CALENDAR
OF EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT 2020 ISSUE 1
www.FountainHillsLIVE.com
NOW ONLINE!
YOUR GUIDE TO
entertainment ARTS AND EVENTS IN
FOUNTAIN HILLS
PG 5
TOUR D’ARTISTES n inside look at A artists’ studios
PG 12 MCDOWELL
MOUNTAIN CYCLES ycling with a social twist C
PG 14 COMMUNITY GARDEN
ringing residents B together
THE PRODUCERS A 2019 AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION BY FOUNTAIN HILLS THEATER
2020 ISSUE 1 www.FountainHillsLIVE.com
3 Welcome 4 Fountain Hills Artists Gallery Unique exhibit showcases wearable art
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Art League Annual tour offers up-close look at local artists
6 Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association
roviding infrastructure for local P nonprofits
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Boys and Girls Club Hoopsters enjoy partnership with
Members of the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy Class #4 listen to Fox 2 pilots describe search and rescue protocols at Saguaro Lake.
the Suns
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Fountain Hills Theater Celebrating 32 years of award-winning performances
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Four Peaks Rotary Club A legacy of giving in Fountain Hills
McDowell Mountain Cycles Cycling for every member of the family
River of Time Museum Honoring those who settled here before us
Community Garden rings residents together through growing, B giving back Caroline Redendo, owner of Sofrita, shows garden members how to prepare her famous guacamole as part of the Fountain Hills Community Garden’s Healing Food Series.
Fountain Hills Live! Is published by The HUB Marketing Group, a committee of the Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Association. This is the Spring 2020 issue, volume 1, number 1. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all images are copyright @2020 by The HUB Marketing Group or are used with permission.
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FOUNTAIN HILLS LIVE OVERVIEW You may not realize it, but you’re holding one of the most unique marketing concepts of its kind right now. This magazine and its sister companion, www.fountainhillslive.com, are products of The HUB Marketing Co-op, a new committee under the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association’s (FHCCA) umbrella. The HUB is comprised of a group of like-minded nonprofit organizations and businesses in Fountain Hills, all of whom are dedicated to promoting the activities and events which make this Town so outstanding. Our members are profiled on the Community Resources page of the website and in this premier issue. Please read their stories and learn what makes them such an integral part of Fountain Hills. Speaking of our sister resource, the star of the show is our Community Calendar, which is filled with fun events and activities sponsored by Fountain Hills clubs, organizations and businesses. We hope you’ll log onto the website soon and bookmark its address so you always have it handy when out-of-town guests are coming for a visit, you’re looking to explore a new activity, or you just want to know when your favorite annual event is taking place. None of this would have been possible without the vision and financial support of some important entities in Town: the FHCCA, of course, but also the Four Peaks Rotary Club and Rotary Club of Fountain Hills. All three organizations not only understood the vision, but more importantly gave us the financial foundation we needed to build the infrastructures for both of these resources. The process of coming together has been a rewarding experience for all concerned. We’re convinced there’s always something to do in Fountain Hills. All you have to do is walk outside your front door and join in the fun. The 62nd Annual Hashknife Pony Express rides through Fountain Hills to kick off the town’s “Fountain at 50” events.
FOLLOW US ON: FountainHillsLive FountainHillsLive We want to see your community event photos Tag us when you upload photos of Fountain Hills’ events. We just might post them on www.fountainhillslive.com.
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT 2020 ISSUE 1
www.FountainHillsLIVE.com
NOW ONLINE!
YOUR GUIDE TO
entertainment ARTS AND EVENTS IN
FOUNTAIN HILLS
PG 5
TOUR D’ARTISTES
An inside look at artists’ studios
PG 12
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN CYCLES
PG 14
COMMUNITY GARDEN
ON THE COVER:
Cycling with a social twist
Bringing residents together
THE PRODUCERS
A 2019 AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION BY FOUNTAIN HILLS THEATER
Scott Hyder (Max Bialystock) and Michael C. Stewart (Leo Bloom) star in the Fountain Hills Theater’s 2019 production of The Producers.
