The Coolidge High School Hall of Fame Class of 2026 is set: community advocate Gussie Taylor, a CHS graduate who spent more than three decades with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and volunteers across Coolidge and Randolph; educator and coach George Ogilvie, whose 30 years in CUSD include a wrestling program that put athletes in the AIA record book; educator and coach Jerron Jordan, a CHS graduate now coaching in Winslow, whose mother Darlene was inducted in 2024; and governing board president Michael Flores II, who abstained from the vote. The ceremony is October 9 at the high school, PinalCentral reports.
Source: PinalCentral (Coolidge Examiner)Seasonal display photograph used in the Heritage District event coverage. Image source: Discover Gilbert
Downtown Gilbert's fall season runs Friday, September 25, through Sunday, November 1, per Discover Gilbert. The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt is back with new story-filled pumpkin scenes by artist Ray Villafane, billed as Tales from the Heritage District. New this year: Flavors of Gilbert, a downtown fall food crawl on October 17, and Celebration Soundscape, a light-and-sound installation by local composer Dalton Attig on the east patio of Water Tower Plaza, playing nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. at the top of each hour except on Concert in the Park nights. A free Instrument Make & Play workshop is September 26, and Heritage District merchants are rolling out fall specials.
Source: Discover GilbertThe historic Woolworth building in Glendale. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Glendale's farm at 5726 N. 75th Ave. says it is closed for the season and will reopen October 1. The fall lineup on its site is Pumpkin Days & Corn Maze and the AZ Field of Screams haunt, with Christmas on The Tolmachoff Farm to follow. Online tickets are non-refundable but can be redeemed any day the farm is open through October 31, 2026. Hours and prices are on the farm's ticket pages; confirm before you go.
Source: Tolmachoff FarmsThe Gold Canyon desert landscape. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Kevin Green k_green0319 · CC0
Sticks and Stogies Golf Simulator and Cigar Lounge recently opened at 6900 E. U.S. Highway 60, No. 106, the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon Independent reports. The business calls itself the place where the love of golf meets the art of enjoying a great cigar: tee it up on the simulators, play 18 holes or work on your swing, then settle into a premium lounge built for golfers, cigar enthusiasts and anyone looking for a better place to unwind.
Source: Apache Junction/Gold Canyon IndependentGoodyear City Hall. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: RandomMainstream · CC BY-SA 4.0
Goodyear posted the full plan for Rock the BBQ, Saturday, October 3, 5 to 9 p.m. at Goodyear Civic Square. Twenty food trucks via Food Truck Next, from Big Nate's Family BBQ and Can't Stop Smokin to Fantasy Funnel Cake and Sweet Scoop. Live sets from Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center acts Annalise Mendoza, Gracefield Run, Dorsten and Znora, with Saddle Mountain Brewing pouring. A Game Zone challenge card tracks your scores at football and basketball challenges, a Hi-Striker, axe throwing and garbage-can pong; the top score wins a $50 Amazon gift card, one card per person. Artisan market, photo ops and swag while supplies last. Bring chairs or blankets.
Source: City of GoodyearThe Fieldhouse at Copper Sky, in photography supplied by the City of Maricopa. Image source: InMaricopa
Maricopa's new indoor sports building has a date. InMaricopa reports The Fieldhouse at Copper Sky, 17985 W. Greythorn Drive, holds its grand opening Saturday, October 10, from 9 a.m. to noon, free, with a ribbon cutting, sports activities, food trucks, professional wrestling, arts and crafts and an inflatable play area. The 42,000-square-foot building holds four basketball courts, six volleyball courts and 12 pickleball courts, though not all can run at once. The city proposed it in 2024 as a $16.2 million project and broke ground in June 2025 because Copper Sky's existing courts kept booking up.
Source: InMaricopaFarm venue photograph; not documentation of the announced fall-festival dates. Image source: Vertuccio Farms
Mesa's farm at 4011 S. Power Road lists its 2026 Fall Festival as October 2 through October 31, and the headline addition is a new corn maze cut to celebrate 250 years of American freedom. Hours and ticket prices were not posted yet when we checked, so confirm on the farm's site before you load the car.
Source: Vertuccio FarmsThe historic Arizona Bank building in Peoria. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Tony the Marine (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Peoria's free monthly music-and-art festival is back in the historic downtown on the second Saturday of each month from October 10 through April 10, 4 to 8 p.m., with local art, live music, artisan vendors and hands-on activities. This season's dates: October 10, November 14, December 12 paired with the Peoria Holiday Festival, January 9, February 13, March 13 and April 10. Vendor, musician and artist applications are open through the event's Linktree.
