7 minute read
RCAC Comes to Globe / Ghosts of Globe
by Vincent Amico
My name is Vincent Amico, and along with my wife, Pam, I founded Arizona Paranormal Investigation & Research Society (AZPIRS) in 2009. My first paranormal experience was as a child of six seeing my recently passed grandfather. While my encounter was not frightening, I was confused. My grandfather was supposed to be in heaven, but here he was smiling at me and watching me play.
My parents wrote it off as my imagination, leaving me with my unanswered question: Why? There was no one for me to turn to. Since then, I have been researching and investigating the paranormal for over four decades, looking for the answer. The job of a paranormal investigator is to help others with their encounters. We give people the opportunity to express what they experienced, and provide guidance.
Our paranormal team has had the pleasure to investigate some incredible locations in Arizona, including the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix and the 1910 Gila Jail in Globe. Over the years, we’ve seen some wonderful buildings torn down to make way for parking lots or strip malls. Once a piece of history is gone, it can never be replaced.
While paranormal investigating is our core function, historic preservation and restoration are also priorities for us. Our fundraising program, operated as AZ Ghost Tours, is our way to give back to these historical locations and help their supporters raise money for upkeep and preservation.
AZ Ghost Tours, along with Molly Cornwell and the Historic Globe Main Street Program, is pleased to announce we will be hosting the Ghost of Globe ParaCon this spring. The event will be held at the 1916 Train Depot Complex and Museum at 230 S. Broad Street on May 14.
While the theme of ParaCon is the area’s history and its influence on the paranormal, the event is really all about community. There will be a vendor area free to the public with a variety of vendors and artisans, many from the community, on hand where you’ll find stones, crystals, jewelry, tarot, Anime, special creations, authors, psychics, paranormal teams and more.
Ghost of Globe ParaCon will feature several speakers, all Arizona residents, from a variety of paranormal fields. These experts - many seen on various Travel Channel shows - will present compelling lectures and workshops for both the skeptic and believer. In the early evening, you’ll have a chance to mix and mingle with our celebrity guests at a meet-and-greet. For entry to both the lecture/workshops and the meet-and-greet we ask for a $10 donation per person. Seating is limited.
The event will also include a historic tour down Broad Street with a local historian - a chance to learn about the various buildings and events from times past. On Ghost Tours at the 1910 Gila Jail, you’ll learn of the haunted history of the Old Gila Jail and possibly see paranormal evidence. We ask for a $10 donation per person for each tour.
In the evening, Ghost Hunts will happen at four of the most haunted locations in the area, led by seasoned paranormal investigators. You’ll use the latest equipment seen on TV used by professional paranormal investigators. Spend the night roaming these locations and try to communicate with spirits who have not yet left. Prices start at $30 per person. Attendees under 16 years will need to be accompanied by an adult.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.gogparacon.info. All proceeds will be donated to the Historic Globe Main Street Program. Come out for fun, learn about the paranormal, and help keep history alive!
by David Abbott
The organization that provided resources to help establish Globe’s Economic Development Department (EDD) is coming to town for its annual retreat this month, in an effort to show its members the results of their work and to highlight the successes of the Building Rural Economies (BRE) initiative in rural Arizona.
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) will be bringing 100 people to Globe from across the country from April 18 through 21 for a series of seminars, discussions and events for the nonprofit’s annual retreat.
“They’ll be staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, and using facilities such as the Depot and the Elks Hall,” says EDD Director Linda Oddonetto. “They’ll be shopping locally and really giving us a chance to highlight our hometown.”
RCAC, founded in 1978, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with rural communities in 13 western states to provide “training, technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions.”
The City of Globe began its relationship with RCAC in February 2018 with a series of meetings known as “Recharge Our Community Economy,” to get community feedback on the most important aspects of future community development.
There was a broad range of buy-in from several community partners including the City of Globe, Gila County, Central Arizona Governments and Local First Arizona, a nonprofit organization committed to economic development in the state.
The initial meetings covered a wide range of topics related to economic development including downtown revitalization, housing, education and recreation.
The meetings were so popular that the scope of the RCAC work was expanded beyond the original economic development project into the creation of a 3-year partnership to help create a strategic action plan for future economic growth.
In addition to bringing economic expertise and perspective to Globe leadership, RCAC provided a $45,000 grant via its BRE initiative to “provide training in comprehensive community economic development to support and develop local assets and talents.” Its goals are to increases local entrepreneurship and jobs; develop catalytic projects that seed additional investments, and develop a supportive, entrepreneurial environment for economic development to thrive.
The three-phase program focused on identifying economic opportunities in the community and leaders to guide them. In phase two, RCAC provided training for local entrepreneurs and business owners and phase three focused on implementation of the strategic plan created with the support of RCAC.
The ultimate goal for RCAC though, is to create selfsustaining programs for its targeted communities.
“It’s all about building the community’s capacity,” says Elizabeth Bernal, a Rural Development Specialist for RCAC based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “We’re kind of working ourselves out of a job by trying to build their capacity to where they don’t need us as much, and then they can teach us.”
According to Oddonetto, RCAC gave a boost to her department in its early stages of development.
“Our economic development plan was going to happen anyway, but RCAC has been a wonderful resource,” Oddonetto said. “Our partnership has been a win for the city. Economic development is a long game and as a community, we have to be invested and stay true to the plan.”
Bringing its annual “in-service” to Globe is a big departure for RCAC, as its corporate offices are located in West Sacramento, California and that is where they traditionally meet.
According to Ari Neumann, RCAC’s Director of Community and Environmental Services, the decision to come to Globe came as a result of a decision to spread the wealth to its community partners rather than focusing on a major urban area.
Neumann, who is from Genesee, Idaho, a town with a population of about 900, sees Globe as something of a poster child for the success of the BRE initiative that is focused on rural development.
“We settled on Globe really quickly, because it’s such a success story with what they’ve done already,” Neumann says. “I’m excited to be going back into rural communities, and supporting a community that’s done so much, to really showcase Globe’s success story.”
To Oddonetto, it all comes down to another aspect of a partnership that has brought value to the area beyond its initial investment.
“RCAC is a key partner and a great resource we’ve been fortunate to have,” she says. “It’s good for us and exciting for them to see our successes.” u
PHOTO BY DAVID ABBOTT RCAC brings annual conference to Globe
– Carol Cohen, RCAC’s Assistant Director of Community Environmental Services
