Good morning, Chandler.
The school year is winding down for most CUSD families, and the city calendar is starting to lean into summer.
🌭 Ted's Hot Dogs opens in Chandler. Second Arizona location for the Buffalo chain.
🎨 "Off the Clock" exhibit opens at a Chandler gallery this weekend. A new show featuring local artists.
🎵 Sing City day camp runs June 1-5. Chandler's youth singing program returns.
🪑 Chandler Center for the Arts auctions off seats. Memorabilia from the main hall.
🏆 Six CUSD schools earn A+ Schools of Excellence honors. A district milestone.
Ted's Hot Dogs lands in Chandler
Ted's Hot Dogs, the Buffalo, NY institution known for charcoal-grilled hot dogs and loganberry drinks, has opened its second Arizona location in Chandler.
Key facts:
Ted's Hot Dogs was founded in Buffalo in 1927 and is one of the longest-running hot dog operations in the country.
The Chandler store is the chain's second Arizona location.
The signature menu (charcoal-grilled dogs, loganberry soda) travels with it.
For Chandler residents who have ever made the drive to Ted's first Arizona spot, the second location closes that gap. For everyone else, this is a new entrant in a category (the upscale hot dog shop) that has quietly expanded across the Valley over the past five years.
What to watch: official address, hours, and any grand-opening promos at AZFamily's coverage.
The weekend
Picks for the days ahead and the start of June.
Thursday, May 28
- 🎨 Outside the Lines Adult Coloring Group. 5 PM, Downtown Library Makery Program Room (2nd floor). Materials provided. Details.
Friday, May 29
Monday, June 1
- 🦕 Bilingual Storytime: Dinosaurs. 5 PM, Downtown Library, 2nd floor Copper North. Family event. Details.
- 🦕 Toddler Time: Dinosaurs at Hamilton Library. 5:15 PM, Program Room. Ages 18-36 months. Details.
- 📚 Toddler Time at Sunset Library. 4:15 PM, Monsoon Room. Same age range, no dinosaur theme. Details.
- 🚐 Mobile library stop at The Oasis Community Center. 4:30 PM. Lucky-day book collection, free Wi-Fi, Culture Passes, seed library. Details.
Around Chandler
🎨 "Off the Clock" exhibit opens at a Chandler gallery this weekend. A new show featuring local artists, timed for the long weekend stretch. Coverage at the Chandler Independent.
🎵 Sing City returns as a June 1-5 day camp. Chandler's longtime youth singing program runs the first week of June. Pre-registration through the city. Camp details.
🪑 Seats at Chandler Center for the Arts are up for auction. CCFTA is selling off seats from the main hall as collectibles. For longtime patrons, a chance to take a piece of the venue home. Auction details.
📷 License plate camera vote pushed to July. Last week's council session ended without a vote on extending the Flock automated license plate readers. The decision now moves to July. AZFamily coverage.
💧 Valley water column. The Chandler Independent ran an opinion piece on what the metro should do about Colorado River and groundwater uncertainty. Worth a read for residents who follow the water beat. Read it here.
🤖 Two AI columns from the Chandler Independent. One on why AI buildout requires data centers (and the resulting impact on Arizona's grid and water), one on why residents should pay attention to AI in their everyday tools. The pair lands in the middle of an ongoing Valley debate on tech expansion. Data centers piece. AI everyday piece.
From the schools
Chandler Unified had a heavy news week heading into summer.
🏆 Six CUSD schools earned A+ Schools of Excellence honors. The district called it a historic milestone. The A+ recognition is one of the highest school-level honors in the country, and six schools at once across a single district is unusual. District announcement.
⚽ Casteel girls soccer profiled. The district wrote up the program's climb to one of the top-ranked teams in the state. Read it here.
🏀 Perry High School retires Jalen Williams' jersey. The NBA star's high school is holding a ceremony to honor his number. Ceremony info.
🗳️ Chandler High students ran a participatory budgeting vote. A civics exercise at Chandler HS gave students a real ballot on how to spend a portion of school funds. Story.
🥗 CUSD will run USDA Summer Food Service meals. Free summer meals for kids, with site lists and dates posted on the district nutrition page. Program info.
🧱 Patterson Elementary's first FLL Lego team made the state championship. An inaugural-year run, written up by the district. Story.