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THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | NOVEMBER 28, 2021
FuelFest celebrates cars, revs up the Valley BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor
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ody Walker and Tyrese Gibson were catching up at Red Lobster when the conversation turned to Cody’s late brother, Paul, of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. “First, I was so offended that he had never been to Red Lobster,” Gibson said with a laugh. “Cody said, ‘I don’t know what to order, dude. What are the hits here?’” After a little ribbing, Cody told Gibson about he and Chris Lee’s plan to host festivals surrounding all-things cars called FuelFest. Gibson said count me in. After a pandemic-dictated halt to the
Cody Walker is using some of the proceeds for Reach Out WorldWide, a nonprofit founded by his late brother. (Special to GetOut)
2020 event, FuelFest is coming to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports in Chandler on Dec. 4. They want it to succeed so much that Gibson said he feels vulnerable. “I’ve only said this to a chosen few,” Gibson said. “Cody and I are very vulnerable when it comes to this whole thing about FuelFest. We were talking about Paul and to have this idea and to put this idea out there, we don’t want it to fail. We want this to be successful. We want people to know about this. “We want to get the word out so people can show up. We want them to hit the road and come out to a really legendary day that you won’t forget.”
see FUELFEST page 37
Chandler dance studio presenting ‘Season to Shine’ ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF
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ance Connection 2, a Chandler dance studio serving the East Valley for 35 years, is collaborating with HopeKids Arizona, a local nonprofit that supports families with children with life-threatening illnesses, on its Season to Shine program. DC2 hosted its Movin’ and Groovin’ dance workshop for the HopeKids families. “This is an opportunity for these kids to forget about the illnesses they are battling and discover and express themselves through the sport of dance,” spokeswoman Shannon Moyette said, adding that “DC2’s highly experienced staff and company dancers” worked “closely with each child teaching them a variety of dance techniques and above all make life-long memories.” The dance workshop was a stepping stone to prepare the foundation’s young performance hopefuls and their families for DC2’s A Season to Shine holiday showcase at 3 p.m. Dec. 11.
Jordyn Berry laughs and Olivia and Gwen Ferguson dance with each other as children from HopeKids learn to dance with instructors from Dance Connection 2. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
A Season to Shine is full of holiday classics performed by the studios’ dancers that Moyette said creates “a memorable family event for all ages.” HopeKids Executive Director Andrea Lewis said, “Our goal is to provide hope for our children and their families and this program supports that mission. “Collaborating with DC2 over the years has been such a rewarding experience for our children who are fighting cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions by allowing them to shine, make new friendships and most importantly provide hope.” DC2 dancers will also perform two other shows at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 at the Queen Creek Performing Arts Center, 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek. Tickets go on sale for the Friday and Saturday shows Nov. 23 at qcpac.com. A portion of proceeds from all three performances will be donated directly to HopeKids Arizona. “It has been a tough time for many, so
see DANCE STUDIO page 37
