Good morning, Gilbert.
📚 Summer reading season starts Monday. Southeast Regional kicks off June 1 at 2 PM. Perry follows June 4 with the Fantastic Foam Party.
🏀 Section 7 basketball comes to AZ Grounds. Prep Hoops West Coast Region Finals Saturday, Section 7 qualifiers starting June 9.
🎬 Family movie picks for next week. The Land Before Time matinee at Perry Tuesday, Family Movie Night at Southeast Regional Wednesday.
🏫 GPS Governing Board meets Tuesday June 9. Work study and brief business at 140 S Gilbert Rd, 6 PM.
Summer reading season starts Monday
Gilbert's two MCLD branches launch summer reading season this coming week, with back-to-back kickoffs at Southeast Regional and Perry.
Key facts:
- Southeast Regional Library: Summer Reading Program Kick-Off, Monday June 1, 2 PM. All ages. Free, drop-in.
- Perry Library: Fantastic Foam Party (Summer Reading Kickoff), Thursday June 4, 10:30 AM. Toddler through tween.
- Both branches run daily programming straight through June and July.
Summer reading is the biggest free family programming stretch the Maricopa County Library District runs all year, and both Gilbert branches participate fully. Crafts, book clubs, movie matinees, and drop-in STEM fill the calendar. Some sessions are ticketed and fill fast. Zentangle and Embroidery for Beginners next week are already showing as full; most events stay open drop-in.
The kickoffs themselves are free. The bigger lift for families is reading the daily-programming calendar: Perry and Southeast Regional run different slates, so a lot of households pick by branch as much as by time.
What to watch: the Communico events calendar is the source of truth on registration, capacity, and changes. Both branches post day-of updates.
The week ahead
Today, Thursday May 28
Friday May 29
- 🗣️ "Let's Talk" ESL Conversation Group at Perry, 10:30 AM. Adult drop-in. Free. Details.
Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31
Neither Gilbert MCLD branch has scheduled programming this weekend. Regional sports at AZ Grounds (below) cover the Saturday slate.
Monday June 1
Tuesday June 2
- 🦕 Summer Movie Matinee: The Land Before Time at Perry, 2 PM. All ages, free drop-in. Details.
Wednesday June 3
Thursday June 4
- 🍼 Baby Playdate for Pre-Walkers at Southeast Regional, 10:15 AM. Free play. Registration required. Details.
- 🛁 Fantastic Foam Party at Perry, 10:30 AM. Summer Reading Kickoff for toddlers through tweens. Details.
- 📚 Mystery Book Club at Southeast Regional, 2 PM. Adult book discussion series. Details.
- 🧵 Quilts and Cozies at Perry, 3 PM. Teen and tween series. Details.
- 🎬 Family Movie Night at Southeast Regional, 5:30 PM. All ages. Registration required. Details.
Around Gilbert
🏀 Prep Hoops West Coast Region Finals at AZ Grounds Saturday. Regional basketball finals tournament at Arizona Athletic Grounds in east Mesa. Tickets via Tixr. Details.
⚾ Baseball Showcase at the AZ Grounds Diamonds Saturday. Showcase event at the AZAG baseball complex. Tickets via Tixr. Details.
🏀 Section 7 qualifiers start Tuesday June 9. Boys and girls qualifiers at AZ Grounds Fieldhouse B, with the main boys event opening Friday June 12. Tickets via Tixr. Details.
🐕 Tales with Tails at Perry next Friday. Kids read aloud to a therapy dog. Friday June 6, 10 AM, ages 5 to 10. Details.
🍞 Foods That Changed the World at Perry, Tuesday June 9. Adult talk at 5 PM, drawn from culinary history. Registration required. Details.
🧱 LEGO Hour at Perry, Wednesday June 10. Family drop-in series, 4 PM. Details.
From the schools
🏫 Gilbert Public Schools governing board meets Tuesday June 9. GPS, the district covering most of Gilbert, holds a work study session followed by a brief business meeting at the district office, 140 S Gilbert Rd, 6 PM. Open to the public. Agenda details.