Prescott Living - Winter 2019

THUMB BUTTE MEDICAL CENTER

“OUR MISSION IS TO HELP PATIENTS WITH UTMOST RESPECT AND DIGNITY IN A HEALING ENVIRONMENT”

Hojat Askari, M.D. Founder,MedicalDirector,BoardCertifiedInternalMedicine

URGENT CARE:

Mon.-Fri. 7am-6pm • Sat. 8am-4pm 3124 Willow Creek Rd. Prescott, AZ 86301

PHARMACY:

Tel: 928.237.4006

Mon.-Fri. 8am-6pm • Sat. 8am-1pm

PRESCOTT:

3124 Willow Creek Rd.

Prescott, AZ 86301 • Tel: 928.445.7085

PRESCOTT VALLEY:

6496 E. HWY 69

Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 • Tel: 928.775.9007

Mohammad Golparian, M.D.

Board Certified Internal Medicine

Ali Askari, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Cardiologist

Siamak Rassadi, M.D.

CardiologistElectrophysiology

Kaveh Karandish, M.D.

Board Certified Internal Medicine and Cosmetic Medicine

Mohsen Sharifi, M.D.

CardiologistVein Specialist

Serj Nazarian, D.P.M.

FootandAnkle Surgeon

AND URGENT CARE

Ramin Abbasian, M.D.

Pain Management

Maddie Assar, M.D.

Radiologist

Advanced breastimaging & earlybreastcancer detection. “Sofia”

Joesph P Maidl, PA PhysiciansAssistance

Michael Frost, FNP

FamilyNursePractitioner/BC

Linda Nelson, FNP FamilyNurse Practitioner/UrgentCare

Terry M. Barns, ANP Adult Nurse Practitioner

Now offering house calls by request

Bardia Sinael, DMD General and Cosmetic Dentist

Denise Eldred PhysicalTherapist

Jonathan Brewer Massage Therapist

Victoria Ray Permanent Cosmetics

Brenda Lummer Hearing Aid Technician

METROLAB AND LABCORP CONVENIENTLY LOCATED IN PRESCOTT LOCATION

Chetan Patel, FNP

FamilyNurse Practitioner

Retirement investing can lead to many questions

Which is why it can be especially beneficial to seek the advice of a financial planning expert, so you can objectively evaluate your existing strategy, and consider new products and tools available to help you succeed.

With over 48 years of experience in financial services, Parshalla Wood helps retirement investors like you find peace of mind when thinking about their financial future. Contact Par today for a complimentary portfolio review.

PRESCOTTLIVINGMAG.COM

Elaine Earle,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bea Lueck

COPYWRITER

Nancy Erdmann

PRESCOTT PIONEER WRITER

Ray Newton

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Laurie Fisher

SENIOR ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

Lance Besore

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

Harvey Bernstein

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tim Clarke

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Rebecca Bowen

Shannon Price

CUSTOMER SERVICE/AD TRAFFIC MANAGER

Jo Wobser

PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING MANAGER

Julie Turetzky

COMMENTS & IDEAS editor@roxco.com

CALENDAR INQUIRIES calendar@roxco.com • prescottlivingmag.com/calendar

SUBSCRIPTIONS info@roxco.com • prescottlivingmag.com/copies

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES info@roxco.com • prescottlivingmag.com/advertise

130 N. Granite St., Prescott AZ 86301 • 928-350-8006

Corporate Office: 442 W. Kortsen Rd, Ste 101 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.426.2074

WINDOW TO THE WORLD

Spring is in the air! Wait a minute, isn’t this the Winter issue?! Yes, it is, but we at Prescott LIVING Magazine are always looking into the future. Warmer weather isn’t the only thing that we are looking forward to.

The future for Prescott has never looked better and more prosperous. Now, with daily flights from Prescott to Los Angeles and Denver, increased public relations and outbound marketing, Prescott not only is being named the most successful airline launch for SkyWest Airlines but tourism-related revenues are up, as well. This, in turn, results in more being given back to the community in the form of trails and other recreation-service improvements.

Speaking of trails, isn’t it great that the Greater Prescott area has more than 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking? With near-perfect year-round weather, the trails are ideal for adults of all ages, families and even your pets! Yavapai County ranks first out of 15 Arizona counties for healthy behaviors and has lower incidents of mortality related to cancer and diabetes. The Greater Prescott area boasts a full spectrum of healthcare professionals, many of whom we highlight in this issue, as well our feature ROX Interview with Yavapai County Attorney, Sheila Polk, who is fully dedicated to a healthy community.

February wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Valentine’s Day and all the engagements and wedding planning that will commence. Greater Prescott is a one-stop shop for all your wedding and event planning needs, with its own selection of fine jewelers, flower shops and magical venues. Look no further than the special Wedding & Events special section in this issue. Lastly, but most importantly to me, this issue is about travel and relationships with the world. For me personally, travel is my “window to the world.” In this issue, we feature Prescott’s Sister City, Zeitz, Germany, where I had the privilege to travel in 2018. Our Prescott Mayor, Greg Mengarelli and his wife, Sheila, also had the opportunity to travel to Zeitz that same year. In addition, each year high school students from both Prescott and Zeitz participate in a student exchange. I am thankful for international experiences for myself, my family and for the people of Prescott because traveling to foreign locations is so insightful and provides greater knowledge of the world, and in turn teaches us about our lives in our own communities.

As always, I hope that you enjoy this issue, and I look forward to the future of the Greater Prescott area!

Elaine Earle Publisher, Prescott LIVING

of the Community VOICES

Frank Ayers

Chancellor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Frank is the chancellor of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus. Prior to Embry-Riddle, Ayers served in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years, logging in more than 6,000 flight hours.

Martha Baden

Manager, Public Services, Prescott Public Library

Martha is Library Manager, public services at Prescott Public Library. Still enjoying a lifelong love of connecting people with information they need and books they’ll love, she has worked in school or public libraries in four states over the last 20 years.

Ken Boush

DirectorofMarketing and Communications,Yavapai

Regional Medical Center

Ken Boush was born in Arizona and has explored nearly every corner of the state. Ken leads Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s (YRMC) marketing, communications and community outreach efforts and has helped position YRMC for the future.

Margo Christensen

Vice PresidentofMarketing and Public Relations

Ponderosa Hotel ManagementServices

Margo serves on the board of directors for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. She is also a founding member of the City of Prescott Tourism Advisory Committee.

Amoré Cianciola

DirectorofCatering & Events, Hassayampa Inn

Amoré is a veteran in the hospitality industry and has volunteered for numerous organizations, inclulding Prescott Area Leadership and Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity. The mother of three currently serves on the City of Prescott’s Tourism Advisory Committee.

Dennis Gallagher

FounderandPresident,PrescottWesternHeritageFoundation

Dennis is the founder and president of the Prescott Western Heritage Foundation Inc. He is also a Western artist/bronze sculptor and an active volunteer for various community events. He and his wife, MaryAnn, have been married 50 years.

Cindy Gresser

Executive Director,The Smoki Museum

Cindy is the Executive Director of The Smoki Museum. Currently, she also serves the City of Prescott as the Chair of the Art in Public Places Committee. She is involved in many community activities including The Rotary Club of Prescott, Prescott Area Arts and Humanities Council and the Prescott Corral of Westerners.

Sandy Griffis

Executive Director,Yavapai CountyContractors Association

Sandy is Executive Director of Yavapai County Contractors Association, and has lived in the Prescott area for 21 years. Sandy has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an MBA in business with a minor in music from San Diego State.

Sheri L. Heiney

President/CEO, Prescott ChamberofCommerce

Sheri was hired as the President/CEO of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce in January 2017. She moved to Arizona from Michigan, and has over 23 years of chamber professional

Tracey Horn

Owner, Helken & HornAdvertisingAgency

Tracey has been assisting Northern Arizona businesses prosper, creating professional marketing and advertising materials and negotiating media and digital marketing buys since 1995. She assists with all marketing for the Whiskey Row New Year’s Eve Boot Drop she helped create in 2011.

Leslie Horton, MA, MCHES

DirectorofYavapai CountyCommunityHealth Services,CountyHealthOfficer

With 15 years of public health experience, Horton currently works to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of public health services throughout Yavapai County. She is a member of the MATFORCE and Northland Cares boards of directors.

Tim Diesch

MarketingSpecialist,YavapaiCollege

Tim has worked in marketing, advertising and tourism promotion in Prescott since 2003. Clients served include the City of Prescott, Prescott Frontier Days and The World's Oldest Rodeo®, The Phippen Museum and Sharlot Hall Museum. Tim has worked to promote enrollment at Yavapai College for the past four years.

Steven Kartstein

MarketingandProgramManager,ElksTheatreand PerformingArtsCenter

Steven and his wife, Ellen, moved to Prescott in June 2016 from San Diego where he was the operations manager for a home furnishings company. At Elks Theatre and Performing Arts Center, he is helping develop outreach programs for the support of the performing arts.

Kristen Kerns

KristenKerns,DirectorofDonorDevelopment&

Marketing,YavapaiHumaneSociety

Kristen joined Yavapai Humane Society in August of 2018. She directs the fundraising, marketing, education and appreciation strategy. She is an advocate for all animals and is proud to speak for them in the community.

Ken Lain

Owner,Watters Garden Center

Ken grew up in Prescott, attended Yavapai College and obtained his degrees from ASU. He married his college sweetheart Lisa Watters-Lain and has four children. His garden advice can be heard each week on the radio. Throughout the week, Ken can be found at Watters Garden Center.

Greg Mengarelli

Mayor, CityofPrescott

Greg has lived in Prescott since 1995, and has been the Executive Director for United Christian Youth Camp for the past 23 years. He grew up in small, rural communities in Kansas, and graduated from Kansas State University. He is active in community affairs, and is currently the President of the Prescott Unified School District Board.

Ray Newton

Journalist and Professor-AdministratorEmeritus, NorthernArizona University

A veteran of weekly and daily newspapers and book editing and writing — Ray has been there. He is a Professor-Administrator Emeritus from Northern Arizona University, now retired and residing in Prescott with his wife, Patty.

Kell Palguta

Mayor,TownofPrescottValley

Kell moved to Prescott Valley in 1996 from a small town in Maine. In 1998 he began his career in public service as a police officer. He takes great pride in being elected the youngest Mayor in Yavapai County, and his goals are to ensure that every citizen’s voice is heard.

Sheila Polk

Yavapai CountyAttorney

Sheila is a native Arizonan, who has served as the Yavapai Attorney for 17 years. A career prosecutor, Sheila chairs MATFORCE, the substance abuse coalition, and is the driving stimulus behind the law enforcement course “What You Do Matters: Lessons from the Holocaust.”

Tom Reilly

President,CEORenovations,YourCompleteRemodelResource

As an architect and general contractor, Tom has been designing and building in Prescott for the past 36 years. He has also served on many committees, including Prescott City Council and Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Laura Scrivner

GeneralManager,CapitalCanyonClub

Laura is the General Manager of Capital Canyon Club and is an award-winning, 20-year Troon veteran with extensive private club experience. She has worked at many golf courses throughout the U.S. from Colorado to Delaware.

Jennifer Temkin

OperationsDirectorattheHighlandsCenterforNaturalHistory

Jennifer has a lifetime love of native flora, formerly managing a native plant nursery in Flagstaff, conducting field work for NAU, working with plant specimens for Deaver Herbarium and creating landscape and permaculture designs focusing on native plant species. She currently manages the James Family Discovery Gardens at HCNH.

Marnie Uhl

President & CEO Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce

Marnie has been the President/CEO since 2006 and successfully led the Chamber to a national accreditation through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Federation. She was selected as Prescott Area Leadership’s Woman of the Year 2017 and serves on many professional and nonprofit boards. Marnie has been in the Chamber industry for 20 years.

Fred Veil

Executive Director, Sharlot Hall Museum

Fred is the Executive Director of the Sharlot Hall Museum. He is a Marine Corps veteran and former Sheriff of the Prescott Corral of Westerners International, he conceived and organized the Western History Symposium. He is a board member of the Arizona History Convention and member of the Tourism Advisory Committee for the City of Prescott.

Tori Ward

ROXTravel, Cruise and ResortSpecialist

Victoria “Tori” is a cruise and resort specialist with a master’s degree in political science. She has completed more than 30 certification courses with the cruise and tour industry including the most advanced certification, Commodore, from Princess Cruise Lines.

Prescott Parks & Rec Department

• Samara Rice-Cummings, Recreation Services Administrative Specialist

• Patti Crouse, Recreation Services Administrative Coordinator

• Rick Hormann, Recreation Services Supervisor

• Michelle Stacy-Schroeder, Recreation Services Coordinator

• Kelly Tolbert. Recreation Services Coordinator

Hello! We’re ROX Media Group

Prescott LIVING Magazine is brought to you by ROX Media Group, a multimedia organization providing an annual portfolio of 3.6 million print copies of community, custom and travel publications throughout Arizona and in neighboring states. Our publications collectively reach millions of consumers who reside in or travel to Arizona every year, and bring engaging local

content to the communities and marketing partners we serve. Since our founding in 2011, we have earned the respect of our readers and marketing partners through our dedication to high quality, local content and our understanding of the key informational needs that drive media consumption, messaging and interaction.

Some of our additional offerings include:

Elaine Earle Publisher

In addition to this publication you hold in your hand, ROX Media Group has been serving the Prescott area with our publication Quad-City Smart Shopper beginning in 2013 and we are also the proud publisher of the Visitor Guide – Greater Prescott Area, which is published for the City of Prescott Office of Tourism. Starting with the 2019 issue, ROX Media Group is also the publisher of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce Community Guide & Directory.

• A full suite of creative services for any project

• Custom publications created, designed, edited, printed and distributed

• Digital media marketing services and website creation

• Project management services

Come see our new office at 130 N. Granite St., Prescott AZ 86301. Elaine is an accomplished publisher and management professional with 20 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and publisher of a diverse set of marketing products. Elaine and her team bring a “one firm” solution to clients. She has a passion for traveling and has been to over 40 countries.

Bea Lueck

General Manager & Managing Editor

Ray Newton Contributing

Writer

Julie Turetzky

Public Relations & Marketing Manager

Bea is the general manager and managing editor of ROX Media Group. She handles the various day-to-day activities necessary to take the publications from concept to print and distribution. She has over 22 years of experience in multiple advertising media, including print, direct mail, television and web.

A veteran newspaperman, magazine and television reporter-editor, Ray also earned stripes at several universities, including Northern Arizona University, as a professor and administrator emeritus. Active throughout his adult years in several local, regional and national think-tank organizations, he’s a vocal advocate for giving back to communities where we live.

Julie is a marketing professional with 20 years of experience working in client and agency settings. Julie has created and managed marketing strategies across many industries, designed to meet client objectives and stay within an established budget.

Tim Clarke Creative Director

Katie Mayer Editor & Project Manager

Nancy Erdmann Lead Editor & Writer

Tim is a digital design professional with more than 28 years of experience. Tim is responsible for all creative consulting, magazine design, print production and web development for ROX Media Group. He manages production for multiple publications as well as multiple Drupal and Wordpress sites for external clients.

Katie is an accomplished senior copywriter and editor with 12 years of experience working with everything from daily print newspapers to magazines and trade publications. She is also an award-winning journalist and guest lecturer at her Alma Mater, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Nancy is a seasoned journalist, having spent more than 25 years in the magazine industry as both a lifestyle editor and writer. A visual person by nature, she has art directed photo shoots and her images have often appeared in print and online publications. A native of Wisconsin, she has lived in Phoenix for the past 27 years and loves everything about Arizona.

Shannon Price Graphic Designer

Meet Our Team: roxmediagroup . net

Jake Pagano Graphic Designer

Laurie Fisher Director of Sales & Marketing

Shannon joined ROX Media Group in September 2018. She has an associate degree in graphic design as well as a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in marketing. Shannon is a graphic artist with more than six years of design experience and spent the past three years working in the newspaper industry. She and her family have lived in Casa Grande for over thirteen years.

Jake is an experienced and driven graphic designer whose creative design work can be found in dozens of consumer, travel and lifestyle publications throughout Arizona. Jake is currently responsible for a number of publications at ROX Media Group including SunHealthLiveWell,Glendale@ PLAY and TravelHostArizona.

Laurie joins ROX Media Group as our new Director of Sales and Marketing from California. She is a marketing professional with over 25-years of experience, specializing in print and digital media such as SEM, SEO and social media, and enjoys helping her clients to achieve their marketing goals. Customer service is her No. 1 priority! Laurie is an avid hiker and cyclist who loves the outdoors and looks forward to enjoying the beauty of Prescott.

Jo Wobser Customer Service/ Ad Traffic Manager

Lance Besore Senior Advertising Executive

Rebecca is a graphic designer with over five years of experience in the design and marketing industries. She has her associate’s degree in graphic design, and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in communication. When she is not creating eye-catching visuals, she is enjoying hiking and other outdoor activities.

Jo joined the ROX Media Group team in March 2018 following a career in customer service spanning more than 20 years. This rewarding experience coupled with her skill sets as a graphic designer and photographer allow her to provide excellent service and guidance to the ROX Media Group advertising clients she serves every day.

Lance is an Arizona native who has lived all over the state. He attended the University of Arizona and studied English literature Lance started his sales career in earnest in 2000 in the telecom industry. In 2003, he started working for New Times/Village Voice Media. Within a few short years he was one of the top Senior account executives nationwide. Lance then went to work in financial areas, such as Private Equity.

Submit your events online at prescottlivingmag.com

FEBRUARY

1 Turn the Page - 7:00 PM9:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. An incredible re-creation of the Live Bob Seger Experience performed by The Sam Morrison Band. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

2 Class of 69 - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Annual salute to the top songs from 50 years ago. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

8 Sephira - 7:00 PM-9:00 PMElks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. One show only! Dueling violins and captivating vocals. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

8 Bria Skonberg - 7:30 PM-9:30 PM - YCPAC 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott. Singer, songwriter and trumpeter Bria Skonberg has been called “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” Tickets from $32. www. ycpac.com for info.

9 American Association of University Women (AAUW) - 9:00 AM-11:30 AM - Community Room, Building 19, Yavapai College 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott - “Helping the Homeless and Teens in Our Community”, Jessi Hans, Director of the Coalition for Compassion and Justice (CCJ), and Courtney Osterfelt, Executive Director and Founder of the Launch Pad Teen Center - Program is open to the public.

9 Gardening for Newcomers9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/ classes for more info.

9 Mile High Mystics - Love is in the Air Festival - 9:30 AM-4:30 PM - Hassayampa Hotel 122 E.

Gurley St., Prescott. Free admission. Readers, Chair Massage, Body Work, Vendors, Energy Healing, Aura Photography, Animal Communicator; some proceeds donated to Catty Shack. More info call 443-5325, for entertainment purposes only.

9 Rain, Snow, and El Niño: Arizona’s Changing Climate10:00 AM-12:00 PM - 882 Sunset Ave., Prescott. Dr. Michael Crimmins, Climate Science Extension Specialist and Associate Professor at the University of Arizona, will talk about the unique aspects of Arizona’s varied climate.Call 928-445-4218 for more info.

9 The Folk Sessions 16th Anniversary Concert: The GIANTS of Folk - 7:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Tickets $25-$40. VIP ($40) include invite to artist reception on Feb 8 @ Forest Villas Hotel. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

11

Top of the Elks PresentsSecond Monday! - 6:00 PM9:00 PM - Elks Performing Arts Center, 2nd Floor, Dance 2, 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Music, Dancing, Food and Drink. $25 per person. Tickets at www. elgatoazulprescott.com

14

Alan Harkrader - Valentine’s Day - 5:00 PM-9:00 PMLos Pinos Restaurant 1245 White Spar Rd., Prescott. A romantic evening with world renowned entertainer, dinner & dancing. Call 619-865-8454 for info.

14 Monthly Sangria Social5:30 PM-7:30 PM - Forest Villas Hotel 3645 Lee Cir., Prescott. Unwind, relax, wine, dine & network. Call 928-458-4729 for info.

15

Murphy’s Celtic Legacy7:30 PM-9:30 PM - YCPAC 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott. Irish

dance is reborn in this powerful, stunning saga. Tickets from $29. www.ycpac.com for info.

16 Controlling Gophers and Other Annoying Animals - 9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. If you let these pests gain a foothold in the garden, they’re nearly impossible to clear out. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter. com/classes for more info.

16 2019 Miss Yavapai County & Miss Granite Mountain Competition - 4:45 PM-9:00 PM - Embry-Riddle University 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott. $10 pre-sale or $15 at the door. Visit MissYavapaiCounty.org for more info.

