Good morning, Chandler. It's Father's Day weekend, and most of what's worth doing is clustered downtown and at the Saturday markets.
- 🍻 Father's Day lands downtown Sunday. SanTan Brewing, Murphy's Law, Rebel & Rogue, and a BlackSheep paint session, all within a few blocks.
- 🥕 Two farmers markets Saturday. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park downtown and Merchant Square Antiques, both morning into early afternoon.
- 🏭 Tech and downtown. The Ritual Room open house Saturday, plus Fiddler auditions and Shanghai Ballet tickets now open at the Center for the Arts.
- 🛍️ New stores at Chandler Fashion Center. Several grand openings just hit the mall on Chandler Blvd at Loop 101.
- 🏫 From the schools. Six CUSD campuses win A+ honors, and Perry retires Jalen Williams' jersey.
- ⚾ Around the Valley. The D-backs host the Twins, Shrek hits the Herberger, and The Moth comes to Crescent Ballroom.
Father's Day, downtown
Downtown Chandler is where Father's Day happens this Sunday, with beer, brunch, and a paint session all within a few blocks of Dr. A.J. Chandler Park.
Key facts:
- SanTan Brewing & Distilling runs A Hoppy Father's Day, Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details.
- Murphy's Law Irish Pub Father's Day special, Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Details.
- Rebel & Rogue Father's Day special, Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Details.
- BlackSheep Wine Bar hosts a Paint and Pour, Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Details.
All four sit in the historic downtown core around San Marcos Plaza, so it's an easy walk from one to the next.
The weekend
Friday
Saturday
- 🥕 Downtown Chandler Farmers Market. Fresh produce and artisan goods at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park. Details.
- 🍅 Merchant Square farmers market. Every Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., out front of Merchant Square Antiques. Details.
- 🏁 Midnight Madness at Firebird. Run-what-ya-brung drag racing, a truck show, and vendors at Firebird Motorsports Park. Details.
🏭 Tech & Downtown Chandler
What's on around the historic core and at the Chandler Center for the Arts.
🎭 The Ritual Room open house. The downtown spot opens its doors Saturday, 7 to 9 p.m. Details.
💧 Water You Doing pop-up. A city water-conservation booth, Saturday at noon, 250 S. Kyrene Road. Details.
🎻 Fiddler on the Roof auditions. The Center runs a pre-audition workshop July 27, with audition calls Aug 2. Details.
🩰 Shanghai Ballet, Oct 23. Tickets for the fall date at the Center are open now. Details.
Around Chandler
🛍️ Grand openings at Chandler Fashion Center. Several new stores just opened at the mall on Chandler Blvd at Loop 101. Details.
🎟️ Free Chandler digital pass. A new city pass lets adults earn prize chances around town. Details.
🏠 Home values. Chandler's typical home value is about $524,000, down 2% over the past year.
From the schools
🏅 Six CUSD schools win A+ awards. Chandler Unified picked up six A+ Schools of Excellence honors, a district record. Details.
🏀 Perry retires Jalen Williams' jersey. Perry High will retire the NBA guard and alum's jersey in a special ceremony. Details.
⚽ Casteel girls soccer's rise. The district walks through how the Casteel program climbed the ranks. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Chandler for this weekend.
⚾ D-backs vs. Twins. Friday, 6:40 p.m., Chase Field. The Twins only swing through Phoenix once this year. Tickets.
🧅 Shrek The Musical. Valley Youth Theatre, Friday 7 p.m., Herberger Theater Center. A good one for the kids. Tickets.
🎙️ The Moth: American Dream. Live storytelling tonight, 8 p.m., Crescent Ballroom. Tickets.