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Business owners along a construction-muddled stretch of North Thornydale Road received some inspiring news last week when they were told final paving for the road-widening project would begin around Oct. 20, six months earlier than originally planned.

For some area businesses, though, that news came too late.

A handful of stores and offices have closed along Thornydale since January, when Marana began work on a $16.3 million project to widen the road from four to six lanes between West Orange Grove Road and the Cañada del Oro Wash.

The latest casualties include a real estate agency, a print shop, a gym and Wienerschnitzel, a fast-food franchise, all of which have closed since June.

Though it's unclear whether the closure of any of those businesses was directly due to the road work, other local business owners say the combination of a weakened economy and a decrease in traffic flow through the construction zone has led to financial strain.

Some of the defunct establishments include Insty-Prints, Luis Perez Realty, Velocity Sports Performance, Venetian Day Spa and Wienerschnitzel.

Sales at the Dunn-Edwards paint store in the North Pointe center, are down 55 percent from a year ago, store manager Tom Moreno said.

In September 2005, two local women started a "cookie bouquet" company using ovens and space they rented from other businesses. Almost three years later, Joyce Schulte and Tami Peek finally have a space and ovens of their own.

Copper Creek Cookies in May moved into its new digs — complete with shiny, new baking equipment — in a shopping center on West Ina Road between Thornydale Road and Interstate 10. The store is not set up for retail sales, but it provides a place to bake and the space to handle constant cookie deliveries.

The business' specialty, the cookie bouquet, consists of about a dozen cookies on sticks arranged in a basket or vase.

About 600 people took advantage of the carnival-like atmosphere to attend Rancho Sahuarita's fifth annual Back to School Safety Fair on Saturday.

From pony rides to jumping castles to a vehicle-rollover machine and bike-safety courses, agencies including the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Sahuarita Police Department, Rural/Metro Fire Department and Green Valley Fire Department, as well as Sahuarita businesses, all helped put on a fun and educational morning.

"It's about the kids, the families, and it's about keeping people safe," said Michelle Moreno, activities director for Club Rancho Sahuarita.

"As a community, we all go back to school, so with safety along those lines, we get the fire and police departments involved as well. It's a great family event," Moreno said.

Because more children ride their bikes and more cars are out on the roads during the school year, police set up a bike-safety course in the clubhouse parking lot.

"There are a lot of kids that are riding their bikes recreationally," said Sahuarita officer Michael Blevins. "By setting up this course, we help teach them the rules and fundamentals of the road."