The Foothills Focus 102622 Zone 1

Walk raises money for African well

BY MIKE OXENDINE Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Fordesert-dwelling Arizonans, inhabi tants of one of Earth’s hottest and dri est climates, the challenge of finding water is acutely personal.

And as water levels continue to plummet in Lake Mead and the Colorado River, dec imated by climate-change induced heat waves and droughts, the state’s residents

are faced with an increasingly urgent threat to their future in the arid and unforgiving Sonoran landscape.

The world’s water woes, of course, span far beyond the American West and a Satur day, Nov. 12, fundraiser at Anthem Commu nity Park, Walk 4 Water Anthem, is aimed at bringing relief to villagers in east Africa while spreading awareness of a global crisis.

Water 4 Kids International, a division of Phoenix-based Hope 4 Kids International,

is raising funds to drill a borehole well “that will provide safe, clean water from deep aquafers to the surrounding villages” in Ari et, located in the Bukedea District of eastern Uganda.

“I think Arizonans think about the value of water on a daily basis,” said Dave Murphy of Anthem Rotary Club, which is partnering with Water 4 Kids International to promote

State’s largest tree moving into the Outlets

BY LEAH SCHWARTZ Foothills Focus Staff Writer

The Outlets at Anthem will, for the 21st year, host the state’s tallest Christmas tree when it pulls in on a 40-foot flatbed truck at 6:30 a.m. Fri day, Nov. 4.

The 70-foot-tall, 20-feet-wide tree is coming from the Shasta-Trinity Nation al Forest on the border between Oregon and California. The tree lighting is sched uled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.

Each year, the task of obtaining the tree falls to Victor’s Custom Christmas Trees, a company that focuses on sustainable

Christmas tree harvesting. The tree is handpicked and harvested with the help of forest management to clear space for

smaller trees to thrive. And for each tree cut, Victor’s Custom Christmas Trees plants 12 saplings.

Lisa Nyrose, the shopping center’s manager, said the display is in line with her employer’s mission.

“Bringing holiday cheer has been im portant to our company since its incep tion,” she said.

“It has been a holiday tradition for families in the Valley for 21 years. People used to bring their kids, now they bring their grandchildren. I love to get to be a part of that.”

After traveling 750 miles from Califor nia, the tree will arrive escorted by Santa and the Daisy Mountain Fire Department.

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Outlets at Anthem’s Christmas tree lights up the night sky. (Outlets at Anthem/Submitted)

Immediately upon arrival, the tree will be hoisted by an in dustrial crane into a 7-feet-deep, 3-feet-wide well and sprayed with 120 gallons of fire retardant to keep the tree fresh until it comes down and is made into compost at the end of the season.

The entire spectacle is a feat of hard work and engineering. Nyrose said it signifies the holiday spirit.

“Our owner, Steven Craig, has always loved Christmas to cre ate that feel-good spirit and to give back to the community that supports us,” she said.

After the tree is secured with six industrial guy wires to keep the tree stable in windy weather, preparation for the tree light ing can begin. Ten seasoned professionals will spend the next two weeks and 120 hours decorating the tree with 8,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments and topping it with a 3-foot star made of copper. The tree, decorations, lights and star weigh 4 tons.

“American Idol” season 18 contestant Marcus Tinsley will perform at the tree lighting. Patrons interested in attending the lighting are also encouraged to reserve tickets for the opening of Santa’s cottage, where children can reveal their Christmas wishes.

Outlets at Anthem tree arrival

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 4

WHERE: Outlets at Anthem, 4250 W. Anthem Way, Phoenix COST: Free

INFO: outletsanthem.com

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Santa measures the incoming tree at a previous year’s event. (Outlets at Anthem/Submitted)

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and produce the event.

“We think of it as a precious resource for our future. But many people have been conditioned to take it for granted and expect it will always be there. And there are more than a billion people in the world who struggle every day to find the life-saving water they need.

“This is something we take for granted as Americans. Arizonans and Americans would hope that we never face that kind of future, but it’s important to recognize that people all over the world face these types of challenges every day.”

The goal of the project is to “relieve the genuine suffering of thousands of men, women and children that contend with multiple life-threatening challeng es every time they retrieve or consume water” from a swamp that serves five villages in its catchment area, according to its website.

“Each day in remote villages in Afri ca, women and children walk very long distances to retrieve drinking water that is contaminated. Having no other wa

ter source, they risk sickness and death from the water, injury and death from the dangers of the trek, and they sacri fice time that could be spent learning in school or providing for their families.”

As a symbolic effort made in honor of the women and children who walk for water daily in Uganda, participants will walk together around the park on a 2-mile course, “similar to the average distance a young girl in Uganda walks to retrieve water daily.”

The project has a fundraising goal of $13,500, according to its website, and as of Friday afternoon had already raised $5,300.

“Walk 4 Water is an important cause that positively impacts thousands of families in Africa each day,” Steve DeMar, president of Anthem Rotary Club, said. “As a major sponsor of this charity event, Anthem Rotary is proud to support the fundraising effort with a match of all corporate sponsorships up to $5,000.”

