camera: the season of autumn-themed backdrops is here. Pumpkin patches open across the Valley on Saturday. From basic, get-your-pumpkin-and-get-out places to festivals with farm animals and fireworks, here’s your guide to a month full of fall fun.

On Sept. 1, restaurants across the state will reveal their menus for the fourth annual Arizona Restaurant Week, marking the start of a veritable marathon of food-centered events throughout the season.

On Sept. 1, restaurants across the state will reveal their menus for the fourth annual Arizona Restaurant Week, marking the start of a veritable marathon of food-centered events throughout the season.

These days, camping isn't just pitching a tent in the wilderness on a long hike, or stopping at a campground far from home on a road trip.

These days, camping isn't just pitching a tent in the wilderness on a long hike, or stopping at a campground far from home on a road trip.

Even though members are only in the third grade, St. John Bosco Brownie Troop 1878 has spent the last four years expanding its horizons by helping charity organizations like Feed My Starving Children, launching rockets with their families and learning about other countries.

Even though members are only in the third grade, St. John Bosco Brownie Troop 1878 has spent the last four years expanding its horizons by helping charity organizations like Feed My Starving Children, launching rockets with their families and learning about other countries.