Patrick Duffy

City of Surprise

Mayor Skip Hall, Councilmember Aly Cline and I joined Jim Hug, SafewayDistrict Manager and Mary de la Vera, Safeway Store Director at the grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration of the brand new Safewayin Surprise at Peoria Avenue and Cotton Lane. The November 8 celebration included several special guest speakers along with The Safeway Foundation awarding $112,000 in grants to local schools and nonprofit organizations. We are pleased to welcome Safeway to the Sterling Grove area of Surprise and are grateful for your generosity to our community!

Veterans Day Parade

What a beautiful celebration of our heroes at the 9^th annual Veterans Day Parade! The event kicked off with a Luke Air Force Base flyover. Thank you to the community and the participants for showing your spirit, and of course, thank you to our veterans for your service and sacrifice.

Small Business Saturday Proclamation

At the Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 21, Mayor Hall proclaimed Saturday, November 25 as Small Business Saturday in Surprise. The proclamation was accepted by CJ Johnson with Maricopa Small Business Development Center. Small Business Saturday is celebrated nationwide as an opportunity to support small businesses and all they do for their communities.

Remember to shop local this holiday season to support our small businesses and keep your tax dollars at home to pay for roads, parks, public safety and more!

Upcoming Events

Sparkling Surprise

City Council was thrilled to kick-off the holiday season with our annual Christmas tree lighting at Surprise Party over the weekend, where we flipped the switch to turn on the lights throughout the Surprise Recreation Campus for Sparkling Surprise! This year, you can enjoy more sparkle than before at our spectacular display of about 200,000 holiday lights and light features spanning Surprise Community Park and outside Surprise Stadium. Sparkling Surprise is a free attraction that runs through January 2, nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. near 15960 N. Bullard Ave. Come and enjoy the new 40-foot-tall, 18,000 light Christmas tree, giant candy canes, Santa’s sleigh, light features on the lake and so much more!

For the safety of those attending our holiday events and walking around the City’s recreation campus, Bullard Avenue will be closed between Paradise Lane and Tierra Buena Lane – just south of Bell Road and just north of Greenway Road. This closure is now in place 24 hours a day through January 2.

For more information on the holiday lights and to see a map, visit surpriseaz.gov/SparklingSurprise.

Surprise Police Department Toy Drive

Bring joy to children in need by donating to the Surprise Police Department’s annual Holiday Toy Drive.

If you would like to participate, please drop off a new, unwrapped toy in the manufacturer’s original packaging to a toy collection box at one of the following locations by December 17:

• Surprise Police Department, 14250 W. Statler Plaza; Suite #103
• The Irish Wolfhound Restaurant & Pub, 16811 N. Litchfield Road
• Sun Village Community Center, 14300 W. Bell Road
• Sunflower RV Resort, 16501 N. El Mirage Road
• Arizona Traditions, 17221 N. Citrus Road 
• Spencer’s Place (Coffee Bistro), 15341 W. Waddell Road #B101
• Walmart, 13770 W. Bell Road
• Kingswood Family Chiropractic, 15508 W Bell Road #105
• The Grand, Sonoran Plaza, 19789 N. Remington Drive
• The Grand, Cimarron Center, 17100 W. Clearview Drive
• The Grand, Adobe Center, 19775 N. Remington Drive
• Vista de la Montana Independent Senior Living, 18510 N Parkview Plaza
• Animal Medical Center of Surprise, 13839 W. Bell Road #109

Thank you for helping to spread holiday cheer in our community!

Surprise Day of Service

Volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank to help provide food for families in need on Wednesday, December 13. 

Available shifts:

• 7:30 - 10 a.m.
• 9:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Registration is required. Contact Larry.Garcia@surpriseaz.gov or call 623.222.1522. Please also subscribe to the volunteer interest list for future opportunities. More information available at surpriseaz.gov/DayOfService.

Arts & Culture Events

Are you ready to discover arts and culture events in Surprise? From theater performances, gallery tours, poetry readings and more, the City offers a number of events throughout the year. Here's what’s coming up: 

One More Step | Art Exhibition at Surprise City Hall

Through December 15 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday

*Lunchtime Theater - West Valley Chorale: Holiday Favorites | Arts HQ Gallery

December 14 • noon - 1 p.m. at the Arts HQ Gallery

*Registration required. Find details and sign-up information at surpriseaz.gov/ArtEvents.

Save The Date

MLK Day of Celebration and Service

The City is excited to announce the 8^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration and Service will be held on Saturday, January 13 at the Vista Center for the Arts, 15660 N. Parkview Pl. This amazing event provides a way to serve the community with a hands-on projects, as well as a celebration for all ages filled with local musicians, performers and inspiring speakers.

In preparation for the celebration, the City is seeking sponsors, performers, art and essay contest submissions and community service volunteers.

For more information, please contact Lord.Garcillano@surpriseaz.gov or visit surpriseaz.gov/MLK.

Spring Training Ticket Information

Spring Training single game tickets are on sale now! Opening day is Friday, February 23, with the Kansas City Royals taking on the 2023 World Series Champions, the Texas Rangers, at Surprise Stadium. Surprise Stadium will host 30 games this season with plenty of exciting matchups to include the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and the National League Champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Single Game Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at SurpriseStadium.com or by phone at 623.222.2222. Ticket prices start at just $8! The Surprise Stadium Box Office will open for in-person ticket sales on Saturday, February 3, beginning at 8 a.m. AZ time. The box office is located at 15960 N. Bullard Ave. Additional information on 2024 special events, promotions and special offers will be released at a later date.

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

Community Meeting

My next meeting will be on January 6 at 9 a.m. at Total Wine & More, 13440 N. Prasada Pkwy. in the meeting room in the back. 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 on December 19 at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend, or you can 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. 

Thank you for signing up to receive City updates and my council newsletters. I am honored to serve the residents of District 3 and am always available for questions, concerns or comments. Please follow me on Facebook or email me directly at patrick.duffy@surpriseaz.gov.