Water 4 Kids International’s commit tee is comprised of four students from Boulder Creek High School: two seniors, Aishah Alquran and Mikenna Deasy, and

two sophomores, Ashley Sherman and Sarah Davidov.

Alquran, a four-year member of the global studies program, and Deasy, an active volunteer on campus, are raising funds to drill a clean water well as their senior project and they “cannot wait to see the everlasting impact it has on the people, children, and families of Ugan da,” according to the event’s website.

Sherman wanted to do Walk 4 Water Anthem “because people cannot help the situations they are born into” and she said she believes that “if we have the means to help them, we should.

Drilling a well will change the lives of so many people, while Davidov joined the Interact Club as well as the Walk 4 Water Anthem team because her goal in life is “to affect as many people as pos sible in a positive way,” according to a statement.

“It’s great just to be around members of the community who care for this cause and to provide support for such a worth while event,” Anthem Rotary Club’s Mur phy said. “We believe in the work Water 4 Kids International is doing. We will

have our membership out in force and we encourage others in the community to participate as well.”

Registration is $25 for adults, $15 for youth/students, and $10 for children 12 and under. Check-in for the event is 10 a.m. and the Walk 4 Water begins at 10:30 a.m. Participants can register as an individual, start a team, or join a team to encourage friendly competition.

Participants should meet in Anthem Community Park at the north end of the main parking lot near the Veterans Memorial and will receive a 2022 Walk 4 Water Anthem T-shirt, while supplies last.

To register for the event or to donate to the project, visit https://bit.ly/Walk 4WaterAnthem.

Walk 4 Water Anthem

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12

WHERE: Anthem Community Park, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy, Anthem

COST: $25 for adults, $15 for youth/students, and $10 for children 12 and under INFO: https://bit.ly/Walk4WaterAnthem

Brnovich

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

ArizonaAttorney General Mark Brnovich’s office and 18 other attorneys general have served six major American banks with civil in vestigative demands, which act as a sub poena.

The banks under investigation include Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman

investigation into six major banks

Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

“American banks should never put political agendas ahead of the secure re tirement of their clients,” Mark Brnovich said. “These financial institutions are en trusted with protecting a different type of green.”

The states are asking for documents related to the companies’ involvement

with the United Nations’ (UN) Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). NZBA-mem ber banks must set emissions reduction targets in their lending and investment portfolios to reach net zero by 2050.

NZBA is an agreement between ma jor banking institutions to support the climate agenda by choosing not to work with companies engaged in fossil fu el-related activities.

This means some farmers, oil leasing companies, and other businesses will be unable to get a loan because of the alli ance. The states want the banks to iden tify global climate initiatives they are affiliated with and explain why.

This comes as Brnovich has taken the lead in fighting environmental, so cial and governance-related (ESG) practices.

TheFoothillsFocus.com | @TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus

AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN

haunted week

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

Diade los Muertos is approaching.

So is Halloween. In Mexico, the holiday is a time when families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.

At midnight Oct. 31, the gates of heaven are opened and spirits of children rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on Nov. 2.

It is a festive time of music, dance, and feasts, as deceased loved ones are hon

ored and welcomed back.

We Americans like to make things as scary as possible around Halloween and try to terrify each other with spooky witches and ghouls. Heck, we do not want any ghosts coming around us.

Actually, I prefer to focus on the candy aspect of Halloween. This year Americans will spend $2 billion on confection and another five billion on decorations.

You might see cute little kids in your neighborhood all dressed up in cos tumes. That tradition goes back to the medieval times, when poor adults and children went around in costumes

during “Hallowmas,” the Autumn holiday which included folks begging for food and money in exchange for prayers. This annual routine was called “souling” and was brought to America by the Irish ear ly in the 20th century.

The idea of walking around asking for candy completely went away during WWII when sugar was rationed, but by 1952 trick-or-treating was hugely popu lar again. And it has been ever since. Even with fears (mostly unfounded) about kids getting razor blades stuck in their candy, children going house-to-house asking complete strangers for candy, is one big American tradition.

Doesn’t a Bloody Mary sound good? Oops, no I mean to talk about the ghost of Bloody Mary. Evidently, on Oct. 31 each year, she will appear if you stare into a mirror in a darkened room by the light of thirteen candles and chant “Bloody Mary” 13 times. Don’t do it! The vengeful spir it might appear at your left shoulder and will either kill you or make you insane.

Have you decorated yet? About 70% of Americans will decorate their homes for Halloween with everything from pump kins to hanging skeletons from trees. You get the picture — lots of black cats, witch

es, devils, demons, ghosts and jack-o-lan terns out there to set the mood. Our habit of lighting up pumpkins dates back centu ries when the thought was that ghouls and ghosts hate light. So, a pumpkin placed at your door, with a candle flickering inside, would keep away any restless spirits fly ing around that might land at your house.

No wonder we like to eat candy on Hal loween! We must comfort ourselves in our fight against the witches, ghosts, and vengeful spirits that might come to our doorstep! So, get ready! Carve a pumpkin, light a candle, drink a Blood Mary (do not chant for her spirit), enjoy the decora tions, avoid demons and start eating can dy right now.

Boo! The scariest day of all is coming soon. Witching you a very haunted week. Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Real tor. Have a comment or a question? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.

