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VICE MAYOR CRANE WRITES...
Carefree — Spring has Sprung!
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By Vice Mayor John Crane
In Carefree, every season has its charm, but spring in Carefree is hard to beat. Desert wildflowers dot the landscape, cactus bloom and the migrating birds we missed through the colder months return or at least stop by on their way further north. Adding to our enjoyment, the Town of Carefree has assembled a full schedule of special events and activities: • The organizers of the Carefree Classic Wheels and Wings Show are proud to announce the 2020 Wheels and Wings Show, a celebration of classic and vintage automobiles and airplanes on March 7 at the SkyRanch Airport in Carefree. Enthusiasts and owners will have an opportunity to mingle and take in some of the finest examples of domestic and foreign automobiles and aircraft from around the Valley. Admission is free to the public. The show opens at 8am and ends at noon. This will be the first large car show in Carefree in eight years, and anticipation is running high. Join in this celebration of “moving art, the automobile!” For more information, visit www.carefreewheels-wings.com. VICE MAYOR Town of Carefree 480.488.3686 www.carefree.org
• Carefree Desert Gardens Seminar Series features two stellar programs: March 14, Blending Hardscape with Landscape, and April 18, Gardening for Fragrance. Both seminars begin at 9:30am in the Carefree Town Council Chambers at 33 Easy Street.
• Rock the District will return to the Sundial in Carefree April 18, 5–10pm, for their annual fundraising concert featuring musicians and singers from the Cave Creek Unified School District benefiting teacher grant programs. But wait, there’s more! • Carefree Farmer’s Market at the Sundial every Friday, 9am–1pm
• First Friday Art Walks, through May, 4–7pm. Enjoy galleries throughout downtown Carefree.
• Carefree Restaurant Week, Sunday, May 3, to Saturday, May 9
• Free Yoga in the Gardens by the YMCA every Monday at 9am
• Sights and Sounds in the Garden April 4, 11, 25 and May 2. Enjoy a wide variety of music and art.
• Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast in the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion, Saturday, April 4, 7–11am
• Zumba with Patricia in the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion, Thursdays, 9–10am
• World QiGong Tai Chi Event, in the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion, Saturday, April 25, 8am to noon
• Memorial Day Tribute at the Cave Creek Cemetery near Cave Creek Road and Pima Road, Monday, May 25, 8–9am With so many different activities from which to choose, I hope to see you about Town.
Museum Celebrates Fifty Years With The Gerry Jones Home Tour Museum Celebrates Fifty Years With The Gerry Jones Home Tour
The DeMille Residence was the first house to be built in Carefree (1959). Photo: The Archive of Gerry Jones
Cave Creek Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary year with a Gerry Jones featured exhibit and a one-day only Home Tour of six unique and stellar residences recognizing the imagination, aesthetic and resolve that initiated and continues to give the Desert Foothills its signature character. Gerry Jones is the Desert Foothills’ distinguished architectural designer and builder who implemented the vision of Carefree’s founders, KT Palmer and Tom Darlington. His 1974 paper “Must We Destroy in Order to Build?” addressed the issues facing those who loved the natural drama and beauty of their Sonoran homes. Jones perceives how the world around us isn’t separated by interior and exterior dichotomies. He creates timeless architecture with a livable affinity for the extreme terrain in Arizona’s wilderness. He brings bedrock into dwelling spaces and puts homeowners into the living desert.
For nearly 50 years, he has made Carefree his home. He continues to work from his studio overlooking the broad expanse of this beautiful region.
Tickets for “The Gerry Jones Home Tour,” to be held Sunday, March 8, are $75 each and are only available in advance through the Cave Creek Museum. Participants will visit the homes via chauffeured buses in three shifts throughout the day: 9am to noon; noon to 3pm; and 3pm to 6pm. Note: the residences are multi-level and are not ADA accessible.
In addition to the Home Tour, residents can visit the Museum’s 2019–20 featured exhibit “The Legacy of Gerry Jones,” which will be on display through the end of May 2020. Workshops and special events will be held at the Museum and other locations during March.
The season-long celebration of Gerry Jones is supported by a grant from the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation. A Home and Garden Boutique will be held at the Cave Creek Museum, 6140 East Skyline Drive, one of the stops along The Gerry Jones Home Tour. For tickets and other details, call 480.488.2764 or visit www.cavecreekmuseum.org. Slingman Residence (1970); Photo: The Archive of Gerry Jones
Lori Laswick Agency The Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce was present Thursday, Jan. 23, to conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony for American Family Insurance — Lori Laswick Agency . Lori Laswick has been an American Family Insurance agent in Arizona for over 20 years. The agency will provide a free auto, home, life and/or commercial insurance quote to those who may be purchasing a new car, buying a house, investing in a rental property, starting a small business or wanting to leave behind a legacy. Lori Laswick Agency offers auto, home, business, life insurance and other types of insurance tailored to fit everyone’s unique needs.