Go to FountainHillsLive.com for all schedules
Visit the Calendar of Activities and Events at www.fountainhillslive.com FountainHillsLIVE.com | 3
UNIQUE EXHIBIT SHOWCASES WEARABLE ART Regular visitors to the Fountain Hills Artists Gallery were treated to a trunk show of unique proportions when ten of the gallery artists created mannequins to display individually designed pieces of handmade jewelry, accessories and clothing. The special exhibit, “Wearable Art and Jewelry Showcase,” was on display February 1-14; all exhibited artwork and many of the mannequins were for sale during the two-week event. Exhibitors included artists Margaret Sullivan who fashioned “Miss Mannequin Shenanigans” by covering a white mannequin with hand-dyed doilies and Jeanie Thorn, who welded “Industrial Chic Mannequin” entirely of steel and embellished her with horseshoe nail eyelashes and a zebra-print hat. Artist Cheri Short’s “Fringe Benefits Mannequin” was made from a one-dimensional metal-cut mannequin form shape with crackle two-tone paint and adorned with handmade vintage jewelry. “We’re always looking for new and unique ways to present art to the public,” Marketing Director Jenny Willigrod said. “This exhibit was a clever way to showcase these remarkable artists and their pieces.” The Fountain Hills Artists’ Gallery has been serving Fountain Hills residents for more than ten years and is considered destination shopping for fine art, jewelry and gifts. The gallery is owned and operated by the 40 artists who show and sell their work daily. All sales are made from the artists directly to the buyer, so there is never an additional gallery commission. Patrons are encouraged to contact the artists for made-to-order work and special projects. The gallery is located at 16858 E Avenue of the Fountains and is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Artist Cheri Short’s “Fringe Benefits Mannequin” was on exhibit at the Fountain Hills Artists Gallery as part of the Wearable Art and Jewelry Showcase.
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ANNUAL TOUR OFFERS UP-CLOSE LOOK AT LOCAL ARTISTS Art aficionados in the Valley will have a chance to watch local artists work in their studios when the Tour d’ Artistes returns to Fountain Hills March 6, 7 and 8. The annual event began with seven studios eight years ago after Art League president Justine Waldie and Michelle Williams decided to create an experience similar to one in Cave Creek. “We wanted to provide a more intimate experience for people to see art,” Justine said. “It’s a wonderful experience for our artists to talk to people.” This year, the Tour d’ Artistes will feature 14 studios and approximately 60 artists on the 2020 tour. Participants can visit the studios during specified hours as desired over the course of the three day tour. Those who visit all studios in the tour and have their programs stamped at each one can enter to win a $100 gift certificate from Sofrita or $150 towards an art purchase at participating studios. Maps for the self-guided tour are available from any of the Tour d’ Artistes sponsors. The Tour d’ Artistes is free and open to the public, although donations are accepted. All proceeds from the event are donated to art programs in the Fountain Hills School District in the form of scholarships, most of which amount to $200 or more.
Artist Marcia McClellan at work in her Fountain Hills studio.
Justine said Art League membership is open to anyone interested in art. Meetings are held the first Monday of the month. During each meeting, an artist demonstrates their work and talks about what they do. “We are a like-minded group,” she said. “It’s a free exchange of ideas which can be very informative to people who are interested in art.” For more information on membership or the 2020 Tour d’ Artistes, visit the Fountain Hills Art League website at www.fountainhillsartleague.com.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder
J
Man of La Mancha
Mamma Mia! Opening Night Reception
The Elves & The Shoemaker
Support Live Theater & Enjoy our Fantastic Season! Just minutes from Scottsdale
From the classics to new works, Fountain Hills Theater celebrates the essential power of the performing arts 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd. • Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 • 480.837.9661 • fhtaz.org Go to FountainHillsLive.com for all schedules
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I Love Fountain Hills .org
FHCCA MEMBERS CIVIC AFFAIRS COMMUNITY BAND COMMUNITY CHORUS COMMUNITY GARDEN DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT FOUNTAIN HILLS DARK SKIES FOUNTAIN HILLS LIVE!