For more opinions visit thefoothillsfocus.com

Border

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

Efforts

to erase our southern border are accelerating as Election Day approaches.

The timing is absurdly dangerous— first and foremost for the security of all American citizens— but also for the po litical prospects of the Democratic Party.

While the Left will likely pay a political price for this deliberate effort to shred our sovereignty and national security, the sheer brazenness of these latest ac tions should culminate with even larger Democrat losses in the midterms.

The latest initiative from the Biden Bunch is best described as “Americans Last.”

Alejandro Mayorkas, who has sur passed ex-Arizona Gov. Janet Napoli tano in the “Hall of Shame” as the worst Homeland Security Secretary of all time, has reportedly issued an “All Bureau crats Bulletin,” requesting volunteers

from every government agency to de ploy to the border in support of the on going illegal invasion.

These “volunteers”—who would be paid for their efforts and reimbursed for travel expenses with our tax dollars during their 60 days of “service”—would essentially become personal assistants to illegal aliens.

You read that right.

Their “volunteer duties” would in clude meal preparation, basic house keeping, and running errands for the “newcomers.”

So much for securing the border.

Actually, all of this began in April as an underreported—and therefore lit tle-noticed initiative—that at the time was focused exclusively on employees of Homeland Security.

What makes it news now, and even more of an election issue, is the effort to expand this peculiar type of “volun teerism” into every agency of the federal government.

It is bad enough that DHS workers are volunteering to destabilize the home land security they supposedly provide.

Now we could very well see person nel from the Departments of Defense and Justice take a two-month sabbatical from their jobs to undercut both nation al security and existing immigration law.

You can’t make this up.

But some back it up.

Predictably, many in Washington— whether holding a government post or a reporting job—have rationalized the policy outlined above as—wait for it— rational.

Among the D.C.-based press corps, there seems to be an indulgent attitude of trusting the current crowd in charge.

That “trust-the-bureaucrats” outlook was on full display during CNN’s Oct. 16 telecast of “State of the Union.”

The aptly named Dana Bash hosted back-to-back interviews with Arizona’s Republican and Democrat nominees for governor.

When discussing border issues with GOP candidate Kari Lake, the CNN re porter cited a DHS statistic claiming that less than one percent of migrants en countered at the border have a criminal record.

The Republican nominee politely took

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Candidate’s hopes shrivel when caught red-handed

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

Finally we have a definitive test about the ignorance of voters and the notion that when it comes to public relations, any story that builds more name recognition is a win.

That test is named Randy Kaufman and he’s a candidate for the Maricopa County Community College District atlarge seat.

His race appears on the front of your seemingly endless November ballot, in the middle column.

Kaufman’s opponent in the battle to help oversee the district’s 10 colleges and $763 million annual budget is Kelli Butler, a state legislator seeking to switch roles and potentially the luckiest candi date in the history of Arizona elections.

Caution: The rest of this column is not safe for work, dirtier than “50 Shades of Gray” and full of awful puns. You have been warned.

On Tuesday news broke – courtesy of Hank Stephenson, a reporter for the Arizona Agenda website – that on Oct. 4, candidate Kaufman had been arrested in the parking lot of Rio Salado College in Surprise.

Per the police report, Kaufman was in the midst of watching porn and plea suring himself in his Ford F-150 pickup truck when a police officer approached and, uh, caught him red-handed.

“Seriously?” the cop asked.

“I’m sorry,” Kaufman replied. Then, in the understatement of 2022 so far, he added: “I (expletive) up. I’m really stressed.”

Henceforth, I believe this will be known as both an interesting election strategy and a disgusting erection strat egy by serious journalists everywhere. Not only was Kaufman fully visible in a busy parking lot, he also was within sight of a childcare center where little kids were outside playing.

Officer: “What brings you down here?”

Kaufman: “I live in Buckeye, but I came out here to buy rebar nearby. I was stressed and just pulled into the lot.”

I myself have purchased rebar, com monly used to put up election signs. While I have not personally found buy ing hardware items super stressful, each of us tolerates Home Depot to varying degrees.

Also, like MCCCD says in its mission statement, I also “value and embrace an innovative and risk-taking approach” in the dogged pursuit of excellence.

To his credit, Kaufman requested to “say something off the record,” before name-dropping Jim Hill, president of the Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association, which endorsed Kaufman before his citation for public sexual indecency, a possible felony given his close proximity to the preschool.

By day’s end, Kaufman, running for the non-partisan seat as a MAGA conser vative complete with flag-draped head shots, had been spurned by the Arizona

Republican Party.

Hours later, he released a statement suspending his campaign because “a per sonal legal matter has recently arisen.”

Yep, those things sometimes arise out of nowhere, am I right?

It should be noted that Kaufman wait

issue, then pointed out: “We have a mil lion ‘gotaways’—these are people who are intentionally entering our country— mainly through the Tucson Sector—and we don’t know what their background is. There’s a reason to try to get in unno ticed. It’s because they have a criminal background.”

Viewers could not help but notice the on-camera reaction of Dana Bash, which conveyed both frustration and irrita tion, amplified by her effort to counter the candidate’s assertion: “Let me just tell you that this stat—that this stat that I just cited comes from the Department of Homeland Security!”

