Good morning, East Mesa. Highs sit near 103 today and climb toward 105 by the weekend, so handle the outdoor errands early.
- 📚 Mesa's Gateway Library wins an international design award. One of the field's top interior honors this year.
- 🛒 Saturday markets are back. The Eastmark Farmers Market and the Berry Sweet Market at Vertuccio Farms.
- 🏗️ Dev watch along Signal Butte and Ellsworth. A new restaurant, a Target license, and three infrastructure projects.
- 🏫 Mesa schools approve a temporary tax increase. Plus a campus tour and a board meeting on the calendar.
- 🎶 Four headliner shows across the Valley. A Mesa punk bill, Pink Floyd lasers in Tempe, and two in Phoenix.
Mesa's Gateway Library wins an international design award
Mesa's Gateway Library has won a 2026 Library Interior Design Award, one of the most competitive honors in the field.
- The award: a 2026 Library Interior Design Award, given jointly by the International Interior Design Association and the American Library Association.
- What it judges: excellence in library interior design, against entries from across the country.
- The branch: Mesa's Gateway Library, part of the Mesa Public Library system.
It is a rare piece of national recognition for a working public building, and a reminder that a city library is allowed to be more than shelves and fluorescent light. Details.
The weekend
Thursday
🎤 Powerful Voices Open Mic. Live music, comedy, and poetry, tonight in Mesa. Details.
Friday
😂 Act Out stand-up and improv. Stand-up followed by improv at The Bridge Improv Theater. Details.
Saturday
🥬 Eastmark Farmers Market. Eastmark Great Park, 5100 S. Eastmark Pkwy, Saturday morning. Details.
🍓 The Berry Sweet Market. Vertuccio Farms, 4011 S. Power Rd. Details.
🎸 Southwest Emo Fest. Arizona emo and alternative bands with food trucks at The Rosetta Room. Details.
Sunday
🥂 Sunday Brunch with Rachelle Romeo. Live music over brunch at The Patio & Grille at Las Sendas, 755 E. Eagle Crest Dr. Details.
Around East Mesa
🏊 City pools are open for the season. All Mesa pools run daily through July 18, and some aquatic complexes stay open longer. Details.
🐾 A heat reminder for pets. With triple digits settling in, Mesa Animal Control says hot pavement burns paws and pets dehydrate fast. Walk early, check the asphalt with the back of a hand. Details.
🎭 Mesa Arts Center set its 2026 to 2027 season. The downtown venue unveiled its Performing Live lineup, and public tickets are on sale. Details.
🏠 The housing market. Mesa's median sale price was $452,500 in May, down 1% from a year ago, with 538 new listings and homes typically selling in 55 days.
🏗️ Eastmark Corridor & Dev Watch
What is getting built along Ellsworth, Signal Butte, and the East Mesa industrial corridor.
🌯 Zeitouna, a new sit-down restaurant. A lunch-and-dinner spot is set for 3515 S. Ellsworth Rd, Suite 101. Its restaurant license cleared council last month. Details.
🎯 Target adds beer and wine. The Target at 1517 S. Signal Butte Rd got the go-ahead for a beer-and-wine license with in-store sampling. Details.
📋 A development deal near Signal Butte and Southern. The city signed a development agreement with WS Holdings for land just east of the Signal Butte and Southern corner. Details.
🚰 A sewer and lift station upgrade off Higley. The North Higley Lift Station and Thomas Road Sewer project adds capacity across a 350-acre service area that includes Longbow Golf Club, Amazon, and American Leadership Academy. Details.
🌧️ Drainage work on Baseline east of Signal Butte. A flood-control agreement with Maricopa County, about $1 million total, covers new drainage along that stretch. Details.
From the schools
💵 Mesa schools approved a temporary property tax increase. The Mesa Public Schools governing board signed off this week. Details.
🎓 Mountain View HS campus tour. Principal Dr. Oliver leads a tour Wednesday, June 17. Email [email protected] to sign up. Details.
📋 Eastmark High board meeting. Queen Creek Unified (the district that covers Eastmark) holds a study session at 4:30 PM and a regular session at 6 PM on Tuesday, June 16. Details.
Around the Valley
A few shows worth leaving East Mesa for this week.
🤘 Total Chaos. The veteran punk band plays The Rosetta Room in Mesa tonight. Loud and close to home. Tickets.
🌈 Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular. The classic light-and-sound show hits Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Friday. Tickets.
🎤 Conway the Machine. The Griselda rapper plays Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix tonight, one of the smaller rooms he books. Tickets.
🧅 Shrek The Musical. Valley Youth Theatre stages it at the Herberger in Phoenix starting Friday. A good family night downtown. Tickets.