LOCAL ORGANIZATION FHCCA PROVIDES INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OTHER AREA NONPROFITS Imagine you have a great idea – one which will ultimately benefit your community – but you don’t have the resources to get it started. Where would you turn? If you’re a Fountain Hills resident, you could turn to the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association (FHCCA), an umbrella organization which has been providing insurance, banking, accounting, and other forms of infrastructure to local nonprofit organizations for the past 30 years. Fountain Hills residents also know the organization as ilovefountainhills.org. Current FHCCA president, Dori Wittrig, said the organization is a blend of two former organizations – the Fountain Hills Civic Association and the Fountain Hills Cultural Association – which acknowledged their overlap and joined forces in 1978. “Without FHCCA,” Dori said, “some of the community’s favorite programs may never have become reality.” Those favorites include the Community Garden, Leadership Academy and the Dark Sky Association, all recent additions to the FHCCA family which were able to establish themselves quickly and carry out their mission by availing themselves of FHCCA resources. Today, the FHCCA provides that infrastructure to 14 total organizations, including the HUB Marketing Co-op which oversees the Fountain Hills Live website and this magazine. As a result, all of the programs were able to become financially self-sustaining. The concept is a unique model which, to the board members’ knowledge, is not replicated anywhere else in the country. “It works because each program under the FHCCA sends a representative to sit on the board of directors,” Dori shared, “and we use our combined synergy to create shared marketing and financial services.” More information about the 14 programs and organizations which operate under the FHCCA umbrella, along with a list of current board members, can be found at www.ilovefountainhills.org.
GREENING OF DOWNTOWN IN-HOME CONCERTS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY MUNCH AND MUSIC POINSETTIA TREE PROJECT PUBLIC ART VISION FOUNTAIN HILLS
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Members of the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy Class #4, an FHCCA organization, sit on the Buddy Bench at McDowell Mountain Elementary School along with Principal Valerie Dehombreaux.
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BGCS HOOPSTERS ENJOY PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SUNS
Celebrating
Listen closely. On any given night in Fountain Hills, the sound of that basketball bouncing and sneakers screeching on the gymnasium floor at the Mary Ellen & Robert McKee Branch of BGCS may just be from a future Phoenix Suns or Phoenix Mercury player. The McKee Branch is part of the Junior Suns program and was selected to receive a gymnasium refurbishing as part of the Suns 50-year anniversary celebration last year. This year, the Suns organization has agreed to come back and give the floor a new coat. “The Suns have been really great partners with us,” Branch Director Lauren Stratton said. “They advertise our program on their website, help us with vendors for our uniforms and give us swag to give away at the end of the season.” Lauren said the youth basketball league is mainly focused on giving local youth a safe place to play and explore. “Kids are afraid to try things because they are afraid to fail,” she said. “First and foremost, we want them to have fun.” As part of the league’s structure, kindergarten through second graders learn basic skills in the Biddy Ball divisions. Other divisions include the Rookies (third and fourth grade), Cadets (fifth and sixth grade) and the Suns (seventh and eighth grade). “Youth sports teach so many life-long learning skills like teamwork, how to be a leader, how to win and lose gracefully,” Lauren explained. “These are skills they’ll take with them throughout their whole life.” The McKee Branch of BGCS is located at 14605 N Del Cambre Ave in Fountain Hills. For more information on all of the comprehensive after school programs offered by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, visit their website at www.bgcs.org. Youth practice their dribbling skills during a practice at the Mary Ellen & Robert McKee Branch of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) located in Fountain Hills
Years SAVE THE DATE Please join us on April 18, 2020 For our International Dinner Mark your calendars! A citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between the U.S. and international communities. Fountain Hills has 4 Sister Cities around the world: Ataco, El Salvador
Dierdorf, Germany
Zamość, Poland
Kasterlee, Belgium
Fountain Hills Sister Cities projects include: Fall 2019 – Dierdorf students visited Fountain Hills Spring 2020 – Fountain Hills students visit Zamość, Poland October 2020 – Adult Tour to beautiful Ataco, El Salvador Winter to Spring addition of a New Sister City
GUESS WHERE?
@Fountain Hills Sister Cities www.fountainhillssistercities.org
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A RESPECTED COMMUNITY FIXTURE CELEBRATES ITS 32ND SEASON Attend any performance in the Fountain Hills Theater and you’re bound to pass an award-filled wall on your way to one of its two stages. The accolades come from the AriZoni Theater Awards of Excellence, an organization dedicated to recognizing excellence in theatrical performances statewide. “We have more awards than any other theater of our size,” Peter J. Hill, the Theater’s artistic and technical director, said of the more than 200 awards displayed. “Locally, we’re the busiest theater in the Valley.”
