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Guest Commentary

Patrick Duffy: District 3 Newsletter — December 2022

Posted 12/7/22

At the November 1 City Council Meeting, Mayor Skip Hall officially proclaimed November 11, 2022, as the “240th Anniversary of the Purple Heart Award” in the City of Surprise.

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Guest Commentary

Patrick Duffy: District 3 Newsletter — December 2022

Posted

At the November 1 City Council Meeting, Mayor Skip Hall officially proclaimed November 11, 2022, as the “240th Anniversary of the Purple Heart Award” in the City of Surprise. As part of the proclamation, the City took part in the national initiative “Light to Unite” and lit City Hall purple on November 11. This show of appreciation was meant to honor the sacrifices all Purple Heart Medal recipients made while defending our freedoms. The City of Surprise has been a Purple Heart City since 2017. To learn more about the initiative, please visit mclnational.org.

Mayor Hall presents the a proclamation

Arby’s ribbon cutting

On Monday, November 7, Mayor Hall, Vice Mayor Cline, Councilmember Winters and I joined Arby's Area Supervisor Arlette Murray and her team for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of their new location at 13641 N. Prasada Pkwy. Congratulations and welcome to Surprise!

Mayor Hall, Councilmembers Winters and Duffy, Vice Mayor Cline and Arby's Area Supervisor Arletter Murray holding Arby's cups.

Spring Training schedule & ticket information

Spring Training single game tickets are now on sale! Opening day is Friday, February 24 with the Kansas City Royals taking on the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.

Surprise Stadium will host 30 games this season, including matchups against every team in the Cactus League. Additionally, the Royals have been selected to host a World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Surprise Stadium against Great Britain.

For questions or more information about Spring Training, please visit SurpriseStadium.com or call 623.222.2222.

2023 Spring Training, Feb 24 through March 25

8th Annual Veterans Day Parade

The City of Surprise came out to honor our Veterans at the 8th Annual Veterans Day Parade on Friday, November 11. Thank you to the Parks and Recreation team for putting together such an amazing event that has become a family tradition. And a big thank you to all who have selflessly served and continue to serve our country.

Councilmember Duffy sits with others in a convertable.

Key to the City

During the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 15, Mayor Hall presented a key to the city to Senator Rick Gray. The mayor expressed his appreciation for the Senator’s support of policies and initiatives that have advanced health, safety and quality of life in Surprise. Congratulations to Senator Gray!

Surprise City Council and Senator Rick Gray take a photo in the council chambers.

Winter Adult Sports registration

The Parks & Recreation Department is now accepting team registration for Winter Adult Co-Ed and Men’s Softball; Co-Ed and Women’s Kickball; Adult Basketball; Co-Ed Indoor Volleyball; and Adult Flag Football leagues. 

Registration is open now at surpriseaz.gov/surpriserec, over the phone at 623.222.2000 or at the Parks and Recreation office - 15960 N. Bullard Ave. Must register as a team (minimum number of players listed on registration page). 

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/3GpCFUp

Poetry, art and more!

As temperatures cool, the arts scene in Surprise is heating up. You can find amazing arts and cultural events – from theater performances, gallery tours, poetry readings and more. Check out what’s coming up and mark your calendar to attend!

DECEMBER EVENTS:

  • December 8 ● 10 - 11 a.m.
    Public Art Tour of City Hall
  • December 15 ● Noon
    Lunchtime Theater – West Valley Chorale | Arts HQ, $15
  • December 16 ● 6 - 8 p.m.

    Poetry Slam at WHAM

JANUARY EVENTS:

  • January 19 ● 9 a.m. - Noon
    Public Art Tour of local art galleries
  • January 21 ● 10 a.m. - Noon
    Tour of artist Joe Tyler’s Home & Studio
  • January 24 ● 11 a.m. - Noon
    AZ Speaks at Council Chambers
    “Deconstructing the Taco: The History and Lore of a Beloved Food” by Gregory McNamee
  • January 26 ● Noon
    Lunchtime Theater  Phoenix Opera | Arts HQ, $15

All dates and times are subject to change. All events are free unless otherwise stated. To register for Public Art Tours and AZ Speaks presented by Arizona Humanities, head to surpriseaz.gov/artssignup. For Lunchtime Theater, contact Arts HQ at 623.584.2626 or visit westvalleyarts.org/theater. To learn more about Poetry Slam, contact WHAM at 623.584.8311 or visit wham-art.org/poetry. Want to see what else is on the 2022-2023 arts & culture calendar? All events are listed online at surpriseaz.gov/arts.

Sign up for Notifications

Want to sign up for City of Surprise updates? Click here and create an account to get notifications! You can choose to receive District Newsletters, Surprise City News, Special Events and more.

Registration open for Spring Training 5k & 1k

Friday, March 3 is the 5th Annual Surprise Spring Training 5K and 1K Fun Run presented by Palm Valley Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics. Register now at SurpriseStadium.com/events to take advantage of the discounted rates; 5K: $30 and 1K: $15. Early registration ends March 2 and then prices increase to 5K: $40 and 1K: $20. 

Special promotional and vendor opportunities are available. For vendor information, contact Cecilia at 623.222.2253 or cecilia.covarrubio@surpriseaz.gov.

Spring Training 5k 1k

Day of Celebration and Service

The City of Surprise is excited to announce the 7th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration and Service, to be held Saturday, January 14 at The Vista Center for the Arts. In preparation for the celebration, the City is seeking sponsors, performers, art contest submissions and community service volunteers. For more information, please contact Lord Garcillano at lord.garcillano@surpriseaz.gov or visit surpriseaz.gov/MLK.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration and Service

Meet and Greet

My next meeting will be on January 7 at 9 a.m. at Spencer’s Place, 15341 W. Waddell Rd. Please check surpriseaz.gov for updates to my Meet and Greet schedule. As always, feel free to email me at patrick.duffy@surpriseaz.gov with any questions or concerns you may have. 

City Council Meetings

The next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting is December 20 at 6 p.m. Please tune in on surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv, the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsurprise or on Cox channel 11. 

Please continue to check the City of Surprise website, at surpriseaz.gov for updates to meeting schedules and other important announcements.