10 minute read
COMMUNITY
TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury told her counterparts at a meeting last week she attended an Arizona League of Cities conference.
“I just felt so proud to be from Mesa the whole time,” she said. “Every session someone brought up Mesa and the great things we’re doing here.”
The civic pride continues Saturday, Sept. 25, when a downtown festival celebrates how much locals heart their city.
I Love Mesa Day, sponsored by the city and Downtown Mesa Association, is a free, family-friendly festival featuring outdoor activities, including two concerts.
The festival begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until 10 p.m.
A Kid Zone features activities for the young on Macdonald between Main Street and Pepper Place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Kid Zone will feature carnival games, activities, entertainment and carnival rides.
Older folks can enjoy live music with Dr. Dave Yount at Il Vinaio from 6:30 to 9 p.m. On the restaurant’s menu is the I Heart Mesa burger and Mesa Pecan Pie Bread Pudding a la mode, made with Mesa honey.
The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre plans improv shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. (for tickets, visit nctphoenix.com).
One of the stars of downtown Mesa’s beer scene, 12 West Brewing Company, showcases rock and reggae singer Raul Burruel from 1 to 4 p.m., with the Tommy Grills Band playing
���MESA DAY ���� 21
I Love Mesa Day features games for kids and music around town. At the Mesa Amphitheatre, free concerts will be provided by Young the Giant and Mesa’s own LEFT: Michale Franti, RIGHT: Quetzal Guerrero. (Special
to the Tribune)
Mask event today will be a fun, non-divisive event
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
At last, a Mesa nonpro�it is putting on a mask event this afternoon, Sept. 19, and it has nothing to do with COVID-19.
The Cultural Coalition is sponsoring its fourth annual Mask Alive Festival 2-5 p.m. at Pioneer Park, 526 E. Main St., Mesa.
The free event is focused on a series of masked performances that will be introduced by Mayor John Giles.
The family-friendly event also will feature arts and craft activities from the i.d.e.a. Museum and other organizations as well as food trucks with tacos, desserts and vegan options.
There also will be artist vendors and a raf�le to win a one-of-a-kind hand carved and painted mask by artist Zarco Guerrero.
Guerrero is a celebrated Mesa artist and sculptor who has described himself as “captivated by the power of the mask.” “The fascinating story of the Native
American Mask dance became an artistic obsession,” he has written in his autobiography at zarkmask.com. He has been making bronze sculptures and ceramic masks since 1972 and has lived with mask makers in Mexico and visited with other mask makers around the world to deepen his craft. “I adopted the philosophy of art with a social conscious and adhered to the ideology of David Alfaro Siqueiros, while being profoundly inspired and motivated by the indigenous people, their art and culture,” he has written. He has been an artist in resident at Stanford University and founded the Xicanindio Artists Coalition, Inc., a non-pro�it arts organization established to promote Native American and Chicano arts that is the oldest Latino and Native American Arts Arts and crafts activities also will be provided at the Cultural Coalition’s Mask Alive Festival organization in Arizona. at Pioneer Park today. (Special to the Tribune)
Gilbert center has new weapon against lung cancer
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
Anew innovation that holds promise to �ight lung cancer – the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide – is now in use at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The robotic technology enables earlier and more accurate diagnosis of small and hard-to-reach nodules deep in the lung.
“This is especially important because lung cancer typically has no symptoms in its early stages, and often isn’t found until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage,” spokesman Corey Schubert said.
“Early stage diagnosis is challenging partly due to the location and size of nodules, as well as technology limitations,” he explained.
Now, physicians can better view the inside of the lungs and smaller airways, to reach smaller nodules and obtain a tissue sample for biopsy. This provides greater precision and control, along with 3D vision that helps doctors reach areas of the lungs not usually accessible.
“We believe this will help our medical experts diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier, offering a more hopeful future for our patients,” said Dr. Archan Shah, interventional pulmonologist at Banner MD Anderson in Gilbert.
A variety of diagnostic options are available for lung cancer, but all have limitations in accuracy, safety, or invasiveness.
These limitations can lead to false positives, false negatives, or side effects such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and hemorrhage, which may increase health care costs and extend hospital stays.
When a spot on the lung is found through traditional diagnostic imaging, it’s important to determine what it is.
The new technology, called the “Monarch platform,” allows physicians to navigate the �lexible robotic endoscope to the periphery of the lung with improved reach, vision and control.
Physicians see traditional endoscopic views into the lung, as well as computerassisted navigation based on 3D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy. The minimally invasive procedure is performed through the mouth.
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center delivers cancer care to patients through the partnership of Banner Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Banner MD Anderson offers focused disease-speci�ic expertise in the medical, radiation and surgical management of the cancer patient; an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach to patient care; access to clinical trials and new investigative therapies; state-of-the-art technology for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of all types of cancer; oncology expertise in supportive care services.
Information: BannerMDAnderson.
com. ■
New technology enables sta at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert to detect lung cancer at a signifi cantly earlier time. (Courtesy of Banner MD Anderson)
MESA DAY ���� ���� 20
Motown, blues and rock from 7 to 10.
The Downtown Mesa Farmers Market portion of the festival takes place from 8 a.m. to noon along the Center Street side of the Mesa Arts Center.
The action shifts to Main Street from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Concerts at the Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center Street, begin with the Michael Franti Trio at 5:30 p.m.
Bay Area political-charged musician Franti is a veteran who started his career with the Beatnigs before shifting to the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and Spearhead. He mashes hip hop with funk, reggae, jazz, folk, rock and poetry.
