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Happy Saturday, Meridian! The weekend's here and the sun means business again — we're back near 102° today, so front-load the outdoor plans and save the afternoon for anywhere with air conditioning. In today's issue: a 13-time world pizza champ quietly opened shop at Orchard Park, the clock starts ticking on pool-and-splash-pad season, and Bear Creek Park goes in and out of service next week. Let's get into it.
In this Meridian Local Scoop issue…
🍕 Championship pizza — Tony Gemignani's Slice House — is now open at Orchard Park
🏊 The countdown is on for Meridian Pool's Open Swim and the splash-pad season
🌳 Bear Creek Park closes on and off next week for maintenance
📅 A big-dog walk at Kleiner, a Christmas-in-July market, a Thursday playdate — and Jason Aldean in Nampa
🌡️ Hot and sunny again — near 102° for your Saturday
🧠 Trivia: Meridian's signature summer tradition has been going strong for generations — and it has nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with cows. Name the festival. (Answer at the bottom.)
Events — your week ahead
Six Meridian outings to carry you from this Saturday to next. Big dogs, handmade goods, a little play, and a country show down the road. 🎉
Saturday, July 25
Big Dog Walk Club (July Walk) — 9–10 a.m. · 📍 Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park, 1900 N. Records Ave. · A free monthly stroll built for giant-breed dogs and the people who love them, with coffee, treats and a mellow one-mile loop. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
Christmas in July Craft Show & Market — 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. · 📍 Mint Barrel Barn Event Center · Free · Handmade goods, local makers and summer-holiday cheer — a head start on holiday shopping without the December stress. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
Men's Breakfast — 9 a.m. · 📍 Mountain West Pentecostal Church, 1021 NW 8th St. · Free homemade breakfast and good company — invite a friend or a neighbor and just show up. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
Thursday, July 30
Free Weekly Playdate at The Learning Experience — 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. · 📍 6241 N. Linder Rd. · A free morning of hands-on play for little learners, with snack and lunch on the house. RSVP so they're ready for your kiddo. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
Friday, July 31
Jason Aldean: Songs About Us Tour — 7:30 p.m. · 📍 Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Nampa · Worth the short drive: Aldean rolls in with Chase Matthew, Mackenzie Carpenter and Dee Jay Silver for the valley's big country night of the summer. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
Saturday, August 1
Bonsai Workshop at Victory Gardens — 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. · 📍 Victory Gardens Nursery, 120 E. Victory Rd. · $40 for instruction · Pick a plant, learn the techniques from Jason Kimball, and walk out with your own tiny living sculpture. · 🗓️ Add to Calendar
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🌤️ Saturday, July 25 — Meridian
High ~102°F
Overnight low ~68°F · Sunny and hot · patchy morning smoke possible
No mystery here: it's a hot one. Look for full sun, highs pushing right around 102, and a gusty northwest breeze (10–15 mph, gusting to 25) that'll feel more like a hair dryer than relief. There may be a little lingering wildfire haze early, and with heat like this a Heat Advisory is likely still in play, so hydrate, hit the market and the dog walk early, and check on older neighbors and pets who feel this worst. Sunday and Monday actually ease off a touch. Full forecast at the National Weather Service.
Business Brief: A world-champion pizza spot quietly opened at Orchard Park
File this under "reasons to skip cooking tonight." Slice House by Tony Gemignani — the chef-driven pizza concept from a 13-time world pizza champion — is now open in Meridian at 1582 Orchard Park Dr., and early diners are calling it "incredible." It's fast-casual on the surface but serious about the crust underneath, and it's already earning glowing reviews. Good news for the rest of the valley too: the next Idaho Slice House is headed to Eagle. Go hungry, and maybe skip the "I'll just have a salad" plan. Read more →
Summer's on a countdown: the pool and splash pads have an expiration date
If you've been meaning to get the kids to the pool, the calendar is closing in. Meridian Pool's public Open Swim runs through Saturday, Aug. 8 before the season wraps, and the city's free splash pads — at Kleiner, Settlers, Discovery and Hillsdale parks — stay on daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Aug. 13. One heads-up from earlier this week: Open Swim got paused on July 20 when the air quality dipped, so it's worth a quick check before you load up the towels on a smoky day. With highs near 102, few things beat free water. Read more →
Heads up: Bear Creek Park closes on and off next week
Quick one for the park-planners: Bear Creek Park will be closed at times throughout the week of July 27–31 for maintenance, so if that's your go-to for an evening picnic or a dog romp, have a backup in mind. On the bright side, Chateau Park reopened Friday after its own tune-up. A little upkeep now keeps the grass green for the rest of summer. Read more →
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Meme of the Day
Brought to you by Meridian Local Scoop.
Trivia answer: Meridian Dairy Days. Long before the subdivisions rolled in, Meridian was dairy country — right down to a bustling creamery — and Dairy Days grew up as the town's signature summer party, complete with a parade, a rodeo and more ice cream than any reasonable person should eat. It's stuck around for generations, which is a pretty good run for a festival named after cows.
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