16 Cowboy Poetry & Campfire Music - 6:30 PM-9:00 PM - Little Dealers Little Prices 2757 N. Truwood Dr., Prescott Valley. A Fun Night Under the stars and around the campfire. Tickets $15, 12 and under free. Call 928-499-9972 for info.

16 The Troubadour Experience - 7:00 PM-9:00 PMElks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. #1 hits that encompassed the unmistakable sounds that made GEORGE STRAIT. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

17 Easy To Love - 3:00 PMYavapai College Performing Arts Center 1100 E Sheldon Street, Prescott. Tickets Available Online at www.YCPAC.com or at the YCPAC Box Office: (928) 776-2000. Adults: $25, Youth (18 & Under): $5. More Info: www.PrescottPOPS.com.

17 Esteban - Timeless Love Songs - 3:00 PM-5:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Enjoy the pure sound of the guitar, violin and light percussion with Esteban. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

20 Junior Bonner / Movies @ The Elks! - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM - Elks Theater 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Admission is a cash donation of any amount. All proceeds go to support The Elks Theatre and Performing Arts Center’s community outreach programs. Call 928-777-1370 for info.

20 The King’s Singers - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM - YCPAC 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott. From King’s College, Cambridge, see this renowned vocal music ensemble. Tickets from $25. www.ycpac.com for info.

22 Theodore Roosevelt: Man in the Arena - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. The 26th President of the United States has been energetically brought back to life by Derek Evans. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www.prescottelkstheater.com.

23 Succulent and Cactus Container Design - 9:30 AM10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/classes for more info.

24 Black Arts Festival: The Beauty of Black - 11:00 AM6:00 PM - Sam Hill Art Gallery 232 Granite St., Prescott. Spoken word, theatrical performances, gospel singers, AZ based artists and more. Free of Charge. Any and Everyone is welcome. Call 313-286-1495 for info.

28 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! - 7:00 PM-9:00 PM - Elks Theatre 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Magical musical adventure with a car that flies and sails. Tickets call 928-777-1370 or visit www. prescottelkstheater.com.

MARCH FEBRUARY

February – March 2019

MARCH

1-3 Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show

- 9:00 AM-5:00 PM - Prescott Resort & Conference Center 1500 AZ-69, Prescott. Free admission, workshops fee based registration at leathercraftersjournal.com.

1

U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West - 7:30 PM-9:30

PM - YCPAC 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott. A don’t-miss free family event. Visit www.ycpac.com for info.

2 Irritating Insects and Fungus Among Us - 9:30 AM-10:30

PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/classes for more info.

3

2019 Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo - 10:00 AM-3:00

PM - Hassayampa Inn 122 E. Gurley St., Prescott. 14th annual community event. For info visit PrescottBridalAffaireExpo.com.

9 Fruit Trees - Health and Harvest - 9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/ classes for more info.

9 March Living History - 10:00 AM-3:00 PM - Sharlot Hall Museum 415 W. Gurley St., Prescott. Museum admission $9 adults, $5 youth 13-17, free for 12 and under. Visit sharlot.org for more info.

11 Top of the Elks Presents - Second Monday! - 6:00 PM-9:00 PM - Elks Performing Arts Center, 2nd Floor, Dance 2, 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott. Music, Dancing, Food and Drink. $25 per person. Tickets at www. elgatoazulprescott.com

16 Museum Lecture Series: “Aviator Frank Luke in WWI” - 2:00 PM-3:00 PM - Sharlot Hall Museum 415 W. Gurley St., Prescott. Located in the West Gallery. Admission is free but seating is limited. Visit sharlot.org for more info.

16

Watters 58th Spring Open House - 9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/classes for more info.

23 Trees of Spring - 9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters

Garden Center 1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/ classes for more info.

23-24 Carmina Burana with Ballet Victoria & Yavapai College - 3:00 PMYavapai College Performing Arts Center 1100 E Sheldon St., Prescott. Tickets online at www.YPAC.com or at the Box Office: (928) 776-2000.

30 Advanced Container Designs - 9:30 AM-10:30 PM - Watters Garden Center

1815 Iron Springs Rd., Prescott. The right container with the right plants can bring a space in the landscape from so-so to stunning. Free to local gardeners. Visit wattersgardencenter.com/classes for more info.

31 The Phoenix Symphony in Prescott - 3:00 PM - YCPAC 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott. To purchase tickets call Yavapai Symphony Association 928-776-4255.

THE PRESCOTT

Stories by Ray Newton

• PRESCOTT • PRESCOTT VALLEY • CHINO VALLEY • DEWEY-HUMBOLDT •

Prescott Tourism Marketing Brings Money to Community

City of Prescott Community Outreach Manager John Heiney recently told the Prescott City Council that a professional services contract with Front Burner Media has resulted in a substantial uptick in national and international print and electronic exposure as well as significant hotel occupancy and bed-tax increases during the past year.

Heiney told Councilmembers, “All indications are that tourism statistics — number of visitors, dollars spent, taxes collected — are up substantially because of our relationship with Front Burner Media.”

Specifically, Heiney noted

that an estimated 39 million people nationally and internationally had been exposed to information about the greater Prescott area, a calculated $14.2 million in media value exposure.

He also said hotel occupancy rates were up 2.8 percent over last year. Because of that, bed-tax collections were up almost 5 percent over the same time last year. Heiney explained it was through these collections that the $36,000 contract with Front Burner Media is paid. Following Heiney’s presentation, the City Council approved extension of a $36,000 professional services contract with Front Burner Media for

the coming year.

Heather Hermen, founder and owner of the Sedona-based marketing and public relations firm, has been working with the City of Prescott since 2013. In 2016, in cooperation with the City Tourism Office, she increased the Prescott presence domestically and internationally.

“I work with the Arizona Office of Tourism promoting businesses and destinations I work with,” she explains. “The co-op advertising program AOT offers to rural communities helps us buy up to $50,000 in advertising and marketing programs, which it matches

Prescott Pension Debt Is Dropping W

hen Prescott residents voted to pass Prop. 443 in August 2017, there’s a good chance they had no way of knowing that positive vote would significantly cut down the City’s unfunded liability. At the time, the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) debt amounted to $86.4 million. Today, it is barely over $69 million, a decrease of $17 million due to funds generated through the 0.75 sales tax, which went into effect a year ago January.

Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli is pleased with the pay down.

“Without the life-giving stream of funding from Proposition 443, we would still be wandering around in a very dry desert,” he says. “But now, because of the strong support of our Prescott citizenry in passing Prop. 443, our City can continue to move forward in a strong financial position. Prop. 443 provided the funds. Without those funds, it would be no fun.”

City of Prescott Budget and Finance Director Mark Woodfill told the council that the drop could be attributed to two reasons: a $6 million payment that was generated through the first six months of the new sales tax; and an $11 million lump sum made in September 2017.

Prescott Mayor Pro Tem Billie Orr says passing Proposition 443 was clearly the catalyst for removing the dark cloud of the $86 million unfunded pension liability hovering over the City. “Our commitment to paying down this debt and retiring the

PIONEER

Retired Prescott Valley Mayor Honored by Town Council

Recently retired Prescott Valley Mayor Harvey Skoog was honored by the Prescott Valley Town Council when it renamed the former Civic Center Circle as Skoog Boulevard.

That occurred when councilmembers publicly introduced and then unanimously passed a motion to honor the popular 79-year-old community leader during his retirement dinner at the Prescott Valley Event Center, Nov. 11. Skoog and his wife Edna received a standing ovation when the motion passed in front of an audience of some 450 from the greater region.

Earlier that evening, several state, county and local community legislative and government leaders praised Skoog for his dedication and diplomacy in leading town government.

The Minnesota native had served on the Town Council as a member and later as mayor for a cumulative 26 years, more

than half the time since Prescott Valley was first incorporated as a town. Skoog, his wife and their children had moved to Prescott Valley from Phoenix in 1982. He was first appointed to Town Council in 1984, and then re-elected. He was named mayor in 1993 and had been re-elected three more times.

When Prescott Valley Vice Mayor Lora Lee Nye presented him with the large street sign, “Skoog Blvd,” Skoog, with his typical modest smile and quiet voice said, “How could a guy ask for more. This is much more than I expected. I am way beyond surprised.”

He thanked all those present, saying, “It’s people like you who make this community great.”

Possibly the biggest honor for Skoog was to have dozens of family members present. In all, he and his wife have nine children, 61 grandchildren, and 43 great-grandchildren. Those present stood in front of the

stage to honor Skoog as a shower of rainbow confetti drifted over the platform party. They then led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Skoog, who turned 79 the next day.

Prescott Valley is now the

largest incorporated community in Yavapai County, with a population approaching 46,000. It has an estimated population growth of 2.8 percent the past few years, according to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.

Airport Hits Passenger Record

When Wyoming resident Kay Steers boarded the Prescott to Denver commercial flight on Dec. 30, she set the record — the 10,000th passenger to embark from the local airport in a single year. More important, Steers’ enplanement triggered the tipping point for the City of Prescott to qualify for more federal grant money, including funds to help construct a new airport terminal.

Federal funding will now in-

crease from $150,000 annually to $1 million. In addition, the City will now qualify to get a new terminal in the current grant cycle, says Airport Director Robin Sobotta.

Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli has indicated that ground-breaking for the new terminal will occur sometime in September and expects more than 25,000 passengers will fly

Continued on page 114...

The ROX Interview

Sheila Polk

YAVAPAI COUNTY ATTORNEY

Interview by Ray Newton

PRESCOTT LIVING: Sheila, you’re an Arizona native. Give us a little background about your youth..

SHEILA POLK: Well, I was born and raised in the central Phoenix area. I have what I think is a pretty unique and extraordinary family. My parents had 10 biological children, and then they adopted three more who are of mixed race. I grew up in this very large, diverse family with extraordinary parents who loved travel and adventure.

When I was 3 years old, there were eight of us then. In 1959, my parents took all of us in a camper that my dad built, down into Mexico for six months. My older siblings actually went to school while we were there. We just did a lot of camping and traveling, particularly in Mexico. We’re still incredibly close.

PRESCOTT LIVING: In your early adult years, you attended ASU?

SHEILA POLK: Actually, I went to Phoenix College for two years. Then I went abroad my junior year to study in France. I came back and finished up at ASU as an undergrad with a degree in French. Then I went to law school at ASU. That's where I met my husband, Tom.

PRESCOTT LIVING: What took you from French to law?

SHEILA POLK: Oh, it was purely serendipitous. When I had that degree in French, my sister and I were sharing a room. She was dating someone in law school, who’s now her husband. She came home one day and said, “Sheila, I think you should become a lawyer. I was looking at his law books and they look so interesting. I think you would really like it.”

I remember saying, “Oh Mary, I couldn’t be a lawyer, I’m not like them.” I had this

picture of that corporate lawyer and that was never me. But she kept saying “No, really.” So I finally said, “Well OK, I’m going to take that LSAT and apply to ASU, and if I get in then I’m going to go, but I won’t apply anywhere else, so I’ll just see what happens.” And I got in. I loved law school from the very beginning. I met Tom there that very first semester. He is a native of Prescott. That might be why I loved law school! (laughs)

PRESCOTT LIVING: You moved to Yavapai County and joined the county attorney’s office in 1994. What were your primary responsibilities?

SHEILA POLK: The county attorney's office performs two basic functions. We are the legal advisers for county government; and we prosecute all the felonies, juvenile offenders and misdemeanors that are in the unincorporated areas.

I actually began in our civil division. I did that for three years. Then I switched to the criminal division, which I did for the next four years. In 2000, I ran for county attorney.

PRESCOTT LIVING: What prompted you to run for county attorney?

SHEILA POLK: I never viewed the position of county attorney as very political.

But after living here seven years and working on both sides of the office, when my predecessor Chick Hastings announced he was not going to run, I started thinking about it as a possibility. I thought about what my qualifications were. Then I thought about this opportunity to be more at a policy-making level for the office and an opportunity to figure out how to best use my talents.

I admire Chick Hastings to this day. He

Sheila Polk, the Yavapai County Attorney since 2001, is a native of Phoenix. She is a member of a large family, one of 13 children. After completing high school, Polk attended Phoenix College for two years, spent her junior year abroad in France, and then finished at Arizona State University (ASU) where she earned a bachelor’s degree in French in 1978. She met her future husband Tom when they were both first year law students at ASU. Polk earned her Juris Doctorate in 1982, became a law clerk to Justice Jack Hays in the Arizona Supreme Court. She moved into an assistant attorney general position for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, a role she held for 11 years.

In 1994, Polk moved to Prescott (her husband’s hometown), where she became a deputy county attorney and specialized in the prosecution of felony crimes. In 2000, she became the first woman ever to be elected as Yavapai County Attorney. She currently is completing her fifth term.

A member of several major legal councils and commissions, she is chairwoman of the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission; chairwoman of the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council; and is a member of the Governor’s Arizona Human Trafficking Council.

Among her points of pride are being a founder of MATFORCE (the county substance abuse coalition) and a founder and driving stimulus behind the nationally recognized law enforcement course “What You Do Matters: Lessons from the Holocaust.”

Polk has earned a reputation as an excellent public speaker. She has made presentations in Arizona and at meetings throughout the U.S. Her list of scholarly and legal publications is equally impressive. She is a frequent contributor to editorial columns in newspapers and magazines.

She and her husband, a practicing attorney in Prescott, have three adult sons, all attorneys. Polk smiles broadly when she shares the latest addition to her family — grandson, Luca John Polk, barely 8 months.

The ROX Interview (continued)

was county attorney for 20 years. I really respect him. He still works here, by the way. He retired, but about six months later he came back and said he’d be interested in doing some part-time work. The last 18 years, he has worked at our charging division, helping charge criminal cases as they come in the door. Isn’t that remarkable?

At the time, Chick said to me, “I’m here to give you advice if you would like it, but I am not here to tell you what to do. You are the county attorney.” He has held to that word. He was always very respectful of the way I was running the office, always there to assist if I asked. He never offered anything unsolicited.

PRESCOTT LIVING: You’ve been here 18 years. What have been some of your satisfactions?

SHEILA POLK: When I reflect back on my years as county attorney, there are three things that I’m particularly proud of. First I have to start with the people in this office. I just feel so lucky to have so

many incredible people who want to work here, from the attorneys through all the administrative professionals. It’s a place where I love to come. I feel so lucky to work with people who are so good and so well-intentioned, who are part of our bigger mission of making the community safe, being part of public safety. And not everybody gets to say that about their work environment.

The other two pertain to particular projects. One is MATFORCE. Another is the Holocaust training that I do. Both of those have come about as a result of partnerships in the community.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Tell me about MATFORCE. SHEILA POLK: We formed MATFORCE in 2006 as a response to the methamphetamine crisis. What was unique about MATFORCE was there was a group of leaders at the table saying, “We don’t have solutions. But we know that government alone is not going to solve this substance abuse problem.”

That was my first involvement in a community coalition, which is what MATFORCE eventually became. It’s the result of government, business, private and nonprofit partnerships where everyone comes together to be part of looking for solutions to drug problems in our community. The executive director, Merilee Fowler, is an incredibly talented and dedicated person.

But it’s not just the work of one person. We have all these fingers out in the community. At any given time, MATFORCE has about 300 very active volunteers who are trying to prevent or intervene on the drug problem to make our community safer. And back in 2006, when we first started MATFORCE, mostly we were just sitting in a room saying, “We don’t know what to do.”

I had no vision what was going to come of that first conversation we had, but I do recall that I had a sense of relief from realizing that so many people were working together to solve the problem. All these different agencies were suffering the effects of methamphetamine in different ways. For me, that was really the first experience of a collaborative approach to a problem instead of the county attorney having answers. It really was the county attorney had no answers!

Together we’re going to tackle this, and we’re going to see what happens. Just so many amazing things have come as a result of our willingness to say, “We don’t have the answers,” but we’re going to go out to the community, and we’re going to do something together.

In 2013, and I don’t take credit for this, MATFORCE won the national coalition of the year award.

PRESCOTT LIVING: MATFORCE is unique in Arizona. You’re being imitated. People in Flagstaff are using it as a model.

SHEILA POLK: Yes, other communities have substance abuse coalitions. But I think MATFORCE is the only one where we have so many high-level folks who are sitting at the table with anyone who wants to be part of the solution. We’ve got people in recovery who sit at the same table as our sheriff, for example. But the philosophy of MATFORCE is that everyone can be part of the solution. All ideas are welcome. No one’s going to be rejected.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Let’s look at another of your satisfactions. What is Yavapai Reentry?

SHEILA POLK: It’s a program within MATFORCE that’s focusing on reducing recidivism. We reach out to inmates who are leaving Arizona prisons and have indicated they’re coming back to Yavapai County. About six months before they are eligible for release, they’ll receive information about Yavapai Reentry, and they have the opportunity to fill out something that says, “Yes, I want more information.”

Our Reentry program is a great example of sharing the solution. The woman who came up with the idea for Reentry was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with MATFORCE that year. We said, “Let’s go for it.”

She developed and put together the model. But Yavapai Reentry is a model for the state, as well.

The Reentry program matches that person with a community volunteer who’s going to be the mentor to guide them back into successful reentry. The mentor is there to listen. If they’re tempted to use drugs again, and they need someone to talk to, that person talks it through with them.

Through Reentry, we try to connect them with housing, transportation, how to

enroll in school, how to qualify for benefits and have their rights restored. Just anything to help these folks who have served their time to come back and be a productive member of the community, instead of somebody who’s more likely to fail and go back to prison.

I love the Reentry program. By way of example of how great it feels for that person leaving prison, we ask them to come by the MATFORCE office. And when they do, they get a welcome-home basket, which I just think feels so good. It has hygiene products, a Walmart gift card.

Most people coming out of prison don’t expect to get a welcome-home basket. We’re just trying to make them feel like they’re part of the community.

The program is run on a shoestring budget. We’ve two wonderful staff members, Amy Marshall and Brenda Buenrostro, who work with participants and help them work with their volunteer community mentors.

PRESCOTT LIVING: You mention No. 3, the Holocaust project. Tell us about that. You started something that’s become national.

SHEILA POLK: The Holocaust project is phenomenal. Not because of me, but I think because of what it’s done for me. I’ll tell you

this story. In late 2005, I’d been county attorney for about four years. Members of the Jewish Community Foundation had made an appointment to see me. Three members asked if I would go to Washington, D.C. to the Holocaust Museum and participate in a course called “Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons from the Holocaust.”

I said, “What does the Holocaust have to do with me?” I said it respectfully, I hope. I also said, “You know, is there a problem in my office that you want me to go?” They said, “No, we’re sending a group of civic leaders back to have the experience.”

I earlier had developed the philosophy that I’m going to say “yes” to new experiences unless I can articulate a reason to say “no.” That’s the only reason I said “yes.” At the time, I saw no relevance to what I do as county attorney.

I went there in March of 2006, spent the day in the museum, took the museum’s course. It was a transformational experience where the lightbulb went off for me, where I totally understood the relevance of the Holocaust and police involvement in the Holocaust to how we do our job in the

continued on page 68...

CITY SPEAK HAPPY NEW YEAR — A LOOK AHEAD

by Greg Mengarelli, Mayor, City of Prescott

All indicators point to another productive and prosperous year in 2019, in our city and region.

Nothing symbolizes Prescott more than the events that occur in our great city at this time of year.

The annual Prescott Chamber Christmas Parade, the Christmas Courthouse Lighting, Acker Night Musical Showcase, and the famous Whiskey Row Boot Drop all bring thousands of residents and visitors to our historic downtown to embrace the spirit of Christmas and the holidays.

All indicators point to another productive and prosperous year in 2019, in our city and region. There are several key issues that Council will be taking up in the first quarter of 2019.

Airport Success

Because of your dedicated support, Prescott Regional Airport had just over 10,000 enplanements in 2018. This makes available $1 million in federal funding for capital projects at the airport. It will also put Prescott in good position for additional grants from the federal government. We hope to have a groundbreaking on a new terminal in September and expect 25,000 enplanements in 2019. Thank you for your support of United Express flights to Los Angeles and Denver!

Hilton Garden Inn

One of the most exciting projects expected to begin in 2019 will be the Hilton Garden Inn hotel project at Montezuma and Sheldon streets. As you may know, this will be built on a currently vacant city parking lot and will positively impact Granite Creek Park, the historic Sam Hill Warehouse, the railroad trestle and

the former APS utility yard. We feel that this will be a catalyst project with the opportunity to lead the way to revitalizing the Granite Creek Corridor. In fact, the city just received a $79,000 grant to cover the cost of a master plan for the area.

