March 28, 2012 • Vol. 10, No.15
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
www.thefoothillsfocus.com
ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
FREE
Anthem • Black Canyon City • Carefree • Cave Creek • Desert Hills • New River • N. Phoenix • Tramonto
Cave Creek preps for annual rodeo MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
Submitted photo
The annual Fiesta Days Rodeo returns Friday - Sunday at Cave Creek Memorial Arena with performances at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The annual Fiesta Days Rodeo returns to Cave Creek with action set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Cave Creek Memorial Arena. “Cowboys are a different kind of extreme athlete,” Bill Buckles, one of the event’s organizers said. “You have your roping event guys, which are more finesse, but then you’ve got the rough and tumble guys too. They’re a bunch of good athletes. In some events you’ve got man against beast and then in others you’ve got man working with beast. That’s what attracts me to it, the events
where you get to see the level of horsemanship and training they’ve put into it.” The action gets under way at 7 p.m. Friday with a theme of Tough Enough to Wear Pink, an evening in support of the fight against breast cancer. Following the rodeo action there will be a dance at Harold’s Corral both Friday and Saturday night. Festivities begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the Fiesta Days Parade. At 2 p.m. the festivities shift to Cave Creek Memorial Arena, located at 37201 N. 28th St. in Cave Creek, for Mutton Bustin’ as children will get their chance to prove their skills riding sheep.
The top 10 finishers will advance to Sunday’s finale. The professionals return in the evening for the second rodeo session at 7 p.m. “We’ve got 90 or so barrel racers, 60 bull riders, 28 calf ropers, 35-40 team ropers, Buckles said. “All told we’ll have a couple hundred competitors. This year we’ve also got a different stock contractor that is among the best in the country. We’ve also upgraded some things at the arena by adding a couple hundred tons of sand. We’re getting most of the good cowboys.”
RODEO
continued on page 5
Arizona Game and Fish celebrates outdoors MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s will conduct its annual Outdoor Expo from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. In an age where there’s at least a perception that technology and other distractions are lending to more urban lifestyles Arizona Game and Fish’s Tom Cadden said the expo has seen impressive growth over the years. “We did our first one back in 2004 and we drew about 1,000 people and had a dozen vendors,” he said. “This last year we drew more than 37,000 people and had 150 exhibitors.” Cadden said the premise for
Inside:
the free event is simple. “We conduct the expo to give people the opportunity to learn about wildlife and all the outdoor recreation activities available to them,” he said. “Arizona is a state with amazing natural resources and some fantastic opportunities. If we can expose people to these type of activities we’re going to gain new people that appreciate and love the outdoors.” Some of the new additions to this year’s event include a short driving course where people can take a test drive with a jeep. Cadden said the event’s boat show also has expanded. “We’ll also have an ATV simulator where people can experience a demo of places to ride and get tips on riding responsibly,” he said. Among the returning favorites
are opportunities to try archery, and two huge fish tanks where kids can experience fishing. For a nominal fee, the cost of ammunition, attendees also can try their marksmanship with a variety of firearms. Other popular attractions include live wildlife exhibits, camping demos along with exhibitors including outdoor organizations, government agencies and vendors of outdoor products and services. Arizona Cowboy Mountain Shooters association will have two days of competition on horseback for those interested in watching the sport. Along with experiencing activities and having a chance to buy products there will be numerous presentations on a variety of topics from venomous reptiles and birds of prey, to
FIRE:
FUNDRAISER:
Daisy Mountain Fire Department extinguishes Anthem home
Page 3
Submitted photo
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hosting its annual Outdoor Expo on Saturday and Sunday at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.
how to fillet a fish, improving archery skills or hunting with the aid of horses. “We do some surveying of people that attend each year and we do get quite a good number
SPORTS:
of repeat visitors that enjoy the event, but we also get a lot of people that are new to the state
OUTDOORS
continued on page 12
OTHER :
Carefree hosts walk to aid variety of local charities
Boulder Creek baseball plays rude host in spring break tournament
• Editorial Page
Page 4
Page 7
• Classified Ads
17
• Service Directory 18 22