Southern California rockers Young the Giant hit the stage at 8:30 p.m. Formerly known as the Jakes, Young the Giant made some noise with three singles (“My Body”, “Cough Syrup” and “Apartment”) from its debut album. Young the Giant’s most recent album is “Mirror Master.”
Like many other acts, Franti and Young the Giant are touring for the �irst time since the pandemic shut down venues across the country.
Mesa’s own Quetzal Guerrero also will perform at the Mesa Amphitheatre. The talented violinist-guitarist-singer grooves on Latin and world beats.
Ticket registration for the free concert will be on a �irst-come, �irst-served basis at mesaamp.com.
I Love Mesa Day includes free admission to Arizona Museum of Natural History, i.d.e.a. Museum and Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.
The i.d.e.a. Museum and Arizona Museum of Natural History will be open an extra hour – from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Both will offer timed entries that visitors can reserve online. Walk-ins will be admitted based on ticket availability.
At i.d.e.a. Museum, the “Robo Art” exhibition features hands-on activities and ArtVille – “a colorful town featuring imaginative play activities aimed at children four and younger (socks required).”
The Arizona Museum of Natural History features “75,000,000 B.C.” which walks visitors through southern Arizona and northern Sonora 75 million years ago, including giant volcanoes and always-popular dinosaurs.
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, 1 E. Main St., showcases international artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey, among others.
Masks are optional at city facilities.
For more information, visit downtownmesa.com, mesaamp.com or me-
saaz.gov. ■
MASKS ���� ���� 20
He has won numerous awards and honors, most recently the Water Public Art Challenge prize from The Arizona Community Foundation to create a 50-foot cut-out steel gate for the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix. “The Portal to the Past will honor the Ancient Sonoran Desert Peoples’ water legacy,” he said.
Guerrero will address attendees following the mayor’s remarks.
Performers will include: Desert Sounds Music, Sankofa African Drums, Ballet Folklorico Quetzalli, Ken Koshio & Taiko Drumming, Astarte Belly Dancing and Axé Capoeira Brazilian Dance. There also will be a “Dance of the Cucuis, Mask & Puppet Parade.”
People are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to enjoy the day.
This event is made possible in part by the Raza Development Fund and Mesa Vice Mayor Jenn Duff and Mesa City Council members David Luna and Francisco Heredia.
The Cultural Coalition has been supporting indigenous artists and youth arts education for over 25 years.
To learn more about the raf�le: cultur-
alcoalition.com/events/mask-alive. ■
TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow
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Market ‘precarious’ for buyers and sellers, expert says
BY PAUL MARYNIAK
Tribune Executive Editor
Driven by iBuyers and investors that are gobbling up substantial numbers of houses, Valley home buyers and sellers may be entering a disquieting and even “precarious” period while renters are facing a continuing rise in rents, judging by the latest observations by a leading analyst of the Phoenix Metro market.
The Cromford Report outlined a series of trends from August sales and listings that likely won’t bring many smiles to anyone but landlords.
“Many surprising changes have occurred in the market over the past month,” Cromford said as it reported that the average sale price per square foot soared by 27.9 percent between August 2019 and last month, up from $194.97 to $249.31.
That pushed up the monthly median sales price in the same time period by 23.4 percent, from $325 to $401,000. This 2,829-square-foot house on E. Enrose Street in Mesa recently sold for $728,500 – about $28,000 over the listing price. The four-bedroom, two-bath home, built in 1985, boasted a gourmet kitchen, refi nished master suite, pool and other amenities. (Special to the Tribune)
Several developments in August caught the Cromford Report’s eye, particularly a decline in new listings that appears to have been driven by a spending spree by large investors and iBuyers.
“Ordinary home buyers are losing some of their motivation, thanks to prices that are vastly higher than last year,” Cromford said. “Despite low interest rates, affordability has slipped below the normal range for Greater Phoenix.”
The report stated, “If it were not for the activity of investors and iBuyers – and particularly the latter – the market would have cooled during August. This would have been following the trend established since April.
“However, iBuyers have purchased so many homes over the last month that they are signi�icantly distorting the market dynamics. These homes are mostly going to be re-marketed shortly, so they will almost certainly increase supply over the coming weeks.” Cromford noted, “iBuyers have made offers well in excess of the pricing that we saw from them” in the �irst half of 2021.
He said it is unclear how iBuyers will price their homes once they return them to the market because “normal buyers no longer have the appetite” they showed through June 2021.
“Achieving sale prices well over cost could prove quite tricky” for the iBuyers, it suggested.
Cromford noted that iBuyers purchased
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Award-winning dancers’ studio caters to all feet
BY MELODY BIRKETT
Tribune Contributor
Getting married and worried that you can’t dance with the bride? Don’t worry, Elektro Dance Academy and owners Jena and Nico Banuelos got your back.
“We do a lot of private lessons for couples who are about to get married,” Nico said. “We choreograph those dances. We do weddings, bar mitzvahs. We do everything.”
He and his wife opened Elektro Dance Academy three years ago.
Nico, his brother and some friends long ago had a dance crew that aimed for the big time.
“We auditioned for a show, ‘Americas Best Dance Crew,’ on MTV,” he recalled. “We auditioned three times but didn’t make it. We �inally made it on the fourth time. Not only did we make it but we ended up winning the whole show. That was really cool.”
After that, they all started teaching classes.
“We found that people were very intrigued. So, we decided to open a studio, teach classes and host different features with different styles,” he said. “It’s been
���DANCE ���� 25
Elektro Dance Academy in Mesa teaches students in all styles of dance. (Special to