Arizona Eco Development

It’s no surprise that Prescott has been in extensive conversations with Arizona Eco Development to come up with an annexation agreement that conserves as much of our beloved Granite Dells as possible, while still allowing the property owner to exercise his private property rights. There have been some concerns about how long this process is taking. Let me assure you the time we have taken is a good thing. This is a very complex and important development. The City and Arizona Eco want to do this right the first time, and present the Council with the best plan for our city. We hope to see this come forward in the first quarter of the year.

A Review of City Water Policy

City staff, lead by City Manager Michael Lamar, has asked Council to take a new look at how the City of Prescott uses and conserves water. To that end, the City has hired a consultant to review the water portfolio, past water usage and projections for the future. Their findings will be presented to the Council within the next month, and we think citizens will be surprised with some of the results.

Pension Fund

The Public Service Pension Retirement System (PSPRS) just provided the annual actuarial valuation for the city’s pension trusts, and it is good news for Prescott. Since Prop 443’s 0.75 cent sales tax went into effect last January, Prescott has contributed more than $17 million additional to paying down our unfunded liability during the period of the actuarial valuation. This is in addition to the Annual Required Contribution (ARC), which comes from operating funds (General Fund). Prescott’s liability is funded at nearly 50 percent, up from around 30 percent a year ago. The Council’s goal is 100 percent fully funded by June 30, 2028.

On behalf of my fellow Council members, the entire City staff and my family, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year!

NEW PRESCOTT VALLEY MAYOR KELL PALGUTA EAGER TO PUT IDEAS AND VISION INTO MOTION

by Kell Palguta, Mayor, Prescott Valley

Prescott Valley is in a position to build on the momentum from the past to excel into the future.

Greetings! My name is Kell Palguta, and I am the new Mayor of Prescott Valley. As the months go by, you’ll get to know a little bit about me and my ideas and vision for our town. I am a strong believer that if you know where someone comes from based on their past experiences, it will be easier to see where they want to go.

Prescott Valley town services have been experiencing some changes as of late. I grew up in a very small town in Maine where our local library was a remodeled one-room school house. Even though the size was small, the importance of such a service was still strong, and through the help of dedicated volunteers the library was open seven days a week. With the memory of visiting a library as a child still strong, one of my goals as mayor is to ensure that we, as a town, can provide the services to the public expected of the largest municipality in Yavapai County.

Our library recently opened on Sundays on a trial basis to gauge the needs and use of the public. It is currently open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. I am happy to report that, on average, approximately 250 citizens pass through the doors each Sunday.

Library Director Casey Van Haren was instrumental in making all this happen at no additional cost to Prescott Valley. Van Haren reported that it has been a great success, resulting in many citizens expressing appreciation for the option. Hopefully, the success will

continue, and the decision to remain open on Sundays will become permanent.

Another of my goals for Prescott Valley is to promote and encourage our Town to put on events and festivals that will help highlight the community and draw visitors. One event, I’m proud to say, is going to help set the bar for other events. It is the Rough Rider 100 Motorcycle Race, a national championship-caliber event that draws approximately 100 men and women champion riders from the U.S. and Canada.

This race will draw thousands of spectators from throughout the Southwest. The motocross winner of the Rough Rider 100 will receive $5,000 in prize money as well as the coveted Buckey O’Neill trophy. This three-day event takes place Feb. 15, 16 and 17 and various businesses throughout Prescott Valley will benefit.

I would like to express my appreciation for all of the support and positive words of encouragement I have received since I was elected in August. Prescott Valley is in a position to build on the momentum from the past to excel into the future. Almost every day I hear from residents about their ideas and willingness to volunteer to bring more events, concerts, shows and festivals to the community.

I am confident that Prescott Valley will excel into the future — because the possibilities are endless!

Show Your Boarding Pass and Save!

by Margo Christensen, Ponderosa Hotel Management Services, LLC

Who wouldn’t want an easy way to save $50? And even better, who wouldn’t want to help a friend or family member traveling to Prescott save $50? SpringHill Suites by Marriott in downtown Prescott (next to Sprouts) is offering a $50 per stay credit just by showing a United Airlines boarding pass for an inbound flight into Prescott on the same day as hotel check-in.

The reservation must be made at marriott. com/PRCSH using promotional code UAL. By using this code, the reservation will be made at the best available rate and the code will alert the front desk associate to input the $50 credit per stay when the boarding pass is presented at check-in. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion and is

valid only for new bookings. Offer is good for stays through March 31, 2019.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott is located in downtown Prescott, just blocks from the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza and Whiskey Row. Restaurants, saloons, shops and galleries are all within easy walking distance. Complimentary buffet breakfast and free internet are included in the room rate, and the business center is stocked with business amenities that

can be used free of charge. There is an indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi with an adjacent outdoor patio with a fire pit and barbecue grill. With Sprouts located right next door, it’s easy to stock up on groceries, and every guestroom has a microwave and refrigerator.

Share this with your friends, family and colleagues flying into Prescott Regional Airport, and they will be happy you saved them $50. Maybe they will treat you to dinner!

Prescott’s Efforts to Promote Tourism Bring Worldwide Attention to the City

by Staff Reports

The City says it is working to get Prescott in front of travel planners, product managers, news media and travelers all over the world by engaging with the Arizona Office of Technology on several shows and missions.

Canadian residents seem to have a thing for Prescott, with our northern neighbor ranking as the City’s No. 1 visiting country. And according to the Prescott Chamber of Commerce Official Visitors Center, the UK, Germany, Australia, Belgium and France are not far behind. Last year, Prescott welcomed 115 German visitors who were part of a traveling auto club.

For those looking to get away from Arizona’s busier tourist spots or its heavily populated metropolitan areas, visitors seem to be flocking to Prescott. Here are some of the highlights of the past year and what to look forward to in 2019 as the City builds on its strong tourism track record.

2018 Was a Banner Year

Prescott was a big draw for visitors this past year, with a 4 percent increase in bed taxes over the previous year, says John Heiney, City of Prescott Community Outreach Manager. “With revenues from the bed tax, the City has been able to give back to the community more than $300,000 in the form of trails and other recreation services improvements,” he notes in the January Tourism Partners Newsletter.

Another $250,000 was used for

such events as the Whiskey Off-Road backcountry mountain bike race, the Prescott Bluegrass Festival, and Frontier Days – World’s Oldest Rodeo, all of which drew large audiences. A portion of that grant also went to 27 local nonprofits to promote events to visitors outside the area.

Last August, SkyWest Airlines began offering flights to Los Angeles and Denver, allowing passengers to connect to major destinations throughout the U.S.

“We are continuing to reach out to Southern California through the LA Times, and soon we will begin a media and advertising campaign for Denver,” Heiney says. Through aggressive contact with the media, travel agents and travel operators, Prescott now will focus on building these markets and increasing flight traffic.

Other great achievements include visits to Toronto, Vancouver, New York, China and Germany to promote Prescott to more than 225 journalists and tour operators, says Heather Hermen, owner of Front Burner Media, a marketing and public relations company that works with the City.

“Through a unique partnership with Visit USA Parks, we welcomed social influencer Layla Griffin to Prescott to write about the outdoor treasures to

enjoy,” Hermen says. “Her story was translated into French and German and will run in a six-month digital campaign. To date, we’ve received 302,000 impressions!”

What’s in Store for 2019

The City says it is working to get Prescott in front of travel planners, product managers, news media and travelers all over the world by engaging with the Arizona Office of Technology on several shows and missions. Two consumer travel and adventure shows already are scheduled for the first quarter. And in January, the Arizona High School Student Council Convention took place, attracting more than 1,500 students and teachers.

Not to be overlooked, the City is following up on several inquiries from hotel developers to add inventory to the market. “Prescott has not seen new hotel rooms in over 10 years, yet visitation is increasing yearly,” Heiney says.

Prescott will also continue to boost its drive market — potential travelers within driving distance of a city. By highlighting the ease of travel, weekday escapes, entertainment opportunities and showcasing Prescott’s Western heritage, the City is gearing ahead for another banner year.

THE PRESCOTT PIONEER

PRESCOTT • PRESCOTT VALLEY • CHINO VALLEY • DEWEY-HUMBOLDT

Western Heritage Center — A Showcase for Local History

Within a few weeks, the long-awaited vision of Prescott husband and wife team Dennis and Mary Ann Gallagher will come to life on famed Whiskey Row in downtown Prescott.

The Western Heritage Center will showcase exhibits, interactive displays and local artifacts that characterize the farming and ranching, mining, railroad, law enforcement and other segments of history that make the greater Prescott area and Yavapai County distinctive in Arizona and the Southwest.

For more than a dozen years, the Gallaghers have worked to define what they anticipate will be a “central facility for presenting the unique vision of our special history, culture and tradition” to residents and visitors who wander into the center, which will be located at 156 C S. Montezuma, across the street from Courthouse Square.

Gallagher, founder and president of the Prescott Western Heritage Foundation (PWHF), persuaded award-winning Prescott architect William Otwell of Otwell Associates to

This conceptual rendering of the interior of the soon-to-be-open Western Heritage Center represents the vision of Prescott Western Heritage Foundation founder and President Dennis Gallagher. He foresees the center as housing interactive displays and exhibits that reveal the Western heritage of the greater Prescott area and Yavapai County.

share his professional counsel about renovating a century-old building into an appealing destination for visitors.

Gallagher and PWHF Vice President Robert Greninger praise the location. They say they have been looking for an ideal location in the immediate downtown area, where tourists can park their cars and wander the streets. “Folks will be able to

park, shop, eat and visit the center without hassle. The center is close to the Prescott Chamber of Commerce and the Visitor’s Center. The downtown parking garage is just a few steps away behind the center.”

They have plans for continually changing exhibits and displays that have visual and auditory appeal, especially for children and said the center

PENSION DEBT..cont. from page 20

three-fourths tax is solid,” she notes. “We’ll pay every dime of the revenue from Prop. 443, and we’ll continue to pay the annual required contribution from the general fund. We are forever grateful to citizens of Prescott who voted to pass Prop. 443.”

Councilman Steve Sischka is equally as enthusiastic about the diminishing debt. Further, he attributes the positive result of Prop. 443 with stimulating other economic development.

would have a dedicated youth section particularly designed so that children can have interactive experiences.

Gallagher and his PWHF board of directors have received several substantial contributions, which are directed 100 percent to the creation of the center. For additional information about the center, go to visitwhc.org, or call 928-910-2307.

“Without 443, the airport would have been an afterthought, with no way to pay for our share of the improvements,” he says. “I also don’t think Skywest/United Express would have come to a financially strapped city. Prop. 443 opened up a world of options for Prescott.”

The City Council’s goal is to pay down the liability by June 30, 2028. The 0.75 sales tax is scheduled to cease when the PSPRS unfunded liability is at $1.5 million, or in 10 years, whichever comes first.

THE PRESCOTT PIONEER

PRESCOTT • PRESCOTT VALLEY • CHINO VALLEY • DEWEY-HUMBOLDT

Grand Lodge Welcomes Residents at Touchmark

The upscale Grand Lodge at the Ranch at Touchmark

Adult Retirement Center is now accepting residents into the four-story facility. Executive Director Douglas Libby says the full service upscale retirement community has features and amenities that will meet most needs of those seeking an adults-only environment.

Located on the north side of Highway 69 across from Prescott Gateway Mall, the expansive Grand Lodge has 95 independent living homes. They range from studio units to two bedroom, two bath, den and fully equipped kitchen. Another 53 units are open to those needing assistance with daily living. These include licensed-care services.

Yet another 10 units will be designated to provide support for those with early dementia but who do not yet need a totally secured environment. Later, in a future phase of development, full-memory care services will be available for some residents, Libby says.

Amenities available for residents include a computer center, library, arts-and-crafts room,

TOURISM..cont. from page 20

dollar for dollar. Because of this, we’re able to have an extended presence on TripAdvisor, in the LA Times online, and in international publications.”

Hermen is optimistic about the tourism future of Prescott and the greater area.

“I believe international visitors are looking for the less traveled more experiential vacation,” she says. “They want something different that their family and friends haven’t encountered. Sure, they want

game room and a movie viewing area. In addition, they will have access to a concierge and a hair and beauty salon.

Three dining room options are available and include the Sterling Dining Room, the Lynx Lake Lounge and Charley’s, a bistro. A private dining room can be reserved by residents who wish to schedule a family get-together or a meeting or other activities.

If residents have family or guests who want to stay overnight, they can arrange to reserve one of the five dedicated guest

the Grand Canyon, but they want views that have not been trampled on by millions. They also want a restaurant that has a unique story, and they want a rich history and culture in a new destination so they can tell their friends who have never heard of it. That’s where Prescott comes in.”

Hermen continues, “I think Prescott is going to see an increase in visitation from our drive market right here in Arizona. I also think, with the new convenient flight service, we’ll see an increase in nation-

rooms within the lodge. Residents also have access to the immediately adjacent clubhouse, which contains the Finn Restaurant and the boutique-style health and fitness center. All are staffed by professional personnel.

An area designated by Touchmark as Central Park is situated a few hundred yards away on the 45-acre development. There you will find an amphitheater, pickleball, courts, bocce ball courts and an outdoor barbecue space. Walking and nature trails meander across the Southwest-

al and international markets that we’ll be targeting.” Among those markets are Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

Data collected from Prescott Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Manager Robert Coombs seems to corroborate what Hermen anticipates. “If past indications are reliable, we’ll have thousands more visiting Prescott,” he remarks. He notes that from October 2017 to October 2018, “walk-in “visitors were up 52 percent, from 1,687 to 2,571.

ern-style landscaped area. Libby has been with the Touchmark organization in Prescott since this past summer when Tom Biel, then executive vice president, announced his retirement after the first of the year. With a long history of experience in the hospitality and hotel industry, Libby came to Prescott from Sedona, where he has been managing an upscale hotel. For those interested in further details about Touchmark, log on to Touchmark.com, or call 928632-7800.

Read more news on page 114...

Economy • Local Business

A Look Inside Prescott’s Sister City: Zeitz, Germany

Anfahrtshinweise Zeitz

Located about two hours south of Berlin, Germany, the city of Zeitz is a quaint town rich in history. The city was recognized in the year 967 and at one point became part of Prussia. It is home to Schloss Moritzburg, a baroque-style three-wing castle that was once a royal palace, and the Herrmannsschacht (Briquette Factory), the oldest coal factory in the world.

In the 19th century, Zeitz was considered an important industrial center with factories producing everything from sugar and pianos to baby carriages and machinery. Beer brewing was also a major industry in Zeitz and has a long history with the town, which accounts for a labyrinth of underground passages dug in the 14th to 16th centuries. Here, beer was kept cool and ripened in barrels. Today, visitors can tour Unterirdisches Zeitz (The

Zeitz Underground) and walk through the underground passageways and vaults.

In 968, the diocese of Zeitz was founded and about 150 years later, the Benedictine monastery — the Stadt Zeitz (Monastery Posa) — was completed. This was also the beginning of the viticulture tradition on the grounds. The sale of wine was a main source of income for the monastery, and the monks had a big influence on the cultivation of grain, fruit, vegetables and wine in the region.

Modern-day Zeitz, which has a population of 28,381 (a little more than half of Prescott), has many cultural offerings worth visiting. The Gothic-looking Das Rathaus (Town Hall) was erected in 1509 and provides the town with a Medieval appearance. While the facade, aside from the open staircase, looks quite simple, the striking gables on the east and west sides showcase the prosperity of the Zeitz citizens towards the end of the Middle Ages.

Also not to be missed are the foods that make Germany famous: spatzle (a pasta-type dish), bratwurst (veal, beef or port sausage), bratkartoffeln (boiled and fried potatoes), sauerbraten (slow-cooked beef), schnitzel (deep-fried veal) and gulasch (beef in a red wine sauce).

What is a Sister City?

Information sub:

Tourist-Information Zeitz (Gewandhaus)

Altmarkt 16 · 06712 Zeitz

Simply put, sister cities are two towns in different areas of the country or world that have formed a special long-term relationship and are similar in some way.

Tel.: +49 3441 83291 E-Mail: tourismus@stadt-zeitz.de Fax: +49 3441 83331 Internet: www.zeitz.de

facebook.com/MuseumZeitz facebook.com/Schlosspark-Moritzburg-und-Theater-Zeitz-im-Capitol

Imprint

Editorial stuff: Stadt Zeitz, SG Kultur und Tourismus

Photos: René Weimer, Stadt Zeitz, Foto Kreil, R. Zimmer, R. Banas, C. Böttger, Schütze/Rodemann

Status of: April 2018

Organized by a group of volunteers, and with the support of local elected officials, the overall goal is to promote cultural, educational, municipal, business and trade ties with the sister city. According to the City of Prescott website, sister city organizations promote peace through people-to-people relationships, with programs varying from basic cultural exchange programs to shared research and development projects.

Prescott has three sister cities: Caborca, Mexico; Suchitoto, El Salvador; and Zeitz, Germany, the newest of the group. In October 2018, Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, his wife, Sheila, and a group from Prescott visited Zeitz, meeting with its mayor and officials and getting an in-depth look at what the city has to offer.

Good Leadership — Do You Need It?

by Sheri L . Heiney, ASBC, President and CEO, Prescott Chamber of Commerce

Good leadership is incredibly important for any business regardless of size. Whether an individual is an owner, executive, director, manager or supervisor, that person’s success is a byproduct of good leadership.

Business leadership inspires employees to achieve common goals. Successful leaders do not demand but, instead, motivate employees to pursue paths of action that align with the goals of the business. Since every employee has a different personality, and is driven to achieve in a different way, this can be a challenge but a challenge worth the effort.

Consider the following leadership actions that consistently work in the pursuit of higher employee performance.

Motivate — A dynamic workforce requires motivation. Management should never assume that employees are self-motivated. Although some employees will always be self-motivated and try to achieve the best they can for their own self-satisfaction, others, unfortunately, require a needed “push.”

One ingredient that inspires employees is a positive attitude from management. Management must demonstrate and lead by example. When managers are motivated and have the right attitude toward the business, work and employees, it is much easier for employees themselves to become motivated

and passionate about their own work and position in the company.

Recognize — Encouraging employees means great work should never go unnoticed. Work that gets noticed gets repeated. It takes little effort for management to recognize someone for an outstanding job, extra determination, superior attitude, cooperation, attention to detail or dealing with customers as if they owned the business. When this type of superior performance goes unnoticed by the boss, attitudes to duplicate such performance start to diminish as each situation of outstanding work goes unnoticed.

Likewise, poor performance should never be overlooked. In these situations, positive counseling can be the encouragement needed to turn a marginally productive employee into a top producer. This type of special attention is worth the effort to try and change an employee’s behavior and attitude.

Challenge — Employees at any level can and should be challenged to perform to the best of their ability. Just as each employee has a different personality, each employee will have different skills and talents. Challenges, therefore, must be communicated clearly and specifically to make sure each employee understands what is expected. Challenging a weak performing employee is just as important as challenging and giving praise to the high achiever.

Mentor — It would be wonderful if all employees knew exactly what to do in every situation they might encounter during the work day, but this is not the case. Mentoring is an important aspect of leadership and management.

As employees progress from one job to another and from one level to the next, they cannot be expected to perform at peak efficiency without some assistance. Although eventually, they might learn what to do in various situations through trial and error, the fast track to higher productivity regardless of position comes through mentoring. The lowest-level employee to the highest-level manager all benefit from proper mentoring. Obviously, the company benefits as well.

The importance of good leadership should not be underestimated. A business needs a leader the same as a plane needs a pilot, a ship needs a captain, or a sports team needs a coach. Good leaders work to develop and strengthen the talents of all employees.

The mission of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce is to provide leadership and resources to create a vibrant business environment for Prescott. For more information about the Prescott Chamber of Commerce, please visit prescott.org or call us at 928-4452000 or 800-266-7534, or stop by the Visitor Information Center located at 117 W. Goodwin St., Prescott, AZ 86303.

MORE.

Chamber Celebrates 45 Years of Serving the Businesses and Community of Prescott Valley

by Marnie Uhl, President & CEO, Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce

Forty-five years ago on March 15, 1974 a group of businessmen got together to form the Prescott Valley Businessmen’s Association, Inc. It was incorporated as a not-for-profit community service organization for the general purpose to: “Unite businessmen in the Prescott Valley area and to encourage civic improvements within said community,

to promote and organize community involvement and betterment activities; to engage in promoting in the common good and general welfare of property owners and businessmen in the aforesaid Prescott Valley area.”

The following year, the name was officially changed to the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Since that time, Prescott Valley has grown from a small rural town to one of thriving business and economic growth, a hub for major manufacturing, distribution and small-business success. In addition, Prescott Valley has become a center of educational excellence with award-winning K-12 schools, JTED (Joint Technical Education District), Yavapai College and NAU-Prescott Valley. Prescott Valley also is in the professional sports industry with the G-League Northern Arizona Suns, the development team for the Phoenix Suns.

