Good morning, Tempe. School starts Wednesday, so this is the last quiet stretch before the year kicks off.

  • 🎒 First day of school Wednesday. Tempe Union's year starts July 22.
  • 🚧 Overnight work on Mill Avenue. City crews are on the corridor after dark this week.
  • 📚 A full library week. Pokémon, LEGO, and three book clubs.
  • 🎓 ASU and Mill Avenue. What's on at TCA, Yucca, and the Marquee.
  • 🏠 A $6.5 million home sale in the Tally Ho Farms area.
  • ⚾ Around the Valley. Diamondbacks at Chase Field, a Mesa show, and a touring musical.

School's back Wednesday

The Tempe Union school year starts Wednesday, July 22, and the last stretch of summer break ends with it.

Key facts:

  • 📅 First day is Wednesday, July 22. Tempe HS and Corona del Sol both list Wednesday as day one.
  • 🏫 Six high schools are back in session across Tempe Union (TUHSD): Tempe HS, Corona del Sol, Marcos de Niza, McClintock, Mountain Pointe, and Desert Vista.
  • 🩺 A sports physicals clinic runs today at 3 PM for student athletes who still need one on file. Check the district calendar for the location.

Expect the morning commute to shift Wednesday, especially near the south-Tempe campuses along Rural Road, McClintock Drive, and Guadalupe. The first drop-off week is always the slowest one.

One thing to check before Wednesday: bell schedules. Corona del Sol posted its 2026/27 schedule in its calendar notes, so pull up your school's site so nobody's standing at the wrong door at the wrong hour.

The week

Monday, July 20

  • 🃏 Pokémon Hour at Tempe Public Library. Kids ages 6 to 16 play the trading card game, 5 to 6 PM. Decks are on hand if you need one. Details.
  • 💕 Love and Fate at Tempe Public Library, 6:30 PM. Details.

Tuesday, July 21

  • 🧱 Level Up LEGO at Tempe Public Library. A teen STEAM build session, 4 PM. Details.
  • 📖 Bite Size Book Club. A short-story club over drinks, 5 PM. Details.
  • ☕ Coffee, Tea, and Books, virtual, 6 PM. Details.

Wednesday, July 22

  • 🎲 Board game night at Panera Bread. The East Valley group's new Wednesday night, 5:30 PM. New players welcome. Details.

Thursday, July 23

  • 🎤 Powerful Voices Open Mic in Tempe. Live music, comedy, and poetry on one bill. Details.

Around Tempe

  • 🚧 Overnight work starts Monday on Mill Avenue. City crews are on the corridor after dark this week. Details.
  • ⛽ Gas prices in Tempe ticked up this week. A sharper jump than recent weeks at the pump. Details.
  • 🏠 A 2025-built home in the Tally Ho Farms area recently sold for $6.5 million, per county records. Details.

🎓 ASU and Mill Avenue

Campus events, Sun Devil sports, and what's playing down on Mill.

  • 🎭 Arizona Theatre Company at the Tempe Center for the Arts. The company's 59th season is running at TCA on the south shore of Town Lake. Check the calendar for this week's show. Details.
  • 🎸 Live music at Yucca Tap Room. Tempe's original live-music room, 40 years on and still booking local and national acts most nights. A good, loud room. Details.
  • 🎶 Marquee Theatre. The Tempe venue that lands some of the bigger touring names passing through the Valley this summer. Details.
  • 😂 Comedy at Tempe Improv. Touring stand-ups all week, dinner and a show. Details.
  • ☕ Brick Road Coffee. Community events, art markets, and coffee at Tempe's inclusive gathering spot. Details.

Around the Valley

A few picks worth leaving Tempe for this week.

  • 🎸 Slow Joy in Mesa. Wednesday, 7:30 PM. A short hop east to a small room. Tickets.
  • ⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Athletics at Chase Field. Monday, first pitch 6:40 PM. A quick trip across the water from Tempe. Tickets.
  • 🎭 Dear Evan Hansen in Phoenix. Wednesday, 7:30 PM. The Tony-winning musical, in town midweek. Tickets.
  • 🎤 Louie TheSinger in Phoenix. Wednesday, 8 PM. One of downtown's best small rooms. Tickets.

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