What a wild week it has been, I hope you faired ok through the remnants of Hurricane Polo and all the rain.

I had a bit of a personal issue with a kidney stone that required surgery, my apologies on the late publishing time of the newsletter. I’m back home and doing well. Enjoy the rest of your week!

In this week’s Scoop:

Have an amazing week out there…🙏

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~ Wondering when Arizona’s fall colors will hit their peak? The Discover Flagstaff Leaf-O-Meter makes it easy to follow along, with regular status updates showing where the leaves are changing and which areas are getting close to prime viewing time.

Visit their website to see the color status of the leaves in several different locations.

~ A fresh look has come to the Sun City recreation centers. New electronic marquee signs have been installed, giving the Recreation Centers of Sun City a more modern way to share events, announcements and other community information with residents. (link)

To learn more, visit Woodtaneous.com

It's hard to picture today, but long before freeways crisscrossed the Valley, Phoenix had an extensive streetcar system carrying millions of passengers around town.

The story began in 1887, when real estate developer Moses Hazeltine Sherman helped establish Phoenix's first street railway. The earliest cars were pulled by horses and mules along tracks on Washington Street, but Sherman wasn't simply interested in transportation. He owned land around Phoenix, and streetcar lines made those new subdivisions much easier to reach, and considerably easier to sell.

Electric streetcars arrived in 1893, and by 1895 nearly the entire system had been electrified. The exception was the Grand Avenue line, where horse-drawn cars continued until electric service finally arrived in 1909. Routes eventually reached the State Fairgrounds, Phoenix Indian School and other growing parts of the city. In 1911, streetcar service even stretched northwest toward Glendale.

By the mid-1920s, the system had reached its greatest extent. Phoenix purchased the struggling privately owned railway in 1925 and invested heavily in rebuilding it. Eighteen new streetcars were purchased, with the new fleet entering service on Christmas Day 1928. The improvements worked: in 1929 alone, Phoenix streetcars carried 6.6 million passengers.

But the way people moved around Phoenix was beginning to change.

The city added buses as Phoenix expanded beyond the areas conveniently served by rails. Automobile ownership was growing, too, and by the 1930s some streetcar routes were already disappearing. Even so, the streetcars survived the Depression and enjoyed a resurgence during World War II, when gasoline restrictions made electric transportation particularly useful.

Then came the night that effectively ended the era.

On October 3, 1947, a catastrophic fire swept through the streetcar barn and destroyed most of Phoenix's remaining trolley fleet. Faced with the enormous expense of replacing the cars, city leaders chose to continue the transition toward buses instead. The last Phoenix streetcars made their final runs in February 1948, ending roughly 60 years of street railway service.

For the next six decades, rail transit disappeared from Phoenix while the Valley grew around automobiles, wide arterial streets and freeways. Rail finally returned when Valley Metro light rail began service in 2008.

And that leaves an interesting Arizona "what if": What would the Valley look like today if Phoenix had rebuilt and expanded its streetcar network instead of abandoning it?

Phoenix's old streetcar motto was "Ride a Mile and Smile the While." You can still see pieces of this history at the Phoenix Trolley Museum, where the collection includes Streetcar No. 116, one of the Birney cars purchased by Phoenix in 1928.

[Sun City West] Movie Night at the Stardust Theatre Join them for a matinee showing of THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS, on Thursday, October 1st, at 6pm (link)

[Sun City] This week’s movie is ‘THE LAST HOUSE’. Showtimes are Wednesday 9/30 at 2pm & 7pm at the Marinette Rec Center & Saturday 10/3 at 2pm & 7pm at the MOUNTAIN MUSIC ROOM (New location). See the SEPTEMBER movie lineup here.

[Sun City] Sun City’s Sun Bowl Fall Concert Series is underway, with the next show happening on Sunday, October 4th. Come see Ripple Affect, which features dual guitars, keyboard, saxophone and strong vocal harmonies, delivering a little bit of “outlaw” along with rock and roll! (link)

[Sun City West] Kick off fall at the R.H. Johnson Great Lawn on Wednesday, September 30th, with the free Pop-Up Party from 5 to 6 p.m., featuring free hot dogs, popcorn and water while supplies last, plus a chance to connect with the community. Stick around afterward as Wolff Pac takes the stage at 6 p.m. for the first Music on the Green concert of the season. (link)

[Statewide] Oktoberfest is underway, and if you’re looking to get out and celebrate the season, there are a wide variety of events happening all across Arizona. Check out this list of 11 different Oktoberfest events.

[Sun City West] The Sun City West Friday Farmers Market has moved indoors for the summer, at the Sun City West Foundation. The market is open from 9am-1pm each Friday. (link & map)

[Sun City] The Sun City Farmers Market is sticking around for the summer, with new hours designed for early birds. Stop by Bell Recreation Center on Thursday mornings from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. to browse fresh produce, baked goods, and offerings from local vendors. (link)

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

[Glendale] If you’re looking to celebrate Oktoberfest locally, Haus Murphy in Historic Downtown Glendale is a great option, and they have a bunch of dates to suit your schedule. Learn more at their website.

[Sun City West] Desert Garden Plant Sales Return

The Sun City West Desert Garden Club kicks off its first monthly plant sale of the season Saturday, October 3, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Beardsley Rec Center Greenhouse, with cacti, succulents and other desert-friendly plants available. Sales are open to the public, and your purchase supports a good cause too, with the club donating $103,500 to local charities over the past four years while also funding educational programs.

For more details, please visit the SCW Desert Garden Club website at
https://garden.scwclubs.com.

[Sun City] 🎶 Sun City’s Fall Concert Series is almost here! The 2026 Sundial Fall Ticketed Concert Mini-Series kicks off November 4th, and individual tickets are available for sale now. (link)

🏡 Home of the Week: Golf course living in Sun City West! This well-maintained 2-bedroom, 2-bath home overlooks the 12th hole of Briarwood Country Club, with a screened-in patio perfect for enjoying those morning fairway views. Updates include a 2019 HVAC, tile flooring and granite countertops, plus a spacious bonus area for an office, hobbies or crafts.

See all the pics & details here

Property listed by Jessie Laux with HomeSmart

J.D. Manning, the publisher of the Sun City Scoop, is also a local Realtor. If you have questions about the market or your specific real estate situation,
you can reach J.D. at (480) 797-8975

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Some of the images you see in the newsletter are created using modern AI image tools. Whenever possible, I use my own photos from around Sun City and the West Valley, but sometimes it is helpful to generate an image that better illustrates a story or historical topic. These images are used simply to supplement the articles and help tell the story visually, not to mislead or deceive readers.