Staying true to the original purpose of the organization, the chamber has been a leader in supporting and en-

couraging development and in representing the business community at all levels. Many exceptional individuals have served on the board of directors and have given time, expertise and provided outstanding leadership and direction to the chamber as it became the leading organization for business and in the community.

The chamber has been led by several executive directors and CEOs throughout the years, each making specific and valuable contributions to the programs, products and services. Keeping connected with ongoing changes in Prescott Valley and abreast of current business trends was and continues to be an exciting challenge.

This is a celebration year for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. There will be special events, signature activities and a remembrance of our founders as we plan for the future. Join us as we celebrate 45 years of serving the dynamic business community and the Town of Prescott Valley.

Get It In Writing

Relying On Oral Agreements Can Be Problematic

Many people think a “contract” is a written agreement, but they’re wrong.

by Joel T . Fornara, Attorney, Musgrove

Drutz Kack & Flack, PC

A “contract” is actually a legal determination. In Arizona, courts will enforce oral contracts unless they fall within the statute of frauds, a doctrine that requires certain contracts to be in writing to be enforceable. For example, contracts must typically be written when a contract is for the sale of land, the sale of goods exceeding $500, is to pay the debts of another, or cannot be performed within one year.

Even though an oral contract may be enforceable, it is never recommended, as a party may have no intention of performing his/her obligations. Or, the parties may have a good-faith misunderstanding of their respective obligations. Regardless, having a written agreement helps protect you in the event of a breach by the other party. Therefore, it is imperative to have your agreement put in writing.

You may be tempted to avoid the expense of seeing an attorney and either enter into a transaction without a written agreement or attempt to draft one yourself. That mistake is easier to make today with the availability of

online templates. While playing “lawyer” may save you money at the beginning, you will likely end up spending more money in the long run.

Hiring an attorney at the beginning of any transaction should be viewed as the cost of doing business. In addition to having a legitimate contract prepared, you also will receive valuable advice and counsel about your transaction, as well as “what if” scenarios you may not have considered.

Before entering into a transaction, make sure you get it in writing. Our

law firm has a number of experienced attorneys who can assist you with preparing a written agreement to suit your needs.

JOEL T. FORNARA FOCUSES HIS PRACTICE ON ADVISING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND REPRESENTING THEM IN THEIR TRANSACTIONAL AND LITIGATION NEEDS. MUSGROVE DRUTZ KACK & FLACK, PC IS A FULL-SERVICE LAW FIRM SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIRM, GO TO MDKFLAW.COM.

Musgrove Drutz Kack & Flack, PC is proud to announce the addition of attorney Thomas Atkins

Thomas Atkins graduated from Penn State Law School in May 2018 and was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in October 2018. Thomas focuses his practice on business law, probate, criminal defense and general civil litigation. At Penn State, Thomas was a member of the Penn State Law Civil Rights Appellate Clinic and served as on the Penn State Law Review as an Associate Editor and Senior Editor. Prior to law school, Thomas earned his Associate of Arts from Yavapai College and Bachelor of Arts from Northern Arizona University. Thomas is an avid soccer fan and enjoys hiking and fishing in Northern Arizona.

DISCLAIMER: The materials in this article are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain legal advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the individual author.

Are Your Housing Expenses and Financial Goals Where They Should Be?

by Gayle M . McCarthy, Branch Manager, American Pacific Mortgage

Tax time, when your finances are laid out for review, is a perfect time to evaluate your financial goals. When looking at your financial plan, take time to examine your housing expenses. As your mortgage or rent is usually your largest expense, it is important to analyze it regularly to make sure that it is working for your financial situation.

What are your questions? Is renting the best for me? Do I qualify for a mortgage? I own a home, but could I buy a larger one to fit my growing family? I love our location, but our house is too small … how can I get money to add on? I have equity but still pay PMI, what can I do? I wish all my bills were wrapped into one, is there a way? I own my home, but my retirement income does not go very far, are there any solutions?

A mortgage lender is the expert that you can trust to provide the answers you need. If you own a home, that usually is your biggest asset along with liability. It is important to get clear and accurate advice as to whether your current mortgage is still best for your financial situation.

A mortgage evaluation can be done at no cost and should be performed once a year. If a refinance is recommended, you should be getting a clear comparison of what the costs are, as well as what savings and advantages you can expect. Your home equity may be a source for renovation, debt consolidation, retirement planning, and more.

If you are renting, a mortgage lender is the perfect place to start your home-ownership journey. Your mortgage lender will assist you with qualifying for a mortgage or walking

you through the steps necessary to qualify. Your mortgage lender will help you analyze your budget and goals. After speaking with a mortgage lender, you should expect to fully understand your mortgage options and be totally comfortable with the process.

American Pacific Mortgage is always available to provided trusted answers to your mortgage questions. Call 928-350-8828 or visit apmprescott.com.

Gayle M. McCarthy

Taking Control of Taxes When Time is On Your Side

by John Dombroski, Jr . , President of Grand Canyon Planning Associates, LLC

When it comes to saving for retirement, getting an early start on setting up a financial plan is the best thing you can do for yourself. It’s important to develop good habits early on in order to maximize savings and take advantage of compounding. In addition to this, setting up a proper tax strategy now may increase your retirement income and reduce your taxes later on.

If you still have at least 10 years before you plan on retiring, time is on your side. Consider looking at both pre-tax and after-tax investments as

potential strategies.

Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are classic examples of pre-tax investments. You can put off paying taxes on contributions you make to these accounts as well as the growth these accounts generate. Typically, when you withdraw funds from these accounts for retirement, that’s when the taxable event occurs.

A Roth IRA is an example of an after-tax investment. When you put money into a Roth IRA, the contribution is pre-taxed. However, your withdrawal is non-taxable, including the growth generated (so long as you have

had your Roth IRA at least five years and you are at least 59½ years old). If you are striving for greater tax efficiency in retirement, give Grand Canyon Planning Associates a call at 866-991-4272. Our complimentary review of your current financial plan could help you find and develop strategies to minimize your tax liability.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through Client One Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC and an investment advisor. Grand Canyon Planning Associates, LLC and Client One Securities, LLC are not affiliated.

If you still have at least 10 years before you plan on retiring, time is on your side.

Do Your Investments Match Your Risk Tolerance?

by Ronald Stevenson and Barbara Clark Stevenson

In today’s uncertain financial landscape, we believe it is more important than ever to establish a well-maintained portfolio that can help you reach your financial goals. Your portfolio needs to not only meet your need for capital, but also provide you with financial peace of mind.

While there’s no simple formula to help you figure out how your portfolio should be constructed, determining the right asset allocation should be the first step in the process. To properly ascertain your financial situation, there are a few important things to consider: age, time horizon, amount of capital to invest and future capital needs.

What’s Your Risk Tolerance?

Another important thing to be aware of is your risk tolerance. Would you be willing to risk funds for the possibility of greater gains? While everyone wants to reap the rewards of high returns, not everyone can handle the high stress levels they can cause.

On the other side, avoiding investment risk isn’t always a wise decision. It is possible for portfolios to be too conservatively constructed, which makes them unable to provide the necessary long-term growth needed to outpace inflation and build wealth. Many investors seek absolute safety and keep their money in bank accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and other financial products without realizing that these “safe” choices may incur their own set of risks.

These risks include investment opportunity loss and the destruction of purchasing power resulting from inflation. When investors fail to take advantage of returns that a portfolio of growth investments can produce over time, this is called investment opportunity loss. Inflation can also hurt your investments as it is often regarded as the silent destroyer of low-risk port-

folios as purchasing power declines over time.

Finding the Right Balance

You need to find the right balance for you — one that satisfies your risk tolerance while also achieving an appropriate amount of growth and income.

At American Financial Investments LLC, we can help you create a financial strategy that fits your individual investment objectives and goals. Allow our team to use our knowledge and experience to help manage your portfolio during various economic conditions and investment market cycles. Allow us to help you determine your risk tolerance using proprietary surveys, analyzing your finances, and discussing your retirement and financial goals in-depth.

We believe that your best bet for steady, long-term growth of your investments is having a well-diversified portfolio. This can help protect your assets from the risks of large drops and structural changes in the economy over time. When you work with the right financial professional, they can help you diversify, make adjustments when necessary and increase your odds for long-term financial success.

About the authors: Ronald F. Stevenson and Barbara Clark Stevenson own American Financial Investments LLC. American Financial Investments LLC offers Retirement Income Planning, Social Security Maximization, Personal & Corporate Tax Preparation and Planning. For more information, call 928-771-8368 or visit AFSprescott.com, 3112 Clearwater Drive, Suite B, Prescott, AZ 86305

Special Section:

Yavapai County’s Health Fast Facts

About Our Community:

• 29.9% of population is older adults

• 20% of children live below the federal poverty level

• 13.4% of people under 65 do not have health insurance

• 87.7% report being able to see a doctor when needed

Life Expectancy:

• 81.6 years for women

• 75.7 years for men

County Strengths:

• Strong network of partners and collaborators

• Expansive parklands for outdoor physical activity

• Yavapai County ranks 1st out of 15 Arizona counties for healthy behaviors

• Has lower incidences of mortality related to cancer and diabetes

• Has good economic opportunities

Most Pressing Local Health Issues:

Community Needs:

• Shortfall of affordable housing relative to community’s low-income population

• Promotion of public transportation offered in community

THUMB BUTTE MEDICAL CENTER

Dr. Askari, M.D., board certified in internal medicine and CEO of Thumb Butte Medical Center, has served the community for 10 years. He would like to bring you up to date on a few medical topics:

Fall Prevention

When older people fall, they often end up with severe injuries, broken bones and in the hospital. At Thumb Butte Medical Center, we have found that a Vestibular Autorotation Test (VAT), covered by many insurance companies, is helpful in preventing falls. The VAT tests for potential issues with the in-

ner ear, which can affect balance and dizziness. After receiving this test, patients are taught how to hold their head and eyes to improve their balance and avoid falling.

The Thumb Butte Medical Center is a multispecialty clinic with over 17 doctors and more than 22,000 patients. “The majority of our patients are above 65 years old,” explained Dr. Askari. “We have noticed among our patients a lot of falls and emergency visits or office visits. I believe that the VAT test will prevent falls and the risk of trauma, head injury and fractures of the ribs, hips and other bones.”

“I highly recommend this test

OFFERS STATE-OF-THE-ART PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE

for people above the age of 75,” Askari said. “People above the age of 65 should do a VAT test at least once a year.”After the test, Askari said, his office gives appropriate training to help prevent falling.

Hearing & Driving

The population in Prescott has a large percentage of older people, many of whom are still driving into their 80s and 90s. Frequently when they get into vehicular accidents, it is because they cannot hear well. Some cannot even hear the siren of an ambulance.

Thumb Butte Medical Center offers free hearing screening for people at risk of accident. “I highly encourage people who are above 70 to call our office to get an appointment for a free screening that may prevent accidents and fatalities for themselves and other people who are at risk,” Dr. Askari said.

For an appointment, call: Prescott office: (928) 445-7085 Prescott Valley Office: (928) 775-9007

SOFIA

Every year, 40 million women receive a mammogram. Sixteen million, or 40 percent of those women, have dense breast tissue.

Dense breast tissue can reduce the effectiveness of mammography. The problem is that women with dense breast tissue are four to six times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who do not have dense breast tissue. That means breast cancer might go undetected for a longer period of time.

SOFIA is a new technology

that adds 3D ultrasound to an annual mammogram, offering high resolution for the detection of early breast cancer. It is the most advanced technique for breast screening available. SOFIA is fast — less than 30 seconds — painless and provides excellent resolution to detect small-size breast lesions.

Dr. Maddie Assar, M.D., is a board-certified radiologist with fellowship training in breast imaging. She had all her training locally in Arizona, mostly at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and also at Maricopa

County Medical Center. She has always been passionate about women’s health and helping them with the diagnosis of breast cancer in early stages. Dr. Assar has worked in this field for 15 years. Dr. Assar is excited that SOFIA’s new innovation in breast imaging can help many women achieve the best care possible in the Prescott area, especially those with dense breasts and family history of breast cancer.

For an appointment, call (928) 925-2720.

SOFIA is a new technology that adds 3D ultrasound to an annual mammogram, offering high resolution for the detection of early breast cancer. It the most advanced technique for breast screening available.

The Story of Red Demino: TAVR Patient No . 12

by Ken Boush, Director of Marketing and Communications, Yavapai Regional Medical Center

Replacing damaged heart valves with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) — a minimally invasive heart procedure — improves the quality of life for the critically ill people who undergo it, recent research reviews show. This is no surprise to Prescott Valley resident Nicholas “Red” Demino, who underwent TAVR at the James Family Heart Center at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) West. “My heart disease was so severe that I wasn’t a candidate for open heart surgery,” Demino says. Demino suffers from aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the aortic valve — a condition that tends to develop with age. The condition can lead to chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and heart failure. People with severe aortic stenosis at an advanced age, like Demino, are not eligible for traditional valve replacement surgery.

Getting Ready for TAVR

After speaking to Gwen Rhodes, RN, Patient Navigator for the James Family Heart Center at YRMC, and learning more about TAVR, Demino began preparing for the procedure. Rhodes arranged for Demino, a highly decorated Army and Air Force veteran, to undergo the series of tests required before TAVR. Dedicated to patient education, Rhodes also talked to his patient about how his heart works; provided a step-by-step overview of what happens before, during and after a TAVR procedure; and, most important to patients, discussed the pain and discomfort involved in the procedure (it’s minimal).

Demino underwent TAVR in YRMC’s state-of-the-art Hybrid Operating Suite in April 2017. He was the heart center’s 12th patient, a number that has grown significantly since then. “Everything went superbly,” says Demino’s daughter, Lily Bergin, of Skull Valley. “They took great care of my Dad.”

From Wheelchair to Weightlifting

Following his TAVR, Demino joined Cardiac Rehabilitation at YRMC’s Pendleton Center West in Prescott. Demino’s exercise routine

was supervised by one of the center’s therapists. During sessions, he rode a stationary bicycle, worked out on an elliptical trainer, lifted weights from a chair, participated in resistance training and walked along a rail to build balance.

“He went into Cardiac Rehabilitation in a wheelchair,” remembers Bergin. “Each day, we saw improvement. On the last day, he stopped by to say thank you to Gwen and then walked out the door with his cane.”

Lucky No. 12

Demino is proud he was among the heart center’s first group of patients. In fact, when he calls Rhodes to catch up or with a question, he enjoys teasing her by identifying himself as “No. 12.” Research shows that laughter also improves your quality of life.

For more information about TAVR and the James Family Heart Center at YRMC West, visit YRMC.org.

Fight stubborn fat with the help of SculpSure, the non-invasive body contouring system.

Even with diet and exercise, most people have stubborn pockets of fat that seem impossible to lose. SculpSure’s body contouring technology is able to target and destroy these fat cells without affecting the skin’s surface, without surgery or downtime.

SculpSure’s non-surgical 25 minute procedure uses light-based technology to permanently destroy up to 24% of treated fat in problem areas such as the abdomen and love handles. Over time, these damaged fat cells are naturally absorbed and removed from the body, with results seen as quickly as six weeks, and optimal results typically seen at 12 weeks.

The start of the process simply involves meeting with a surgeon and discussing your goals.

Facial rejuvenation surgery has been advancing for close to 80 years. During that time, many techniques have shown improved results and the maintenance of a natural look. While surgeries in the past of any kind used to carry greater risks and limited benefits, the many advances over the decades have made facial surgery especially safe with much more natural and long-lasting benefits.

Even though modern techniques exist, not every surgeon practices them. The challenge to every patient is finding a surgeon who understands and employs the techniques that achieve the best results. When it comes to facial rejuvenation, this usually means a surgeon who has specialty training, an artistic eye and the ability to perform the procedures consistently.

Whether it’s lifting and refining the neck and jawline, resurfacing sun-damaged skin or tucking away excess eyelid skin, surgeries that deliver

The Secret to Looking Younger Without Signs of Surgery

natural looks that minimize downtime and last a long time are available. The start of the process simply involves meeting with a surgeon and discussing your goals.

Another bit of great news is that most facial rejuvenation no longer has the downtime once associated with it. Many of the most common procedures take seven to ten days of recovery, which is done in the comfort of your own home. There is minimal discomfort — most patients require little or no pain medication. Sedation, an option for anesthesia, results in a much smoother recovery without the risks of general anesthesia.

Dr. Paul Holden is a highly trained and experienced surgeon specializing in the rejuvenation of the face and neck. He employs the most current, proven techniques to provide his patients with natural results. He contributes to his field by conducting ongoing research, publishing and presenting at national meetings and

regularly working with colleagues to further contribute to the industry.

Dr. Holden is now seeing patients for consultations in Prescott at Skin Restoration Center in addition to his practice in Scottsdale.

He employs an experienced, caring staff and has worked with the same team for many years. He takes a caring approach that keeps his patients’ best interests a top priority.

Dr. Holden and his outstanding staff enjoy top patient reviews and are known for giving natural results with a caring touch. If you are considering facial rejuvenation, take the opportunity to meet with one of Arizona’s premier facial specialists. There is no cost for consultation, and you will learn about the best options available and details on how they can be carried out.

Scottsdale Plastic Surgeons 15757 N 78th St. Suite A, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (480) 787-5815; scottsdaleps.com

Ambulatory Surgery Centers Offer Surgery Outside the Traditional Hospital Setting

If you’re looking to undergo elective surgery, you may be trying to find a facility to provide treatment. Unfortunately, hospitals can be costly, inefficient and often don’t provide the best recovery environment. Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), however, are facilities that offer patients the ability to have surgeries and procedures performed outside of the traditional hospital setting. Prescott Outpatient Surgical Center (POSC) has given the Quad Cities 30 years of exceptional service while reducing out-ofpocket costs normally associated with these sort of hospital stays.

Benefits of ASCs

The environment of an ASC is unique in that procedures are conveniently scheduled,

resulting in reduced delays or rescheduling of procedures. The POSC staff is highly skilled, trained thoroughly in all the procedures performed, and specialized equipment and supplies used are tailored to that procedure and the techniques of the physician performing the surgery.

However, the most overlooked aspect of ASCs is the ability of the facility to perform the same surgeries as a hospital, while allowing the patient to recover in their own home. This not only increases recovery rates, but also decreases the infection rates of patients. Patients, too, are less likely to have to make return visits if their procedure was performed at an ASC.

Health benefits are only part of the puzzle when choosing where you want to have your surgery performed. ASCs focus on providing specialized and personalized service to patients. The staff member who calls and reminds you about your upcoming visit is likely going to be a part of the team that helps you the day of your procedure whether in admitting or recovery.

If a patient has concerns or worries, the POSC staff can help walk the patient through the procedure, understand what to do prior to coming into the facility and what can be expected following surgery. This ensures that the patient receives a highly personalized visit and a better experience.

Cost Savings

The care that is received at POSC is one of the top reasons to schedule procedures here. Another fact not to be overlooked is the pricing of the surgery. There are several reasons for the reduced costs, including lower coinsurance and deductible rates. Patients also can have a procedure, then return to the comfort of their own home to recuperate rather than having to have an extended stay at a hospital. These extended stays often increase the amount of money that patients will have to pay out of pocket.

Scheduling an Appointment

Patients who are interested in having their procedure done at an ASC should talk to their physician about the location of the surgery. The office of the physician and the ASC work closely together to get the patient scheduled as quickly and effortlessly as possible. After the appointment is set the patient can expect a patient information packet to be filled out prior to the procedure date. Patients bring in the packet when they arrive for surgery.

For information about procedures performed at POSC, as well as the excellent doctors who perform the surgeries, please visit our website at posc-az.com. If you have any questions or would like help finding the right doctor for your needs, our office can be reached at 928-778-9770.

Common Sense About Opiates

by Dr . Tim Urell, M . A . , D .O . , More MD LLC

Let’s talk for a minute about a common sense approach to the opiate crisis. “Opiate” or “opioid” is a general term for all the derivatives of the opium poppy, natural or synthetic. Opiates are used for pain relief. In reality, there are only three types of pain relievers.

These are the aspirinlike drugs called NSAIDS, the morphinelike drugs called opiates, and the cocainelike drugs called local anesthetics. Of these, opiates are the most potent pain-relieving medications we have, by far. NSAIDs are far weaker, and the cocainelike drugs only make a relatively small area go numb.

Types of Opioids

The pain relieving effects of the sap of the opium poppy have been known for thousands of years and the active ingredients were scientifically identified starting in the 1850s and are pretty well understood by medical science.