The agency is located at 36800 Sidewinder Road, Suite B-17, Carefree. For additional information, call 602.996.9606.
Koivisto, Adams, Kvittem-Barr & Assoc. CPAs, LLP The Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 4, for Koivisto, Adams, Kvittem-Barr & Assoc. CPAs, LLP.
Koivisto, Adams, Kvittem-Barr & Assoc. CPAs, LLP was established in 1990 to provide efficient, expert solutions to businesses and individuals. The firm is “large enough to offer a full array of accounting, taxation and consulting services but small enough to know you on a personal level.” Koivisto, Adams, Kvittem-Barr & Assoc. is located at 7518 Elbow Bend Road, Suite B-2, in Carefree. For information, call 480.488.5255 or visit www.carefreecpas.com.
Foothills Animal Rescue Opens Resale Boutique
Foothills Animal Rescue (FAR) is expanding its retail efforts in the hopes of helping even more homeless pets. The nonprofit animal welfare agency, based in North Scottsdale, opened its Resale Boutique Carefree in February. This will be FAR’s second Resale Boutique. The boutique, located at 7202 East Ho Road, Suite C, in Carefree, opened its doors Monday, Feb. 10, and will be open seven days a week. The boutique features 1,000 square feet of women’s and men’s clothing, shoes, accessories, high-end housewares and pet supplies.
The agency plans to continue operating its flagship resale store, which is located at 23030 North Pima Road in Scottsdale. Revenue generated through sales at both of FAR’s Resale Boutiques helps support the agencies programs and services. Last year, FAR found homes for nearly 1,000 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. The organization marks its 25th anniversary in 2020.
For more information about FAR, visit www.foothillsanimal.org.
If you live in Carefree you have undoubtedly been asked by someone if life here is “care free.” I don’t always respond to the question with the whole truth, so I say something like, “Carefree is not only a unique picturesque village in the desert foothills of the Continental Mountains, it is the habitat of 3,783 souls without a care in the world.” Not the whole truth!
Real life with all its maladies, aches and pains, and ups and downs don’t pass over us. For example, next week I have two dental appointments that will not be care free experiences, when my dentist replaces two old crowns with the added pain of no insurance. Nevertheless, this doesn’t qualify as suffering that merits sympathy. Right now, I can’t think of anything in my life that rises to that level. Maybe my life in Carefree is reasonably care free.
Live in Arizona long enough, and you will have experienced one, or two, or three of Arizona’s infamous cycles of a housing boom followed by a bust. Carefree homeowners are not immune. We have not forgotten the housing crash of 2008, the damage it did to personal finances, and the slow recovery. That was not a care free time. Now, we are hoping for the continuation of a Goldilocks housing market: not too hot and not too cold. I am trying to come up with more hardships to refute the notion that Carefree life is care free, but I am having difficulty. Maybe life here is care free, for most of us, mostly. It felt that way last evening, sitting on my patio in the cool air, absorbing the clear blue sky, dotted with stars and planets light years above Black Mountain. As David Budbill asked:
“How can this be? Such calm, such solitude in this world of woe.”* Writer ALLEN NOHRE
“A Soul from Minnesota,” by Allen Nohre, a collection of CITYSunTimes essays, is available on Amazon and Kindle. Allen can be reached at anohre@cox.net.
*Excerpt: Budbill, David “The Sixth of January.” Good Poems, Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor, Penguin Books, 2002.
Area residents will have the opportunity to find answers to all of their landscape design questions from a real pro. Saturday, March 14, Carefree Desert Gardens will welcome expert and celebrity Judy Mielke, senior landscape architect with Logan Simpson Design, as part of the Desert Gardens Seminar Series. She is a well-known author for her award-winning book Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes and has taught courses on Landscape Plant Materials and Arizona Native Plants at Arizona State University. She is a Certified Arborist and Certified Water Harvesting Practitioner.
In her own words, Mielke says, “The challenge of putting plants together into a pleasing design is made a little easier by the suggestions for landscape use…aesthetics are considered, as are functional needs…”
By using various types of hardscape — walls, paving, seating, ramadas, fireplaces, water features, etc. — and combining them with beautiful plants providing shade, color and even food, it may surprise some people how much fun it can be to create a landscape. Mielke will also cover mulch materials, both rock and organic, and water harvesting ideas.
