Good morning, Queen Creek. Highs sit between 105 and 107 through the weekend, so plan errands early and save the afternoons for shade.
- 🐎 Free Saturday riding returns at the Chapman Automotive Group Arena. Covered arena, open to the public, 6 AM to noon.
- 🫒 The farms and trails are busy this weekend. Country dancing at Schnepf, the Olive Mill Corn Roast, and night rides at San Tan.
- 🏗️ Town leaders cut 1,500 planned homes from the general plan. Roughly 5,000 future residents, off the long-range map.
- 🚲 New e-bike rules took effect in town parks. Some motorized devices are now banned, with speed limits and impound rules.
- 🏫 Crismon's business club swept the state conference. Plus a QCUSD board meeting June 16.
- 🎟️ Around the Valley picks. Pink Floyd lasers in Tempe, Shrek in Phoenix, Total Chaos in Mesa.
A free Saturday answer to 105 degrees
When it is too hot to do almost anything outside, the town opens a covered arena to the public for free riding on Saturday mornings, which is about as Queen Creek as a summer weekend gets.
Key facts:
- What: Beat the Heat Summer Riding Series. The Community Arena Rules apply.
- Where: The covered Chapman Automotive Group Arena.
- When: Saturday mornings, 6 AM to noon. This Saturday is June 13.
- Cost: Free and open to riders.
- Remaining dates: June 13, 20, and 27, then July 11, 18, and 25, then August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.
The series is a small, practical nod to the part of Queen Creek that still keeps horses. While the master-planned communities fill in, the covered arena and the equestrian crowd are a reminder of why the town wrote rural life into its founding charter in the first place.
Full schedule and arena rules: Details.
Around Queen Creek
🏗️ Town leaders voted to remove about 1,500 planned homes, roughly 5,000 future residents, from the general plan (the town's long-range land-use map). It is the kind of growth-versus-character decision that has defined Queen Creek since incorporation, and it pulls density off the books before it ever gets built. Details.
🚲 New rules for e-bikes and other motorized devices took effect in town parks and public spaces on May 21. Under Ordinance 890-26, some motorized devices are now banned from parks outright, with new speed limits, hands-free requirements, and impound guidelines. The town says the changes are aimed at rider and pedestrian safety on park trails. Details.
💼 The Chamber is launching a Student Entrepreneurship Program for teens, starting with a free financial-literacy workshop on June 24. The session, "Money Matters: Building Smart Financial Habits Early," runs at the Queen Creek Chamber and is hosted by Academy Bank. It is aimed at teens entering the workforce or earning a first paycheck. Details.
🦁 SRP is dumping more than ten tons of snow into Phoenix Zoo habitats on Friday, June 12, with admission discounted $10 for the day. Meerkats, lions, and orangutans get a cold surprise, and it is a reasonable heat-day outing for families willing to make the drive. Details.
🏠 The median Queen Creek home sold for about $600K in May, down 6% from a year ago, with 159 new listings and homes typically taking 65 days to sell.
🐎 Schnepf & Olive Mill
Queen Creek's agritourism backbone, the farm, the mill, and the trails.
Country dancing at Schnepf Farms. The Schnepf Farms summer calendar has country dancing nights on the books at the 4th-generation peach farm off Rittenhouse Road. Check dates and tickets before heading out. Details.
The Olive Mill's Annual Corn Roast. Queen Creek Olive Mill, the Rea family's 100-acre grove on Meridian and Arizona's first extra-virgin olive oil operation, brings back its annual Corn Roast. A good window into the "motor oil to olive oil" side of town. Details.
San Tan After Dark night ride. A casual, no-drop night mountain bike ride at San Tan Mountain Regional Park, run on Wednesday evenings through the summer. The heat finally breaks after sundown. Details.
America 250 sunset hike. A guided sunset hike at San Tan Mountain Regional Park, focused on the desert's edible and useful plants, tied to the nation's 250th-anniversary year. Registration is capped at 20. Details.
Schnepf's Hometown 4th. Looking ahead, Schnepf Farms' Hometown 4th lands on the holiday itself. Worth marking now if a farm-style Independence Day is the plan. Details.
From the schools
🏆 Crismon High School's Future Business Leaders of America chapter swept the Arizona State Leadership Conference. Crismon, the district's newer high school, took home a haul of placements from the statewide event. Details.
🎓 The Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation surprised students at QCHS and Crismon with scholarships. The foundation delivered the awards in person across the district's high schools. Details.
🗓️ The QCUSD governing board meets Monday, June 16. A study session starts at 4:30 PM, followed by the regular session at 6 PM. District-wide decisions here affect QC-town and Eastmark-side schools alike. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Queen Creek for this weekend.
Total Chaos. The veteran street-punk band plays The Rosetta Room in Mesa on Thursday at 7 PM. An intimate room for a band this loud. Tickets.
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular. The touring laser-and-light show set to Floyd's catalog hits the Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Friday at 7 PM. Bring the teenagers. Tickets.
Valley Youth Theatre: Shrek The Musical. A youth-theater staging of Shrek at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, Friday at 7 PM. A good first theater night for younger kids. Tickets.
Conway The Machine. The Griselda rapper plays the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on Thursday at 7:30 PM, one of the smaller rooms he books. Tickets.