There are a number of opioids these days, most of them synthetically produced in laboratories. Morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl are all opioids. So is heroin, but that name is confusing. “Heroin” is actually an old brand name for diacetyl morphine or “diamorphine” — just another synthetic opiate.

Opioids Effects

Opiates work in the brain by causing the brain to stop paying so much attention to pain signals. It’s much like the difference between alcoholic beverages. The only significant differences between a glass of wine and a shot of Everclear is the concentration of the alcohol and the flavorings in each.

Opiates work great when given systemically, however, because they do not work on peripheral nerves but on the brain and spinal cord, they just make the brain quit caring about pain signals so much. Unfortunately, opiates also have other effects on the brain that lead to real problems. The worst one is that opiates slow down and eventually stop the brain’s mechanism that causes breathing. Take too much opiate and you pass out, quit breathing and die. This is the cause of almost all opiate overdose deaths.

The Addiction Factor

In some people, opiates can also cause a complex neurobehavioral pattern we call addiction. Alcohol and a number of other substances do this as well and so do activities like gambling and sex. Addiction is not unique to opiates, it is a problem caused by the “reward system” of the human nervous system. It can also affect other animals and has been studied extensively, although it is still

not understood well. But addiction is powerful and addicted animals and humans will often seek out the thing they are addicted to and use it compulsively until it kills them. Have you ever known anyone who drank themselves to death over many years? If so, you have seen addiction in action. It is terrible.

A Doctor’s Perspective

Therefore, modern doctors are in a difficult situation. We cannot identify who is at risk for addiction — a potentially lethal side effect of the only strong pain relievers we have to offer. Under these circumstances, the wisest path available to us is to be very stingy, indeed, when prescribing opiates. We are wise to use the smallest amounts of the least potent drugs we can get away with, and to use even those for the shortest time possible. The dangers of opiate medications are real, however, even if addiction didn’t exist. As an informed patient, it is always your best choice to use these medications only if unavoidable and in the lowest possible doses for the shortest possible time.

If you have questions, consult your doctor. If you don’t have a doctor we are always happy to accept new patients at More MD. Call 928-2163160 or find us at MoreMd.net.

TIM URELL, DO

“Dr. Tim” has practiced in many places but he considers Prescott to be“home”. He helped start a clinic in Chino Valley in1998 and worked for the hospital from 2009 until 2016. If he looks familiar, you may have seen him in one of those places. Now he is back with More MD, and he’s planning to stay!

Originally trained in the US Navy, and having served with the Marines, Dr. Tim is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has also completed a two-year Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the U of A with Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Tim can handle almost all your medical needs from a perspective that blends the best of scientific medicine with the best of complementary and alternative medicine. He also enjoys providing Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy.

Dr. Tim was also an Arizona POST certified police officer for over 10 years. He is a competitive shooter, likes hiking and camping, and is a ham radio operator (KF7FOX). Photography is another love. Soon, he’ll be training to get his private pilot’s license.

If you would like a more personal, more holistic approach to your health care, come see Dr. Tim!

Dentists Consider Phi When Helping Your Smile

by Dr . Rob Strain, DDS AAACD

Have you ever wondered why your eye sees something as pleasing, but in a very similar situation sees something not nearly as attractive? The answer lies in mathematics. There is a mathematical formula the eye uses to find something pleasing in nature, home decorating, the human body or even a smile.

Many centuries ago, Greek philosopher Pythagoras stated the Golden Proportion, Golden Section, or Phi. Phi is the ratio 1.62:1. The rectangle in Figure 1 has sides that are 1.62 times the height. Completing a square inside the rectangle (blue line) creates another vertical rectangle that also has sides that are in the golden proportion. This exercise can be carried on indefinitely.

Our eyes and minds are inherently tuned to enjoy phi structures. In fact, our body structure is an example of phi repeated over and over, such as the relationship of each adjacent bone in our hands.

Leonardo Served Phi at the Last Supper

Phi is seen in classical art, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” and sculptor Phidias’ Parthenon statues. In the same way these masters used phi, you can use it to lay out furniture, position paintings on your wall, or in composing and cropping your favorite photographs.

Phi on Your Face

The reason we perceive one person as extremely attractive but a similar face as just ordinary has a lot to do with phi. This attractive dental patient (Figure 2) has a face with many mathematical characteristics that are very close to the golden proportion shown in the drawn rectangles.

The phi ratio is seen repeatedly in what our eye sees as attractive. The height of the head compared to the width of the face is exactly phi. The distance from the center of the pupils to the chin compared to the center of the pupils to the edge of the central incisors is a phi relationship (green rectangle), as is that measurement compared to the length of the nose (white rectangle).

Dentists trained in smile design use this knowledge to develop the shape of teeth and the position of the biting edge of the upper front teeth. Finished outcomes can be accurately predicted using comput-

er-generated models for tooth position. Short lower-face heights may be seen in patients with a history of clenching or grinding teeth. Notice the change in chin position in the example shown. The result is a much more attractive face by bringing ratios closer to phi.

Being a Little Off Center Doesn’t Hurt

Perfect symmetry is not a goal for decorators, photographers and most cosmetic dentists. If your eye was drawn to total symmetry, you would set your pictures smack dab in the middle of the wall. Instead, some natural asymmetry is desirable. We like some symmetry — noses on the center of the face or the two front teeth matching perfectly — but straight noses and symmetrical central incisors work best when balanced with a bit of asymmetry. In smile design, the lateral incisors create that balance.

Phi creates balance more than it creates perfection. This balance adds visual appeal. You can take even more pleasure in art, nature, decorating, architecture and your own person as you see phi at work.

Dr. Rob Strain is an accredited cosmetic dentist and professional landscape photographer. He may be contacted through his websites at robstrain.com (dentistry) and wanderluximages.com (photography).

Amazing Transformation

In 1988, at 40 years old, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis. I spent five months in the hospital, and that was the start of my weight gain. I continued to gain weight and was later diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. For the next 20 years I lived a stressful life and gained more than 150 pounds. In 1998, I began to take insulin along with metformin for my diabetes. In 2004, when I went to my doctor for a checkup, he told me my tumor markers were off the charts, which meant I could possibly have pancreatic cancer, and if so, my life expectancy was three to six months!

I had a procedure that removed part of my pancreas and

found out I didn’t have cancer, but my pancreas was not working at all. I started taking 200 units daily of insulin.

In 2006, my wife got sick and I became her caretaker until her death in 2013. In that time, my weight peaked at 350 pounds. My doctor told me that if I didn’t lose weight I would die. Three months later I made my first appointment at The Heart Shop and have since lost 115 pounds, and I am off my insulin.

“I set myself a goal, I made it, I learned a lot, and I’m better for it! I’ve met some new, wonderful people at The Heart Shop and love that they’ve helped me with my journey. I love the whole process!"

*The results are those of the individual that is identified. Typical results vary from 6 to 8 pounds lost during the first two weeks and up to 2 pounds per week thereafter when the IdealProtein® WeightLoss Protocol is followed properly. You should consult your physician or other health-care professional before starting this or any other diet program to determine if it is right for your needs.

Salt Therapy Does Wonders for Respiratory and Other Health Issues

by Andy and Kathleen Geraci, Owners, Prana Salt Therapy

Andy and Kathleen Geraci, recently retired owners of a successful courier/delivery business in Reno, Nevada, had a desire to continue to be involved in a service-oriented business. But this time around, with their caring and compassion, they became involved in a wellness modality.

Having suffered most of her life from various respiratory issues — bronchitis, asthma, allergies — Kathleen found great relief in recent years from the use of halotherapy (salt therapy). She has visited salt rooms all over the country, breathing her way from San Francisco to Orlando and back. Both Andy and Kathleen have become impassioned by halotherapy and are now pleased to share this wellness modality with the people of Prescott. In today’s world, with so much pollution

from multitudes of sources, a high percentage of people suffer from some form of respiratory ailment. Pharmaceuticals and various other mainstream treatments aren’t always the answer. Halotherapy offers a complementary option that is simple, safe, natural, without side effects, inexpensive and doesn’t involve any drugs or hands-on treatment.

The patient/client sits quietly in a comfortable chair, in a soothing, relaxing, controlled environment and just breathes a dry salt aerosol that is milled through a halogenerator. If there is no halogenerator there is no halotherapy. Asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergies, sinus infections, COPD, emphysema, cystic fibrosis — these are all conditions that may be relieved with halo treatment on a regular basis.

Additionally, salt therapy can be extremely

beneficial to the skin. Acne, psoriasis and eczema conditions have all seen positive improvements with halotherapy. Remarkably, because salt naturally produces negative ions, halotherapy can also be quite effective in reducing stress, anxiety and fatigue.

So many wonderful benefits can be experienced from spending some quiet relaxing time in our halo cabin. We welcome one and all to our magical space.

Wellness Center at The Old Fire House Plaza 220 W. Goodwin St., Suite 10-C 928-910-6435

luvsalt@outlook.com pranasalttherapy.com

Facebook and Instagram: Prana Salt Therapy

Healthy Body — Happy Heart — Power Brain

by Enrica Ferruzzi, Owner and Head Instructor, Prescott Body & Brain Yoga — Tai Chi

The Prescott Body & Brain Yoga — Tai Chi center offers holistic fitness classes in Ki Gong, Tai Chi, meditation, yoga and other mind-body training methods that integrate Korean healing philosophy and energy principles rooted in ancient wisdom.

We combine simple stretching exercises, breathing and mindful movement to release stress and heal the mind and body. At the Prescott Body & Brain center we take care of the whole person on a physical, emotional and mental level. It is our mission to help individuals enhance their natural healing abilities by bringing deeper focus within and learning methods to achieve their goals of a healthier, happier and more peaceful life.

We provide a warm and bright environment where people are free to be themselves and time slows down. We offer tea after class

and enjoy sharing time or simply the opportunity to appreciate the present moment.

Practitioners report noticeable differences in their body condition even after one or two classes. Benefits include physical and emotional pain relief, improved balance, flexibility, coordination and a calmer mind.

Get started by experiencing our personalized service and signature energy balancing techniques:

Option 1. Try a one-on-one introductory session to learn about our training methods and assess your flexibility, balance, breathing patterns, tension levels and mind-body coordination.

Option 2. Try a group class to get the basics of our practice.

Call or stop by today to make your appointment: (928) 220-8244, bodynbrain.com/prescott

About Body & Brain:

Body & Brain is an international leader in holistic health and wellness.

What makes Body & Brain truly unique is its brain-centered approach to comprehensive wellness and its commitment to helping practitioners create energetic, balanced and healthy lives for themselves and their communities. We use our own five-step approach to activate the brain through a deep mind-body connection. Your brain is the key!

Fentanyl — The Killer on Our Streets

by Leslie Horton, Director of Yavapai County Community Health Services

Experimenting with illicit drugs of any type now carries possible lethal consequences. Illicit drugs ranging from pills to cocaine and even marijuana may contain varying amounts of fentanyl.

Nationally, from 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose. An alarming twothirds of these deaths were caused by opioids, with synthetic opioids such as illicitly produced fentanyl recently becoming the No. 1 cause of accidental death in the U.S.

On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. In Yavapai County, we see an average of one overdose per week. In recent years, we have seen a drastic and steady rise in the number of overdose deaths throughout the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that fentanyl is the drug most commonly found in relation to these overdose deaths, surpassing heroin as the most dangerous drug in the country. As startling as these statistics are, we can be roughly certain to witness an increase in the future.

What Sets Fentanyl Apart

Opioids are most commonly referred to as prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, but also include illicit drugs like heroin and synthetic opioids including fentanyl. Opioids act on specific receptors

in the brain; blocking pain signals and creating feelings of euphoria.

Synthetic opioids like fentanyl were created to simulate the effects created by naturally occurring opiates such as morphine. Due to the high cost and reduced availability of prescription opioids on the black market, drug cartels have begun to illicitly produce these powerful drugs.

Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and is also cheaper and easier to make. By cutting fentanyl into other drugs the euphoric and addictive effects are significantly increased in a very cost effective way to the producer. This is where the current danger really begins to surface.

Why Fentanyl is So Dangerous

It has been known for a long time that there is a small demographic of people experienced with these substances who actively seek and recreationally use “hard” drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. They have a tolerance for the drugs and use them consciously.

The people most at risk from these highly potent substances are the casual or experimental drug users, especially our youth. Experimenting

with illicit drugs of any type now carries possible lethal consequences. Illicit drugs ranging from pills to cocaine and even marijuana may contain varying amounts of fentanyl. These drugs are not created with the same precision as pharmaceuticals and the lethal amount of fentanyl can vary drastically from one pill to another. These irregularities are a recipe for disaster and too often death.

People who do not possess a high, built-up tolerance for strong opiates are referred to as “opioid naïve.” While this may be considered a good thing, it can leave a person vulnerable to an accidental overdose.

Lifesaving Naloxone

In light of the surging numbers in opioid overdoses, the public is urged to keep the lifesaving medicine naloxone on hand. Naloxone is a first-aid medicine used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

In the face of this glaring epidemic, it is important to remember there are steps we can take to protect our loved ones and ourselves. Educate our children and each other of the lurking dangers. Never take a substance unless it was specifically prescribed to you. And, carry naloxone.

EYEGLASS FIRST IMPRESSIONS

by Terri Antone, Co-owner, Antone Optical

What do your eyeglasses say about you? While eyeglasses are medical devices to help us see our best, they also are fashion and personality statements.

When we observe someone we don’t know, we tend to make superficial judgments based on their appearance. Often, their eyewear contributes to our unconscious assessment of them. Is this person fashion-conscious? Conservative? Flamboyant? A techie? A nature lover? If your glasses are greasy and smudgy, are you a clean person?

Numerous studies back up that most people tend to view those who wear glasses as more intelligent and trustworthy. Job interviewees have been shown to be rated higher when wearing glasses.

But if someone’s frames are obstructing their eyes in an overt way, that can change to distrust. If your hat shades your eyes or the tint in the lenses you wear indoors is too dark to get a good look in your eyes, that tends to make others doubtful of your true intentions. Hence, the term “shady character.”

Many people today wear glasses even though they don’t require a prescription merely as a fashion statement, as “IQ glasses” or for eye protection.

Whatever image you wish to portray, don’t forget the message your eyewear sends. Multiple pairs of eyewear can give you freedom to express who you are at work, in social situations and at play. Who says you only need one pair?

MJ CONSULTING LLC

Tokyo 2020: Bringing Climbing to the Olympics

by Derek Waggoner, Gripstone Climbing

After years of meetings, organizing and foresight, USA Climbing (the governing body of competition climbing in the U.S.) has helped set the stage to bring climbing to the Olympics.

In 2020, one of the fastest-growing sports in the world will be in the spotlight in Tokyo, Japan. This sport has been quickly finding its niche with the general public as a recreational pastime. People from just about every walk of life and age have tried it or know someone who has.

The first commercial climbing gym in the U.S. opened in 1987 in Seattle. It started as a place where serious outdoor climbers trained in the off season and soon had its own following with interested participants looking for a form of entertainment that would physically challenge them. Since then, indoor climbing gyms have grown to more than 400 in the U.S.

Family Friendly Sport

One reason for the quick growth of the sport is how easy it is to get involved, be it individually or for an entire family. Every

year, these state-of-the-art gyms keep adding more amenities to cater to the new family of climbers. Some of these added niceties include fitness equipment, yoga classes, cafes and pubs.

Inside these facilities, one can be a “greenhorn” just starting to learn, having a great time and literally climbing alongside professional-level athletes. For those who follow the TV show “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW), where participants compete in obstacle courses, take note of how many of them have a background in climbing. Personally, I have had the privilege of coaching Megan Martin of ANW during the competitive climbing chapter of my life.

Bouldering is comprised of short powerful routes of about 16 feet. Moves sometimes look somewhat like parkour, where competitors are leaping horizontally to the next handhold while maintaining enough core tension and contact strength to latch onto the oncoming fingertip strength-testing piece of resin plastic rock.

The third is difficulty climbing. Longer in length by number of moves and steeper in angles than the other two disciplines, sometimes athletes are climbing horizontally on the underside of a roof in sections of the routes. During the climb, routes get continually harder with each move. Theoretically, only the strongest climber actually gets to the final hold.

Making It Into the Olympics

For the International Olympic Committee to consider and accept someone into the Olympics, the structuring of the competitions and selection of the athletes took some tweaking and adjustments. The final outcome is that there will be three disciplines that climbing athletes must partake in: speed, bouldering and difficulty.

Speed climbing is a simple head-to-head competition on identical climbing routes of 15 meters in height; the fastest time wins. The current world record is 5.5 seconds. That is nearly 1 second of time for every 10 feet of climbing.

Since this piece is written for the townsfolk of Prescott, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our own resident Tony Yaniro. Considered the “father of sport climbing,” he is still actively involved in the lifestyle that climbing is becoming.

Equally as exciting, Prescott now has two climbing facilities within its city limits. Do yourself a favor and give it a try. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see you in the Olympics one day.

319 N. Lee Blvd. Prescott, AZ 86301

928-458-7579

gripstoneclimbing.com

SJR Memory Café!

by Melody Thomas-Morgan, Community Liaison, Adult Care Services

Adult Care Services is pleased to announce the first Memory Café in the quad-city area, hosted by The Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center. Jan. 12 marked the kickoff of this very special monthly event.

The SJR Memory Café is designed for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment AND their caregivers (family, companion, friend or professional).

The purpose is to enjoy a special time together, free from the challenges of the disease, and to provide a break from the normal routine. It’s a time for refreshment, mutual support and fun for caregivers and loved ones, together.

The Memory Café concept was born in the Netherlands in 1997 by Dr. Bere Miesen,

a Dutch psychiatrist whose goal was to normalize dementia for those living with it, their family, caregivers and the community as a whole. He hoped that time away from the routine of everyday life would give people a chance to leave their troubles at the door and “just be.”

The Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center will be hosting the SJR Memory Café the second Saturday of each month from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The activities will be planned by those who attend, as it really is time for them! Some ideas include: art presentations, live music, sing-a-longs, poetry readings, reminiscing and sharing stories, cooking demos and more.

For more than 35 years, The Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center (a nonprofit adult day-health program) has served those 18

years and older facing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other cognitive and physical challenges.

The Center is part of Adult Care Services which also has The Margaret T. Morris Center, an assisted living community specializing solely in dementia care and celebrating 20 years in the Prescott area!

We are located at 3407 N. Windsong Drive in Prescott Valley. Please call Melody at (928) 4411019 for more information.

ADULT DAY CENTER

Special Section: Medical, Health & Wellness

Outdoor Recreation Important to Holistic Wellness

by Kelly Tolbert, Recreation Coordinator, Prescott Parks and Recreation

Ever consider the history of playgrounds and how they positively contribute to the growth and development of children? Probably not! The history of play and responsibility of playground owners to ensure reduced likelihood of life threatening injuries sustained by children playing, it is crucial to understand the importance of play. This has truly morphed into an entirely different industry than what I personally experienced as a child of the 1980’s. What has not changed is the need to get outside and play.

The concept of play is an inherent trait. Vital to the development of motor skills in young children, overall learning, and

socialization, play is not limited to any certain age group. Historically, the activity known as playing (or play time) has been considered integral to children’s overall well-being. So, when does one stop playing? If a person pursues athletics, then playing a sport or multiple sports can last into adulthood. However, not everyone has the physical capability to pursue athletics successfully. Advances in technology have attributed to a shift from outdoor play to indoor play. Coupled with fewer children outside playing in neighborhoods, overall fears parents face in today’s reality enhances the appeal of indoor play. Unfortunately, according to Psychology Today online, while

indoor activity can be enjoyable it does not “promote adequate physical and mental growth”. In fact, researchers have discovered a disorder dubbed “Nature Deficit Disorder”. They have also found that by not playing in the outdoors, children miss the benefits associated with nature such as less stress, lower blood pressure, while developing better motor coordination as well as increased attention span.

In looking at the overall benefits to play, one can argue that it is a necessary component of mental, emotional, and physical health. Fortunately, for residents and visitors to Prescott, there are ample opportunities for both children and adult play activities. The City of Prescott maintains twelve early life playgrounds suitable for ages 2-5 years old and 5-12 years old scattered among parks throughout the City. For adults or families, there are three recreation based lakes that host assorted amenities such as boating, fishing, hiking, bocce ball, horseshoes, volleyball, disc golf, geocaching, and camping. Adults can hike biweekly with an organized group by joining the

Trekabout Hiking Club, collaboration between the Yavapai County Community Health Department (YCCHS), The Highlands Center for Natural History (HCNH), and the City of Prescott. Mountain biking is a growing activity for families and Prescott certainly has something to offer for all skill levels. Adults and children both enjoy the Mike Fann Skate Park, a state of the art facility located near Ken Lindley field, designated for skateboarding and BMX bicycling. Pioneer Park is home to the City’s flourishing adult softball leagues which play during the summer months and brand new pickleball courts offer both league and open play seven days a week. Grace Sparkes Activity Center has four tennis courts that are available on a first come first served basis, open during daylight hours.

