Good morning, Queen Creek. June is here, the heat is settling in for the season, and the town council is opening the month with a land question worth watching.
- 🏛️ Annexation showdown at town council. A push to bring Pinal County land near Combs and Gantzel inside town limits.
- 🚲 New rules for e-bikes in town parks. Speed limits, hands-free requirements, and impound guidelines took effect May 21.
- 🍔 Queen Creek Feastival returns Friday. Food trucks at the town center, June 5.
- 🥬 Pecan Lake Farmers Market. Local growers and makers at the Botanical Gardens, Saturday June 6.
- 🎓 QCUSD students sweep state. Crismon FBLA wins big and the schools foundation hands out scholarships.
- 🎟️ Around the Valley. A few picks worth leaving town for this week.
The annexation question at Combs and Gantzel
The Town of Queen Creek is weighing whether to pull a stretch of unincorporated Pinal County land near Combs and Gantzel inside the town boundary.
Key facts:
- What: An annexation (bringing unincorporated county land inside town limits, under town zoning, services, and tax structure).
- Where: The Combs and Gantzel area at the town's southeast edge, in the band Queen Creek shares with Pinal County.
- Who: Queen Creek Town Council, with Pinal County on the other side of the line.
- Status: On the council's plate now, reported by the Queen Creek Tribune as a contested call.
Annexation is the quiet mechanism behind a lot of how Queen Creek has grown from 2,500 people at incorporation to more than 83,000. Each parcel that crosses from county to town changes who plows the roads, who zones the next subdivision, and whose tax base it lands in. That is what makes a Combs and Gantzel decision bigger than its acreage.
What to watch: the council vote and any conditions attached to it. The Tribune has the detail as it develops. Details.
The week
What is on the calendar around town:
Monday, June 1
- 📚 Babies, Books, and Bubbles. Storytime for infants up to 20 months at the Queen Creek Library, 9:30 AM. Registration required.
- 🦖 Dino-mite Movie Matinee. All-ages family movie at the library, 3 PM. Drop in.
Tuesday, June 2
- ☕ 1st Tuesdays Lunch Mixer. Chamber networking lunch at Burros & Fries. Details.
- 🎨 Adults Discover: Mug Painting. Adult craft session at the library, 10 AM. Registration required.
Wednesday, June 3
- 🪄 The Magic and Comedy of Jolly Roger. All-ages show at the Queen Creek Library, 1:30 PM. Drop in.
Thursday, June 4
- 🧩 Playcation. Open play for families at the library, 10 AM.
- 🍽️ Unearth Food and Family History. A conversation session for teens and adults, 6 PM. Registration required. Details.
Friday and the weekend
Around Queen Creek
🚲 New e-bike rules in town parks took effect May 21. Under Ordinance 890-26, the town added speed limits, hands-free device requirements, impound guidelines, and a list of places motorized devices can no longer ride. The town frames it as a safety move for trails and parks as e-bike traffic climbs. Details.
🍺 Uncle Bear's is reinvesting in its flagship. The Grill & Tap, approaching 18 years in Queen Creek, is renovating its original location and leaning back into local families and longtime regulars. A familiar name choosing to dig in rather than chase the next pad site. Details.
💉 ROAR Aesthetics and Wellness opened a new Queen Creek location. Founded by nurse practitioner Krystal Carey, the spot offers aesthetic and wellness treatments. Details.
🏆 Chamber business awards nominations are open. The 17th Annual Business Awards Dinner, presented by SRP, lands Thursday September 24 at Encanterra Country Club, honoring local businesses, educators, and volunteers. Nominations are open now. Details.
From the schools
🎓 Scholarships landed at three high schools. The Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation surprised students at Queen Creek High, Crismon High, and Eastmark High with scholarship awards. Details.
📊 Crismon FBLA swept the state conference. Crismon High's Future Business Leaders of America brought home a strong showing from the Arizona State Leadership Conference earlier this month. Details.
⭐ Student spotlight: Keegan Roque. Queen Creek High highlighted Roque as one of the students raising the bar at QCHS. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth the drive into Phoenix this week:
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers. Chase Field, tonight, 6:40 PM. The Dodgers only roll through a handful of times a year, and this is one of them. Tickets.
🎸 Yellowcard. Arizona Financial Theatre, tonight, 7 PM. A full-on early-2000s pop-punk night for anyone who wore out that CD. Tickets.
🎤 The Kid Laroi. Arizona Financial Theatre, Tuesday, 7:30 PM. Tickets.
🏖️ Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band. Musical Instrument Museum, Wednesday, 7 PM. A founding Beach Boy playing one of the best-sounding rooms in the Valley. Tickets.