CITY

from The Entertainer! Magazine - December 2021

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

‘BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC’

Fairmont Scottsdale’s Christmas at the Princess returns

By Allison Brown

With 6 million Christmas lights, hot cocoa, ice skating rinks, a real-life Polar Express and a sneak peek of Santa in his workshop, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has truly turned the resort into a winter wonderland. All 65 acres of the Princess are decked out, and it feels like the property popped right out of a Hallmark movie.

This year’s theme is “believe in the magic,” and it’s impossible not to feel the warm, magical spirit of Christmas when taking a stroll through Twinkle Town, the Lagoon Lights or the Village at Christmas at the Princess.

“The real magic of Christmas is that we provide a place for the community to gather with their friends and family,” says Jack Miller, regional vice president at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and general manager at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort.

“And when friends and family gather together, we have a great time. I love this. We hug a little longer, laugh a little harder and love a little more.”

Christmas at the Princess has become a tradition for the North Valley, whether it’s an excursion for the whole family, a fun night out for friends or a romantic date night for couples. The lights turned on, the tree was lit, and Santa even stopped by on November 16, unofficially marking the start of the holiday season.

“This is our 12th annual Christmas at the Princess,” says Teresa Thompson, director of resort experiences at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. “Every year we plan to expand and keep adding new experiences for our guests. So, this year is actually a huge year for us. We have so many new experiences that we have added to the event. We are really excited, and this is a very special year for us.”

S’mores have been a tradition at Christmas at the Princess for years, and this year they are taking it a step further by opening S’mores Land. Here, everything is s’mores related — s’mores blankets; s’mores coffee mugs; fire pits for toasting marshmallows; and “Graham,” a huggable walking s’more.

Targeted for kids, Twinkle Town was a new exhibit added in 2020. Thompson says it was such a hit that they upgraded it this year. It’s home to an interactive character named Twinkles, who is Santa’s brightest bulb. It also has a carousel, an ice slide for kids, and lolly swings.

“We’re really looking forward to Twinkle Town and launching that space this year, all new and improved,” Thompson says.

In keeping with its theme, another new attraction is the Christmas Wish, where guests are provided magic paper to write down their wishes. The paper is lit on fire and magically lifts off into the sky and disappears. In this area, people can also donate to LoveUp, a nonprofit foster care organization in the Valley.

While Santa, treats and rides are fun and exciting, Christmas at the Princess remembers the reason for the season with the nativity set, and Thompson says it was upgraded this year, too.

“We have redone our entire nativity set this year,” Thompson says. “The nativity is an amazing, respected quiet area that plays the story of the nativity with an interactive light feature. This year we have adapted the nativity scene at the Princess with a life-size, natural look.”

Christmas at the Princess is bringing back time-tested favorites. That includes two 6,000-foot ice skating rinks; a 10-foot-tall-by-120-foot-long ice slide and a miniature slide for kids; a 90foot “chairlift” that doubles as a Ferris wheel; lagoon lights featuring swans on the water, a ballerina, penguins on ice and a 30-foot Loch Ness monster; and a custom Christmas tree with 70,000 lights that sync to holiday songs. The resort even uses real ice for the skating rinks and slides.

With so much to see and do, one of the most popular attractions is a train ride that travels around the property, giving guests a chance to take everything in.

“Our No. 1 attraction is definitely the Princess Express,” Thompson says. “We have two trains that take 70 people per train. They take our guests on a tour along the lagoon lights. This year we have over 6 million Christmas lights on the property, and guests just love that ride. It’s really amazing. We have a lot of new light displays and features this year, so we’re really excited for that.”

Of course, there is more than just the lights and rides, as everyone knows that a big part of the magic of Christmas comes from the food. In addition to the s’mores and restaurant dining options, there are also plenty of grab-and-go snacks, treats, specialty cocktails as well as other alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. There are frosted sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, kettle corn, cinnamon apple pie and “Christmas in a cup.”

