Carefree/Cave Creek
Community News Excellence for Over a Decade SC OT T SDALE
PARA D ISE VA L L E Y
N O RTH P H O EN I X
C AR EF R EE
C AVE C R EEK
FO U N TAIN HILLS
ANTHE M
SE P TE MBE R 2013
September Events Desert Foothills Library
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Arizona’s performing arts take center stage By Kathryn M. Miller
Camp Counselor Adventures
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Junior Tennis Academy Offered
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Creativity and innovation – two driving forces in the performing arts – were seen in the last few years as many organizations struggled to stay open. Some were unsuccessful; others, like Actors Theatre, took a step back, regrouped and are now preparing for a new season. “This is an exciting time for Actors Theatre and contemporary theatre in the Valley,” says Renee Gertsman, president of the Actors Theatre 2013-14 board of directors. “The board and artistic management took a very brave step in pulling back to rethink and redesign and we’re all very anxious to experience the outcome of this new strategic direction.” Arizona’s arts and culture organizations are significant contributors to economic health and competitiveness, generating $581,318,224 annually according to the Arizona Cultural Data Project (AZCDP) – and this figure represents less than half of active arts and culture organizations in Arizona.
In its report released in March, AZCDP ranked Arizona 50th in the nation in per capita state appropriations for arts and culture. But despite this ranking, the report concludes that, “Demonstrating resilience in the face of challenges, Arizona’s arts and culture sector embodies the best of American creativity and innovation.” An optimistic attitude is shared by many in the arts community. “I am cautiously optimistic,” says David Saar, founder and artistic director of Childsplay. “Last year was a good one for us, and signs look even better for this season.” But Saar recognizes that there are plenty of challenges ahead.
Towns Move Forward With Bike Lane Study Carefree and Cave Creek have teamed up to study the feasibility of connecting the two towns through the construction of bike lanes. The towns have entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for shared matching funds and other terms for a bike lane design grant. It will be a study of the two town cores to discover effective ways of adding bike lanes to the arterial streets, making them safer for the many cyclists who ride through the towns.
Cave Creek Planning Director Ian Cordwell says he’s looking forward to getting the two towns connected, and said the design phase must be completed before any construction could begin. The $320,000 grant will fund the design of bike lanes in both towns. Construction could begin as early as October 2014.
See Arizona Performing Arts, page 48