Perhaps George Bernard Shaw best states it with the well known quote, serving as a wonderful reminder, that “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” For more information visit: www.Prescott-az.gov Recreation & Events

Why You Need an Osteoarthritis Program for Knee and Shoulder Pain

by Robert J Brownsberger, MD; Dorian Lange, PharmD of Northern Arizona Pain Institutes

Arevolutionary new, nonsurgical treatment called viscosupplementation therapy is providing hope and relief for many knee- and shoulder-pain sufferers.

Viscosupplementation therapy is a procedure involving the injection of gel-like substances (hyaluronates) into a joint to supplement the viscous properties of synovial fluid. This procedure has been shown to be 86 percent successful in alleviating pain associated with osteoarthritis and is covered by most major medical insurance providers and Medicare.

Medicare has approved Viscosupplementation therapy with hyaluronic acid (Supartz) for osteoarthritis of the shoulder. We offer this minimally invasive procedure that requires no surgery, can provide immediate results, and has little-to-no recovery time.

Why Our Program is So Successful

At our clinic, we offer a unique approach to rehabilitation of osteoarthritic knees and shoulders by using a combination of state-ofthe-art rehabilitation equipment, cutting-edge unloading knee braces, and highly trained physical therapists specializing in total knee and shoulder rehabilitation. We found that the combined approach of all three of these treatments along with natural joint viscosupplementation therapy are the main reasons for our success.

Accurate Knee Injections

As part of our Knee Relief Program, we use a breakthrough piece of medical equipment at our facility called a fluoroscope. This is very important because fluoroscopy allows our medical staff to look inside your joints in real time with the latest in imaging technol-

ogy while administering any of our minimally invasive injection procedures. This instrument helps to ensure the injected material is introduced to the exact point intended to provide the best possible outcome from each injection.

Stem Cell Injections

Our Regenerative Stem Cell injections are derived from an umbilical cord tissue/blood product that captures all the greatest regenerative properties of this otherwise discarded tissue. Our brand of stem cell injectables uses a proprietary method of isolating growth factors, cells and stem cells giving our patients the best possible benefits from a regenerative medicine product.

Learn more at NorthernArizonaPainInstitutes.com, or call 928-275-6998 for a free consultation.

A revolutionary, new. non-surgical treatment called Viscosupplementation Therapy is providing hope and relief for many knee and shoulder pain sufferers. Viscosupplementation therapy is a procedure involving the injection of gel-like substances (hyaluronates) into a joint to supplement the viscous properties of synovial fluid. This procedure has been shown to be 86% successful in alleviating pain associated with osteoarthritis and is covered by most major medical insurance providers and Medicare. Medicare has approved Viscosupplementation Therapy with hyaluronic acid (Supartz) for Osteoarthritis of the shoulder We offer this minimally invasive procedure that requires no surgery, can provide immediate results . and has little to no recovery time. 928.27 5.6998

The ROX Interview (continued)

...continued from page 25

U.S. as criminal justice professionals.

I went back to my hotel room. I couldn’t sleep. By the next morning, I just thought, “I want this program for my prosecutors.” That was my burning desire.

We had to meet in the lobby to get back to the airport. I kept tugging at the sleeve of David Hess, president of the Jewish Community Foundation, saying, “David, I need to talk to you.” He kept saying, “Wait, I’ve got to get everyone on the bus to the airport.” I’m normally not that pushy. David finally said, “I’ll ride on the bus with you, Sheila.”

When we rode the bus to the airport, I told him, “We need to figure out how to bring this to Arizona.” Within a couple days, I was thinking I want this for all law enforcement officers and prosecutors in Arizona. I mean, it was that fast, where I just was so passionate about this program. Typically, I’m calm in all situations, but I just felt on fire!

David reached back to the museum and we started having some conversations and meetings about how to create a program like the museum was teaching. The museum said, yes, it would work with us. To this day, I find that very remarkable. We’re just a small community here in northern Arizona, and the Holocaust Museum was willing to work with us.

Finally, in 2012, we began teaching our version of the course in Yavapai County. Just two of us were teaching — Doug Bartosh, just retired as the city manager for Cottonwood, and myself. We were teaching two classes a month for two years to our criminal justice professionals, law enforcement officers and prosecutors. Toward the end of 2014, the state organization that certifies peace officers, called AZPOST, heard what we were doing and they came up, watched the class. Then they said, “You know, we’d love it if you could teach this statewide.”

We had a similar experience with the statewide prosecutor’s association. In 2014, we did a train-the-trainer course and trained 10 more teams so we could teach our course statewide. We’ve now taught more than 5,000 criminal justice professionals.

Most people who think about the Holocaust think about the period of the mass

killings. This course instead focuses its three-and-a-half hours on 1933 to 1942, which precedes the mass killings. Specifically, we look at a series of photographic images that depict policing from 1933 to 1942. What we are teaching, really, is the slippery slope, to examine how it was that in nine short years, police in Germany transitioned from protectors of the people to enforcers of Nazi ideology. Ultimately, they were collaborators, actively participating in the mobile killing squads. What we’re learning from this is the activity of policing stayed the same, but the purpose shifted to ultimately deprive, isolate and then kill the Jews and others in the Holocaust.

That’s the bulk of the class. Then we ask, “Are there lessons for us?” It’s a very hands-on interactive class, where the students have studied this history and understand this incremental change. Then they identify for themselves if there is something that’s relevant about this to them.

That’s probably the most powerful part of the class, when the students are identifying what the lessons are. Typically, what they’ll identify is the need to speak up, that silence can be complicity. That if you start

taking shortcuts, you open yourself up to an environment within yourself where you’re willing to commit further and further transgressions.

Ultimately, what we identify is that we in law enforcement take an oath of office to defend and protect the Constitution. That means defending and protecting those rights for everybody, including suspects and the accused. The importance of doing that job well at all times, whether the public is watching us or not, is a really powerful core principle of our course.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Do you have any disappointments in your role as county attorney?

SHEILA POLK: I really don’t. I had a revelation fairly early on that I did not have to have answers as county attorney, but what I needed are good, thoughtful, independent thinking people around me. I have an amazing management team. I have told them point blank, “Your job is not to agree with me. We need to be doing the right thing, and everybody’s got a voice.” Most decisions we make are made collectively. I feel fortunate that very early on, I figured out that you can be a successful leader by sharing decision-making and really

continued on page 100...

Suicide and Overdose

Becoming too Common in Yavapai County

by Meghan Ross, MA, Quality Management Coordinator, Pronghorn Psychiatry and Stoneridge Center

Recently, there have been several high-profile incidents that have pushed the topic of mental health into the national spotlight. The suicide deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and the overdose death of rapper Mac Miller have shown the world that no one is immune. In fact, take a look around. Odds are that if you are not personally impacted, someone close to you is.

As the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction diminishes, the need for effective solutions becomes more apparent. In Yavapai County, the numbers are alarming. The 2017 Community Health Assessment

(CHA) identified that Yavapai County has a suicide rate more than double the national average, has the third highest drug-induced death rate in the state, and approximately 20 percent of individuals surveyed identified that they did not seek care because of their inability to pay. While this may seem daunting, there is hope.

Pronghorn Psychiatry was founded in 2014 by Dr. Mark Collins, DO. It is his mission to bring cutting-edge, affordable mental health treatment to those who need it most. Since its inception, Pronghorn Psychiatry has expanded to include both an inpatient psychiatric unit and an outpatient treatment program, better known

as Stoneridge Center.

By providing a full-continuum of care, Pronghorn Psychiatry is able to offer a seamless transition from the most acute psychiatric patients to those desiring flexible programming to maintain work/ life obligations. By offering diverse, individualized care for substance abuse and/or mental illness, Pronghorn is proud to be an industry leader in the fight against these fast-rising epidemics.

Quality care shouldn’t be a financial burden. Pronghorn Psychiatry is proud to be an in-network AHCCCS provider

with Care1st Health Plan Arizona. In addition, Pronghorn is an in-network facility that accepts multiple commercial insurances and offers affordable cash-pay options for those who may be uninsured. Pronghorn Psychiatry is committed to providing quality, affordable care that meets the needs of the community’s diverse population.

Call us any time, day or night, to discuss your or your loved one’s treatment needs at 928-583-7799 or visit our website at stoneridgecenters.com for more info.

Brain Focused Treatment in Northern Arizona

“When a patient calls, we quickly identify where they are and where they

help them reach their goals We pride ourselves on providing Quality Care that is Cost Effective and Helpful

P r o n g h o r n P s y c h i a t r y &

our community.” Amy Ledesma, CEO, DON

• Subacute Psychiatric Stabilization

• Inpatient Detoxification (including Suboxone)

• Inpatient Psychiatric Stabilization

• Outpatient Programs (PHP & IOP)

• Seamless Transition Between Programs

• Specialized in Treating Dual Diagnosis

• Advanced Neuropsychiatry

• Substance Abuse Treatment

• Substance Abuse Treatment

• CBT & DBT Based Therapies

• Inpatient Detoxification (including Suboxone)

• EMDR Trauma Therapy

• Individual Therapy

• CBT & DBT Based Therapies

• Case Management Services

• Highly-Qualified Staff

• Licensed Therapists

“When a patient calls, we quickly identify where they are and where they want to be. We do what it takes to help them reach their goals We pride ourselves on providing Quality Care that is Cost Effective and Helpful to our community.” Amy Ledesma, CEO, DON

• Subacute Psychiatric Stabilization

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) provides an innovative evidence-based therapy effective for a wide variety of conditions including:

• Outpatient Programs (PHP & IOP)

• Inpatient Detoxification (including Suboxone)

• Outpatient Programs (PHP & IOP)

• Cognitive Enhancement

• Seamless Transition Between Programs

• Bipolar Disorder

• Specialized in Treating Dual Diagnosis

• Advanced Neuropsychiatry

• Substance Abuse Treatment

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Seamless Transition Between Programs

• Attention Deficit Disorder

• Cognitive Enhancement

• Low Staff to Patient Ratio

• EMDR Trauma Therapy

• Individual Therapy

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) provides an innovative evidence-based therapy effective for a wide variety of conditions including:

• CBT & DBT Based Therapies

• EMDR Trauma Therapy

• Individual Therapy

• Case Management Services

• Case Management Services

• Anxiety

• Highly-Qualified Staff

• Licensed Therapists

• Depression

• Low Staff to Patient Ratio

• Cognitive Enhancement

• Bipolar Disorder

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Attention Deficit Disorder

• Autism

• Highly-Qualified Staff

• Schizophrenia

• Anxiety

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) provides an innovative evidence-based therapy effective for a wide variety of conditions including:

• Anxiety

• Licensed Therapists

• Depression

• Bipolar Disorder

• Depression

• Specialized in Treating Dual Diagnosis

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Attention Deficit Disorder

• Autism

“Like the Pronghorn Antelope we are Quick, Adaptive, Agile, Nimble, and Resourceful when providing care to patients ” Dr. Mark Collins, President, Medical Director

• Schizophrenia

• Low Staff to Patient Ratio

• Autism

• Schizophrenia

• Advanced Neuropsychiatry

“Like the Pronghorn Antelope we are Quick, Adaptive, Agile, Nimble, and Resourceful when providing care to patients Dr. Mark Collins, President, Medical Director We accept most insurance plans, including AHCCCS, and are

We accept most insurance plans, including AHCCCS, and are proud to offer all levels of care

and are proud to offer all levels of

Special Section: Medical, Health & Wellness

Recent Study Finds VA Hospitals Perform Significantly Better Than Others

by Mary Dillinger, Public Affairs Officer, NAVAHCS

Did you know there are more than 1,240 health-care facilities within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)? The VA provides exceptional health care from Homer, Alaska, and Kings Hill, U.S. Virgin Islands to Calais, Maine and right here in Prescott, Arizona. Did you also know that over 350,000 employees, with approximately a third being Veterans themselves, provide care to more than 9 million Veterans across the country?

A Veteran’s choice of health-care providers is more than just about the facts and figures, it’s about receiving high-quality, evidence-based coordinated care. The fact of the matter is that VA health-care providers are better equipped than non-VA hospitals, with more experience, expertise and the latest state-of-the-art technology to treat the unique medical and mental health issues of our nation’s heroes.

Facing Challenges

Just like any other large organization, the VA has faced its share of challenges. As the second largest federal department, we are constantly striving to find ways to better serve Veterans. And a recent independent report demonstrates our hard work is paying off.

A new study by Dartmouth College led by a professor critical of the VA in the past, found VA hospitals were consistently better on almost every quality measure. The VA was the best or above average in most markets for treating heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. More often than not, the VA had the best quality care in local hospital markets for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). The study also found the VA ranked best in local markets at least half the time for measures including death rates among patients with serious complications after surgery, collapsed lung due to medical treatment, broken hip from a fall after surgery, and bloodstream infections after surgery.

Making Progress

The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System (NAVAHCS) was one of the VA facilities making positive strides in quality and efficiency benchmarks this past year and is striving to continue progress. The NAVAHCS campus in Prescott includes a level-three medical cen-

ter offering primary care, mental health care, specialty care and emergency care services to more than 28,000 Veterans.

The NAVAHCS operates an emergency department, which is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Additionally, mental health specialists are available to assist Veterans in need, day or night. Veterans with mental health and vocational goals can receive treatment during a short-term stay in our Inpatient Domiciliary Residential Treatment Program.

Although long- and short-term care, as well as hospice and dementia care, are in short supply in the community, our Community Living Center (CLC) offers all of this. With a higher staff-to-patient ratio than in the private sector, our CLC programs are individualized with a focus on improving the Veteran’s overall health and well-being. One of our Veterans refers to his CLC team as “his girls” and says he “is happy to be alive, thanks to the wonderful staff at the VA.”

To provide medical care closer to where a Veteran lives, NAVAHCS has outpatient clinics in Flagstaff, Kingman, Anthem, Cottonwood, Lake Havasu, Holbrook, Tuba City, Page, Polacca, Kayenta, and Chinle. We offer primary care, mental health and laboratory services at these areas either in person or through use of telemedicine.

Telemedicine

The VA has established itself as a leader in telemedicine (the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications) with the capability to offer convenient appointments at outpatient clinics and even in a Veteran’s home. Available for more than 45 different clinical areas, telehealth offers the same services as a face-to-face appointment without the lengthy and exhausting drive to a VA facility.

With home telehealth, health-care providers are able to monitor and educate patients with chronic illness. Currently, more than 380 Veterans within the NAVAHCS are using this “Right Care, Right Place, Right Time” technology. Each patient has a care coordinator and uses a home computer/tablet or telephone to share such data as heart rate, blood pressure or glucose level. In real time, health-care providers can gather essential medical information and adjust treatment plans when necessary.

Ease in Scheduling

NAVAHCS now offers the Veteran Appointment Request (VAR) application, conveniently available for download on any phone or computer. This is a quick and easy way for Veterans to schedule their own primary care and mental health appointments based on their schedule. To keep track of VA appointments or cancel if necessary, the VeText system sends reminder texts to a Veteran’s cellphone. To sign up for the VeText service, a Veteran simply provides a cellphone number to his or her clinic. No registration or application process is needed.

Making Advances in Health Care

Because the VA is a nationwide health care system, Veterans in northern Arizona benefit from a wide variety of medical and surgical advances, ground-breaking research and innovative technology.

The VA had an electronic medical record system in 1996, more than a decade before the private sector. Furthermore, the VA was key in the development of the cardiac pacemaker, the CT scan, artificial limbs, the nicotine patch, the shingles vaccine, innovative approaches to geriatric and end-of-life care, and performed the first-ever liver transplant.

VA technological advances in a revolutionary system called BrainGate help people with total paralysis control robotic arms using only their thoughts. Today, VA research is developing new treatments for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. Because it treats so many patients with prostate cancer, the VA received a $50 million grant from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to discover new treatments for that disease.

Our Team of NAVAHCS employees is proud of the VA’s achievements, feel privileged to work for our Veterans, and is extremely honored to provide timely, high-quality, evidence-based coordinated care for every Veteran who chooses the VA. Learn more by calling 928-717-7587 or visiting prescott.va.gov.

LOOKING

Special Section: Medical, Health & Wellness

Discover the Health Benefits of CBD Oil

by Hildy Grover, Writer/Hildy Say's Blog, My Health Etc .

HAPPY 2019!

The Chinese calendar says 2019 is the year of the earth pig. I will have to dig a little deeper to see if that’s good or bad. I say, it is the year of finding good health, which leads to happiness, prosperity and all things good. Without our health, everything else loses its luster.

Inflammation is said to be the underlying cause of many health problems. Tension is also named as a source of many adverse physical conditions. What can be done about both of these problems?

Benefits of Hemp CBD

One answer might be hemp CBD. Notice I said hemp and not marijuana. Contrary to popular opinion, hemp and marijuana are not the same. While both originate from the Cannabis sativa plant, centuries of selective breeding have produced dramatically different crops. Typically, marijuana contains a mind-altering THC concentration of 5 to 30 percent. In contrast, hemp plants legally must not contain more

than 0.3 percent THC or less. It is from hemp that most CBD oil is derived. Hemp CBD is also the most effective. Hemp CBD works to reduce physical pain and inflammation without affecting your mental abilities. It also can boost relaxation, reduce tension, improve sleep and much more.

Selecting the Best CBD Oil

At My Health Etc., we can help in your search for an all-natural solution for aches, pains and discomfort. But remember, not all CBD oil is created equal. Finding the right CBD oil could just be the most important part of your journey. Here are a few questions to consider:

(1) Is it packaged in an amber-colored bottle? (2) Is it 100-percent Certified Organic? (3) Is it triple-lab tested for purity and safety? (4) Does it contain a guaranteed percentage of CBD? (5) Is it produced under pharmaceutical control? (6) Is the label cohesive and informative?

Just remember, the only way you can be certain your CBD oil is pure and free of foreign substances is by purchasing your oil from a source that can be traced all the way back to the fields where it was grown.

Is CBD Oil Right for You?

If you have health issues and want to know if CBD would be

helpful for you, come to My Health Etc.’s boutique shop and get a personal, free mini-seminar. We will spend as much time with you as necessary for you to feel comfortable with and understand the products you choose to begin your new path for better health.

Or maybe you just want to use CBD as a preventative. Many of our clients start taking CBD for a certain health problem, only to discover they are also sleeping better, have more energy, are more alert, their digestion has improved, etc.

At My Health Etc., owners Jay and Terilyn will privately counsel, teach and inform you when new information becomes available. Testing and trials are going on all the time. We want each and every one of our clients to improve, feel better and be happier. Knowledge is king! No need to pay for information because at our shop imparting knowledge is part of our stock in trade. See you there!

Oh, that pig thing. The Chinese do not consider the pig to be a smart animal. It usually features laziness and clumsiness. However, on the positive side, it is said to behave itself, has no plans to harm others, and can bring affluence to people. Therefore, it has been regarded as wealth. I say this definitely is true for the pig farmer!

By the way, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor if hemp CBD would be okay for you.

Massage — The Ultimate in Pampering, And So Much More!

by Sandra Hanson, Owner, Massage By Sandy

Massage By Sandy has been in Prescott successfully serving men and women in the health and wellness field for more than two decades. She is located somewhat off the beaten path in a newly remodeled home office.

Massage By Sandy offers a variety of massage modalities along with important lifestyle ideas regarding hydration, exercise, and nutritional and spiritual heath.

Swedish Massage is by far the most popular choice. Also available are Thai Massage and the ultimate in relaxation, the gentle Lymphatic Facial Massage.

Recline in a heated massage chair or luxuriate in an Aroma Spa

steam capsule before your appointment for added benefit and enhancement of your massage. Allow yourself plenty of time, as our massages are a full 60 to 90 minutes.

Massage By Sandy has much to offer. Be inspired to incorporate regular massage into your life, or simply pamper yourself on special occasions. Consider a house call or purchase a gift certificate for a friend.

Feel Better Starting Now!

To Invest in Your Health is to Invest in Yourself!

You Are Most Definitely Worth It!

Please call 928-442-9570.

Health & Healing Center:

Highlights from an interview with Dr . Cheryl Hamilton, founder of the Health and Healing Center

Why did you become a naturopathic medical doctor? My grandparent’s health struggles triggered my interest in finding a better way to age, which led to my undergraduate degree in food science and nutrition. While working as a health coach, I realized I didn’t have the knowledge base to effectively evaluate the validity of the recommendations made by the self-help and supplement industry.