Christmas at the Princess had a modest start 12 years ago. When Miller started in Scottsdale, he noticed it didn’t have that typical town square area where people could gather for holiday traditions. Miller, now fondly known as “the man who brought Christmas to the Princess,” said the purpose of the event was to bring families together.

“We started with one giant Christmas tree in the plaza, which is still there, and Christmas at the Princess now has a magnificent tree, four stories tall, that has a light show to music for 17 Christmas songs,” Thompson explains.

“So, all of this started with one tree, 12 years ago, and has developed and grown over the years to where it’s so amazing. We can see all of our communities come out and enjoy the event with their families. We see the same families come back every year. It’s pretty amazing. It’s great to be a part of the community and be a part of their family traditions.”

There are different options for admittance. Guests staying at the hotel receive complimentary admission. Self-parking and admission is $72 and includes up to four wristbands. If ride sharing or walking in, wristbands are $18. Wristbands can be used for almost all attractions, but there are separate fees for an ice skating pass and photos with Santa. Santa will be available from 4 to 10 p.m. nightly, by reservation only.

Thompson says the event attracts about 300,000 people, so it’s important to make a game plan. She warns it does sell out, so it’s best to make hotel or dining reservations. In addition, she suggests planning enough time to see everything and fully experience the event.

“We’re just super excited for this year,” Thompson says. “There are lots of things going on here for Christmas at the Princess.”

Christmas at the Princess

WHEN: Through Sunday, January 2 WHERE: The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale COST: $72 for self-parking and admission, check website for other packages INFO: scottsdaleprincess.com/ christmas-at-the-princess

LIVING THE DREAM

Christmas Pudding guests praise Alice Cooper’s work

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski join our ultimate Christmas party and Despite their multiplatinum successes, singers Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Collective Soul’s Ed Roland still help support the teens at The Rock Teen Center.” It also includes performances from the Solid Rock Dancers; The Bucket Brigade; and the winners of this year’s Proof is in the Pudding Musical Talent Search, have pinch-me moments. Cooper’s version of “American Idol.”

Both cite the Alice Cooper’s 19th “What an honor it is to be part of annual Christmas Pudding fundraiser as Christmas Pudding,” Roland says. “I just that. do two benefits a year in Georgia, and

On Saturday, December 4, at the it worked out timewise that I could do Celebrity Theatre, the two are slated to this. But more importantly, Alice asked. share a stage with Cooper, Ace Frehley, If Alice asks, I shall do.” Tom Morello and Felix Cavaliere of Roland — whose band’s hits include the Rascals. Proceeds from the event “Shine” and “December” — met Cooper benefit the free music, dance, arts and at this beginning of Collective Soul’s vocational programs for teens ages 12 career. to 20 at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen “I was so taken aback by people Centers. actually showing up to our shows,

“As always, Solid Rock is putting much less Alice Cooper,” says Roland, together a show with new and classic who has three albums in the can. “I can headliners,” Cooper says. “The remember playing his records. I’ve seen uniqueness of this concert is that you’ll him once since that show. Now I’m a never see this caliber and variety of little more comfortable in my skin. I artists on the same stage again. Come can open my mouth and say, ‘What’s going on?’

“The history that he brings and the love that he brings to his community I hope I can share with mine. We’re both PKs — preacher kids. We were doing some sort of webcast, me, Alice and Stephen King. We’re all PKs. Here I was with two of the scariest men on the planet.”

McGrath, on the other hand, is known for being one of the nicest. The “Fly” and “Every Morning” singer is “honored” to be a part of Christmas Pudding.

“He does such tremendous work for the community and teen centers,” he says. “He curates the (Christmas Pudding) lineup. He chooses you to perform. It’s amazing to still have these dream-come-true moments, playing with Ace Frehley, Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals, Ed Roland and Tom Morello.

“I have to pinch myself, but at the same time, I’m helping others. It’s the perfect storm of giving back in the holiday season.”

For McGrath’s set, he’s planning to play the hits fans expect to hear as well as a few surprises.

“I’ll just play the songs that people have hopefully heard before and bring joy to the room and raise some money, man,” McGrath says.

