Every Thursday morning you get one short email: the HOA garage sales coming up, a few things worth doing around the East Valley, and one place worth the drive. We're two East Valley residents who got tired of finding out about community yard sales at 11 AM, driving home past the sign. Here's this week's.
1. This week's HOA garage sale calendar
Most community garage sales are announced late, if at all, and the dates are scattered across a dozen websites and Facebook groups. We collect them in one place, and we only list a named community with a firm date.
Anthem at Merrill Ranch (Florence)
Hunt Hwy & Merrill Ranch Pkwy
Fri-Sat, Nov 13-14 · 7 AM to 1 PM
Residents have posted a map of participating homes.
Estates at Desert Shadows (Mesa)
McKellips Rd & Hawes Rd
Fri-Sat, Nov 13-14 · Times not published
The community's annual sale, community-wide.
Arizona Grande (Apache Junction)
Near Southern Ave & Ironwood Dr
Sat, Nov 14 · Starts at 7 AM
Community-wide sale.
Augusta Ranch (Mesa)
Baseline Rd & Ellsworth Rd
Sat, Nov 14 · Times not published
Community-wide fall sale. Many homes participate. Here's the HOA's event page.
Colonia del Sur (Tempe)
McClintock Dr & Southern Ave
Sat, Nov 14 · Times not published
One neighborhood, lots of yard sales. Saturday only.
Sunland Village (Mesa)
Near Southern Ave & Greenfield Rd
Sat, Nov 14 · 7 AM to 3 PM
A big community, so drive between areas and watch for signs.
Sunbird (Chandler)
6250 S Sunbird Blvd
Sat, Nov 14 · 8 AM to 12 PM
Open to the public. Sunbird holds two community sales a year, and the next is Sat, Feb 27, 2027.
2. Also this weekend
Saturday, Nov 14: Mesa Historical Museum Arts & Crafts Fair. The museum grounds (2345 N. Horne, Mesa) fill with local makers, food and shopping from 9 AM to 4 PM. It's a good stop if you're out garage sale hopping anyway, and a fine place to spend what you just saved.
Through Sunday, Nov 15: Joe's Farm Grill turns 20. The Agritopia favorite (3000 E. Ray Rd, Gilbert) is holding an anniversary week from Nov 9 to 15, with themed appreciation days and giveaways. Twenty years in a farm-themed burger joint is a long time. It has earned its party.
Saturday, Nov 14, 3 to 8 PM: Copper State Whiskey Festival, Sloan Park. This one is for adults and is ticketed, so it's a rare weekend outing where the kids stay home. The festival bills itself as Arizona's largest whiskey festival, with a cigar lounge and tasting experiences. Plan a ride home.
3. Coming up
Saturday, Nov 21: Woofstock in Chandler. Tumbleweed Park hosts the city's 19th annual dog festival from 9 AM to 1 PM. Along with the booths and photo stations, the city says pet adoptions, vaccinations and microchips are available on site, which makes it handy even if you're not shopping for a new dog. Expect more dogs than you can count, and at least one dressed better than you. Event page.
Saturday, Dec 5: Tumbleweed Tree Lighting and Parade of Lights, downtown Chandler. It's free and runs 4:30 to 9 PM. The parade starts at 6:45 PM, and the tree is lit once it ends. The tree really is made of tumbleweeds. It stands more than 30 feet tall, and the city calls it the only one of its kind in the Southwest. Get there early for a curb spot. Event page.
Nov 27 through Dec 30: Mesa Temple Christmas Lights. The grounds in downtown Mesa (101 S. LeSueur) fill with hundreds of thousands of lights every night from 5 to 10 PM, and there's an international nativity exhibit at the visitors' center. It's free. Event page.
4. A free family morning at the Riparian Preserve
Need a way to wear the kids out that doesn't cost anything? Free is our favorite price. Gilbert's Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch has a play area with a dinosaur dig, a fishing lake with a floating boardwalk, and about 4.5 miles of trails around seven ponds. More than 300 kinds of birds have been spotted here, so even if you can't name a single one, there's plenty to point at.
Hours: the park is open 5:30 AM to 10 PM. The trails are open from dawn to dusk.
Best time: early morning. It's cooler and the birds are actually out.
Bird walks: free Family Bird Walks happen the third Saturday of every month, October through March, 8 AM to noon at the Dragonfly Ramada. They loan you binoculars. The next one is Nov 21.
Where: 2757 E. Guadalupe Rd, Gilbert. Town of Gilbert page.
5. A place worth the drive: Queen Creek Olive Mill
Olive oil is not what most people expect from the southeast Valley, which is the fun part. The Rea family planted the first olive trees here in the late 1990s, in summer heat, and the grove has grown to roughly 7,000 trees. Today the mill is part working farm, part market, and part café.
Go for the Olive Oil 101 tour. It runs about 45 minutes, costs $7 a person, and starts every hour on the half hour from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. It's first come, first served, so get there 20 to 30 minutes early. Then hit the tasting counter, where you can dip bread in different oils and compare them the way you would with wine, minus the pretending you can taste cherry. The café serves sandwiches, pizza and gelato, so plan for lunch. 25062 S. Meridian Rd, Queen Creek.
6. The garage sale shopper's cheat sheet
Bring small bills. The seller with the $400 antique never has change for your $50, and not everyone takes payment apps.
Go early for the best picks, late for the best prices. Sellers are usually happy to bargain in the last hour.
Bring bags and a tape measure. A furniture score only helps if you know it fits in the car.
7. Worst (and Best) Find of the Week
A true story. We found this one ourselves. Future entries come from our garage sale travels and from you.
A dog waste bag dispenser shaped like an embroidered pug. It is objectively terrible. It also came home with us, because we have a pug. A terrible find is not a verdict on your taste. If you love something we roast here, good for you. We bought this one.
Found something terrible, wonderful, or both? Hit reply and tell us. The best one runs next week.
For HOA managers
If your community holds a yard sale, send the date (or just the month) to [email protected] and we'll list it for free. You'll get a reply from an actual person.