The program, usually including a plant raffle, will begin at 9:30am and run approximately until noon in the Town Council Chambers, located at 33 Easy Street and Nonchalant Avenue, Carefree. A $5, or more, donation is appreciated to support the programs. For information, call 480.488.3686.
DFT Announces March Productions & Auditions
Desert Foothills Theater (DFT) opens its production of Steel Magnolias opens Friday, March 27.
In this popular play, M’Lynn is the mother of bride-to-be Shelby, and as friend Truvy fixes the women’s hair for the ceremony, they welcome a helping hand from aspiring beautician Annelle. Diabetic Shelby has a health scare, which is averted but doesn’t bode well for her hopes of having children. Time passes, and the women and their friends encounter tragedy and good fortune, growing stronger and closer in the process.
Performances of Steel Magnolias will be Fridays and Saturdays, March 27–28, and April 3–4, at 7:30pm, and Sundays March 29 and April 5 at 2pm. Tickets are $25 and performances will be held at the Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, 33606 North 60th Street, Scottsdale.
“We are grateful to Phyllis and Peter Strupp, our season sponsors,” says Terry Temple, Desert Foothills Theater managing director. The Theater also will hold auditions in March for Godspell. At the behest of John the Baptist, young men and women forsake their jobs and take up the mantle of Jesus Christ — becoming his disciples — in a musical retelling of the Gospel of Matthew.
Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 10am–2pm, and Sunday, March 15, 2–6pm, with callbacks Monday, March 16, 6pm. Check the website for more details and sign-ups: www.dftheater.org.
For tickets and more information about upcoming events, visit www.dftheater.org or call 480.488.1981.
Local Appliance Repair Company Focuses on Quality Customer Care
Dynamic Appliance Repair is locally owned and operated and dedicated to providing prompt, professional appliance repair service.
“We’re a mid-sized, flexible appliance repair company, which allows us the opportunity to maintain internal control over all appliance repairs and demand excellence that is second to none,” says Scott Marine, president of Dynamic Appliance Repair.
“We are proud to be the premier appliance repair company located in Carefree, but we proudly serve the entire Phoenix area and the surrounding Valley. Since we’re local, you know you’re getting prompt, professional service, and not a random technician dispatched by a corporate call center.” Marine says that whether a customer is ready to schedule an appliance repair appointment or just has questions, the company prides itself on customer care and its friendly appliance repair staff, who he says are standing by to provide expert, friendly, problem-solving solutions.
“Your problem is our priority, and we always take the time to learn your concerns and make sure you receive the best solution.”
The company’s appliance repair technicians are licensed and insured and have many years of experience diagnosing and repairing all major household appliances, including washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, ranges, ovens and cooktops.
Marine says that the company only uses new factory certified replacement parts, all of which are covered with the manufacturer’s warranty.
“Speaking of warranties, we have the best warranty in the business with a one-year part and labor warranty even on parts which only have a 90-day warranty through the manufacturer,” says Marine. “We know your time is valuable, so we schedule our appointments in two-hour windows. Say goodbye to 8-12 or 12-5 service windows!”
He also says that service call fees are very competitive, plus their service call fee covers two appliances.
“Check around, you won’t find that kind of value with our competitors. Another service you will not find anywhere else is our Annual Refr igerator Service Plan. One, low annual fee gets your refrigerator checked out, and serviced top to bottom plus it includes a free service call! We would love to earn your business and trust!”
For details, call 480.590.7322 or visit www.dynamicappliancerepairaz.com.
Get ‘A Taste of the Desert’
Held the first Monday of each month, 6:30-8pm, the Desert Awareness Committee (DAC) lecture series continues April 6 with “A Taste of the Desert.” Individuals can live off the desert if they know what to pick and when. Of course, then they need to know what to do with it. Learn more at this hands-on, taste it lecture. From there, attendees can go into the desert to collect and then make their own foods. DAC members have been offering workshops on edible plants for over 25 years. Guests will be treated with tastes of some of the DAC members’ favorite recipes.
The lectures are held at the Holland Community Center, 34250 North 60th Street in Scottsdale. Registration is not necessary; a $5 donation is suggested for each seminar.
For information, visit www.azfcf.org/about-desert-awareness.