Duly noted, Dana.

Of course, it should also be noted that

there seems to be a profound disinter est on the part of many in the so-called “mainstream media” concerning the “factually challenged” assertions made by DHS personnel.

Where was the coverage concerning Secretary Mayorkas and the knowingly false statements he made about the al leged “whipping” of illegals by border patrol agents on horseback?

How many reports appeared on CNN or the “alphabet networks” spelling out the details of late-night flights of illegals from the border to various locations around the country?

No matter. If the media won’t hold government officials accountable, vot ers will.

Prepare for the “electoral erasure” of several Democrat incumbents on Nov. 8.

12

ed to address the incident until after early ballots had been mailed, thus al lowing people to vote for him with no knowledge of his arrest.

I’ll also note that back in May, he post ed on Facebook that he was running to keep “our children protected (from) the progressive left.”

I’m assuming he meant the woke bri gade and not his left hand, but I guess only Kaufman knows for sure. This race now stands as a perfect

litmus test of voter education and PR value. Until last week, perhaps a hand ful of voters had ever heard of Randy Kaufman, a former prison guard turned political wannabe.

He had a couple of political endorse ments and zero name ID. Now? His cam paign has been featured everywhere from the New York Post to the London tabloids. Being caught with your pants down can still make a candidate famous, even in 2022.

Now we’ll know for sure: Will people actually cast a vote for him?

LEIBOWITZ from

/TheFoothillsFocus

Yoga Democracy wants what’s best for the planet

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

Travis Strote and Haley Byfield are saving the world, one pair of leg gings at a time.

The Scottsdale residents founded Yoga Democracy, the only zero-waste man ufacturers of active wear in the United States. They will showcase their new collection and their best sellers during Arizona Fashion Week 2022.

Yoga Democracy’s event is Friday, Nov. 4, at the Mix Center in Mesa.

“We are going to be showcasing a new collection as well as our bestsellers,” said Strote, a Navy veteran. “We are a lo cally made brand, seven years going. We manufacture everything in Carefree. We will showcase what we stand for: People and planet before profit.”

A Scottsdale resident, Strote said sev en years ago there wasn’t a company serving women who wanted to express themselves through yoga clothing. Most apparel firms offer plain, neutral colors.

“We are loud and unique and differ ent, and we were hoping women would embody that uniqueness,” he said. “And it worked. We’ve grown a bit over sev en years. We just finalized a production facility in Kenya so we can make a deep er impact for the people working for us there.”

The Carefree facility will be used for small batch runs and a sample house. It’s there that Yoga Democracy staff will do research and design for their products.

Yoga Democracy’s clothing are made with recycled water bottles and fishing nets. The excess fabric is collected and repurposed or recycled. It uses a no-wa ter dyeing process that cuts down on waste.

“We put our excess materials in dog beds and donate them to local shelters,”

he said.

“If you walk into an average dog shel ter, the dogs are sleeping on hard con crete. Therefore, they’re uncomfortable and it lessens the chance for adoption. The dog is already on edge. Our goal is to make the dog more comfortable.”

Strote and Byfield met in yoga class in Florida. They founded Yoga Democracy in New York. As Yoga Democracy grew, the partners started looking for sewing machines for sale. They found a small production company for sale in Carefree and they bought it five years ago.

“We moved out to Carefree, and we grew it from there,” he said. “It’s been born and raised here. Previously, we were cutting and sewing on the floor of her apartment in New York City.”

Byfield is the lead seamstress and creative captain, who begins the sewing

process on every single product Yoga Democracy produces.

The clothing is available on its web site, yogademocracy.com, or at its flag ship store in Old Town Scottsdale.

Along with showcasing Yoga Democ racy activewear, the Old Town location is a micro-production facility. Shoppers can peek in back and see seamstresses creating clothing. In addition to creating clothing, Yoga Democracy offers on-site hems and alterations. Transparency and honesty is key to Yoga Democracy, Strote said.

Strote comes from a family of entre preneurs. His mother and sister rescue former racehorses. He got the entre preneurial bug when he started his first company, Pit Dawg Hats.

“When I got out of the Navy, I wanted to continue my service for helping peo

ple,” he said. “I traveled all over the world with the Marine unit as their med ic. I was in the Navy but attached to a Marine unit. Coreman are the only Navy the Marines will put up with.”

Yoga Democracy Arizona Fashion Week

WHEN: Time TBA Friday, Nov. 4

WHERE: Media and Immersive Experience (MIX) Center at ASU at Mesa City Center, 50 N. Centennial Way, Mesa COST: See website for details INFO: azfw2022.com

Yoga Democracy 7146 E. Fifth Avenue, Scottsdale 917-769-9955

yvydscottsdale@yvydactive.com yogademocracy.com

For more Business News visit thefoothillsfocus.com

Travis Strote and Haley Byfield founded Yoga Democracy. They’re pictured here with Voodoo Mayhem, the “office guard dog.” (Yoga Democracy/Submitted)

/TheFoothillsFocus

Prickly Pear Fest educates guests on the cactus

BY LAURA LATZKO Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Prickly

pear cactus can be used in a variety of ways—especial ly in food.

