🌵 Life lessons in the desert & BOGO plant sale 🌸

Well, the last gasp of winter like weather was nice, but it appears to be over and this week will be a reminder of what is to come for those of us that live here during the summer…🔥🔥🤣

In today’s edition:

• Local food bank opens a new location

• Surprise event honoring Vets next weekend

• BOGO deals on plants

• Tons of fun events

• We saw a rainbow & learned about life

Thank you for being here, have a great week! If you are feeling kind, forward this email to a neighbor so they can enjoy the Sun City Scoop 😎

COMMUNITY NEWS

~The Valley View Community Food Bank held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their new location in Sun City, at 10733 W. Peoria Ave, in the former Wells Fargo location. The new facility will be open 9am-4pm on weekdays. (link & map)

~The City of Surprise is hosting Surprise VeFest this Saturday, April 12th from 5-8pm. (link)

Surprise’s Vet Fest is a fun-filled evening offering those who have served, are currently serving, or are looking to serve in the military a chance to connect and learn about the support and resources available to veterans. Military families, supporters and the entire community are encouraged to take part and show their support for our veterans! 

Vet Fest is part of Surprise’s ongoing mission to be a Veteran-friendly city, offering support services and building community connections. This family-friendly event will feature live music, food trucks, vendor booths, information from veteran service providers, a job fair, kids' zone, sensory tents, static displays of military vehicles and more! 

~New Travel ID required for all flights. Effective May 7, 2025, only the Arizona Travel ID (driver license or ID card), a U.S. passport and other federally approved identification will be accepted at TSA airport security checkpoints for domestic travel. The Arizona Travel ID costs $25 and is valid for eight years. The new Arizona Travel ID card will arrive in the mail within 10-14 days. (link)

~Starting July 1st, Sun City Fire & Medical will be charging a new fee for calls & medical services that do not result in transport. Calling the fire department for help getting your cat out of the tree, is now going to cost you $315.80. (link)

EVENTS

This Week

[Sun City West] Due to summer construction, The Sun City West Desert Garden Club needs to reduce their inventory before the hot weather arrives.

Thus, the three remaining Thursday sales in April and the May 3 Saturday sale will be BOGO! For every plant purchased, the buyer will receive another plant of equal or lesser value for FREE! 9 to noon on Thursdays and 8 to noon on May 3.

Help them get ready for the construction crew to move in this summer!! (link)

[Sun City West] Talent Spotlight on Wednesday, April 9th from 11am-12pm, features Bonfire: Jim Zastrow and Bruce Dudney on guitar and vocals. (link)

[Sun City] This week’s movie is ‘Heart of Champions’ featuring Michael Shannon. Showtimes are Wednesday 4/9 at 2pm & 7pm at the Marinette Rec Center & Saturday 4/12 at 2pm & 7pm at the Fairway Music Room. (link)

[Sun City West] Stardust Theater Movie Night is showing Hooisers, featuring Gene Hackman. Thursday, April 10th at 630pm. (link)

[Sun City] Western Spring Fling at the Bell Rec Center. Music, food trucks, bake sale and so much more! Thursday, April 10th from 9am-2pm.

[Sun City] The Backstage Crew will be performing on Sunday, April 10th, as part of the Sun Bowl Spring Concert Series. (link)

Weekly Events

[Sun City West] The Sun City West Garden Club is hosting a plant sale this Thursday (and every Thursday through May) from 9am-12pm, at the Beardsley Recreation Center

[Sun City] Sun City Farmers Market, every Thursday from 9am-1pm (link & map)

[Sun City West] Every Thursday through May, Photography West ‘The Camera Club of Sun City West’ hosts a brief club meeting & member presentations featuring their own photography. (link)

[Sun City West] Sun City West Farmers Market & Craft Show. Every Friday from 9am-2pm. Open to the public & pet friendly. (link & map)

[Surprise] Surprise Farmer’s Market, every Sunday from 3-7pm. A weekly market featuring fresh local ingredients, homemade goods, and artisanal crafts from nearby farms and ranches. (link & map)

Upcoming Events

[Sun City West] Munchie Mondays with Munchkins is scheduled for upcoming Mondays (April 21st) at the R.H. Johnson Library’s parking lot. Bring the grandkids out and enjoy food trucks, activities such as parades and a dunk tank, and get to meet and learn about the Chartered Clubs here in Sun City West as they’ll be invited to schedule with the Rec Centers to host a booth at these events. (link)

[Sun City West] Tickets are on sale for the Bash with Sundown show on Tuesday, April 8th. (link)

[Sun City] The Salt River Brass will be performing at the American Lutheran Church on Sunday, April 13th. (link)

[Sun City West] Easter in the Park will be held on Saturday, April 19th at Beardsley Park. Tickets are free but each child must have one, registration begins on March 4th. (link)

[Sun City] Registration is open for the Midnight Madness golf tournament on Saturday, April 12th at the Lakes East Golf Course. (link)

[Sun City] Sun City Resident Orientation. Join the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA), the Condominium Owners Association of Sun City (COA) and the Recreation Centers of Sun City (RCSC) for a joint Sun City Resident Orientation. Learn about your unique community, how things work and who is responsible for what. This program will be held by Wednesday, April 23rd. (link)

Have an event you want listed here? Please reach out!