Hailing from Newport Beach, California, McGrath is humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as his Christmas Pudding co-stars.

“They have had such incredible, hallof-fame careers,” he says. “I never got to touch that rarified air. If they want me to carry the equipment, I will be happy to do that. If they want to jam, I’ll be more than honored.”

Alice Cooper’s 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, December 4 WHERE: Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix COST: Tickets start at $35 INFO: celebritytheatre.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021

17 ‘TOO TOUGH TO DIE’

Step back into the Old West at Tortilla Flat in the Superstition Mountains

By Allison Brown

Nestled in the Superstition Mountains and along the Salt River, Tortilla Flat is one of the few slivers of the Old West still intact and largely unchanged. Cowboy boots clank on the old wooden boardwalk, antique pieces hang on the walls, and photos show that the view is nearly exactly what would have been seen by those traveling along the Apache Trail in the early 1900s.

Katherine Ellering, owner of Tortilla Flat and self-appointed mayor, and Chris Fields, her fiancé and director of operations, have invested heavily in the town, not to make it shiny and new but to make sure it remains preserved as the quirky, historical landmark that it is.

Tortilla Flat was founded in 1904 as a stagecoach stop, and neither fire nor flood destroyed the spirit along the Historic Apache Trail.

The trail played a monumental role in the construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Even before it was known as the Apache Trail, natives used the pass to transport water. In fact, stories date back to the mid-1500s, when Spanish Conquistadors explored the area.

Now, Tortilla Flat has a population of six, all of whom are staff. But it is still up and running with a restaurant, saloon, gift shop and even its own post office. It is known as “the town too tough to die,” after surviving numerous natural disasters throughout the years. Fields says although he and Ellering are fairly new owners, they have endured more than their fair share of incidents.

“We bought Tortilla Flat two years ago, September of 2019,” Fields says. “Before we got it, it almost burned down. Three weeks after we bought it, we had the 100-year flood that washed out the entire Apache Trail. Six months after we bought it, March of 2020, well, something happened there.”

Some may have taken this as an omen, but Ellering, Fields and staff made it their personal mission to save the town. They loved the history and recognized the importance of making sure it was passed down to further generations. Tortilla Flat needed major repairs. Fields says they spent about $500,000 in the last two years “recreating” the town. He emphasizes they didn’t change the bones. They just ensured the structures would last.

“We completely rebuilt the museum, head to toe. It’s a brand-new building, but it doesn’t look like it,” he says. “This whole area has been restored. If you look down the boardwalk, every single piece of wood has been retouched, treated, renailed, rescrewed. We’ve got new signs, new infrastructure, new plumbing. It’s an amazing list of things to make it look old and broken.”

While they didn’t change anything, Fields and Ellering did put their stamp to Tortilla Flat. An old-time jail cell was constructed on the property, in which guests can test their wit by solving a puzzle to escape.

Of course, there have also been some modifications to the food and merchandise. The restaurant has a new draft system with local beers on tap and has become famous for its chili. The corner store has treats, magnets, caps, mugs as well as housemade fudge and gelato. They are the world’s No. 1 procurer of prickly pear gelato. The back patio is a rustic space that occasionally features the Tortilla Flat Band, which plays rock classics.

Besides the food and beverages, the restaurant has several design quirks. The walls are hung with dozens of antiques, like shotguns, clocks, art, clothes and more. According to Ellering, every single piece was donated. In true Western spirit, no bar stools will be found here;

guests sit on mounted saddles to get their drinks. Thousands of $1 bills line the building like wallpaper. Ellering says while she wasn’t sure the exact time it started, legend has it that it was initiated in the gold rush.

“They would come into the restaurant, looking for gold, and they would pin money up to the walls. That way, if they left and came back empty-handed, they’d at least have money for whiskey,” Ellering says. “Then, people started putting their names on it and it became their way of leaving their mark on a historical site. So, now we have over $500,000 on the walls and currency from over 100 countries.”

Tortilla Flat gets new bills regularly and has colored markers for guests to decorate their bill.

