Good morning, Gilbert. The Fourth lands on Saturday this year, so the weekend front-loads into Thursday and Friday, then the town quiets down for the holiday. Here's what's worth getting out for before then.
- 🚚 Food Truck Thursday is back at Finley Mesquite Park tonight. Dinner and dessert for the whole family.
- 🎆 America 250 craft at Southeast Regional Library, Friday. Drop-in, all ages, free.
- 🦈 Shark Week hits the Gilbert libraries next week. A movie night, crafts, and storytime.
- 📚 Gilbert libraries and GCA offices close for the Fourth. Plan library trips around it.
- 🏫 Back-to-school dates are landing on both district calendars. Bookstore days, schedule releases, a board meeting.
- 🏠 Typical Gilbert rent ticked down over the past year. The number is in Around Gilbert.
Tonight: food trucks at Finley Mesquite Park
Finley Mesquite Park runs its weekly food truck night tonight, an easy family dinner to open the long weekend.
Key facts:
- What: Gilbert Food Truck Thursday, a rotating lineup of trucks plus dessert.
- Where: Finley Mesquite Park.
- When: Thursday evening, July 2.
- Who it's for: Billed as dinner for the whole family.
It's a low-lift way to feed everyone and let the kids run before a holiday weekend that otherwise stays close to home. Bring cash or a card for the trucks.
The weekend
A short slate, thanks to the holiday. Most of it runs Thursday and Friday before the libraries close Saturday.
Thursday, July 2
Friday, July 3
- 🎆 America 250 craft. Southeast Regional Library, 10:30 AM. Drop-in, all ages, marking the country's 250th. Details.
Saturday, July 4
- 📚 Perry Library and the rest of the Maricopa County branches close for the holiday. Southeast Regional closes too. Returns are fine in the drop box. Details.
Around Gilbert
- 🏠 Typical rent in Gilbert is about $2,018 a month, down 1% over the past year. One of the few metro rent numbers that has softened rather than climbed. Details.
- 🦈 Shark Week comes to Southeast Regional Library next week. A family movie night Thursday the 9th at 5:30 PM, drop-in crafts Friday the 10th at 2 PM. Details.
- 🐍 Desert safety with the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary. Perry Library, Thursday the 9th at 1 PM. A live-animal talk on what to watch for in the yard as monsoon brings snakes and critters closer in. Good for kids and adults. Details.
From the schools
The summer's quiet, but both districts are posting the dates that matter for the fall.
- 🏫 Gilbert Public Schools (GPS, the district covering most of Gilbert) sets Bookstore Days for July 21. All grades at Gilbert HS pick up student IDs and settle course fees before classes start. Details.
- 🗳️ The GPS Governing Board meets July 21 at 6 PM. 140 S Gilbert Rd. Details.
- 🏫 Higley Unified (HUSD, the district covering southeast Gilbert) posts student schedules July 15. Higley HS families can check ParentVue and StudentVue for fall assignments. Details.
- 🎓 Gilbert Classical Academy offices close July 6 for the holiday. Details.