Good morning, Gilbert. An extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service runs through Sunday at 8 PM, with highs near 110 through the weekend. Plan on an indoor weekend unless you are out before 8 AM.
- 🎭 Catch Me If You Can opens Friday. The Spielberg con-man story, on stage in Gilbert through October 3.
- ☕ Charlee Rose Coffee is leaving Gilbert. The mother-daughter shop is moving its cafe to Mesa.
- 🏢 The town is debating data center rules. Gilbert Sun News reports council is weighing tougher regulations.
- 🎸 Live music both nights at O.H.S.O. Dance Electra Friday, People Who Could Fly Saturday, in Old Town.
- 🎓 Senior season starts at three high schools. Assemblies, a sunrise breakfast, and a dual enrollment night.
- 🎤 Four valley shows tonight. Martin Lawrence in Chandler, a Tom Petty tribute in Tempe, two in Phoenix.
A con man, an FBI agent, and a 110-degree weekend
Catch Me If You Can opens Friday at Hale Centre Theatre on West Page Avenue in the Heritage District, and runs through October 3.
Key facts:
- Where: Hale Centre Theatre, 50 West Page Avenue, in the Heritage District. A 350-seat theater-in-the-round with free parking and restaurants within walking distance.
- Opens: Friday, August 21. Closes October 3.
- Run time: about 2 hours 30 minutes, with an intermission.
- The story: Frank Abagnale Jr., the real-life teenage con artist who passed himself off as an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer while the FBI chased him.
- Source material: the Steven Spielberg film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
- Curtain times and tickets: Discover Gilbert's listing.
A six-week run matters more than usual in late August. Triple-digit afternoons keep most of the outdoor calendar on hold until October, and a 150-minute show in a dark, cold room is one of the few things in town that improves when it is 110 outside. Opening weekend is also the easiest weekend to get a seat before word of mouth catches up.
What to watch: the run stretches into fall, so if this weekend is booked, October dates are still open.
The weekend
Thursday
- 🍔 Gilbert Food Truck Thurs at Finley Mesquite Park. Dinner and dessert, tonight.
- 🎤 Powerful Voices Open Mic. Music, comedy, and poetry on one bill.
- 🥾 She's Country Ladies Night. Line dancing starts at 6 PM, every Thursday.
- 🧶 Yarn and Yammer at Southeast Regional Library. Adults, 2 PM, registration required.
- 🧊 Cube Club at Perry Library. Tweens and teens, 5:30 PM, free.
Friday
- 🎸 Dance Electra at O.H.S.O. Gilbert. Live music in Old Town.
- 🎙️ Karaoke at The Parlour Room. Friday, August 21.
- 🗣️ "Let's Talk" ESL conversation group at Perry Library. Adults, 10:30 AM, free.
- 🍳 Cookbook Club at Southeast Regional Library. Adults, 3 PM, registration required.
Saturday
- 🎸 People Who Could Fly at O.H.S.O. Gilbert. Second Old Town music night in a row.
- 🧠 Trivia with The Little King at Mulligan's. Western Skies Golf Club, evening.
- 🐎 STS Adventures trail rides. Sonoran Desert horseback rides. Book an early slot.
Looking ahead: Southeast Regional Library runs Fundamentos de Computación: Sistemas Operativos, a Spanish-language computer basics class, Monday at 11 AM. Registration required.
Around Gilbert
☕ Charlee Rose Coffee is relocating to Mesa. The mother-daughter-owned shop is leaving its current Gilbert space for a new home across the border. Details.
🏢 Data center rules are on the table. The town is debating tighter regulations on data center development, and the discussion has pulled in residents, developers, and council members. Nothing is settled yet. Details.
🍏 Gilbert students took on an Apple rebuild. Neurodivergent students at PS Academy Arizona reconstructed a piece of early Apple history, with Apple's lesser-known third co-founder Ronald Wayne in the story. Details.
🏠 Homes in Gilbert are taking about 46 days to sell right now. Details.
From the schools
- 🎓 Highland HS hosts a dual enrollment parent meeting tonight. Gilbert Public Schools (GPS, the district covering most of Gilbert). In the Commons, 5 PM. Details.
- 🌅 Mesquite HS holds its Senior Sunrise Breakfast Friday morning. One of the class-of-2027 traditions that opens the school year. Details.
- 🏫 Higley HS runs a senior assembly today. Higley Unified (HUSD, the district covering southeast Gilbert). Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Gilbert for. All four are tonight.
🎤 Martin Lawrence at Gila River Resorts and Casinos, Wild Horse Pass, Chandler. The closest of the four, and a rare theater-sized room for him. Tickets.
🎸 The Broken Hearts, a Tom Petty tribute at Marquee Theatre in Tempe, 7:30 PM. About 20 minutes up Loop 202. Tickets.
🎧 Atmosphere and Friends at The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. Make a night of it. Tickets.
🎺 Hermanos Espinoza, LINAJE Tour at Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix. Tickets.