The Valley Now archive
746 dated briefs from across the Phoenix Valley. Older stories preserve what was reported at the time; opening details can change.
Buckeye ·
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is scheduled to open October 15 at 1505 N. Verrado Way, Suite 105, in Buckeye. The West Valley Regional Chamber lists a 4 p.m. ribbon cutting that Thursday and opening celebrations through October 17. The shop’s listed hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Confirm the latest details with the store before making the trip.
Source: West Valley Regional Chamber
Chandler ·
Ocatilla: Frank Lloyd Wright's Lost Desert Masterpiece opens Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Chandler Museum, 300 S. Chandler Village Drive, and runs through February 2027. Admission is free. In 1929 Wright built a desert camp he named Ocatilla while chasing inspiration for a resort Dr. A.J. Chandler had spent a decade envisioning; the exhibit brings together architectural drawings, historic photographs, archival film and a full-scale mockup of an Ocatilla cabin you can step into. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.
Source: City of Chandler
Mesa ·
Mesa Public Library is celebrating its 120th anniversary with a limited-edition Jimmy Eat World library card. The design resembles a vintage concert ticket; it is a library card, not concert admission. Cards arrive at all branches October 10, and existing cardholders can exchange theirs for free. The Main Library at 64 E. First St. hosts an anniversary celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. Check the library’s eligibility requirements before signing up.
Source: City of MesaMesa ·
Downtown Mesa hosts the free Mesa Music Festival October 15 to 17. Thursday brings keynote sessions at Mesa Arts Center; live music runs Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. The city lists Christopher Shayne on Friday and P.O.D. on Saturday, alongside emerging artists, food vendors and art activities. Check the official schedule before heading to the downtown festival area around 1 N. Macdonald.
Source: City of Mesa
Mesa ·
Mesa marked the opening of a 174-room Tempo by Hilton and Homewood Suites hotel at 5057 S. Power Road with a September 28 ribbon-cutting announcement. It is the Phoenix metro’s first Tempo. The property adds a pool, cabanas, meeting space and a separately branded chophouse and bar to the Gateway Area. The two hotel brands share the site, with 97 Tempo rooms and 77 extended-stay suites.
Source: City of Mesa
Apache Junction ·
Superstition Shadows Park, 1091 W. Southern Ave., has two free nights coming up. That Band plays rock hits and classics at Concert in the Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Then on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m., Movie in the Park screens The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Source: City of Apache Junction
Avondale ·
Avondale's Barks and Treats is Saturday, Oct. 3, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at Alamar Park, 4155 S. El Mirage Road. The city promises food trucks, pup photo opportunities, dog crafts, pet exhibitors and costume contests, so dress the dog up.
Source: City of AvondaleBuckeye ·
Verrado Marketplace keeps filling in, AZ Big Media reports. After SALT, Handel's and Shake Shack open with The District on Oct. 15, November brings Emersa, a speakeasy inspired by observatories with 4K VR displays and projection mapping, plus a 63,500-square-foot Safeway. Harkins Verrado Theatres and BackLot, OHSO Brewery & Distillery, BJ's and Tropical Smoothie Cafe are slated for the end of 2026.
Source: AZ Big Media
Casa Grande ·
The 5th annual Casa Grande Oktoberfest takes over Carr-McNatt Park, 1115 N. Brown Ave., on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 4 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Expect live entertainment, a beer garden, German-inspired food, food trucks, carnival rides, a free Kids Zone and a fireworks show. The Rotary Club of Casa Grande hosts it to mark its 100th year, and proceeds support local scholarships.
Source: Pinal County calendar
Chandler ·
Ballet Arizona dances free at Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, on Friday, Oct. 2. Food trucks, activities and community tables open at 5 p.m. and the performance starts at 7 p.m., just east of the playground. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. No ticket is required, though the city asks for an RSVP.
Source: City of Chandler
Coolidge ·
Coolidge Days 2026 runs Friday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 18, at San Carlos Park, 300 W. Central Ave., according to the Coolidge Chamber of Commerce. The chamber hasn't posted the schedule yet. Questions go to the chamber at 520-723-4551.
Source: Coolidge Chamber of Commerce
Florence ·
The Town of Florence's Halloween Fright Fest is Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Historic Downtown Florence. The town promises a family evening with activities, food and entertainment.
Source: Town of Florence
Goodyear ·
Sephora plans to open at GSQ, 1900 N. Civic Square, in 2027, What Now Phoenix reports. It is one of six tenants in GSQ's latest leasing round, and Sephora made Goodyear residents' top 10 wished-for retailers in a city survey last year. No suite or opening date has been announced yet.
