Good morning, Mesa. One practical note before the week gets going: the county has crews out fogging parts of Mesa for mosquitoes early Tuesday, between midnight and 5 AM.
- ⚽ Turkey's national team set up World Cup camp in Mesa. A tournament roster is practicing here this summer.
- 🏛️ Mesa's council added a dress code for its meetings and changed how public speakers are picked.
- 🎆 The July 4 Celebration of Freedom is adding a drone show and a bigger military display.
- 🎓 Mesa College Promise applications close June 22. Two years of free tuition for eligible grads and residents.
- 🦖 A dino-heavy week downtown. Jurassic Park at the MIX, a dino arts lab, and Dinos After Dark at AZMNH.
- 🎭 Around the Valley: Rod Stewart tonight, Pink Floyd lasers Friday.
Turkey's World Cup team picked Mesa
Turkey's national soccer team is training in Mesa as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Key facts:
The national team is using Mesa as its training base ahead of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada this summer.
Watch parties are popping up across the Valley for fans who want to follow the run.
A national side setting up camp is the kind of thing that usually lands in a bigger-name city. With no tournament matches scheduled in the Phoenix area, a Mesa practice pitch is about as close as most Valley fans will get to a World Cup roster this summer.
12News has the rundown on where the watch parties are happening. Details.
The week ahead
The libraries and the natural history museum are leaning hard into dinosaurs this week.
- 🦕 Jurassic Park on the big screen. The ASU MIX theater shows it Tuesday at 3 PM, across from the Main library at 50 N Centennial Way. Details.
- 🎨 Dino arts lab at the Main library. Mesa Arts Center's mobile MABEL lab runs a dinosaur craft session Tuesday at 11:30 AM. Details.
- ✍️ Writer in residence at the Main library. Mesa poet Oscar Mancinas takes one-on-one consultations through July 18, starting this week. Details.
- 🦖 Dinos After Dark at AZMNH. The museum stays open June 17 from 5 to 8 PM, with adoptable dogs on hand. Details.
Around Mesa
- 🏛️ New rules for council meetings. Mesa's city council put a dress code in place and changed how public speakers are picked, following disruptions at recent meetings. Details.
- 🎆 July 4 adds a drone show. The Willmeng Arizona Celebration of Freedom is adding a patriotic drone show and an expanded military display as part of Mesa's America250 events. Details.
From the schools
Around the Valley
A few shows worth leaving Mesa for this week.
- Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular. Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Friday at 7 PM. The catalog under a full laser rig. Tickets.
- Rod Stewart. Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, tonight at 7:30 PM. Five decades of hits in one of the bigger rooms in town. Tickets.
- Dear Evan Hansen. Phoenix Theatre downtown, Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The touring run of the Tony-winning musical. Tickets.
- Phoenix Rising FC vs. Louisville City. Phoenix Rising Stadium, Wednesday at 7:30 PM. A USL Championship night close to home. Tickets.