“Yes, it’s a business, and yes, we’re here for returns and profit, but this is a historical thing the community owns,” he says.

Tortilla Flat is a fun place for kids, parents, historians, cowboys, city folk and those just passing through. It’s the kind of place you could visit a dozen times and find something new each time.

Guests can learn Apache Nation’s history, enjoy a sweet scoop of gelato with the family, or imagine life in another time.

“There’s nothing like it. This is not a recreation; this is a one-of-a-kind place,” Ellering says.

Tortilla Flat

GET LOST IN CHRISTMAS

Puzzle Rides offers holiday experiences on a golf cart in Old Town

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Old Town Scottsdale’s Puzzle Rides is putting a holiday spin on its mobile escape roomstyle scavenger hunt in “Scottsdazzle.”

Teamwork, combined with elements of the route, are used to solve a series of puzzles via golf cart before time runs out. From ages 5 to 85, there is something for everyone.

“Whether you’re new to Puzzle Rides or have tried us before, our holiday excursions are an absolute blast,” Puzzle Rides founder Katie Dufort says. “We have one that’s family friendly, perfect for the kiddos, and another that’s tailored to adults where they have to think while they drink.”

Both experiences combine a scavenger hunt through Old Town Scottsdale, a jolly golf cart driver and lots of holiday cheer. First, the adults-only Jingle Bar Hop is a two-hour “portable pub” adventure that invites up to 10 guests to visit local bars and try mystery drinks while solving a puzzle with clues tied to popular holiday music (“Silver Bells” route) or classic TV holiday specials (“Reindeer Games” route).

“This is, by far, our most popular ride because attempting to solve a puzzle while enjoying a cold one is inevitably a good time,” Dufort says. “From checking out a new bar our riders never knew existed to learning something about a building they’ve seen a million times, Jingle Bar Hop offers entertainment at every turn.”

A family-friendly option is Hijacked by Elves. On this experience, Santa’s Naughty and Nice list has been stolen by a mischievous elf. Riders then use clues to track down the elf and bring him to justice during the adventure.

“If you have family coming to town that you haven’t seen for a couple of years because of the pandemic and you don’t want to sit around and stare at each other, book Hijacked by Elves,” Dufort says. “Kids love it, parents love it and even grandparents love it because you’re on the go, you’re outside and you’re laughing so hard, you’re guaranteed to have a good time.”

Speaking of the pandemic, Puzzle Rides was created right before Arizona shutdown in 2020. Before that, Dufort operated a golf cart taxi service in Old Town, shuttling people from bar to bar. When the wave of COVID-19 took business owners out at the knees, Dufort knew she had to pivot.

“I’m a historian who obviously loves history. We had the golf carts standing by, and I’m a big fan of puzzles,” Dufort says. “I decided to put it all together during the unlikeliest of times, and Puzzle Rides was born in the middle of a pandemic.”

The concept proved people were trying to do activities together while socially distancing. Riding on a golf cart with those they’d been quarantining with allows for a safe and fun experience outside the home.

“An added layer was all of the partnerships we have with other local businesses,” Dufort says. “We truly wanted to bring our customers through the doors of other establishments in hopes of boosting business after what was one of the hardest times we’d all been through together.”

Puzzle Rides also offers signature favorites year-round, such as Hijacked by Science, during which riders must stop a mad scientist from unleashing a powerful weapon; Pirate’s Treasure Adventure, where pirate garb can be worn as riders swashbuckle their way through town; and Wild West Heist, where loot hidden by bank robbers back in the day must be found in a timely fashion. Want a little spooky fun? Ghost Riders weaves true tales with tall tales in a nighttime-only ride.

“Our adventures are always evolving, so you can expect to find something for everyone,” Dufort says. “We continue to add new rides for each of the big holidays, and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. Hopefully our customers see Puzzle Rides as an easy way to escape their daily lives and connect with their family and friends in a way they never have before.”

Puzzle Rides also recently launched team-building relays for groups of up to 80 people.