Good morning, Queen Creek. Storms are possible again today with highs near 99, and Friday looks mostly sunny and just as hot.
- 🐴 Open riding Saturday morning at the Chapman Automotive Group Arena. 6 a.m. to noon. A waiver has to be signed.
- 🫒 Live music at the Olive Mill both nights. Tyler Frazier Friday, Rudy Garcia Saturday, out on Meridian Road.
- 🚌 EVIT is promising better busing. The change affects students bused from Queen Creek Unified and Higley Unified.
- 🏛️ The 2028 General Plan update is taking resident input. A second community workshop is on the chamber calendar.
- 🎸 Around the Valley. George Thorogood in Chandler, Santana and the Doobie Brothers in Phoenix, both Friday.
Saturday morning riding, before it hits 99
The town's Beat the Heat riding series has three Saturdays left, and the next one is this weekend.
Key facts:
- Saturday, August 15, 6 a.m. to noon.
- Open riding in the Chapman Automotive Group Arena.
- Community arena rules apply, and a waiver has to be signed.
- Remaining dates after this weekend: August 22 and August 29.
The 6 a.m. start is the whole point. Highs have been sitting at 99 all week with afternoon storms rolling through, which leaves a narrow window for anything done outdoors on a horse. The series has run every Saturday morning since June 6 on that logic.
Two Saturdays remain after this one, and then the summer series is done. Details.
The weekend
- 🎸 Tyler Frazier at the Olive Mill, Friday. 25062 S Meridian Rd. Details.
- 🎤 Rudy Garcia at the Olive Mill, Saturday. Same grove, second night in a row. Details.
- 🎬 Cinema Club, Monday at the Queen Creek Library. 6 p.m., adults, registration required. Details.
- 📚 Library clubs restart next week. The Council for teens Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., the tween graphic novel club Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., and Lego club Friday at 2:30 p.m.
- 🎲 Trivia at BrüCo Taproom, Thursday, August 27. Details.
Around Queen Creek
🏛️ The town wants residents in the room for the 2028 General Plan update. The General Plan is the long-range guide for how Queen Creek grows over the next decade: land use, housing, where growth goes, and the policies that shape council decisions on all of it. In a town that went from 26,361 people in 2010 to roughly 83,700 today, that document does a lot of work. A second community workshop is posted on the chamber calendar. The town's overview. Workshop listing.
🏊 Presidential Pools opened a Queen Creek showroom in late July. The company says the location puts its design staff closer to homeowners on this side of the Southeast Valley. Details.
🏠 Typical rent in Queen Creek is about $2,180 a month, up 1% over the past year.
From the schools
🚌 EVIT says busing gets better this year. The East Valley Institute of Technology, the career and technical school that pulls students from districts across the East Valley, is promising improved transportation for the students it buses from Queen Creek Unified and Higley Unified (the district covering western Queen Creek). Getting to a shared campus has been the persistent friction point for CTE students in fast-growing districts. Details.
🚸 QCPD is running its back-to-school reminder. Slow down, put the phone down, and follow posted signage near campuses now that school is back in session. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Queen Creek for this weekend.
George Thorogood and The Destroyers. Friday at Gila River Hotels and Casinos, Wild Horse Pass, in Chandler. The closest of these by a wide margin, and a casino ballroom is the right size room for it. Tickets.
Santana and The Doobie Brothers. Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Two headliners splitting one night, which is the only reason they are playing the same stage. Tickets.
Steel Pulse, Reggae Against Racism Tour. Tonight at The Van Buren in Phoenix. A band with 50 years behind it in a room that holds about 1,800. Tickets.