HEADLINE NEWS
The Scottsdale City Council will welcome a couple familiar faces and a new one at its inauguration ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 10. The 4 p.m. ceremony will take place in the Scottsdale City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Voters re-elected Councilwomen Kathy Littlefield and Solange Whitehead and elected new member Barry Graham. The regular City Council meeting will follow the swearing in.
Most city offices/facilities closed Monday, Jan. 16, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Recycling and garbage collection will not change. Place your containers out by 5 a.m. the morning of collection or the evening before. We will publish Scottsdale Update Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Honor Martin Luther King Jr. by attending the Community Celebration Dinner. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Benjamin Chavis, CEO and president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the president of Education Online Services Corporation. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Scottsdale Stadium Fieldhouse, 7408 E. Osborn Road. Get details.
Register to attend a virtual Scottsdale 360 class: Short-Term Rentals, the Long and Short of it! Join representatives from the City Manager’s Office, Tax & License, Code Enforcement and the Scottsdale Police Department for a discussion of the steps to follow if you have a concern with a short-term rental. You’ll also learn about Scottsdale's new ordinance and how it's being enforced. The free program runs 11 a.m.-noon Thursday, Jan. 19. Register for this virtual program.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon run through Scottsdale Sunday, Jan. 15. Scottsdale streets will be closed or restricted for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon. View the Marathon and Half Marathon routes, but keep in mind that public safety could restrict other roads to address concerns that may occur during the event.
Get a head start learning about city issues, projects and activities by attending or listening in on the many public meetings we host. Here’s what’s coming up:
Attend an open house to provide feedback on draft amendments to the Old Town Scottsdale Character Area Plan & Zoning Ordinance updates. Staff has drafted amendments based on input from the public, the Planning Commission and the City Council that are now available for review and feedback. Attend one of six open houses Tuesday, Jan. 10, or Thursday, Jan. 12, to learn more. Get details and register. The city will offer additional participation opportunities as we progress through the public input and hearing processes. Continue to stay engaged by visiting the Old Town Updates webpage.
Run to Thursday’s Gold Palette ArtWalk: Demonstrate! The Scottsdale Gallery Association is ringing in 2022 with its annual “Demonstrate” Gold Palette ArtWalk from 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12. Participating galleries will feature live artist demonstrations and food samples. The 100 Club of Arizona also will perform traditional bagpipe music. Get details.
January’s Civil War Roundtable features Terry Winschel discussing “A Celebration of the Life of Ed Bearss.” Edwin Bearss served as the National Park Service’s chief historian from 1981 to 1994. He was a sought-after battlefield tour guide, a key figure in the battlefield preservation movement, and one of the featured historians in the famous Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War. The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable meets Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The lecture starts at 5 p.m.; doors open at 4 p.m. for book sales and speaker meet and greet. The meeting also will be available on Zoom.
Arizona Concours d’Elegance: The Art of Aerodynamics comes to renovated Scottsdale Civic Center Sunday, Jan. 22. This event, formerly held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, is a curated and judged exhibition of select collector cars spanning all eras. The name Concours d’Elegance is a French term meaning “competition of excellence.” The event starts at 9 a.m. Learn more and buy tickets.
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction vrooms in Jan. 21-29. It's the granddaddy of all car events. The Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction returns to WestWorld bringing hundreds of the world's finest collector automobiles and thousands of spectators to Scottsdale. The auction also features an exhibitor marketplace and hours of live worldwide television coverage.
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Scottsdale ArtWalk: Scottsdale is home to more than 100 galleries, dedicated to exhibiting the finest visual art from around the world and locally. Stroll at your own pace. 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. Specialty-themed Gold Palette ArtWalks are held 6:30-9 p.m. about once a month.
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Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market: The market features more than 100 local growers and specialty food producers. It runs 8 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday through June at 3806 N. Brown Ave.
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Second Saturdays @SMoCA: Solve a puzzle, create art to take home and explore the museum. Noon-3 p.m.
Cactus Aquatic and Fitness Center is closed through Jan. 14 for building maintenance. Eldorado and McDowell Mountain Ranch aquatic and fitness centers will be open during this time. Cactus will reopen Sunday, Jan. 15.
