Hello, Scoopers!

There’s plenty to Scoop up this week. Arizona is getting older, Rocky Point may soon be getting an easier drive, and we’ve got some local fun on tap, including a little Family Feud action. Meanwhile, summer still isn’t quite ready to pack its bags, with heat and humidity hanging around for another round.

Let’s see what’s happening around the Sun Cities and beyond!

In this week’s Scoop:

Have an amazing week out there…🙏

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~ Good News for Rocky Point Road-Trippers: Mexico has begun a roughly $100 million rebuild of Highway 8, the main route from the Lukeville border crossing to Puerto Peñasco. For Sun City-area residents who enjoy a quick escape to the beach, the project promises wider lanes, new shoulders and a smoother, safer final stretch of the drive, with completion expected in May 2027. Read the full article at AZFamily.com

~ Keep an Eye on the Sky: Tropical activity in the Pacific is helping pump additional moisture into Arizona, bringing another chance for thunderstorms to the Valley later this week. Metro Phoenix could see isolated storms Wednesday through Friday, with the usual possibilities of gusty winds, blowing dust and brief heavy rain. Or, because this is Arizona, your neighborhood could get absolutely nothing while someone three miles away is building an ark.

~ Arizona Is Getting Older: Arizona’s reputation as a retirement destination is showing up in the numbers: 20.6% of the state’s population is now 65 or older, meaning more than one in five Arizonans is a senior. That shift is having an impact well beyond retirement communities, influencing everything from housing and health care to transportation, jobs and community services. For places like Sun City, Sun City West and The Grand, which have been living this demographic shift for decades, the rest of Arizona may increasingly be looking our way for clues about what comes next.

Read the full article at YourValley.net

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The Del Webb Sun Cities Museum had an excellent story in their email newsletter, about John Meeker and his impact on shaping Sun City into the community it is today.

By Bret McKeand, Marketing Committee Chairperson, Del Webb Sun Cities Museum

Sun City proved such a success when it first opened in 1960 -- spawning active adult communities throughout the nation – that history often overlooks how the community nearly collapsed five years later.

Nearly 1,200 homes were sold that first year, but by 1965, sales had fallen to less than 400 units, prompting the Del E. Webb Development Company to consider abandoning Sun City altogether.

A “Plan B” was even developed and the company briefly considered turning the property north of Grand into a multi-generational community with schools and an industrial park.

But a young man convinced Del Webb there was another way – a better way to attract retirees to the desert. That man was John Meeker and less than a year after being named president of DEVCO, he had sales moving in the right direction.

Meeker’s formula for success was simple: Keep residents happy and strive to make Sun City the premiere active-adult community in the world.

Meeker met with residents routinely to hear their complaints and desires. He expanded the number of clubs and organizations available to residents, upgraded and modernized model homes, and made it his mission to build quality amenities.

One of the first amenities built under Meeker’s watch was the Sun Bowl, the outdoor amphitheater that still stands today. The facility not only provided top-notch entertainment for residents, but it was an excellent marketing tool that promoted Sun City nationwide.

Sun City expanded north of Grand Avenue in the late 1960s, and Meeker got his chance to build a new community from the ground up when he created Sun City West in 1978.

The story of John Meeker and his role in developing both Sun City and Sun City West is told in the newest presentation created by the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum’s Speakers Bureau.

The new 30-minute talk, “John Meeker: The Man Who Saved the Sun Cities” is presented by Alan Schlemmer, current vice president of the museum’s Board of Trustees.

To learn more about the Sun City Communities and the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, visit their website at DelWebbSunCitiesMuseum.org

[Sun City] Survey Says…Get ready to think fast and have some fun as Family Feud comes to Sun City! Gather your crew, brush up on those survey answers, and see if you have what it takes to come out on top in this classic game-show-style competition. Thursday, September 9th, from 6-730pm at the Sundial Rec Center. (link)

[Sun City West] Looking for a fun way to stay active and beat the summer heat? Indoor cornhole is back at Palm Ridge Recreation Center every Monday and Wednesday in September, with games from 9 to 11 a.m. in Summit Hall B for RCSCW members of all skill levels. (link)

[Sun City] This week’s movie is ‘80 for Brady’. Showtimes are Wednesday 9/9 at 2pm & 7pm at the Marinette Rec Center & Saturday 9/12 at 2pm & 7pm at the MOUNTAIN MUSIC ROOM (New location). See the SEPTEMBER movie lineup here.

[Sun City West] An Evening with The Phantom & The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Sept. 10 show sold out; limited tickets available for Sept. 9!

The originally scheduled “An Evening with The Phantom & The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” sold out so quickly, the Rec Centers have added another show! Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for this 2 p.m. performance at Stardust Theatre (link)

[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!

[Sun City] Dust off your dancing shoes for Sun City’s Royal Autumn Ball, a festive evening that brings back the fun of senior prom! Enjoy music, dancing and a little friendly royalty as the evening includes the crowning of the Senior Prom King and Queen. Wednesday, September 16th. (link)

[Sun City West] Rockin’ & Roarin, featuring the Tokens. Responsible for some of music’s most well known songs throughout the sixties, including “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” catch The Tokens perform this September at Stardust Theatre!

This show begins at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17th, with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 and go on sale Monday, Aug. 3. Members can purchase tickets online at suncitywest.com/tickets or in person at the R.H. Johnson Box office.

[Sun City West] Movie Night at the Stardust Theatre Join them for a matinee showing of CAPTAIN RON, on Thursday, SEPTEMBER 17TH, at 6pm (link)

[Sun City West] The Bash is back on Wednesday, September 23rd, with live music from The Audrey Hicks Band! Head on down for an evening of music, dancing, cornhole, cards and games, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the fun starting at 6. (link)

[Sun City] The Sun City Senior Expo & Resource Fair is coming to the Sundial Recreation Center on Wednesday, September 23rd, from 9 a.m. to noon. This free event brings together local resources covering health and wellness, senior living, home improvement, financial planning, travel and more, plus giveaways and door prizes. (link)

[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 will be available for sale beginning on August 28th. (link)

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🏡 Home of the Week: What does the least expensive home look like in Sun City, without an HOA? Check out this 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home that is listed for $176k.

See all the pics & details here.

Property listed by Marlene Cerreta with Cerreta Real Estate

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.