May 25, 2011 • Vol. 09, No. 25
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
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ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
Anthem • Black Canyon City • Carefree • Cave Creek • Desert Hills • New River • N. Phoenix • Tramonto
Cave Creek Museum continues reclamation project MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
Submitted photo
The Cave Creek Museum, with the help of numerous volunteers, continues a mission of reconstructing a stamp mill that was donated to the museum in March of 2009. The stamp mill was used at Golden Reef Mine on Continental Mountain. The Museum is looking for donations to complete the project.
They aren’t making history at the Cave Creek Museum, but Evelyn Johnson, the Museum’s executive director has what she calls a “dream team” putting history back together. On May 18 the museum, with the help of its dedicated volunteers and the help of APS, took another big step in reconstructing a stamp mill that was donated by Marty and Joni Chattman in March of 2009. At that time the stamp mill, which was used at Golden Reef Mine on Continental Mountain, was delivered with 20 iron pieces with a total weight estimated at nearly 30,000 pounds.
“Our original estimate to put it back together was in the five to seven year range,” Johnson said. “We’re probably a year ahead of schedule. I’m confident that with the dedicated team we have we could finish it in the next year if we had the funding to make that happen.” The latest milestone was the installation of the bull wheel and camshaft. The wooden wheel, which is seven feet in diameter, and camshaft weigh more than 4,000 pounds. Stamp mills were used in the late 1800s through the 1920s to crush material by pounding for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. With a set of heavy steel stamps held
vertically in a frame the stamps slide up and down. “This is a big step, because now it actually looks like a stamp mill,” Johnson said. While there are other stamp mills assembled around the country Johnson said that in at least two respects the one her group is putting back together is unique. “The largest piece is that it’s from this area. Stamp mills aren’t especially rare, but we have one of the only ones that remain in its mining district. We’re only 5.2 miles from where it was originally used. The second part is that most of the
RECLAMATION
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Starlight brings Bye Bye Birdie to Anthem MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
After commanding the attention of patrons wandering in and out of shops at Desert Ridge Marketplace the cast of Bye Bye Birdie believe they’ll have no trouble entertaining audiences showing up to see Starlight Community Theater’s presentation of the 1950s satire. On Saturday members of the cast gave a taste of what theater fans will have the opportunity to see June 9-12 at Boulder Creek High School in Anthem by performing a number of songs from the show. “It’s a great show with a message of how sometimes
Inside:
you have to be willing to push people you care about in the right direction,” Scott Sims, who plays the lead role of Albert Peterson. “And then there’s the music. Everybody loves the great tunes in this show.” Black Canyon City resident Scott Sims, a Deer Valley High School choir teacher, decided he would encourage a bunch of his students to tryout for the show. “I’ve seen several of Starlight’s productions and I know the woman that plays the piano for them,” he said. While the original plan was to go and simply be supportive
starlight
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MUSIC:
Anthem man wins contest, will sing National Anthem
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Marc Buckhout/The Foothills Focus
Starlight Theater will present Bye Bye Birdie June 9 – 12 at Boulder Creek High School. Cast members performed at Desert Ridge Marketplace Saturday, giving shoppers a glimpse of some of the show’s songs. To view more photos from Saturday’s event go to facebook.com/thefoothills.focus.
SPORTS:
EDUCATION:
Cactus Shadows senior, Anthem Rockets tabbed Boulder Creek coach tabbed for National award with state honors
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