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BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF
The new JoyEful Gallery-Joye DeGoede Fine Art, at El Pedregal at The Boulders, North Scottsdale, will host an art and wine reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, to benefit the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Attendees will meet gallery artists and enter a raffle for prizes from local businesses including gallery host Joye DeGoede-JoyEful Party Animals, Hyde Park Interiors, Salon Mila, The Boulders Resort & Spa, Spotted Donkey restaurant, Stefan Mann boutique, Merle Norman Studio, and Spa Splendore at The Summit.
The fundraiser is part of a recruitment effort by the North Scottsdale Movers and Shakers “Walk for Parkinson’s” team that will participate for the third year in the
Resources to help make life better
Those aff ected by Parkinson’s disease and related conditions such as Lewy body dementia can fi nd more information about managing symptoms, caring for the caregiver, planning for hospital stays and more at:
• Carefree Physical Therapy, off ering specialized, online programs for those with PD and other movement disorders: 7208 E. Cave Creek Road, Suite H, Carefree. 480-488-9095; carefreephysicaltherapy.com.
• Parkinson’s Support Groups: See barrowneuro.org, Centers & Programs. For information on virtual or in-person meetings, contact Kris Watts at 602-4064921 or kristina.watts@dignityhealth.org.
• Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center: See barrowneuro.org, Centers & Programs – Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders.
• PD Health @ Home, weekly online events for mindfulness, wellness and fi tness. See parkinson.org, scroll down to PD Health @ Home. annual Moving Day Phoenix events to be held in November.
Team members will be on hand at the fundraiser to recruit participants to help raise money for the Moving Day Phoenix walk for Parkinson’s. The reception will also include speakers sharing personal stories and information about Parkinson’s and the Moving Day event. The Movers and Shakers are eager to build on last year’s successful walk for Parkinson’s. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the 15-member team raised almost $15,000 to support Parkinson’s research and services. Funds raised through Moving Day events nationwide go to making lives better for those living with PD.
The personal face of Parkinson’s
According to team co-captain Cathy Boss-Fessel, “My father lived with PD for many years, and I saw what the disease gradually took from him and the rest of our family over that time. This year I walk in support of a dear friend who was diagnosed with PD in 2013. She is very courageous and dedicated to maintaining and Joye DeGoede will host the “Art Moves Us” art and wine reception at her JoyEful Gallery-Joye DeGoede Fine Art on Saturday, Oct. 9, featuring her JoyEful Party Animals.
(Photo by Pablo Robles)
improving her life while living with Parkinson’s.” Team co-captain Jennifer Campbell, who also serves on the Parkinson’s Advisory Board for the Southwest Region, said, “Fundraising to support Parkinson’s research is deeply personal for me. My brother Dave was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s when he turned 50, 17 years ago. He underwent brain surgery, yet he still struggles every day to fight PD. “My brother is truly my inspiration. It pains me knowing he suffers with this terrible disease, which underscores just how important are research and the availabili-
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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
Ghosthunters invite public to investigate Pioneer museum
BY JORDAN HOUSTON Foothills Focus Staff Writer
With spooky season around the corner, local ghosthunters are calling on skeptics and nonskeptics alike to explore life beyond the grave at the Pioneer Living History Museum. The volunteer-based Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society is hosting a guided investigation tour from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. The Whispers in the Dark Tour, located at 3901 W. Pioneer Road, costs $35 and is limited to 30 guests. Attendees must be 13 years or older with minors accompanied by an adult.
This isn’t just any average ghost tour, either, explained PAPS member Angela Maloy. Participants will have the chance to truly participate in every sense of the word. “Instead of going around and telling them (the attendees) about the history (of the museum), we hand them the equipment and have them interact and ask questions,” she said. “We all gather inside the homes and do it just like they are part of the team. That is hard to find in ghost hunting.”
Attendees will accompany the seven-member team of investigators as they navigate digital and audio equipment throughout Pioneer Village, boasting roughly two dozen historic and original reconstructed buildings from the 1880s and early 1900s — including the homes of those who helped “tame the Wild West.” Proceeds from the Whispers in the Dark Tour will go toward funding the paranormal team’s investigative equipment, Maloy said. “Everything we do is volunteer work; we all have jobs. We call it the ‘paranormal night shift,’” said Maloy, who also works as a Norwegian Cruise Line travel agent. “We mostly go to homes and help people who feel their homes are haunted. The highest priority is always homes with children. “When we do it for museums and things, it’s all for fundraising, which, I really like that. It’s so much fun to see people’s reactions when they hear things, see things and are getting to know the history.” PAPS is dedicated to “helping others gain peace of mind by helping to explain what is and is not paranormal through use of modern techniques and documented evidence acquired during investigations.”
Maloy was inspired to join the team The Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society, an investigative team that conducts paranormal examinations, is relaunching its popular guided ghost tours. The Whispers in the Dark Tour will take place at Pioneer Arizona from 7 to 10 p.m.
Fridays Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society)
roughly 10 years ago due to her own experiences with the paranormal, she explained. The travel agent recalled stumbling across PAPS one October at the Phoenix Zoo during its annual Boo! At the Zoo volunteer event. “Me and my daughter showed up one night at this event and I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, when I was a child, I had all of these experiences and I’m still scared of the dark because of them, and I would love to conquer this fear,’” Maloy said.