The Holland Center’s Desert Awareness Committee is hosting its annual Prickly Pear Fest on Saturday, Oct. 29, to highlight the plant.

Twelve stations will be dedicated to different parts of the process of using the fruit, or tuna, and nopales, or pads.

Attendees can learn about har vesting, cleaning, processing and juicing techniques. There will also be stations centered around prickly pear flour, ways Native Americans used the whole prickly pear cactus and white scales on prickly pear called cochineal.

This year, as part of tastings, guests can rank their favorite salsas made with prickly pear juice. They can also sample other foods and beverages made with prickly pear juice, such as pudding, nut bread and lemonade.

Brenda Olive, a volunteer who has been working with the committee for the last 30 years, said this festival often gives guests a chance to try prickly pear for the first time.

“We want people to taste it with no fear, just go for it and see what they think,” Olive said.

It takes committee members a few months to prepare for the festival.

“Between the end of July and August, the tunas get ripe. We get out there, and we har vest. And then, we clean them, and we freeze them. A month later, we all get together, and we have a juicing party. And right before the festival, we get together again several differ ent times and make tastings,” Olive said.

Over the years, the committee members have found a method that works best.

“When you freeze the tunas and get them out whenever you need them, if you thaw

them out before you put them in the juicer, it’s much easier on the juicer,” Olive said.

“They are thawed rather than being a hard fruit after you freshly harvest them. And they don’t heat up the juicers. You could only do it 3 to 4 minutes, and the juic er would get too hot.”

Along with the prickly pear event, the committee hosts an April “Walk, Talk, Taste in the Park” event at Desert Awareness Park, in which the public has a chance to tour Desert Awareness Park in Cave Creek, learn more about medicinal and edible des ert plants and try samples of foods made with them.

“The park has almost every plant in the Sonoran Desert. It’s a great place for us to show people the plants in nature,” Olive said.

The committee offers tours of the native park on the first Saturday of the month from October through April.

The committee also does talks for groups such as HOAs and retirement villages and hosts seminars and workshops on topics such as the ethnobotany of plants and me dicinal plants.

Founded in 1974, the committee is made up of about 25 volunteers. Olive said they

are committed to sharing the mission of ed ucating others about desert plants.

“We like being together, sharing our pas sion for preserving the desert and under standing the plants,” Olive said.

Olive said as area becomes more and more developed over the years, it is im portant for people to know why the desert should be protected.

“We are very vocal volunteers about what they should and shouldn’t do, like when they buy their land, blade it off and put non-native plants in,” Olive said.

“This is not good for our ecosystem here…Now, we are doing as much as we can to be out in the community, especially with our tours in the park, to really educate peo ple about the desert, how special it is and how we need to preserve it. Once you start disturbing the desert, it doesn’t automati cally come back…If they understand it, we believe that they will want to help us pre serve it too.”

The committee raises money through do nations and through book sales.

During the festival, those who donate can take home ink drawings of desert plants and animals, which were left to them by a local artist. Two committee members, who

are artists, have colored in and painted on the drawings to show how others can add to them.

This year, one of the artists on the com mittee will sell prickly pear earrings. Also for sale will be the “Taste of the Desert” cookbook featuring recipes made with des ert plants. The book also details how to har vest these plants.

Committee members worked on the book during the height of COVID-19. Olive said community members had been asking them to create a recipe book for years.

“Being with the committee so long, I had files of recipes that members had given me. Some of them are no longer with us. So, I was like, we have got to put these some where…I got all of the recipes together, and I got more from others who were holding onto theirs,” Olive said.

Prickly Pear Fest

WHEN: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 29

WHERE: The Holland Center, 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale

COST: Free admission

INFO: 480-488-1090, hollandcenter.org

For more features visit thefoothillsfocus.com

Prior to their annual Prickly Pear Festival, members of the Holland Center’s Desert Awareness Committee get together to harvest, clean and juice prickly pear cactus.

During the Prickly Pear Festival, attendees can try foods and beverages made with prickly pear, including lemonade.

The Prickly Pear Festival offers chances to learn more about how prickly pear were used histor ically by Native Americans.

BY MARIO TARRADELL Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Three women are stretching the boundaries of old-time country and western swing music. The best part? They are doing it steadfastly, free of frivo lous fanfare.

They are the neo-traditionalist western swing trio the Quebe Sisters, siblings Grace, Sophia and Hulda.

The Quebe Sisters are hardly newcomers, though. Their modern musical sensibilities coalesced as seasoned performers. Dal las-based Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe spent the last 15 years merging three-part harmony and triple fiddles to put a youth ful, jubilant spin on Bob Wills’ classic genre. They have recorded four studio albums and toured North America, Europe and Russia.

The Quebe Sisters are ready to perform western swing classics 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Porter Barn Wood Bluegrass Fes tival, 901 S. Seventh Street, Phoenix.

The sisters’ four studio albums — 2003’s

“Texas Fiddlers,” 2007’s “Timeless,” 2014’s “Every Which-A-Way,” and 2019’s “The Quebe Sisters” — serve as sonic proof that these ladies are fearless interpreters and innovators.

