Gilbert Pulse for July 23, 2026: Bojangles opens its first Arizona store in Gilbert, plus a new wine bar

Good morning, Gilbert. The heat is the story outside this week: highs between 104 and 116 through Monday under an extreme heat warning, so run outdoor errands early and keep water in the car.

🍗 Bojangles opens its first Arizona store on Val Vista. Carolina fried chicken and biscuits, near Val Vista and Germann.
🍷 bottlesnboards opens at Gilbert and Baseline. Wine, charcuterie boards, and wine-based cocktails on the SE corner.
🗓️ The weekend calendar. Open mic tonight, library storytimes and craft clubs Friday through Sunday, a night-sky session Monday.
🏫 Highland HS freshman orientation. The last-name A-L group reports this morning.
🌱 Lena's Plant Market. Buy, sell, and trade indoor plants on August 1.
🎟️ Around the Valley. Darius Rucker, Ringling Bros., and Dear Evan Hansen this weekend.

Bojangles lands in Gilbert

The Carolina chicken-and-biscuits chain opened its first Arizona restaurant this week in south Gilbert, and it's the first of several the company says it's planning across the state.

Key facts:

Where: 3765 S. Val Vista Drive, just south of Loop 202 near Val Vista and Germann.
What: Cajun-seasoned fried chicken, made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits, sweet tea, and Southern sides.
When: Doors opened at 5 a.m. this week.
What's next: The company calls this the first of several planned Arizona locations.

Bojangles is a Southern breakfast-and-lunch fixture built on biscuits and bone-in fried chicken, and this is its debut in the state. For anyone who grew up on it back East, the drive-thru line will explain itself.

The weekend

What's on the calendar, mostly at the two Gilbert libraries.

Thursday

🎤 Powerful Voices open mic. Live music, comedy, and poetry in Gilbert, starting at noon. Details.
👶 Babytime at Perry Library. Songs and rhymes for infants under 20 months, 10:15 a.m. Details.
🎲 Logically Fun Games at Perry Library. Strategy games for teens and tweens, 2:30 p.m. Details.

Friday

🗣️ "Let's Talk" ESL group at Perry Library. English conversation practice for adults, 10:30 a.m. Details.

Saturday

📚 Bilingual storytime at Southeast Regional Library. English and Spanish, all ages, 10:15 a.m. Details.
✂️ Collage Club for adults at Southeast Regional Library. Bring scissors, 2 p.m. Details.

Looking ahead

🔭 Explore the Night Sky. All-ages astronomy session at Southeast Regional Library, Monday at 7 p.m. Details.
🌱 Lena's Plant Market. Buy, sell, and trade indoor plants at Lena's Flowers & Gifts, August 1 at noon. Free to attend. Details.

Around Gilbert

🍷 A new wine bar on Gilbert and Baseline. bottlesnboards is open on the SE corner, with approachable wine, shareable charcuterie boards, and wine-based cocktails. Details.
🏢 Gilbert ranked the nation's second-best place to rent. A WalletHub study put the town at No. 2 nationally, weighing rental costs against quality-of-life measures. Details.
🏠 Typical rent in Gilbert is about $2,019 a month, down 1% over the past year.
🏛️ Town council has a special meeting set for August 4 at 4 p.m. The agenda hasn't been posted yet. Details.

From the schools

Gilbert Public Schools (GPS, the district covering most of the town) starts freshman onboarding this week.

🐾 Highland HS freshman orientation, group A-L. New students with last names A through L report this morning. The M-Z group follows on its own date. Details.

Around the Valley

A few picks worth leaving Gilbert for this week.

🎸 Darius Rucker. Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, tonight. The Hootie frontman turned country hitmaker in a mid-size room. Tickets.
🎪 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, tonight. The reinvented, animal-free version, and an easy sell with kids. Tickets.
🎭 Dear Evan Hansen. Phoenix Theatre, downtown Phoenix, tonight at 7:30. The Tony-winning musical in an intimate house. Tickets.
🤘 Damage Inc. The Showroom at Casino Arizona, Scottsdale, Friday at 7:30. A Metallica tribute if you'd rather stay closer to the East Valley. Tickets.