Maloy now happily assists PAPS in its mission to “prove the existence of life after death” through audio and video signatures.
PAPS accepts investigation requests
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Local author specializes in edgy thrillers, releases new book
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor
Former Cave Creek resident Ryan Alexander penned poetry as a child and then turned to audiobooks as he grew older. He’s still a traditionalist and a lover of words. He recently released the book “Bow Season.” According to Alexander, a winding case unfolds when a young woman is found shot with an arrow in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Brayden Tucker and Mike Lenard, Eagle River’s most unlikely duo of detectives, discover this may be the work of a serial killer.
Tension rises between the young progressive detective and the grizzled old veteran as they try to solve each case before the next bow season. “She looks like a girl from 12 years ago,” Former Cave Creek resident Ryan Alexander has written two edgy thrillers, “Milwaukee’s Revenge” and “Bow Season.” (Photo courtesy of
Ryan Alexander) plores the dynamic between this young detective, who’s more progressive, and the older one, who’s more conservative. They have good banter.” Wisconsin is special to Alexander. He grew up in Arizona but moved to Wisconsin in 2013 to work in his grandfather’s cranberry marshes. Since 2018, he has traveled between Wisconsin and Arizona. His first book was the controversial “Milwaukee’s Revenge,” which follows detective Jack Owens as he investigates an attack on a young couple from rural Wisconsin. Inspired by the 2014 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Milwaukee, Alexander wrote the book in 2017. It wasn’t published until 2020, however. “Then the whole world blew up in May,” he said. “It’s a little touchy, but ‘Bow Season’ is more middle of the road. It shouldn’t tick anyone off. That’s why I think it’s done a lot better.” Writing comes easy to Alexander. He merely writes what he would like to read. Alexander recently wrapped up his third book, “The Factory.” “I saw a quote that said 1 out of every 10 juvenile prostitutes in Vegas is from the state of Minnesota,” said Alexander, who lives in Marana. “This judge said, ‘They think of us as a factory down there.’ It’s about a 16-yearold who sneaks out on Labor Day and goes to Minneapolis to a party, and she is taken. It’s about her farmer dad and diesel mechanic uncle who pursues her. It’s an edgy story.”
For more information
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through a submission form on its website, asking clients to clarify why they are in need of the group’s services. “We come back with (the evidence) and tell them the client, ‘You’re not crazy, there is something going on,’” Maloy expressed. “If it’s really bad and they request a cleansing, we have a way to do that. Most of them just want to know that they’re not seeing things and they’re not crazy.” PAPS utilizes a variety of recording equipment tailored toward capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVP), Maloy said. EVP is the recording of sounds and voices, often interpreted as supernatural, onto tapes, videocassettes and other electronic devices, she continued. “We use digital recorders and lots of equipment. We have really good video cameras,” Maloy said. “The whole time we are listening, we have recorders on us because we pick up a lot of EVPs of conversations. The digital recorders tap into a different frequency.”
Members use digital and video cameras, such as Sony, as well as electromagnetic field (EMF) sensors, like the K-II EMF Meter. Maloy said she also owns a TIR-Crosshair, a dual axis Thermal IR paranormal investigation tool “designed to locate and assist spirit interaction using a thermal matrix infrared sensor,” according to
The Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society relies on digital and video recorders to connect with the paranormal. Such equipment can capture electronic voice phenomena (EVP), which is the recording of sounds and voices that can often be interpreted as supernatural onto tapes and videocassettes. (Photos courtesy of PAPS) GhostHuntersEquipment.com. The most exciting part about investigations, though, is helping children feel comfortable in their own homes again, Maloy said. “Because I had a rough childhood with these things — we don’t even know what they are — it was rewarding for me to go into homes with children and tell them it’s going to be OK,” she explained. She said she loves the educational component of the guided ghost tours as well. Over the years, Pioneer Arizona has built a reputation as a paranormal hotspot, Maloy said. Several instances of paranormal activity include encounters of “children-sized” and “dog-sized” dark shadows, the investigator continued. “There is a dog in the Victorian House named Pooch,” Maloy said. “The only reason I know that is because the lady of the house, spirit-wise, has said his name is Pooch.”
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ty of resources to making lives better for those in Dave’s situation.”
In support of Moving Day Phoenix, the North Scottsdale Movers and Shakers will participate in the Moving Day Phoenix event for all teams Valleywide on Saturday, Nov. 6, at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. The following Saturday, Nov. 13, the team will also do a local Walk for Parkinson’s over a 2-mile route from the Terravita community to The Boulders.
Those interested in joining the Movers and Shakers team are asked to commit to raising at least $100 in donations to support the work of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Supporters unable to contribute at the team membership level are still encouraged to join the walk for a modest donation to the team of any amount. Visit MovingDayPhoenix.org to register to join the North Scottsdale Movers and Shakers team to help fundraise; to offer support by donating to a team member online; or to form their own teams to walk, fundraise and compete for prizes. For information, call 1-800-473-4636 or email parkinson.org.
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