Things to Do in Eloy

Jerry’s Liquors’ expedient service and diverse selection of age-restrictive elixirs earned it the Phoenix New Times award for Best Drive-Thru Liquor Store, East Valley in 2011. The libation emporium’s convenient drive-thru service allows customers to retrieve their socially lubricating potions in a timely fashion, ensuring they won’t miss a minute of weekend revelry or any hilarious mid-party attempts at deconstructing Finnegans Wake. Open until 2 a.m. 365 days a year, Jerry’s graciously slings suds for late-night beer runners and jaded Santa Clauses from its spot beneath its vintage neon sign.

Stocked with mud, obstacles, and more mud, the inaugural Kiwi Dash 5K sprawls across more than 100 acres to test racers with an arsenal of mental and physical challenges. Huffs, puffs, and fist bumps sweep through the course as individuals and teams attempt to conquer 15 hurdles, which remain a mystery until race day. As an alternative to stuffing their pockets with bulky grandfather clocks, dash participants will be equipped with electronic chip timers to determine the three fastest male and female racers, who, along the person wearing the best costume, will receive an award. The Blues, Bruise and BBQ after party serves up a fully charged celebration of the day's collective accomplishments with live music, a motorcycle show, beer, and 65 barbecue vendors vying to transform muddy fingers into saucy fingers.

Sew from the Heart beats with owner Susie's passion for textiles and fashion cultivated during her more than 40 years as a seamstress. Together with husband Hank, a retired Air Force fighter pilot who traded brawny planes for delicate needles, she shares her love with the public via a menu of classes ranging from embroidery and quilting to garment creation. The husband-and-wife team teaches students sewing-machine and software use, and frequently leads workshops such as how to turn T-shirts into quilts and how to turn quilts into T-shirts for giants. Their spacious store also houses a seemingly endless array of sewing products, stocking kits with threads and fabrics or outfitting workshops with machines, books, and software.

If you see a group of pilgrims or zombies wandering your streets, you can take comfort in the fact that it's probably not a reenactment of the American Civil War. It's likely one of Ryfle Events' scavenger hunts, which sends costumed participants on a race that fuses physical challenges, clue solving, and urban exploration. Race planners award cash prizes to the winners, who can compete in a championship round at the end of the year.

An understated wedding bouquet. A stately dining room centerpiece. A single red rose. The designers at Absolute Floral Farms understand the impact that flowers can have, drawing on their decades of experience and influences ranging from traditional Western arrangements to tropical Tongan floral compositions to instruct students in the fine art of flower craft. During each class, they empower their pupils to shape their own wedding arrangements or fashion handmade prom boutonnieres, channeling the stress surrounding event planning into memorable bonding experiences with friends and family. Guests share drinks, laughs, and snapshots as they use the shop’s farm-sourced plants to learn what colors complement each other and which flowers fight to the death when dropped into the same container.

Founder Joani Castillo developed an abiding love for artistic endeavors in a dance class at the age of three. Those moments started her on a path that encompassed school musicals, dance teams, and a degree in theater education and dance before spending 14 years as a creative director at Word of Grace Church in Mesa. Today, Castillo and her team of passionate instructors help students learn an appreciation for their unique gifts and the ability to express themselves through a wide range of disciplines, hoping to instill the same inspiration Joani felt as a youth. In the school’s workshops, young students create uplifting music in piano, vocal, and drum classes, convey a wide range of emotions in theater and dance courses, and make credible threats to run away with the circus after acing high-flying trapeze and aerial lessons.

Not only do the instructors at Experience Arts School help students realize their talents and potential with training for the stage but they enrich lives with outreach services, including mentoring programs, educational partnerships with schools, and free performances for hospitals and care facilities.