Source: City of PeoriaPhoenix viewed from the surrounding hills. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Bigmikebmw · CC BY-SA 3.0
Phoenix Sky Harbor is adding seven Valley-born food and drink options beyond the Terminal 4 security checkpoints between late 2026 and the end of 2027, KTAR reports: Cactus & Cow Burger Bar, Greenwood Brewing, Ingo's Tasty Food, The Farm at South Mountain, Collins Small Batch Kitchen, The Macintosh and Chef Joey Maggiore's The Mexicano. The Farm at South Mountain combines four concepts in its space, including Morning Glory Cafe for breakfast. Panera Bread and Gong Cha are also coming to the pre-security side of Terminal 4. The airport says its 15 locally based concessions generated $89 million in revenue last year.
Source: KTARThe San Tan Mountains, viewed from Queen Creek. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0
Central Arizona College turns its San Tan Valley campus loose Saturday, October 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 3736 E. Bella Vista Road. Admission and parking are free, and the night has trick-or-treating, a costume contest, a haunted hallway, mad science labs, music, games and a vendor and food market.
Source: SanTanValley.comGeneral Admission brand interior photo; not confirmation that the Old Town location is completed. Image source: What Now Phoenix
General Admission, a full-service restaurant and sports lounge from Los Angeles brothers Kamran and Kourosh Pourkazemi, plans a fall 2026 opening at 3737 N. Scottsdale Road, the former RnR Gastropub, What Now Phoenix reports. Expect a dark room with a long bar, booths and televisions throughout. The Scottsdale menu is not out yet; the Las Vegas location at UnCommons serves wings, sushi, smashburgers, steak and seafood with margaritas, cocktails, wine and beer. Scottsdale is now listed on the company's site alongside Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Source: What Now PhoenixSurprise Lake. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: RandomMainstream · CC0
Surprise Police and Fire-Medical host G.A.I.N. Night, short for Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods, on Saturday, October 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Mark Coronado Park, 15960 N. Bullard Ave. It is free, with trick-or-treating, a gaming trailer, laser tag, music, bounce houses and public safety displays; food and drinks are for sale. The Salvation Army collects non-perishable food, and a donation enters you in a prize raffle. G.A.I.N. started in 1998 as Arizona's cooler-weather answer to National Night Out.
Source: City of SurpriseThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mia Culpa, the cocktail lounge tucked inside Scott Conant's Roman God of Fire at 80 S. Rio Salado Parkway, opens September 25, per Phoenix New Times' fall preview. Guests get a confessional moment before they are admitted to the vice-inspired bar. It is from Pretty Decent Concepts, the group behind the airplane-themed Carry On and the hidden lounges Drop Dead Gorgeous, Filthy and Trophy Room, so expect inventive drinks in an over-the-top room.
The White Tank Mountains Conservancy's next litter pick-up is Saturday, October 10, 9 to 11 a.m. at White Tank Mountain Regional Park, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road; meet at 8:45 a.m. in the Nature Center and library parking lot. The following one is November 14 at the Victory Steps at Verrado in Buckeye, meeting at the base of the steps.
Source: White Tank Mountains ConservancySuperstition Mountain near Apache Junction. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Waqcku at English Wikipedia · Public domain
The Apache Junction Public Library is throwing a Harry Potter Party on Monday, Sept. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m., per the city calendar. The library screens Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and serves butterbeer, with wizard crafts and activities alongside it. All ages are welcome. It follows the free Mad Science night the city ran at the Multi-Generational Center on Sept. 19, and the city's Halloween Festival, which always lands the Saturday before Halloween, is set for Oct. 24 at 1091 W. Southern Ave.
Source: City of Apache JunctionHistoric downtown Avondale. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bring the dog. The City of Avondale's events calendar lists Barks & Treats on October 3, described by the city as a howl-o-ween pooch party where residents bring their furry friends for a barking good time. It is the first entry on Avondale's fall lineup after Mercados & Melodies on September 25, and it lands a few weeks ahead of Billy Moore Days, which runs October 22 to 25.
Source: City of AvondaleFamily portrait supplied with the playground-business announcement; the planned playground is not pictured. Image source: Casa Grande Dispatch
Kelly Pryor is planning Tiny Bears Playhouse, an indoor play place in Casa Grande for children up to age 5, with a gated baby area, a cafe side and room for birthday parties, the Casa Grande Dispatch reports. Pryor, who has a background in early childhood education and has worked with kids for more than a decade, says the vision is a place where children can play, explore, imagine and socialize in a calm, thoughtfully designed environment while the adults have somewhere comfortable to sit. She plans to lease and build out an existing commercial space rather than build new, has an area in mind but nothing final, and hopes to have a site picked by the end of January with an opening anticipated in spring 2027, depending on construction, inspection and permitting. Kids roughly 5 to 11 will have plenty to do too, she said, and older siblings are welcome.