“We have a pretty good reputation so we get a lot of really terrific talent both locally and from across the Valley,” he said. “We cast the strongest people we can find. We don’t scrimp on sets and costumes. This is a great place to come and see shows. It’s a wonderful, surprisingly professional place to see live theater in a tiny corner of the Valley.”
Hill said the Theater produces a minimum of 15 productions each year, each needing its own cast, set, costumes, lighting and sound. “It’s the immediacy of it,” Hill said of live theater’s appeal. “It’s happening in front of you -- and it will never happen like that again. We often joke that we’re like race car driving. People don’t attend races to watch people turn left, they go to watch them crash.” Now in its 33rd season, Fountain Hills Theater also offers performing arts workshops and camps. A complete schedule of events is available on their website: www.fhtaz.org. Hill, a widely respected artist in the state of Arizona who has been with Fountain Hills Theater for 28 years, attributes the Theater’s success to the quality of the performances.
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Peter J. Hill as Don Quixote and Roy Hunt as Sancho Plaza in Dale Wasserman’s Man of La Mancha.
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A LEGACY OF GIVING IN FOUNTAIN HILLS Four Peaks Rotary Club members are busily organizing their 22nd annual charity for golf tournament scheduled for March 2, 2020 at the Ancala Country Club, but the event is more than just an opportunity for area golfers to get together and have a good time. The outing is one of the primary activities the club uses to raise money for youth organizations in the Fountain Hills community. Proceeds are used to support programs such as Junior Achievement, the Golden Eagle Education Fountain, the Mentor Program, Rotary exchange students, the Teacher of the Month, and Casa Esperanza para Ninos. “The compassion the Club has for children and youth is outstanding,” Pat Tuttle, Four Peaks Rotary Club member said. “We’ve made an impact on the Town. I’m proud to say, yes, I am a Rotarian.” Pat, an original “Rotary Ann”, was one of the first women to become a Rotarian in 1988, a year after the Supreme Court ruled that private clubs did not have a constitutional right to exclude women from membership. She and her husband, Roy, were among the founding members of the Four Peaks Rotary Club after they became full-time residents of Fountain Hills in 1996. The Four Peaks Club received its charter in 1997; other founding members include Bill Beamish, Paul Perrault, Dick Bauer and Roger Riggert. Founding members Dick Bauer, Roger Riggert, Pat Tuttle and Paul Perrault chat during a recent club meeting.
Another lucrative fundraiser for Four Peaks’ members is picking up trash during Fountain Hills’ two annual art fairs. Members work in shifts to empty garbage cans and keep trash off the street. Those monies are used for projects like the upcoming Navajo Water Project. Club funds will be matched by funds from the Rotary Foundation to bring running water into the homes of residents living on the Navajo Reservation in northeast Arizona. Pat says energy generated by Four Peaks Rotary Club members is contagious and that the club does a good job of involving new members. For more information about membership or the upcoming golf outing, visit www.fourpeaksrotary.org.
Members of Four Peaks Rotary Club gather with a few of the children who live at Casa Esperanza para Ninos after a work session at the Hermosillo home.
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MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN CYCLES OFFERS AN EXPERIENCE FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY For Harry and Diane Johnson, owning a bicycle shop isn’t as much about selling bicycles as it is creating an inclusive cycling community. The family-oriented business hosts a variety of rides for individuals of all ages and abilities. The difficulty ranges from nighttime mountain rides for more serious cyclists to Saturday group rides for beginners. There is no cost involved with participating, unless you decide to rent a bike.
area and bar where cyclists often relax after a ride to enjoy coffee and snacks. Their service department, managed by Tyson Brown, is open seven days a week at 8:00 a.m. and aims to provide same day or next day service. “If you’re a person who likes to ride bikes, there’s no place in the country any better than what we have right here in Fountain Hills,” Harry said. “We have it all. More and more people are discovering that and coming here because the riding is so terrific.”
