Good morning, Eastmark. Thursday, May 14. The big thing on the schedule this week: Eastmark High graduates the Class of 2026 at the football stadium Wednesday night. Before that, Neighbors Night Out lands at Inspirian Peak Friday, the Farmers Market is back at the Great Park Saturday morning, and the BASIS Mesa seniors present their year-long research projects at Gateway Library. Three Eastmark-area items are on Monday's council agenda. A few picks worth leaving Eastmark for at the bottom.
🎓 Eastmark High Class of 2026 graduation. Wednesday, May 20, 7 PM at the EHS Football Stadium. Details.
🍕 Neighbors Night Out: Pizza in the Park. Friday at 5:30 PM at Inspirian Peak Park, with Beyond Basil Mobile Pizzeria. Details.
📋 Three Eastmark items on the May 18 council agenda. A new restaurant on Ellsworth, a Circle K at Elliot, and an easement vote on the Pecos sewer line. Details.
EHS Class of 2026 walks Wednesday
The Eastmark High Firebirds graduate the Class of 2026 next Wednesday night at the school's football stadium. 7 PM, May 20. It's the seventh graduating class for EHS since the school opened in 2019.
Key facts:
- When: Wednesday, May 20, 7 PM
- Where: Eastmark High School Football Stadium
- Who: The Class of 2026, the senior class that won back-to-back Powderpuff titles earlier this month
EHS is six years old. For Eastmark families with kids at Silver Valley Elementary, Gateway Polytechnic Academy, or BASIS Mesa, this is the school down the road that the next decade of school years is pointing toward. For long-time residents who watched the EHS building come up off Ray Road, the seniors walking Wednesday include kids who were in elementary school when the high school first opened its doors.
A practical note for graduation week: parking on Ray fills up fast on EHS event nights. The stadium pulls cars from across the community, and the lot doubles as school traffic. Plan for it, or walk in from a neighborhood street if you live close.
Other Queen Creek Unified schools wrap the year next week too. Full graduation details on the QCUSD calendar.
The Weekend
What's on the calendar from tonight through Tuesday.
Thursday (tonight)
🎨 Design Review Open House. 5 to 7 PM at the Classroom at The 'Mark (10100 E Ray Rd). No RSVP. Stop by anytime to talk through the design review process with Operations staff. Useful if you're planning a yard or exterior change. Info.
💻 AI Best Practices at Gateway Library. 2 PM. A practical session on writing better prompts, plus accuracy, bias, and privacy considerations when working with AI tools. Free, adults. Details.
💃 Funityfit Dance Fitness at Gateway Library. 5:30 PM. Dance choreography plus fitness training. All levels. Details.
Friday, May 15
🍕 Neighbors Night Out: Pizza in the Park. 5:30 to 8 PM at Inspirian Peak Park. Beyond Basil Mobile Pizzeria is set up, and residents build and bake their own wood-fired pies alongside other Eastmark families. Registration required. Sign up.
🎮 Gaming Club. 5 to 8 PM at the Classroom at The 'Mark. Every other Friday. Bring something to play or join whatever's on. Details.
Saturday, May 16
🥦 Eastmark Farmers Market. 8 AM to noon at the Great Park parking lot south of Gateway Library. The reliable Saturday morning ritual. Details.
🎓 BASIS Mesa senior project presentations. 9 AM at Gateway Library. The BASIS Class of 2026 presents a year of research. Topics range from stop motion animation to sea turtle conservation in China, AI in medical diagnostics, walkable urban design, and henna art. Free, all ages. A good window into what BASIS seniors actually do their senior year. Details.
Tuesday, May 19
💼 Eastmark Entrepreneur Club. 8:30 AM at The 'Mark. Melissa Leon of Two Sense Consulting on the financial setup side of starting a small business. Details.
Around the Corner
Three Eastmark-area items land on Monday night's council agenda (May 18):
- 🌯 Zeitouna restaurant on Ellsworth. A new sit-down restaurant from F&N Foods LLC is opening at 3515 S Ellsworth, Suite 101. Lunch and dinner. The Series 12 restaurant liquor license goes for a council vote Monday. Map.
- 🏪 Circle K at Elliot. A new Circle K is going in at 10744 E Elliot Road, on the Eastmark northern edge. The Series 9 liquor store license is on Monday's agenda. Map.
- 🏗️ Pecos Road Relief Sewer Line easement. Council authorizes eminent-domain negotiations Monday for a sewer easement at 4636 E Pecos Road, at the northwest corner of Power and Pecos. The parcel sits just west of Eastmark in Gilbert. This is the infrastructure that goes with the south-side industrial buildout. Resolution.
Still Tracking
Quick check-in on stuff covered in past editions:
- 🛒 Sprouts at EastMarket (Ray and Ellsworth). Construction underway. Building wraps up around August, Sprouts opens Q4 2026.
- 🍎 Apple manufacturing on Signal Butte. Council votes on the Foreign Trade Zone agreement Monday, May 18.
- 🏢 Liv at Eastmark (NE corner Ellsworth and Ray). 208 apartments across 12 buildings, recently approved. Construction next.
- 🔧 Brakes Plus Mesa (Ellsworth and Elliot). Auto shop still working through council site plan tweaks.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Eastmark for this weekend.
🎭 MET: RENT at Mesa Arts Center. 7:30 PM tonight. Mesa Encore Theatre's run of the late-90s musical. A good room for a chamber-sized production. Tickets.
🎶 The Carole King & James Taylor Story. Saturday at 3 PM at the Mesa Arts Center. A matinee covering the catalog the two of them wrote and toured together. Tickets.
🏁 Friday Night Drags at Firebird. Friday at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler. Bracket drag racing under the lights, an easy drive south down the 202. Tickets.
🎤 Cowboy Mouth at Marquee Theatre. 6:30 PM tonight in Tempe. The long-running New Orleans rock band, in one of the smaller East Valley rooms they play. Tickets.
What's the best pizza spot near Eastmark for a Friday night? Hit reply.
