Cinco de Mayo Tuesday, then a week of community kickoffs in Eastmark
Good Monday morning, Eastmark. Cinco de Mayo lands on Tuesday this year, and the rest of the week is the kind that fills up quietly — a four-week watercolor class starts at The ‘Mark, a local author runs a self-publishing workshop at the Gateway Library, the Eastmark board meetings hit their Q2 cycle, and Saturday brings the farmers market back to Great Park. Two weeks out, the Ellsworth–Signal Butte corridor goes in front of city council for a string of decisions that will quietly redraw the perimeter.
This week in Eastmark
Tuesday, May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
- 🎨 Watercolor Classes begin — 10:00 AM at the Classroom at The ‘Mark. Mike Feather of 13 Colors leads a four-week beginner-friendly class. $100 for all four sessions, paid in advance, supplies provided for new students. (info)
- 📖 How to Self-Publish a Book — 6:00 PM at Gateway Library. Eastmark resident Erin Evans, who has self-published seven books, walks through the full process from rough draft to advertising. Free. (info)
Wednesday, May 6
- 🏠 Eastmark Q2 Board Meetings (EAL / ERA / EAS) — 5:30 PM at The ‘Mark. All three governing entities meet in one evening. Registration required. (info)
Saturday, May 9
- 🛒 Eastmark Farmers Market — 8:00 AM to noon, the Eastmark Great Park parking lot just south of Gateway Library. Every Saturday through the season. (info)
Looking ahead in Eastmark
🎨 Design Review Open House — Wednesday, May 14 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Classroom at The ‘Mark. Operations staff are on hand to walk neighbors through the design review process before they file an application. No RSVP needed. (info)
🍕 Neighbors Night Out — Pizza in the Park — Thursday, May 15 at 5:30 PM at Inspirian Peak Park. Beyond Basil’s mobile wood-fired pizzeria runs the night and neighbors build their own pies alongside the team. Registration required. (info)
From the schools
🎓 Eastmark High graduation — Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00 PM, Eastmark High Football Stadium. The Class of 2026 walks under the lights. The last day of school follows on Thursday, May 21. (calendar)
🎒 Silver Valley Elementary, two milestones on Tuesday, May 19. Kindergarten Promotion and Concert and the 6th Grade Dance both fall the same evening — among the year’s most-photographed nights for SVE families.
🎻 Silver Valley Elementary Spring Orchestra Concert — Thursday, May 7 at 6:00 PM.
🔬 BASIS Mesa Class of 2026 Senior Project Presentations — Friday, May 16, starting at 9:00 AM at Gateway Library. A full day of student research on topics ranging from sea turtle conservation in China and AI in medical diagnostics to walkable urban design and henna art. Open to the public. (info)
Beyond Eastmark
A handful of things outside the neighborhood worth knowing about this week:
🎻 Mesa Arts Center, Wednesday through Friday. The Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s Bright Notes, Bold Horizons spring program plays Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Christian Youth Theater opens The Prince of Egypt on Thursday at 7:00 PM. Friday is doubled up: Riverdance 30 — The New Generation anchors the 30th-anniversary tour at 8:00 PM, and Awaz Broadcasting brings Harbhajan Mann Live in Concert the same night.
📚 Gateway Library is busy. Programming runs deep this week — Sensory Storytime today at 9:30 AM, Pass the Plate at 3:30 PM, Baby’s First at 10:30 AM Tuesday, Funityfit DanceFitness Wednesday evening, Crochet Away and Yoga 2.0 Saturday morning. Full schedule at events.mesalibrary.org.
🎪 On the longer horizon. The Mesa Convention Center has the LEGO Fan Expo, Anime Arizona Spring, and the Healthy Living Conference on the calendar later this month. The Mesa Amphitheatre summer concert season opens June 13 with The Human League. Both venues will surface in upcoming briefs as those dates approach.
Two weeks out: the May 18 council docket
Four items on the same Mesa city council agenda turn paperwork into reality on the eastern edge of the city.
- 🏭 Apple Inc. — A Foreign Trade Zone Operator Agreement to activate FTZ 221 at 3740 S Signal Butte Rd for high-tech manufacturing and storage. The formal go-ahead for Apple to operate at the Signal Butte site. (details)
- 🍟 Zeitouna — A new sit-down lunch and dinner restaurant going into 3515 S Ellsworth Rd, Suite 101. Operated by F&N Foods LLC. No prior license at the location. (details)
- 🍷 Target #2940 — A beer-and-wine license at 1517 S Signal Butte Rd, the Target store at Signal Butte that’s been preparing to open. (details)
- 🏪 Circle K Store #9577 — A liquor license for the new Circle K at 10744 E Elliot Rd. (details)
All four sit on the Ellsworth, Elliot, or Signal Butte corridor — the streets that frame Eastmark on the west, north, and east. None of these is the opening date; it’s the legal go-ahead date. Open dates depend on construction, fit-out, and staff. The regulatory clock starts here.
The May 18 agenda posts publicly the week before at mesa.legistar.com.