Community Invited to ‘Celebrate Unity and Diversity’ at Desert Hills
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Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-6 & Sunday 12-5
Desert Hills Presbyterian Church (DHPC) celebrates unity and diversity in a variety of ways, including musical styles. In addition to a well-respected and established traditional music worship service, DHPC says it is excited about reaching the community with a more contemporary worship service called The Gathering, which meets every Sunday at 11:10am.
DHPC leadership says that, “Emphasis, energy and much prayer are poured into The Gathering, and the worship music is excellent and glorifying to God. The music is not body thumping and headache inducing, but a good mix of upbeat worship songs currently played on the radio, traditional hymns with a modern feel, and thoughtful ballads. DHPC understands that worshipping together is the central focus of church life, and the example of unity in worship can spread far and wide.”
The church is biblically based, where “followers of Jesus are celebrating the truths of the gospel together.” Bible studies, mission opportunities, small groups and social events are more ways to celebrate unity and diversity regardless of backgrounds, interests and life experiences.
Desert Hills invites people from all walks of life to “unify to seek the Lord in a more personal way, grow in knowledge, and deliberately choose mission outreach to show faith in action.”
The church is located at the northeast corner of Carefree Highway and Scottsdale Road at the foot of The Boulders. Residents are invited to attend The Gathering at 11:10am, or one of the 8:15am or 9:45am traditional worship services. For information, visit www.deserthills.org or call the church office at 480.488.3384.
We are Leaders in CraftsMANSHIP
Celebrate 20 Years of Service to North Valley Seniors Foothills Caring Corps ‘Ticket to Ride’ Fundraiser
Join Foothills Caring Corps for the 16th Annual Taste of Foothills “Ticket to Ride” Fundraiser in Carefree, with gourmet food tastings, live auction and live music, all for a good cause. Guests of the social event and fundraiser benefiting independence and mobility for seniors will savor award-winning cuisine from local restaurants Thursday, March 26, from 5-8:30pm at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church’s newly remodeled Parish Center, 36811 North Pima Road, in Carefree.
The Taste of Foothills Fundraiser provides key funding for mobility and transportation services for “neighbors” who need rides to medical and other day-to-day appointments and events. The Caring Corps, the only transportation program in the far North Valley, needs a smaller vehicle with a wheelchair lift to meet the growing need to transport seniors.
Attendees at the fundraising event will enjoy a celebratory evening filled with sweet and savory tastings from local restaurant favorites and live music by Harry Mathews, local vocalist known for his smokin’ sax style playing saxophone, guitar and piano. Auctioneer Jonathan Blair will lead the live auction with exciting experiences and items up for bid.
Restaurants include award-winning cuisine from CIVANA Carefree, Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, It’s a Divine Bakery, Liberty Station, Pizzicata Ristorante Pizzeria and Venues Café. Check www.foothillscaringcorps.com for updates on newly added restaurants.
General admission is $50 per person with VIP admission options available. All proceeds benefit the volunteer-based nonprofit.
For tickets, to volunteer, or for more information, call the Foothills Caring Corps at 480.488.1105 or visit www.foothillscaringcorps.com.
Carefree Classic Wheels & Wings Show
A celebration of ‘moving art’
The organizers of the Carefree Classic Wheels and Wings Show are gearing up for the 2020 celebration of classic and vintage automobiles and airplanes, which will be held Saturday, March 7.
Enthusiasts and owners will have an opportunity to mingle and take in some of the finest examples of domestic and foreign automobiles and aircraft from around the Valley.
Exhibited cars will be from 1980 and earlier. They will include the pre-war golden era, post-war sports cars, American “chrome and fins,” muscle cars from the 60s and 70s, and other exotica. Vintage airplanes will come from around the Valley.
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16 Easy Street Carefree, AZ 85377 480-575-3114 www.bagsandragsaz.com
1952 Kurtis 500S
This will not be a “fly-in” but a static display. However, the renowned EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University’s UAV/drone team will be on the runway to show the amazing aerobatic skills of their futuristic flying machines. Joining the Embry-Riddle team will be Bryant Mack, national champion pilot of R/C aerobatic scale model airplanes. Together they will put on dazzling demonstrations of acrobatic flight.
Admission is free to the public. Food trucks will be on site. Free public parking will be along Cave Creek Road, which will be coned-off for the event. The show opens at 8am and ends at noon.
This will be the first large car show in Carefree in eight years. For information, visit www.carefree-wheels-wings.com or call 818.326.6403.
Write the Memoir You’re Afraid to Write In an encouraging and insightful presentation, Patricia L. Brooks will help you capture the essence of your untold story. She outlines the steps you need to bring it to fruition. Wednesday, March 11, 2020 10:30am – 12:30pm
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