There’s certainly no boxing the Quebe Sisters. Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe see western swing as an ocean of possibilities. On 2019’s “The Quebe Sisters,” for example, the three ladies incorporated originals, instrumentals, and covers into an album that moves freely from tra ditions on “Load at 7 (Leave at 8)” and “Bluegrass in the Backwoods” to stunning vocal-meets-fiddle exer cises “Pierce the Blue,” “Summer of Roses,” and “Lonesome Road.”

“Bob Wills was all about experi mentation – melding just about ev ery style he heard,” Grace said.

“He hired the best musicians playing re gionally traditional instruments, as well as players interested in experimenting on what were the cutting-edge instruments of

The Quebe Sisters

the day. This spirit formed what we today call western swing, and it needs to be an ingredient in current iterations of western swing to keep the style fresh and vibrant for the present and future. So, for us it’s authen

tic to the style to introduce our own originals.”

For these trailblazing women, per forming before enthusiastic crowds means the deep, connected roots of country and western swing will be in full display. The Quebe siblings grew up in Texas surrounded by fiddles, bows, microphones, stages, and western swing tunes. Texas is the very reason the sisters ended up playing triple fiddle, Grace said.

Grace sees nothing odd about their progressive brand of western swing connecting with foreign audiences.

“Nostalgia and curiosity play some role, but particularly the syncopation and dance elements of the music we love and play make it timeless and universal,” Grace said. “Everyone res onates with music that has a good feel. If it uplifts you and makes you want to dance, then we are doing our job right.”

COMMUNITY CONNECTION Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

Ilearned how to fly a private air plane when I was 27 years old. I loved flying, and flying worked well for the business I owned then, Central Bindery. I learned to fly in a small twoseat airplane — a Cessna 150.

At first, learning to fly was intimi dating. Especially takeoffs and land ings. I learned to fly at the old Glendale Airport between Olive and Grand ave nues in Glendale. It was like landing on an aircraft carrier. Flying over the power lines on Grand Avenue made it especially exciting. However, after several months, piloting the Cessna became easier. Why? Piloting the air plane became a habit. It became au tomatic. What was once unnatural to me became natural. That’s the power of habit.

In a few years, I became a one-third

owner of a much more complex air plane to fly. It was a six-passenger Pip er Comanche 260. It had retractable landing gear, a variable speed propel ler, wing flaps, exhaust gas tempera ture controls, fuel injection mixture controls, and hefty horsepower for the Comanche’s 200-mile-per-hour speed. This airplane had the same high-performance wing design as the P-51 Mustang from World War II. The Comanche could be a handful on a quick descent for landing.

I still remember taking off with my right foot on the floor, trying to keep the airplane straight. Why? The torque from the propeller wanted to turn the plane sideways. I never ex perienced that phenomenon flying in the Cessna. Then, I had to listen to the tower tell me when to taxi, where to taxi, when to take off, what runway to use, and what the altimeter pressure was. After the takeoff, they even tell you the direction to fly.

The first time I flew a Comanche was with my flight instructor. I al ready knew how to fly from my Cessna flying days, but flying a Comanche was a new world. I went from kindergar ten to university.

At first, I was intimidated piloting the Comanche. So many new con trols and things had consequences if I didn’t pilot the plane correctly. Flaps up, throttle back, back off on propeller speed, gear up, lean out the mixture, keep your airspeed up, take my right foot off the pedal, keep the nose up but not too far, listen to the tower, and try not to ignore my instructor and the air-control tower freaking out.

However, after flying the Comanche for a few weeks, everything became easier. I didn’t have to think about all the adjustments anymore. Taking off and landing the airplane became second nature to me. Listening to the tower became second nature. After a

month, I could carry on a conversa tion with the passenger in the front seat while I was taking off and land ing. Why? Because the skills of what was necessary to fly the plane safely had become habits. What was on the

outside of me moved to the inside of me. If you make good habits for the right things, you can become efficient and effective at flying comfortably.

Passenger planes are designed to fly in two ways — through the pilot’s skill and the commands they receive from the control tower. So how does a pilot become skillful? Part of the answer is that expert pilots develop habits al lowing them to do what is necessary to fly the plane automatically. Hence, they have sufficient attention for the unexpected events that might happen while flying. In addition, they can mul titask better when and where neces sary.

SMALL CLASS SIZES!

& RELATIONSHIPS

RELEVANCE & RELATIONSHIPS

their own eyes. Need I say that with out direction and crucial promptings from someone or something which sees the big picture, the pilots and the passengers with them, are going to underachieve? It’s not going to be pretty.

for me to do today?” “What solution do You have for my problem today?” “How can I repair this broken rela tionship” “Should I change careers?” God says to us, “Call on Me.” Listening to God’s control tower prepares and directs us, pilots, to fly the high-per formance airplanes of life.

In conclusion, if you make a great habit, the great habit will make you — especially when your instructor is both The Flight Instructor and the Control Tower.

Modern, creative, and talented women that stretch the boundaries of country and western swing music become beacons. They light the path taking audiences on a trip to the past while keeping them firmly in the present and giving them a glimpse into the future.