I decided to further my education, and that’s when I found naturopathic medical schools. I liked how the curriculum focused on biochemistry and physiology to support finding and treating the cause of the disease while treating the whole person with a variety of modalities that included, but weren’t limited to pharmaceutical drugs and surgery. Toward the end of my medical training, an emergency room doctor friend commented that naturopathic doctors are the worst business-minded professionals because they actually help patients attain health and decrease

dependence on medicine.

I have come to greatly appreciate the full meaning of that comment. For example, because we’re not dependent on the insurance industry for claim reimbursement, we’re able to spend adequate time to listen to patients as they voice their concerns while doing our thorough intake. Best of all, our treatment recommendations are based on what is best for the patients rather than what the insurance industry pays for.

What is your philosophy of health attainment? The days of prescribing a “pill for the ill” to manage disease are gone. Many times we must start with the basis of health — the health of the gastrointestinal tract and the microbiome and nutrient absorption. Medical knowledge is exploding in this area, providing wonderful insight for total health attainment. We now know that what we eat and how we think affects the health of our microscopic

body buddies and they, in turn, affect our health and thoughts!

It’s enlightening to understand how interconnected everything is, which is why I really enjoy working with patients as part of a health-care team that focuses on reducing dependence on medical care. That’s why I established the Health and Healing Center where the doctors and health-care professionals specialize in helping those invested in their health to obtain vibrant whole health.

When you’re ready to claim your health and feel fabulous, give us a call. Our knowledgeable doctors and licensed health practitioners are ready to help you start your journey to wellness! Our health education programs include detoxification, weight control, aging young, stress reduction, and preconception health. Schedules can be found on our website, healthandhealing.center. The phone number is 928-515-2363, and the center is located at 1237 N. Rhinestone Drive, Prescott.

Disease Management

• Are you the type of person who would rather take supplements to support health than pharmaceutical drugs to manage your disease?

• Do you want to live with abundant energy and vibrant health so that you feel you can do or be or have anything?

• Our knowledgable doctors and health care professionals take the time to listen to your concerns, find the cause of your symptoms and discuss methods for treatment as your partner in your health care.

• We offer health education programs (see website for schedules), integrative therapies and massage therapy to help you attain whole health.

2019 #StayHealthy

Essay Contest

Open to all high school Students in Yavapai County!

2019 #StayHealthy Essay Contest

This contest is open to all Yavapai County high school students from grades 9-12. First place winner of the contest will receive $500. Second and third place winners will receive $300 and $100, respectively. In addition, up to 5 students will receive honorable mention and each receives $50.

Deadline for entry is March 1, 2019

Choose one of the following prompts. Please limit essay to 750 words or less. See guidelines for more details.

36% of youth who use drugs and alcohol say they use to deal with stress at school. Studies show that alcohol and drugs are not positive coping mechanisms and actually add stress.

How has stress impacted your life and what are positive ways to deal with stress and #StayHealthy?

According to the 2018 Arizona Youth Survey, 57% of youth do not perceive drug and alcohol use as risky. Science tells us that drug and alcohol use are related to many social, physical, and emotional harms.

What would you tell youth to convince them of the true harms of drug and alcohol use and why they should #StayHealthy?

What would you tell your 10-year-old self to better prepare yourself for high school and how to #StayHealthy through the challenges of life?

For guidelines and contest rules please go to matforce.org/Youth.

Dr. Lisa Rhine Begins Her Tenure as Yavapai College’s 10th President

by Tim Diesch, Senior Public Information Officer, Yavapai College

“Iam humbled that the governing board, college community and the community at-large selected me to serve as Yavapai College's 10th president,” says Dr. Rhine. “Yavapai is a thriving college that is on an upward trajectory because of the vision and hard work of Dr. (Penelope) Wills, the district governing board, and the dedicated faculty and staff. The support and commitment from all of the communities that we serve are a large part of our success.”

A number of attributes captured Dr. Rhine’s attention to Yavapai College, including academic offerings, student success and the Yavapai County community.

“What attracted me to YC is its vast array of quality academic programs, both transfer and career and technical. The college also offers a balance of solid workforce training and continuing education opportunities,” she says.

Dr. Rhine’s background in academic affairs and student

services in higher education spans more than 30 years. Most recently she served as provost of the Chesapeake Campus at Tidewater Community College in Virginia.

Dr. Rhine says she is ready to hit the ground running. She looks forward to getting out to all of the communities in Yavapai County and learning about the hopes and dreams of the region, how to expand partnerships, grow student enrollment and meet industry and community needs.

“I really look forward to working with our faculty and staff and engaging with our students,” she says. “My family and I are excited about relocating to Arizona and becoming a visible, engaged part of the communities that we serve.”

Yavapai College has six locations in Yavapai County, including campuses in Prescott and Clarkdale and centers in Chino Valley, Sedona, Prescott Valley and near the Prescott Airport. To learn more about the college visit yc.edu.

Construction

is set to begin any day on the Museum’s proposed Education Center, expected to be completed and ready for use in early 2020. “Quite simply, we needed a larger space,” explained Fred Veil, executive director of Sharlot Hall Museum. “This allows us to expand our education outreach programs to schools, creates a new activity center for engaging our youth, and provides for additional opportunities to involve the community at the Museum.”

The 10,000-square foot building will extend from the Museum’s Lawler Exhibit Center towards McCormick Street, offering two-stories above ground for educational purposes and a connecting basement for collections storage.

The space currently being used for educational programming is woefully inadequate, said Veil. The existing theater seats about 50 people and the West Gallery holds about 70 — too often, people have been turned away from various programs because of those limitations, he added.

The new facility will have an auditorium with theater-style seating for about 135 that also functions as a multi-purpose room available for all manner of functions and community activities. Facilities on the second floor will serve as classrooms containing modern, smart-technology.

Sharlot Hall Museum is located in downtown Prescott, two blocks west of the Courthouse Plaza at 415 West Gurley Street, phone: 928-445-3122.

With the Education Center, additional space for exhibits becomes available allowing for more of the 40,000 objects currently in the Museum collections to be displayed. “Less than 10 percent of them are on exhibit,” explained Veil. “This combined expansion and additional facilities space supports our current focus on developing Museum exhibits, conducting school and group tours, family programs and hands-on activities at our many festivals and special events.”

The 30-month fundraising program for the new center is nearing its goal of $2.75 million, which allows for start of construction; fundraising for the building infrastructure continues.

Summer Itches and Winter Runny Noses

by Lauren Lovan, Grant and Communication

IThe best thing to do when your dog expresses signs of illness (such as lack of energy, vomiting, aggression/doesn’t want to be touched) is to stay calm and watch them for about a day.

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for the one dog, the world will change forever.”

- Karen Davison

to heat up. Make sure your dog is staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and spray it with a hose to cool it down. Apply sunscreen if your dog has thin or little hair or the skin is fair. You can check by looking at the color of the skin around the eyes and nose. If it is pink, then your pet has fair skin. Apply sunscreen to the exposed skin on your dog’s body as well as the nose.

When to Bring Your Dog Into the Vet

The best thing to do when your dog expresses signs of illness (such as lack of energy, vomiting, aggression/doesn’t

want to be touched) is to stay calm and watch them for about a day. If the situation resolves itself then most likely there is nothing to worry about, but if it doesn’t, then it’s best to bring your dog into your local vet’s office.

The ultimate guard against dog illness is really knowing your dog’s personality and the characteristics of its specific breed. Oftentimes, breeds such as bulldogs sound as though they are congested but they are not. Again, as long as you know your dog, the two of you will be just fine.

Yavapai Humane Society wishes you and your dog good health! Make sure to donate today at yavapaihumane.org to help us keep all the animals here, healthy, too.

Tips For Your Pooch:

• How do you know if it is too hot outside for your dog? Touch your fingertips to the sidewalk If it burns, then it will also burn your dog’s feet.

• If your dog is itching quite often (which can be caused by a number of things), go to the store and pick up some anti-itch shampoo and that will alleviate that itch.

• Doggie sweaters are a good option for small dogs. While most dogs are built for the cold weather, smaller breeds such as Chihuahuas are not and require extra warmth.

Investing in the Future of Arizona’s Children

by Daniel Leavitt, Development Director, Arizona’s Children Association

Each year, Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) serves more than 40,000 children, individuals and families in all 15 counties in the state. It provides myriad programs, each tailored to the needs of the particular child, individual or family.

Founded in 1912, AzCA is one of the oldest and largest not-for-profit child welfare and behavioral health agencies in Arizona. All programs are family focused, strength based, culturally sensitive and outcome driven. In Yavapai County, AzCA does the following:

• Recruits, trains and supports foster and adoptive parents to provide safe, stable homes for kids in Arizona’s foster care system

• Provides assessment and support to children placed by the courts across state and county lines.

• Teaches life skills to current and former foster youth ages 16 to 21.

• Provides intervention and assistance to families in crisis.

• Offers free workshops/classes, providing information and support for parents and caregivers on successful child development.

• Offers a free home visitation program that partners with families to prepare their children for success in school and life.

• Has access to free resources, including diapers, safety equipment and referral support for local families in need.

Since the beginning, AzCA has stayed true to its mission to protect children, empower youth and strengthen families. Its historical records relating to Prescott date back to 1915 with the creation of the first Prescott Auxiliary Board.

When you contribute to AzCA, you may not only benefit from a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, but you help support the children and families in our community. Your donation to AzCA may qualify you for the

Arizona Charitable Organization Tax Credit. Couples who file jointly may reduce their state taxes by donating up to $800 (up to $400 for individuals).

Visit arizonaschildren.org/taxcredit to learn more, donate or read Tax Credit Frequently Asked Questions. AzCA cannot provide tax advice, so please consult your tax adviser or visit the Arizona Department of Revenue online.

The Journey to Zeitz, Germany: Prescott’s Sister City

by Elaine Earle, Publisher of Prescott LIVING Magazine

When I heard about the Prescott Sister City in Germany — the city of Zeitz — I just had to go! Germany is a place that I adore to begin with and I have been there several times, including a period of time in 2017 when our family went to live in a German village and my children got to experience going to a German elementary school.

Compared to my other trips to Germany, which were all in the “West,” Zeitz was a different experience for

us. Zeitz is in East Germany, otherwise known as the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Many people may think the former GDR has recovered economically given the Berlin Wall came down and the GDR was dissolved in 1990. However, almost 30 years later in Zeitz, they still feel the effects of the GDR today. Effects of the GDR on Zeitz include but aren’t limited to:

• Loss of markets for factories and industry — markets for industrial products were in the East and traded in rubles with the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). Markets are not competitive for the West.

• Abandoned buildings and unknown titles on properties.

• Workforce talent moved West.

• Cost of reunification — taxing on the West to pay for the East rebuilding.

Where does Zeitz sit in reunification recovery? Zietz has a charming and very beautiful town center, like most Aldstadts in Germany. It is vibrant in appearance but was not vibrant in activity. Many buildings are abandoned and empty and we found the streets completely void of activity, even on a Friday evening in June.

What does Zeitz have planned for the future? We met with the Mayor of Zeitz, Christian Theime, and discussed this topic. Zeitz is working on a transportation plan including high-speed passenger rail to connect themselves with the city of Leipzig, also a former GDR city, approximately 27 miles away. Leipzig is a city of approximately 600,000 people far larger than Zeitz with just over 20,000 people. Leipzig is known as Germany’s “Boomtown” and has become very prosperous post-reunification. Leipzig underwent significant change with the restoration of historical buildings and the development of modern transportation infrastructure. Leipzig today is an economic powerhouse in the East and has attracted many young professionals and high-tech companies and according to GfK Marketing Research Institution has been named the “Most livable city in Germany.” The boom of Leipzig will have a very positive impact on Zeitz with improved transpor-

Fun Fact About Zeitz, Germany

The town of Zeitz is associated with Martin Luther’s successors. Indeed, Luther’s male descendants all left their mark on the town. In 1542 Luther ordained Nicolaus von Amsdorf as the first Protestant bishop at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Zeitz. Johann Ernst Luther, a grandson of the great reformer, was married at St. Michael’s Church in Zeitz. He and his wife, Martha, had eight children and established the Zeitz line of the Luther family. His headstone is embedded in the wall of the cloister at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. There are still descendants of Martin Luther living in Zeitz today.

In the late 19th century, a copy of Luther’s 95 theses dating from 1517, was discovered in the library of St. Michael’s Church in Zeitz. It is a rare treasure among the original documents dating from the time of the Reformation.

tation to connect the existing country corridor between the two cities.

Zeitz has a future in tourism as well, given the many outstanding places to visit within a few hours drive. These include :

• Frankfurt, Germany, 220 miles, 3 ½ hour drive

• Munich, Germany, 241 miles, 3 ½ hour drive

• Berlin, Germany, 140 miles, 2 ½ hour drive

• Nuremberg, Germany, 151 miles, 2 ½ hour drive

• Potsdam, Germany, 126 miles, 2 hour drive

• Dresden, Germany, 92 miles, 1 ½ hour drive

• Leipzig, Germany, 27 miles, 45 minute drive

• Prague, Czech Republic, 180 miles, 3 hour drive

I am thankful for the hospitality and warm welcome received from the Prescott Sister City partners on our journey there and certainly learned a lot about East and West Germany in the visit. We stayed in a wonderful boutique hotel called the Hotel Maximilian, and enjoyed many delicious German meals while we were there. We visited with dignitaries and residents of Zeitz and hope to stay in touch with them in the future.

Favorite German Foods

Spätzle - noodles made from wheat flour and egg are often served topped with cheese

Sauerbraten - delicious roast pork dish usually served with braised cabbage or sauerkraut and dumplings (knoedel)

Schnitzel - thin, boneless cutlet of meat, which is coated in breadcrumbs and often served with a slice of lemon

Wurst - the most popular include Bratwurst (fried sausage) made of ground pork and spices, Wiener (Viennese), which is smoked and then boiled, and Blutwurst and Schwarzwurst, which are both blood sausages

Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) - popular dessert of buttery pastry filled with apples flavoured with sugar, cinnamon, raisins and breadcrumbs

The positive, lasting difference the Kurtz family has made in these children’s lives is immeasurable. They have helped them soar academically as well as turn their lives around with productive habits and hobbies.

Eleven Years and 23 Lives Changed

by Katryna Eastwood, Catholic Charities Community Services

“We’re the only family they know,” Alice Kurtz says about all the children she and her husband are have welcomed into their home.

Alice and Dave Kurtz have been foster parents for the past 11 years, with 10 years as therapeutic foster parents with Catholic Charities Community Services. Therapeutic foster care is specialized foster care for children who have experienced trauma. The children who are admitted into a therapeutic foster care home have behavioral health needs directly related to the trauma they have endured.

After the child and/or the child’s parents have worked with the therapeutic foster family and the local behavioral health team, they return home to their families or step down to a regular foster home. Therapeutic foster care is a reimbursable service paid for by AHCCCS. This level of care keeps children in a family setting while getting the therapies they need.

The Kurtz family started their foster care journey by doing informal foster care for family friends who were going through difficult situations. Their friends at church recommended they look into becoming official foster parents through Catholic Charities Community Services.

Since they began, the couple has welcomed more than 23 children into

their homes, all of them with extremely different backgrounds and needs. Some children have been in more than 40 foster family homes before coming to Alice and Dave.

The positive, lasting difference the Kurtz family has made in these children’s lives is immeasurable. They have helped them soar academically as well as turn their lives around with productive habits and hobbies. Dave Kurtz recalls one foster child who found her focus and determination in athletics.

“There was a 180-degree turn for this girl,” Dave says about how a sexually abused 9-year old girl found a way to refocus her life through gymnastics.

The couple took her to the YMCA twice a week while she was in their care and it made all the difference. They recently learned she’d won a gymnastics tournament after going to live with her grandparents.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without our training,” Dave explains while remembering his first experience as a foster parent. “I would’ve quit early on if it wasn’t for the training provided by Catholic Charities.”

“And they still care,” Alice says as tears roll down her face. “Even after they’re gone, they still call me and send me cards on Mother’s Day. They still care.”

How You Can Help

Foster homes are desperately needed. Did you know that there are nearly 14,000 children in need of foster care in a home setting? The Department of Child Safety estimates that to meet the need, more than 1,000 additional foster homes are needed in Arizona.

Catholic Charities can help inform, train and prepare you to make a positive, lasting difference in a child’s life. For more information, contact our foster care team at (928) 708-7227 or FosterCarenaz@cc-az.org.

You can also take advantage of the Foster Care Tax Credit by donating to Catholic Charities at CatholicCharitiesAZ.org/Donate-Now through April 15.

Zeitz Sister City Program Offers Students a Chance to Experience Life Abroad

by John Heiney, Community Outreach Manager, Prescott Tourism Office

The City of Prescott and Zeitz, Germany, became Sister Cities in 2012. The goal for the partnership is to create a cultural sharing and understanding between the two cities. The Zeitz Sister City Committee consists of all volunteers, including former Prescott City Councilman Chris Kuknyo, who serves as president.

The program consists mainly of student cultural exchanges. For the past several years, German language students from Bradshaw Mountain High School and Prescott High School have traveled in small groups to Zeitz, where they live with host families and attend school with host students. This experience is intended to be a cultural emersion. The students are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and try new experiences.

Upon returning, the students

give a presentation to the Sister City Committee.

“They each come away with a unique perspective of their visit by doing the things an average family in Zeitz does,” says Kuknyo. “Some talk about the architecture and history that is hundreds to a thousand years old, while others really experienced a bonding with their host family.”

One thing they all share is a new knowledge that, when it comes to other cultures, we are more alike than different. One student put it best during his presentation when he said: “We live in a great country, but there are other great countries, too.”

Funding for the program is raised almost exclusively by the annual Oktoberfest held in Prescott. Last year, the event raised more than $5,800.

Mayor-exchange visits have also been part of the Sister City Program.

Last October, Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli and his wife Sheila visited Zeitz, meeting with the Zeitz mayor and officials.

“This was a tremendous experience,” says Mengarelli. “Sheila and I were pleased to continue this tra-

continued on page 134...

Cutting Edge MultiLock Laser™ Therapy

Lasers have many uses to treat a variety of medical problems. Cold laser therapy is the use of specific wavelengths of light that treat painful and possible debilitating conditions. Cutting Edge MultiLock Laser™ is unique in that it provides a continuous wavelength, as well as a pulsating wavelength to treat both pain and inflammation simultaneously.

Laser light energy enters damaged cells and stimulates cellular metabolic activity. This reduces pain in an affected area(s) and speeds recovery of damaged tissues. The treatments are painless and each session can last between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the area(s) treated.

Many experience positive results in 3 to 5 treatments with the average being 7-10 sessions. Acute conditions such as sprains, fractures and strains can improve quickly. Inflammation and swelling in the area is greatly reduced, leading to a reduction in pain. More chronic conditions respond well too, such as degenerative joint disease, neurological pain, musculoskeletal disorders, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis and any other inflammatory conditions.

The effect of MLS therapy is cumulative. This means that the more often an area is treated,

the more positive the outcome. It is important that once treatment is started, the course of treatment be completed.

Dramatic improvement has been seen in surgical recoveries, reduction in pain and swelling due to injury, faster healing of injuries, an improvement in local blood flow to the treated area and the cold laser can also be used to promote a more rapid healing of wounds and ulcerations.

One of the most exciting uses for the cold laser therapy is treating Neuropathy. Most patients feel a return of sensation and a decrease in their painful symptoms after a few sessions. Some patients require ongoing maintenance treatments to keep their symptoms at bay.

Podiatry continues to utilize technological advances that help to make the patient experience better with improved diagnosis and treatment options. Be sure to ask your podiatrist how technology has impacted the field of podiatry and what specific treatment options may be open to you.

BALLET VICTORIA’S

CARMINA

SATURDAY, MARCH 23 AT 7 P.M. SUNDAY, MARCH 24 AT 3 P.M.

BALLET VICTORIA’S PROFESSIONAL DANCERS JOIN WITH YAVAPAI COLLEGE’S COMBINED CHOIRS TO PERFORM CARL ORFF’S PASSIONATE AND HARROWING TALE OF EVOLVING LOVE. JOIN US FOR A DANCE EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER! TICKETS FROM $22

YAVAPAI COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1100 E. SHELDON STREET, PRESCOTT 86301 TICKETS: (928) 776.2000 | WWW.YCPAC.COM

If you have podiatry health questions, contact Dr. Brad Hayman of Complete Foot & Ankle Care, 3103 Clearwater Drive, Suite B, Prescott, AZ 928-776-9428. prescotthappyfeet.com

Get Your Garden for the Spring Planting Season

by Nancy Erdmann

With the spring planting season fast approaching, it’s a good time to get your garden in order. This is when you want to prep your soil, purchase seeds and assess your garden tools. Here are some tips to make the job easy.