ARIZONA TRIVIA

Last week’s trivia question was, ‘was James Addison Reavis better known as?’ The correct answer The Baron of Arizona.

James Reavis, was most known in association with the Peralta land grant, also known as the Barony of Arizona, a pair of fraudulent land claims, which if certified, would have granted him ownership of over 18,600 square miles of land in central Arizona Territory and western New Mexico Territory. During the course of the fraud, Reavis collected an estimated US$5.3 million in cash and promissory notes ($200 million in present-day terms) through the sale of quitclaims and proposed investment plans. (link)

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

[Lake Pleasant] Saturday, April 19th from 8-11am, volunteer as part of the Earth Day Clean Up event at Lake Pleasant. This is a litter clean up event and 100 volunteers are needed. (link)

Hospice Promise is seeking volunteers for its Volunteer Program.

Our Hospice volunteers offer patients who are at end of life, and their families, comfort, support, and companionship. Hospice Promise volunteers are men and women of all ages and backgrounds, offering services to patients in their homes, nursing homes, group homes, wherever the patient calls home.

To learn more or volunteer, contact Avivah Fluhr Volunteer Coordinator. Call (623) 209-7003 or email avivah.fluhr@hospicepromise.com

Do you know of organizations looking for volunteers in or near the Sun City communities? Please reach out with details so I can add them to future newsletters.

REAL ESTATE

HOME OF THE WEEK: Want to live on the golf course, but want the ‘lock & leave’ convenience of a townhome? This 1 bed 1 bath unit in Sun City West has all of that, plus it has been remodeled.

See all the details & pics here.

Do you like the Sun City Scoop? 

Help support the newsletter by supporting our sponsors! This week’s newsletter is brought to you by MDK Enterprises & Phoenix Home Watch.

Need help getting your RV back to your summer home? Spring cleaning have your garage full of stuff that needs to go to the dump? Marc & his team can help with all sorts of things. Give him a call at (602) 622-2871 and see how he can help.

Leaving your home for the summer or an extended vacation can be a daunting task. Don’t trust it to just anyone.

Visit PhxHomeWatch.com to find out if home watch is a good fit for you and your home this summer.

Want to advertise your business in the Sun City Scoop? Let’s chat

HISTORY

Want to see the original floor plan design of your home? The Del Webb Sun Cities Museum has a huge database which includes hundreds of images of all types of properties. You can view them online or you can visit the museum and look through them in binders.

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT: Pennsylvania Club

Are you from Pennsylvania? Then you need to know about the Pennsylvania Club.

The Pennsylvania Club West Valley consists of over 100 members with a connection to Pennsylvania. Members reside in Sun City, Sun City West, The Grand and surrounding West Valley municipalities. The club’s beginnings goes back to the 70’s and is one of the older social clubs serving the area. The club meets twice a month with a causal coffee chat the last Wednesday of each month and an event at a different area restaurant for breakfast or early dinner. The club is a supporter of the Valley View Community Food Bank and holds an event in April to collect food along with monetary donations. If you have any questions please e-mail Paul Gaskill at president.paclubaz@gmail.com

More details to come next week about the April get together

ODDS & ENDS

After the storms blew through last Wednesday, my son Tyler & went hiking in White Tank Mountains Regional Park, and we thought we were clear of any additional rain storms. Turns out we were wrong, but my son learned a valuable lesson.

We saw the storm clouds coming and he asked if we should turn around. We were an hour into our hike, and I gave him the option of turning around, and getting rained on while hiking down, or we keep going and see what happens. We pressed on, and yes we got wet and the wind was cold, but the rain only lasted for about 5 minutes, and then the storm passed and the sun came out. We were treated to a moment that no one else got to experience, with the glow of the sun on the desert and a bright rainbow, plus an amazing view of the storm as it moved east over the city.

We had a nice conversation about how in life, there will be times where storm clouds come into your life and it may make things uncomfortable, but if you stay on your path the storm will pass and it usually leads to better things.

We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful location, with special places like the White Tank Regional Park only minutes away. The best part is you don’t have to hike into the mountains to enjoy the park. There are several beautiful locations right next to the mountains with great facilities (including many flush toilet restrooms, no pit toilets!!). It is worth the drive and the park fee is only $7. (link)

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Thank you for reading, have an amazing week!!