Investing in Our Scottsdale: Construction has begun on a new inclusive playground at Thompson Peak Park. The new play area will have components designed for people of all abilities and include a QR code to educate users on where and how to use the inclusive pieces. We expect the project to be complete in February. Learn more.
The city’s Adaptive Services provides a variety of programs and services that meet the needs of citizens with disabilities. Programs are geared for persons with varying ability levels of all ages. Adaptive Services staff also can assist, accommodate and facilitate participation for those with disabilities in mainstreamed Parks & Recreation, Human Services, Leisure Education and Community Services programs. Learn more.
Nearly 600 families and seniors were ‘adopted’ for the holidays in Scottsdale. Every year, the Adopt-A-Family and Adopt-A-Senior programs serve low-income individuals in the Scottsdale community by matching them with sponsors for the holiday season. This year, 400 generous sponsors provided 569 families and seniors with a traditional Thanksgiving meal and gifts during the December holidays. Thank you to all the donors, sponsors and staff that made the holidays brighter for those in need.
Christmas Tree Roundup continues through Jan. 16. Scottsdale Solid Waste offers two ways to dispose of your unwanted live Christmas trees and/or wreaths. They will be made into compost and save landfill space. We don't accept artificial trees, stands, ornaments, lights or storage bags.
Option #1: Drop them at one of the following locations in the yellow bins:
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Cactus Park (Cactus and Scottsdale roads, southwest corner of the parking lot)
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Chaparral Park (Hayden and Jackrabbit roads, in the parking lot west of the soccer fields)
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Eldorado Park (77th Street and McDowell Road, in the parking lot east of the soccer fields)
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Horizon Park (North of Thompson Peak Parkway on 100th Street, near the baseball field roundabout)
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Scottsdale Ranch Park (104th Street and Via Linda, in the parking lot west of the basketball courts)
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Scottsdale Sports Complex (Bell Road and 82nd Street, in the parking lot east of the soccer fields)
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Thompson Peak Park (Thompson Peak Parkway and Hayden Road, in the northeast parking lot)
Option #2: Single-family home residents can place Christmas trees in the green waste pile, separate from your bulk trash, for collection on your scheduled Brush/Bulk service week. View the schedule.
Senior centers looking for volunteer pen pals for fourth grade Hohokam Elementary students. For more information, call or visit the Granite Reef Senior Center front desk at 480-312-1700 or 1700 N. Granite Reef Road.
Start your new year with a paper cleanse. Bring your personal and/or commercial documents to the "Shred It" event from 7-10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Walmart parking lot, 15355 N. Northsight Blvd. Cost is $5 per box or bag.
Submit proposals for various federal Community Development Block Grant funds. An estimated $200,000 is available for the Emergency Repair Program which assists homeowners in fixing substandard housing conditions. An additional $269,000 is available through the HOME Investment Partners Program for people to acquire or rehab affordable housing. The Community Assistance Office will present a virtual applicant orientation from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. The submission deadline is 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6. Learn more.
Scottsdale Charros are accepting entry admissions for the 69th Annual Parada Del Sol Historic Parade Saturday, Feb. 4, in Old Town. Parada typically features more than 150 entries including colorful floats, mounted horse-riders, horse-drawn carriages, marching bands, wagons and stagecoaches representing many cultures from Mexican to Native American to Arabian to Western. The parade is one of the longest-running community events in the city.
Beginning at 10 a.m. Feb. 4, the parade follows a route from Drinkwater Boulevard along Scottsdale Road and culminates at Brown Avenue and Indian School Road. The Trail’s End Festival takes place immediately following. Get more information or submit an entry.
Trolley route slightly changes. Scottsdale Trolley route 68CM now runs along Camelback Road to south Hayden Road and continues in a clockwise direction (rather than counterclockwise) back to Camelback Road from Indian School and Miller roads. The final stop also has been relocated to the north side (rather than south side) of Indian School Road west of Hayden Road. Travel times will not be affected. Trolley service is free and operates every 20 minutes.