Source: What Now Phoenix
Maricopa ·
Angry Chickz is under construction in a 2,700-square-foot space at South Bridge Marketplace, John Wayne Parkway and Honeycutt Avenue, two doors down from Panera Bread, InMaricopa reports. The chain serves hot chicken sandwiches and tenders at heat levels running from country up to angry. No opening date has been announced yet.
Source: InMaricopa
Mesa ·
Scarizona Scaregrounds opens its Halloween season Friday, Oct. 2, on Alma School Road just north of the Loop 202, AZFamily reports. This year's three attractions are Mayhem in the Madness, Startled Darkness and Dr. Death's Haunted ICU. It runs Fridays through Sundays all month, four Thursdays, and nightly from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. Admission starts at 6:45 p.m. Mayhem in the Madness is not recommended for kids under 10.
Source: AZFamily
Phoenix ·
Family-run mobile coffee business Gathered Grounds is opening its first permanent cafe at 4 W. Camelback Road, in the former Dutch Bros at Central Avenue, What Now Phoenix reports. Plans call for a two-week soft opening in January 2027 before a grand opening date is announced. Expect local coffee, ceremonial matcha, house-made syrups, breakfast burritos, soft serve and affogatos, with a 1,000-square-foot covered patio.
Source: What Now Phoenix
Waddell ·
Saguaros in Sunset is a ranger-led sunset hike at White Tank Mountain Regional Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Registration is required and the group is capped at 30. Earlier that day, from noon to 2 p.m., the Nature Center's Discovery Station digs into skulls, bones, furs and scales, and you don't need to register for that one.
Source: Maricopa County ParksFlorence ·
Pinal County supervisors unanimously approved just over 4,695 acres of state land about 10 miles northeast of Florence for industrial uses on Wednesday, PinalCentral reports. The rezoning is aimed at creating an employment hub on State Route 79 south of Florence Junction.
Source: PinalCentral
Maricopa ·
Maricopa's CLA (Connect, Love, Advocate) Autism Club hosts its first Gentle Halloween Trunk or Treat on Oct. 17, 3 to 7 p.m., at Molly's House of Little Feet, InMaricopa reports. It's built to be low stim: no horns, flashing lights or loud music, plus sensory tables with kinetic sand and fidgets, goodie bags, food vendors and hour-by-hour visitor limits so families can take their time.
Source: InMaricopa
Phoenix ·
Brick Road Coffee, which opened on Rural Road in Tempe in 2021 and later added a Mesa cafe and its own roastery, is opening its third Valley shop in the Melrose District, Phoenix New Times reports. The 600-square-foot cafe takes over the former Window Coffee Bar space inside The Royale, the mid-century modern plaza, and is set to open in mid-October.
Source: Phoenix New Times
Queen Creek ·
Barnes & Noble is opening a 15,000-square-foot store at Queen Creek Marketplace with a grand opening Nov. 11, AZ Big Media reports. It's one of five new tenants that center owner Vestar announced for the Ellsworth Loop Road center. Aubergine Kitchen, JINYA Ramen Bar and LaserAway are due in early 2027, and a 5,800-square-foot LongHorn Steakhouse follows in spring 2027.
Source: AZ Big Media
Cave Creek ·
The Cave Creek Museum has named Local Jonny's Tavern & Cafe, 6033 E. Cave Creek Road, a Local Landmark, and presents the bronze plaque Oct. 8 at 10 a.m., AZ Big Media reports. The building has housed a variety store, a hardware shop, a barber and Cave Creek Coffee Company since the 1950s. Co-owners Lauren Van Winkle and Jon Oughterson took over in 2014 and grew a small coffee counter into a full tavern with live music.
Source: AZ Big Media
Maricopa ·
The resident-led 347 Facts Committee took home an Arizona Transportation Partnering Excellence Award at the Arizona Conference on Roads and Streets in Tucson, InMaricopa reports. The group rallied residents to send thousands of emails to lawmakers, which helped secure about $140 million for SR 347 improvements and a spot on ADOT's five-year construction plan. Initial work began in June.
Source: InMaricopa
Phoenix ·
The Phoenix Greek Festival marks 65 years Oct. 16 to 18 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1973 E. Maryland Ave. Expect gyros, pastitsio, moussaka, loukoumades and handmade pastries, hourly youth folk dancing, cathedral tours, a marketplace and a kids zone. Hours are Friday 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is $5; parking is $10, or take the free shuttle from 2423 E. Lincoln Drive.
Source: AZ Big Media_-_8.05.jpg){kind=link}