“Pretty much all of our rides have a social aspect,” Harry said. “We want kids and normal folks on bicycles so we try to offer something for everyone.” In addition to local enthusiasts, MMC rides attract cyclists from other communities. Harry said the majority of riders in the Sunday Fun Day Gravel Adventures are typically from other places in the Valley. “We do all those because we think that’s a great way to introduce cycling and Fountain Hills to cyclists,” he said. “We’re so incredibly fortunate to have big, wide roads, shoulders and bike ways.” McDowell Mountain Cycles is located on Saguaro Blvd, a former Ace Hardware building which the Johnsons purchased five years ago and remodeled. The new space includes a sitting
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MMC weekly Sunday Fun Day riders on the trails in Fountain Hills.
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HONORING THOSE WHO SETTLED HERE BEFORE US Long before there was a “world famous fountain”, there was a nation of ancient people who settled in the Lower Verde River Valley. We know them today as the Yavapai Nation, a 950-member Native American tribe who live in a 40-square mile reservation just east of Fountain Hills. Their heritage is an important story that the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum wants today’s residents to understand.
phone (480-837-2612). Dates for 2020 tours are January 15, February 12, March 11 and April 8th. From October through May, museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 - 4:00; from June through September hours are Thursday through Saturday from 9:00 - Noon. Admission is $3 for students and children ages 6-12, $4 for seniors (age 65+) and $5 for adults.
“The partnership with the Yavapai Nation is critical,” Museum Director Cherie Koss, said. “We want to help local residents and visitors understand what came before us, what’s happening now and what might happen in the future.” The museum offers a Yavapai Nation tour in coordination with the Tribe which includes visits to the Yavapai Cultural Center, farms, cemetery, Wassaja Preschool and lunch at Anhala at the WeKoPa Resort. New for 2020 is the addition of the First Presbyterian Church and a talk by Yavapai Elder Tom Jones (availability permitting).
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The cost for the 4-5 hour experience is $75 ($70 for museum members). The bus tours, which leave from the museum’s location at 12901 N. La Montana Drive, fill quickly. Reservations and payment can be made on the website at www.rotmuseum.org, onsite during museum hours or by
Elder Tom Jones (left) of the Yavapai Nation talks about the history of his people as Dr. Bill Myhr, Director of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Education Division, looks on. Elder Jones was addressing participants of Class #4 of the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy in the historic First Presbyterian Church, built by the U.S. military in 1906.
FOUNTAINHILLSLIVE.COM:
your one-stop shop for everything fun Have you ever wondered “What is there to do in Fountain Hills?” We’ve got the answer. Search our comprehensive online calendar of events, chock full of everything from live entertainment, festivals and events, to local art and cultural exhibits.
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BRINGS RESIDENTS TOGETHER THROUGH GROWING, GIVING BACK At the Fountain Hills Community Garden, they believe that “many hands make light work.” It says so right on their logo. And if those hands happen to be covered in dirt, well, all the better. “If you’re a gardener, you just want to get your hands dirty,” Rita Applegate, one of the garden managers, said with a laugh. “I want to plant a seed and watch it grow because I believe in tomorrow.”
The vision to create a community garden space originated with Dr. Jyoti Patel, who enlisted Rita’s help to make the dream a reality. Now in its fourth year, the garden contains 123 beds, six of which are ADA compliant. Rita shares duties for managing the Community Garden with Joy Hubbard. Seven other community members serve with them on the Garden’s board of directors. Two of the three beehives added a year ago were donated by the two Rotarian Clubs in town. Audra Waddle owns the bees and sells the honey, and the gardeners appreciate the gift of on-site pollinators. But the gardeners there do much more than just tend to their own garden beds. As a community, they sponsor a healing foods series on the first Monday of every month and five of the Garden’s beds are designated as donation beds for the Extended Hands Food Bank. Rita said the Garden’s success is the result of many generous community donations and hundreds of volunteer hours.
Michele McGuinness, Maricopa Co. Master Gardener and FHCG member, talks to a group of future gardeners about composting.
Buying or Sel ing
“I think it’s one of the most positive, joint community efforts that’s happened in Fountain Hills in a very long time,” Rita said. “It continues to be a good thing and I think we need a lot more of that.”
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