Good morning, Queen Creek. Highs are still parked near 110 this week, so the good stuff is early, late, or indoors.
- 📚 The library is countering a national reading slump. Queen Creek's branch has something on the calendar nearly every day this week.
- 🐎 San Tan's best hours are after dark. Ranger night hikes, a snake-day class, and no-drop night bike rides at the regional park.
- 🤠 Summer Nights barrel racing runs Saturday. BR Diamond Spur's 5D series starts at 5:30 PM.
- 🏠 Homes are taking about 65 days to sell. The latest read on the Queen Creek market.
- 🎟️ Around the Valley. Three shows worth the drive this weekend.
The library's answer to the summer slump
As Valley libraries push back on a national summer reading slump, the Queen Creek branch is countering with a week of hands-on programs for kids and teens.
On the calendar this week:
- Playcation. Thursday, 10 AM. All ages, drop-in. Details.
- Adventurer's Guild. Thursday, 3 PM. Teens, registration required. Details.
- Cookie Excavation. Friday, 2 PM. Ages 5 to 12, registration required. Details.
- Read to Critters. Saturday, 10:30 AM. Kids read aloud to animals, drop-in. Details.
- Tween Graphic Novel Club. Monday, 3:30 PM. Ages 10 to 12, registration required. Details.
- Adults Discover: Watercolor Landscapes. Tuesday, 10 AM. Adults, registration required. Details.
The backdrop: a recent report on kids reading less over the summer has Valley branches leaning on dinosaurs, prizes, and animal visits to keep young readers coming back. Queen Creek's lineup runs the same play, and most of it is free. Details.
Several sessions cap attendance, so register ahead for the ones that require it.
On the calendar
🤠 Summer Nights barrel racing, Saturday. BR Diamond Spur runs its 5D series starting at 5:30 PM. Beginners and pros both ride. Details.
💼 Free five-week business series, Tuesdays. The Queen Creek Chamber and the Maricopa County Small Business Development Center are running Start Smart Grow Smart, a no-cost program for startups and established owners looking to firm up their fundamentals. Details.
Around Queen Creek
🏠 Homes are taking about 65 days to sell right now. That is the current market read for Queen Creek. Details.
🔋 A big new battery just came online next door. SRP and Aypa Power switched on the Pediment storage system in Mesa's Elliot Road corridor: 250 megawatts, enough to power up to 56,250 Valley homes for four hours. It is aimed squarely at summer grid reliability. Details.
🌵 San Tan after dark
The trails end of Queen Creek's outdoors, where July means going out after the sun does.
🌵 Creatures of the Night hikes. Ranger-led night walks at San Tan Mountain Regional Park to look for the desert's after-dark residents, July 17 and July 19 at 7:30 PM. Both cap attendance and require registration. Bring a headlamp. Details.
🐍 All About Sssnakesss. A World Snake Day classroom session with Ranger Olivia on the snakes that actually live out here, July 16 at 12:30 PM. Limit 20, registration required. Details.
🚵 Night mountain biking. The park's no-drop after-dark rides run through summer, with the next weekend kickoff ride July 18 at 6 AM. Casual pace, ride-together format. Details.
Around the Valley
A few shows worth leaving Queen Creek for this weekend.
Aurelio Voltaire. Friday, 7 PM, The Rosetta Room in Mesa. Gothic dark-cabaret cult favorite in a small room close to home. Tickets.
Los Texmaniacs. Thursday, 7:30 PM, the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Grammy-winning Tex-Mex conjunto in the MIM's intimate theater. Tickets.
Babyface Ray and 42 Dugg. Thursday, 8 PM, The Van Buren in Phoenix. A Detroit rap co-headline for the hip-hop crowd. Tickets.