Let’s review. Part of a pilot’s skill comes from the pilot building up an arsenal of effective habits. The oth er factor in flying passenger planes

Let me say it this way. We are like pilots, and God is the control tower. We need to listen to God, or else we will, sooner or later, get into danger. So, get in the habit of receiving your instructions from God, the Bible and God’s character to navigate life suc cessfully. At first, it may seem hard. But after a while, you will be a bene ficiary of communicating with God for His highest and your personal best. God’s control tower directs us in es sential things. Sometimes by a small voice, sometimes by creative thought, sometimes by the peace, faith, and confidence that rises in us when the

RIGOR, RELEVANCE & RELATIONSHIPS

Ed Delph is a noted author of 10 books, as well as a pastor, teacher, former business owner and speaker. Ed has traveled extensively, having been to more than 100 countries. He is president of NationStrategy, a nonprofit organization involved in uplifting and transforming communities worldwide. For more information, see nationstrategy.com. Ed may be contacted at nationstrategy@cs.com.

“I think our central ambition in playing music is to touch people’s hearts and souls — to make them feel beauty, to make them hear colors, to make them forget worries and have fun, to make them think about God,” Hulda said. “There is no time in histo ry or culture that doesn’t need music in this way.”

The Quebe Sisters as part of the Porter Barn Wood Bluegrass Festival

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 (fest opens/music starts at 10 a.m.)

WHERE: Porter Barn Wood Bluegrass Festival, 901 S. Seventh Street, Phoenix COST: Tickets start at $25 INFO: porterbarnwood.com, quebesisters.com

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Schedule a tour!

623-466-8187

6-12

caurusacademy.org/schedule-a-tour

Schedule a tour!

Schedule a tour!

623-551-5083

Athletics

K-5 Campus Location 41900 N. 42nd Ave. Anthem, AZ 85086 623-551-5083

Campus Location

N. 43rd Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85087

Middle/High School Campus Location 44111 N. 43rd Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85087 623-466-8187

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American Legion, VFW host youth programs

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Two of the most widely recognized veterans’ groups in the United States, The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, have youth ed ucation and scholarship programs that offer U.S. citizen youths various opportu nities.

These programs include the VFW’s Voice of Democracy and Patriot Pen and the American Legion’s Boys State, Girls State and the Oratorical Contest. More information is available by contacting the Anthem American Legion Post and the Anthem VFW posts using the contact in formation below.

VFW High School Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship Program

Cmdr. Chuck Hale of the VFW Anthem Post 12031 unveiled this year’s its Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Local high school students can compete for thou sands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C.

cal Post level, then Post winners compete at the District level with the winner advanc ing to the state competition.

At each school the first-place winner is awarded $100, second place winner is awarded $75, and third-place winner is awarded $50.

thousands of dollars in national awards.

YOUTH

Students must write and record a 3- to 5-minute essay on the selected theme us ing an audio CD or flash drive and present their recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW Post by Oct. 31.

The 2022 theme selected is “Why Is The Veteran Important?” Students begin by competing at the school level and at the lo

Interested students and teachers should contact VFW Post 12031 point of contact by email at gwalker2105@cox.net.

VFW Middle School Essay Scholarship Program

VFW Anthem Post 12031 is also hosting the Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition. Middle school students in grades sixth to

The VFW enacted the Patriot’s Pen com petition in 1995 to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern Amer ican society by composing a 300- to 400word patriotic-themed essay. The theme for the 2022 competition is “My Pledge to Our Veterans.”

Students begin by competing at each school and at the Post level. At each school the first-place winner is awarded $100, second-place winner is awarded $75, and third-place winner is awarded $50. Post winners advance to district competition

For more Youth News visit thefoothillsfocus.com

with district winners advancing to the state competition. State first-place winners com pete for their share of thousands of dollars in awards, and the national first-place win ner is awarded $5,000 and an all-expensepaid trip to Washington, D.C. The typed essay must be submitted to the Post by Oct. 31. If the essay is to be submitted through the school, the school should establish an appropriate deadline.

Each year, more than 125,000 students participate nationwide. Interested stu dents and teachers should contact VFW Post 12031 at gwalker2105@cox.net.

Boys State

The American Legion Arizona Boys State is a plan for training young men in the func tional aspects of citizenship. It is a program of education conducted by The American Legion, Department of Arizona. Its purpose is to teach the youth of today constructive attitudes toward the Amer ican form of government. The American Legion Arizona Boys State shows that our scheme of government has not outworn its

usefulness; all a republic needs is an intelli gent citizenry, and an honest and impartial administration responsive to the will of the people. It is a practical school of govern ment, a program of education by participa tion – showing the part of each person can play within our system of government.

Boys State provides students a chance to learn how to be better citizens by estab lishing a mythical 51st state patterned after Arizona. Students who attend are responsi ble for the governing of this mythical state. They elect their own state, county, and city officers from the governor down and estab lish legislatures and city councils.

Students are selected to attend Boys State by showing the following qualities: character, leadership, attitude, and involve ment in the school plus service in the com munity.

Once students have been selected to participate in Boys State, they participate in workshops where cities are established, officials are elected, and laws are made and enforced. Classes on law and educational assemblies are presented, ranging from ca reers to party unity.