Source: Casa Grande DispatchCarefree town-center context, rather than a photograph of the shop interior. Image source: Town of Carefree
The Town of Carefree spotlighted Carefree Collective, the vintage and antique shop Joycelee has run in Los Portales Mall for nearly five years. It did well enough that she took a second space last year and doubled the inventory: kitchenware and glassware, vintage Pyrex, clothing, greeting cards, books and games, holiday decor, Jeep ducks. She sources much of it from the Midwest and through online auctions and learns the history behind each piece, so pick anything up and she will tell you where it came from. The town calls her its unofficial Carefree concierge, happy to hand out local recommendations along with the treasure. Note for planning a visit: with Los Portales Mall slated for redevelopment, the shop will be moving to a new location that has not been set yet. It is at 99 Easy Street, suites 201 to 205.
Source: Town of CarefreeKei Collective store photograph; the proposed Chandler location is not pictured. Image source: What Now Phoenix
Kei Collective is relocating from Phoenix to Chandler Fashion Center at 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., opening Oct. 15 on Level 2 near Dillard's with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. that day, What Now Phoenix reports. The shop carries work from more than 100 artists plus a roster of independent brands, and the owners say the extra room in Chandler lets them add more vendors. Co-owner Stella told What Now the current Phoenix unit is split across two combined spaces, while the new store is one room they get to design themselves. The 44th Street location stays open until Dec. 15, so both run for a two-month overlap. Kei Collective opened in 2019 selling alternative clothing, footwear, accessories, art, jewelry, stationery and home goods; its three owners met on the local convention circuit.
Source: What Now PhoenixThe historic Coolidge Woman’s Club building. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Tony the Marine ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Coolidge City Council approved an agreement Monday with Ramirez Custom Concrete LLC to pour roughly 9,900 square feet of concrete for the new basketball courts at Regional Park, for $89,100, the Coolidge Examiner reports. Staff asked to waive the usual sealed-bid process because the state contract price would have cost about $40,000 more, and Parks and Recreation Director Ricky LaPaglia said that in 17 years as director he could not remember making that request before. The plan is two courts, larger than the courts at the city's other parks, with an option to add a third later. Surfacing, hoops and lighting bring the full price above $175,000, and Arizona Public Service granted the city $150,000 toward the park as part of a beautification project. Owner Art Ramirez, who lives in Coolidge, said he tries to help out when he can because he knows all these people.
Source: Coolidge ExaminerMain Street in historic Florence. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Tony the Marine ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mayor Keith Eaton asked for an update on the widening of Hunt Highway from Florence Medical Center to Magma Road, and Public Works Director Andy Smith told the council the contractor is working in the new right of way, locating utilities and making other preparations, the Florence Reminder reports. Smith described the project as in the motivated get-it-started phase: the town has paid for a big portion of it and has the right of way, and it is in the works. Once the widening to five lanes in town is done, the contractor continues across the railroad tracks to finish the county portion. Pinal County is still working through right of way with the Gila River Indian Community and the railroad, which Smith said are not show-stoppers, just slower.
Source: Florence Reminder & Blade-TribuneThe Gilbert Heritage District. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Tony the Marine ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Gilbert Town Council approved the second and final construction contract for Phase 2 of Desert Sky Park at its Sept. 15 meeting, the town says. The phase adds five multi-use fields, an inclusive playground and splash pad, pickleball and tennis courts, and a new entrance off Power Road. Desert Sky already has the town's only all-inclusive playground, and the town says this phase was shaped so a child using a mobility device and a child without one can play side by side; that part is expected to open in March 2028. Council also approved the next Gilbert Regional Park contract, which brings a six-field youth softball complex, a roadway connection to the new Ocotillo Road bridge, and new parking and lighting. Both projects respond in part to a 2024 teen safety task force that found Gilbert teenagers lacked safe places to go after school.
Source: Town of GilbertGlendale Community College maker-center ribbon cutting, as pictured in the source report. Image source: ABC15 Arizona
Glendale Community College opened its STEAMworks Innovation Center on Thursday, a 10,000-square-foot facility built to give West Valley students hands-on time with the tools industry actually uses, ABC15 reports. It holds two main spaces: a virtual and augmented reality room for immersive simulations, and a maker space with 3D printers, drone technology, CNC routers, laser cutters, mills, lathes and welding stations. Dean of Career and Technical Education Dr. Susan Campbell said the point is getting students ready for careers, not just classrooms, whether they are artists or engineers. The project grew from an initial $1 million vision to roughly $7.5 million, funded primarily through grants including a $5 million STEM grant, which Campbell tied to the West Valley's fast-changing employer base.
Source: ABC15 ArizonaThe Gold Canyon desert landscape. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Kevin Green k_green0319 · CC0
The dates are set. PGA Tournaments lists the 2026 Senior PGA Professional Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Gold Canyon for October 22 to 25, played across the Lost Gold and Prospector courses. The PGA of America announced the host site last fall; the championship annually features 264 senior club professionals representing all 41 PGA Sections, and the top finishers earn a spot in the Senior PGA Championship. It is only the second time the event has been played in Arizona.
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