Boys State is held in June at NAU in Flag

staff. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Interested students and teachers should contact post128@ azlegion.org.

Girls State

Girls State is a program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. Understand ing the law and understanding how our government works are primary goals of Girls State. Girls State provides students a chance to learn how to be better citizens by establishing a mythical 51st state pat terned after Arizona. Students who attend are responsible for the governing of this mythical state. They elect their own state, county, and city officers from the governor down and establish legislatures and city councils.

Students are selected to attend Girls State by showing the following qualities: charac ter, leadership, attitude, and involvement in the school plus service in the community.

Once students have been selected to participate in Girls State, they participate in workshops where cities are established, officials are elected, and laws are made and enforced. Classes on law and educational

assemblies are presented, ranging from ca reers to party unity.

Girls State is held in June at the campus of UA in Tucson. Interested students and teachers should email post128@azlegion. org.

American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program

American Legion Post 128 of Anthem, Arizona, will host the American Legion Or atorical Contest for 2023. Post 128 will con duct a post level contest for students in the Anthem-New River-Desert Hills-Tramonto area for the period October 2022 to Feb ruary 2023. Applications must be submit ted to Post 128 no later than Jan. 10. The Post 128 contest will be conducted the first week of February.

The American Legion Oratorical Con test centers around knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. Scholarships are available for high school students with the overall na tional contest winner receiving a $25,000 scholarship. Second place takes home $22,500, and third gets $20,000. The Ari

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Kiwanis Club of New River revives trunk-or-treat

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

pervision and cleanup.

a donation, such as corn or green beans.

Halloween

is creeping up, and the Kiwanis Club of New River is throwing its annual Spook Out Trunk-or-Treat to celebrate.

New River Kiwanis Park, managed by the Kiwanis Club, will be full of Hallow een fun for local families from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. Only in its third year, the Spook Out has grown into one of the largest free Halloween events in the area, according to event organizer and spon sor Adam Johnson.

“If we’re going to do an event, we bet ter do it big or don’t do it at all,” he said. “So this is our way of giving back to the communities and the families — Not only the children, but the parents.”

The Spook Out Trunk-or-Treat dates back to around 30 to 40 years ago, hav ing faded away before experiencing a revival upon the occurrence of the pan demic. Organizers Sarah Bostdorff and Charlie Fisher brought it back to life for fear of local children missing out on the Halloween experience in 2020.

“First event, we didn’t realize that there would be such a huge turnout — We had about 2,000 people show up. It was pretty amazing, it was just a great, great event,” said Johnson.

The second Spook Out in 2021 saw around 3,000 guests, so the organizers are projecting approximately 4,000 at tendees at the park this year.

To support the expected crowds, John son said they’re looking for volunteers for parking direction, bounce house su

PROGRAMS

zona American Legion Department winner who is certified into and participates in the national contest’s first round receives a $2,000 scholarship. Those who advance past the first round receive an additional $2,000 scholarship.

Eligible participants must be citizens of or lawful permanent residents of the Unit ed States. All contestants must be bona fide students herein described as any student

“We want to be successful,” he said. “Our top priority is the safety of the chil dren, so we need enough hands on site to make this a successful event.”

Across an expanse of New River Ki wanis Park’s desert landscape, hundreds of festively decorated cars will be pass ing out candies for families to trunk-ortreat in true Halloween spirit.

Alongside the trick-or-treating op portunities, the Spook Out is bringing back its haunted hayride, horse-drawn carriage rides, DJ, bounce houses, an assortment of food trucks, 50/50 raf fles, games and prizes. There will also be a costume contest for children and adults, in which the winners will re ceive gift cards.

New to the event’s lineup of activities is a tethered hot air balloon, as well as live music by Anthem-based band The Damn Kids.

Attendees will also have shopping opportunities, as there will be a vendor alley of booths featuring approximately 25 businesses, in addition to an aisle of sponsor booths.

The Spook Out’s 20 sponsors, who ful ly fund the event, include title sponsor Proskill Services, Anthem’s Rosati’s Piz za and Doody Defense.

“We’re very grateful for all the spon sors and the businesses, because this wouldn’t be happening at all (without them),” said Johnson.

This year’s Spook Out will also partner with Foothills Food Bank. Since the event is free, organizers ask that attendees bring two cans of Thanksgiving food as

“We want to make a difference in peo ple’s lives,” said Johnson. “There’s going to be people struggling for the holidays, and we want to be able to make that difference and help Foothills Food Bank be successful in blessing all the families through Thanksgiving.”

Proceeds made during the Spook Out

will benefit the event, pediatric therapy agency Arizona Autism and New River Kiwanis Park as a thank-you for allowing the club to host community events.

New River Kiwanis Park is located at 48606 N. 17th Avenue. To sign up as a volunteer at the Spook Out or for more information about the event, visit ne wriverkiwanis.org.

under the age of 20 years on the date of the national contest who is presently en rolled in a high school or junior high school (public, parochial, military, private or home school). There are additional guidelines for those who wish to participate. More infor mation is available for those who express an interest in participating.

For more information contact the Arizo na American Legion Post 128 commander by telephone at: 303-619-3041 or by email at: post128@azlegion.org.

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