Soil Prep

Prepare your soil by working well-composted organic matter into your existing soil. Because plants use up their organic resources throughout the year, the soil needs to be replenished to keep it viable.

Watters Garden Center offers their formula for amending soil. Start with a 2-inch layer of 50-percent composted mulch and 50-percent deodorized manure. Top this with a sprinkling of gypsum, soil sulfur and organic tomato and vegetable food (using the recommended amounts). According to Watters, the organic food is not only good for produce, but also for producing vibrant flower gardens. Work all of the ingredients into the soil at about one shovel’s depth and you’re good to go.

Growing From Seed

February is a great time to peruse garden catalogs for vegetable and flower seeds. Around the middle of March start broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seeds indoors for planting in early April. Seeds of sugar snap peas and English peas can go in the ground around mid-March or as soon as the ground thaws. Mid-March is also a great time to start tomato, pepper and

eggplant seeds indoors, which can be planted in mid-May.

If you love flowers, February and March are the times to sow seeds of perennials that germinate in cold weather, such as butterfly weed, blue flax, calendula, columbine, hollyhock, penstemon and wildflower mixes. Cool-weather annuals can also go in at this time and include dianthus, larkspur, nasturtium, petunia, snapdragon and sweet pea.

Tools Every Gardener Should Have On Hand

Gloves — Aside from protecting your hands and nails from dirt and thorns, they also protect your skin from allergic reactions to plants and fertilizers. For light work, try nitrile-coated gloves. The palms and fingers are covered with a tough but thin flexible material that withstands punctures yet offers an amazing amount of dexterity. Heavy-duty leather gloves keep hands warm in cooler temperatures and are great for working with roses and other thorny plants.

READY

Hand trowel — This is probably the tool you will use most when it comes to transferring dirt into pots, planting annuals or minor digging. Go for one made from forged steel rather than flimsy stainless steel.

Kneeling pad — While not exactly a tool, this handy lightweight rectangle of foam makes kneeling on the ground doable and is a knee saver when working in low beds or pulling weeds.

Loppers — Basically a long-handed pruner, loppers allow you to cut thicker branches and access hard-to-reach places. These are usually lightweight to lessen fatigue.

Pruning saw — Ideal for trimming live tree or thick-shrub branches, its teeth are as sharp as those on saws used for cutting lumber. Use for branches thicker than 1.5 inches.

Pruning shears — This multiuse tool should be a staple in your tool kit. Use it for trimming spent blooms, removing dead stems, cutting up plants for the compost pile, or harvesting herbs, fruits or vegetables. Buy the best you can because they’re going to get a lot of use.

Rake — Available in metal, plastic or bamboo and designed in various shapes and sizes, rakes do a superb job of helping you clean up leaf, grass and plant debris, as well as moving rocks, gravel and sand.

Shovel — If you only have one shovel, make it a long-handled, round-pointed one with a lip on the back for pressing down with your foot. Use it for digging holes, moving soil or lifting plants.

Weeder — A lifesaver for any gardener, this tool comes in short- and long-handled versions and myriad designs. Pick the one most comfortable for your grip.

Wheelbarrow — When it’s time to haul soil, add compost or mulch to your garden or move a heavy plant, the wheelbarrow is your friend. Check that tires are inflated properly for ease of use.

YCCA DOING ITS PART IN REVIVING SKILLED-TRADE EDUCATION

by Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association

The U.S. population is expected to grow from 321.2 billion to 338 billion. This increase of people results in a rise of residential housing, as well as schools, hospitals, infrastructure and everything else associated with population growth.

Readers of our column know me all too well, as well as my belief there is much to love about the construction industry. It is difficult for me to stop “gushing” about construction.

We all know the labor market is a serious concern and our unemployment rate is just 3.9 percent, and the volume of job openings in the economy at 6.8 million is higher than the number of people unemployed. I have never seen numbers like this, and with the labor market being so tight many of our local contractors are having staffing issues and worry about finding workers.

As we indicated a few publications ago, for those companies that have the right-sized labor force, many of the manufacturers serving them are having difficulties and hitches in manufacturing their products such as pavers, pipes, windows and doors, and the list goes on due to the labor force. So, the slowdown goes down the line and the contractors and consumers are delayed.

Even landscapers are having production problems because plants cannot be seeded and grown fast enough. There seems to be bottlenecks everywhere one looks, so the industry and everyone connected seems crotchety and cantankerous because work and projects cannot be churned out fast enough.

The construction industry is booming, and experts expect growth to continue. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the construction industry to be one of the fastest growing industries into 2020. On the positive side,

with increased work, the construction industry will have a higher employment rate than the overall economy. Construction has a 4.5 percent projected growth rate over the next several years, making construction staffing the leading industry in wage and employment growth. There is good money to be had in the industry.

The U.S. population is expected to grow from 321.2 billion to 338 billion. This increase of people results in a rise of residential housing, as well as schools, hospitals, infrastructure and everything else associated with population growth. This will escalate residential construction to the top of the growing-markets list.

I read the government plans to raise the budget by 1.9 percent to support home ownership, sustainable community and housing developments. This also provides access to affordable housing for homeless and vulnerable families.

Commercial construction will also continue to grow. With more consumer spending and governmental investments in tourism, office buildings and retail space, commercial construction businesses will reap the rewards.

One can say there are numerous moving parts to the construction industry. Shortages of available and qualified construction workers will continue to become more severe in most parts of the country as demand for new projects grows.

These shortages are prompting many firms to increase pay and benefits to retain and recruit from a relatively small pool of labor, which is good news for workers.

However, the labor shortage is also prompting firms to slow schedules, increase the cost of construction and rethink bidding on projects. Rising construction costs, longer completion times and fewer choices of contractors all pose significant risks to homebuy-

ers and renters, private nonresidential developments, and infrastructure and public-building projects. In other words, construction workforce shortages pose a threat not only to the industry but to the broader economy.

Solving the chronic workforce shortages plaguing the construction industry will require active support from all levels of government, construction companies and organizations like YCCA. We need to rebuild our once-robust pipeline for recruiting and preparing the next generation of construction workers. While the challenge ahead remains difficult, this is a problem that can be solved with a lot of hard work.

Skill is dying in the industry. Trade schools are no longer operating and supplying companies with qualified workers. YCCA is so proud of our YCCA Workforce Bootcamp to grow workers from within our community. YCCA developed and established an in-house boot camp for training, and what a success it was.

Twenty-eight young adults participated, and many job opportunities were offered to the students. The intent of the boot camp was to counter the misconceptions that have stigmatized construction careers, despite the fact the economics of working in the industry is substantially more advantageous than in many other industries.

There are many career paths one can take in the construction industry. We now have in place with our initial boot camp a training program to place young adults in an industry field where there is growth.

YCCA spent quite a bit of time, money and resources in developing our boot camp and is so proud of the outcome. We now have a program in place to develop talent and priorities of positioning and put greater emphasis on skills-based education for our young adults.

How to Choose the Best Shades of Color for Your Home

by Tom Reilly, Renovations

This subject might very well be the most subjective topic in any remodel. Our individual tastes vary so widely that making the right color choices can be daunting if not outright intimidating. Fear not, however, there is a process, and it works! Of course, the preponderance of what color you select is based on what you like. For some people, knowing what you like and applying it to a room color choice can be a conundrum. Here are some steps you can take to make DIY color choices.

Narrowing Down Your Choices

Start with what is called a “fan deck.” You’ve probably seen this at your paint store, or from your painter or remodeling design professional. This is an approximately 1- to 1½-inch-thick booklet of sample strips organized by color

and the various shades of that base color.

The samples are small but of sufficient size for you to discern if you are attracted to that color or not. Look through the deck and put a paperclip on all the colors you might consider. Yes — all of them. You might have as many as 20 colors.

The next step is to isolate the samples you have chosen and see which ones might actually work in the space or spaces you are considering painting in your home. Take the fan deck and hold the various colors up to the furniture, floors, curtains, and artwork. By comparing them to the colors that will most likely remain in the room, you can continue to narrow down your choices.

Play With Larger Paint Samples

Once you are down to about six to 10 possible colors, go to the paint store or contact

your painter for larger color samples. These will be about 5 inches by 7 seven or even 12 inches by 12 inches. This is a helpful leap from the much smaller fan deck sample and can help you better visualize the possibilities.

Now you might be down to two or three choices. If you like, you can usually get a pint or smaller sample from the paint store and test it on a wall, about a 3 foot by 3 foot area (be sure you have your original paint on hand to cover the test area when you’re done). Don’t be afraid to try those colors around the house. Leave them up for a week. Move furniture next to them, art work, anything you might need to get the feel of how that color is going to work in your space.

Visualization of the color in the space is the key. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment, after all, it’s only paint!

Remember, this isn’t brain surgery. There’s plenty of room for error. Have fun and experiment. Whatever your lifestyle or personality, you can create container gardens that will fill you with joy and bring beauty to your surroundings.

Nine

by Lisa Watters-Lain, Arizona’s Garden Gal, Watters Garden Center

Container gardening is very easy, but there are secrets to ensure big, bold, overflowing pots to fill your spring landscape. With more than 50 large container gardens in my personal gardens, I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes. Here are the most common missteps to avoid that local gardeners, myself included, have made and what to do instead.

1. Filling a large container in the wrong place — Have you ever tried to lift and move a large container filled with soil and plants? Even with a dolly it can be impossible. When using a large or unwieldy container, make sure to position it at its final resting place; then fill and plant the pot.

2. Selecting plants with different requirements — Make sure all the plants in your container garden share the same sun, soil and water requirements. At Watters Garden Center, we group companion plants together guaranteeing that plants in each container not only look good together but thrive from the same growing conditions.

3. Buying weak or sickly plants — Buying from a reputable local nursery, like Watters, is a good place to start in your quest for healthy plants. In general, plants will be disease and pest free and better cared for than those found at a big box store. You’ll also find a wealth of information and advice from the knowledgeable onsite staff.

Container Gardening Mistakes to Avoid

4. Awkward plant-to-pot ratio — Consider the proportions of plants to container size and space. A large pot stuffed with short plants can look stunted and scroungy. A rule of thumb, and remember that some rules are meant to be broken, is to have at least one plant the same height as the container is tall. Also, plants that spill over the sides add to a pleasant ratio.

5. Overwatering plants — When leaves turn limp and yellow and fall off or the plant stops blooming, it’s likely that the container’s soil is too wet. Make sure your containers have drainage holes. And before you water, check to see if the soil is still moist. Put your finger into the soil up to your second knuckle; water when the soil that far down is dry.

6. Underwatering plants — Most container gardens need watering at least once a day during the warm months. Small containers and hanging planters may need water more often because there is less soil to retain moisture. Remember to water until you see seepage coming out the bottom of the pot. If your plants dry out, don’t despair, even the most pathetic, limp plant

can revive with a good drink. If the container is small enough, submerge the whole thing in a bucket of water until the air bubbles subside. For a large container, take a skewer or slender stick and gently poke holes deep into the soil to allow water to reach the roots.

Aqua Boost Crystals — These waterretaining crystals solve dry soil issues for mountain landscape containers. They hold water at root level and release it as plants need it. Not only do these unique crystals keep water close to the roots, they also encourage deeper root growth. They are ideal for small containers and hanging baskets. Wherever they’re used they cut water usage in half.

7. Starving your plants — Nutrients that were in your potting soil are either quickly used by the plants or washed out with repeated watering. Feeding container plants regularly is a key to success. Start with Watters 7-4-4 All Purpose Food to top off your newly planted container garden. Then encourage intense color and blooms with Watters Flower Powers 54 watersoluble container food used at twoweek intervals. Watch the garden magic happen with this feeding regimen!

8. Fear of pruning — When your container garden looks leggy or ragged, don’t be afraid to cut back unsightly plants. Chances are that with a good “haircut” they’ll come back healthier and happier.

9. Living with sickly plants — When you’ve tried everything, short of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and a plant still looks dreadful, cut your losses and toss it into the compost pile or the trash. If only one plant in

your container garden is icky, pull it out and replace it. Your other plants will thank you for eliminating possibly contagious diseases.

Remember, this isn’t brain surgery. There’s plenty of room for error. Have fun and experiment. Whatever your lifestyle or personality, you can create container gardens that will fill you with joy and bring beauty to your surroundings.

Lisa Watters-Lain can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or she can be contacted through WattersGardenCenter.com or FB.com/WattersGardenCenter.

The ROX Interview (continued)

...continued from page 68

leaning on good people around you. It’s a management style that has really freed me up to make good things happen.

PRESCOTT LIVING: How big a professional staff do you have?

SHEILA POLK: About 100 employees here; 31 attorneys, plus litigation specialists, victim advocates and investigators. We have a very modern office and have gone to electronic case files. When you see attorneys in the court room, they’ll be sitting there with a laptop.

PRESCOTT LIVING: How often do you meet with staff?

SHEILA POLK: I try to meet with the entire office once a month. We call them “all hands meetings,” and they are fun. We video-conference because we have an office in the Verde Valley. My favorite part of that meeting is a time to give kudos to

one another. I ask folks to recognize those things that others have done during the month that are above or beyond. Then we recognize if people have had jury trials over the month, talk a little bit about those cases.

PRESCOTT LIVING: How big an annual budget do you have, and from where?

SHEILA POLK: It is now close to $8 million. The primary source is the County General Fund. A secondary source is both state and federal grant funds.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Do you have enough money?

SHEILA POLK: (laughs) I would say for the most part, yes. I really try to be fiscally conservative, to look at the job we have to do and then do it with the minimal budget possible. We’re staying up with the demand. So I’m grateful to the county board of supervisors. We have a county that’s very supportive of law enforcement.

PRESCOTT LIVING: What’s the biggest challenge that you face as county attorney?

SHEILA POLK: Making sure the public understands how things work versus the myths about how things work. I’ll give you a few examples. Every year there’s an effort to pass new laws. The criminal justice system gets a lot of attention. Wherever I go I hear myths like, “Our prisons are filled with people who did nothing other than use marijuana,” which is a complete falsehood. I spend a lot of time writing columns trying to explain how the system really works and talking on topics of criminal justice, trying to sift the myths from the facts and then make my case for why I think certain things should be done a certain way. For example, keeping the truth in our sentencing laws and not going back to days when the sentence a judge meted out really meant nothing.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Does the Legislature understand the legal process?

SHEILA POLK: It really depends. I try to have a good relationship with members of the Legislature, particularly the judiciary committees. I think the longer members have been there, they do understand the process. But we have freshman legislators every year. They want to understand. Their challenge is they have a lot coming at them in a short period of time, and so truly understanding the merits, the pros and cons, what does this bill really do, is their challenge. My challenge is finding time to help them understand.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Have you ever considered becoming a judge?

SHEILA POLK: I actually applied for a position on the Court of Appeals. It was back in 2006. I made the final three, but I was not selected. Then shortly after, the Holocaust Program happened and we were in the process of forming MATFORCE. So, when I reflect back, I’m grateful.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Have you thought about going higher politically?

SHEILA POLK: People ask me that. I always say no. And my reason is, I feel like my sphere of influence in this current position is endless. The things I’ve wanted to do I’ve been able to accomplish and will continue to be able to do. I love Prescott and Yavapai County. The idea of moving on to some-

continued on page 139...

Discover a New Kind of Home

UNCOMPROMISING HEALTH & COMFORT

REVOLUTIONARY ENERGY MANAGEMENT

EXTREMELY LOW ENERGY COSTS

INTEGRATED SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE

REAL SOLUTIONS TO SUSTAINABILITY

Mandalay Homes’ new iON Series provides unparalleled comfort, health and durability to the homeowner while providing real solutions to today’s energy challenges.

Starting with a foundation of industry leading energy efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainable building, the iON series redefines how we use and manage renewable energy while maintaining a focus on style and livability.

These beautiful homes offer a wide range of personalization options for you to build the home of your dreams. Enjoy your new iON home with the peace of mind that you are making a positive impact on your family’s health and on the world around you through a reduced carbon footprint.

Not just a new home, a new kind of home!

PRESCOTT RANCH PRODUCES GRASS-FED, CRIOLLO BEEF

by Kim McElroy, Owner, Broken Horn D Ranch

Broken Horn D Ranch is in Prescott, Arizona, where Dave Pawel and Kim McElroy raise Corriente cattle and produce 100-percent grass-fed, gourmet Criollo beef on 4,200-plus acres.

All the beef comes from animals born and raised on the ranch. They spend their days in pastures grazing on native grasses and irrigated pastures.

The cattle make great use of rangeland, turning the cellulose in the plants that humans cannot digest into a protein that we can digest. After calves are weaned

at 8 months, they spend the next year and a half growing to market weight.

All the cattle are purebred Corriente, a breed of Criollo cattle, and that assures the beef customer of a consistent end-product every time. Cattle are handled quietly from horseback and are processed locally at Perkinsville Processing in Chino Valley, an ADA inspected slaughter facility.

Criollo beef comes from cattle of Spanish origin. These cattle are especially well adapted to the hot, arid Arizona climate. They

are vigorous breeders and are known for their ability to “utilize the country,” as well as all available forage areas.

Criollo cattle are smaller animals than the traditional English beef breeds and are typically slaughtered at 800 pounds. Their muscle fibers are fine, like buffalo or elk, making the meat tender and incredibly flavorful.

In an Igenity Beef benchmark comparison, Criollo beef outscored Angus and Kobe in tenderness. As grass fed, the beef is not only good, but good for you!

is the spent barley and hops from the brewing of beer. It is a great source of protein, total digestible nutrients, minerals and vitamins. It is metabolized by cattle like forage and does not have the negative effects on the rumen, or first stomach of the cattle, like uncooked grain has.

Locally-Grown, Grass Fed Criollo Beef

Broken Horn D Ranch

USDA Process verified Grass Fed, No Hormones, No antibiotics, No animal byproducts. Ever, for the life of the animal Individual cuts for sale • Whole or half sides available! Broken Horn D Ranch

Locally-Grown, Grass Fed Criollo Beef

Grass-fed beef is higher in protein, lower in fat and cholesterol than grain-finished beef. Grass-fed beef also cooks 30 percent faster than its grain-finished counterpart.

All Broken Horn D Ranch Criollo beef meets the USDA standards for grass fed, no hormones, no antibiotics and no animal byproducts, ever, for the life of the animal, as independently verified by TechniTrack, LLC.

The BHD Ranch uses the spent brewer’s mash from Prescott Brewing Company to supplement the pasture diet of some of their cattle. The meat from these animals is a healthy alternative to grain-finished beef, with a milder flavor profile than grass fed.

As members of Local First Arizona, the Broken Horn D Ranch believes in buying local first and supports many other local businesses for its business purchases.

For every $100 spent at a local business, $70 stays in the local economy, as opposed to only $43 nonlocal purchases.

Available at the PRESCOTT WINTER FARMERS MARKET

Criollo Beef

USDA Process verified Grass Fed, No Hormones, No antibiotics, No animal byproducts. Ever, for the life of the animal Individual cuts for sale • Whole or half sides available!

“ I must tell you that this was absolutely, hands down, THE best steak and hamburger that I’ve ever had!” – JC Bell, Scottsdale

Available at the Prescott Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10am-1pm @ YMCA.

“ I must tell you that this was absolutely, hands down, THE best steak and hamburger that I’ve ever had!” – JC Bell, Scottsdale

Prescott High School 1050 N. Ruth St. Saturdays 10am-1pm

Available 2 ways: 100% Grass Fed Grass + Brewer's Mash Fed

Prescott Valley, Tuesdays, 2-5pm at Harkins Th

Available at the Prescott Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10am-1pm @ YMCA.

The BREED Makes the DIFFERENCE!

It tastes good

3-6pm at Harkins eater.

Prescott Valley, Tuesdays, 2-5pm at Harkins Th

Criollo Beef outscores Kobe & Angus in Tenderness in an Igenity Benchmark Comparison!

3-6pm at Harkins eater. www.BHDRanch.com

The difference is the BREED behind the BRAND!

BHD Ranch beef is also certified all natural and age and source. Additionally, Kim is a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certified Producer, further verifying the ranch operates by the highest industry standards for humane handling and care of the cattle.

Dave and Kim are passionate about their cattle and horses and about being good stewards of the land. They feel truly blessed to be able to live their dream while providing friends and neighbors a healthy and delicious foodstuff.

A new product offering in 2017 was Brewers Mash/Grass Fed Criollo Beef. Brewer’s mash

Broken Horn D Ranch Gourmet Criollo Beef is available in individual cuts such as steaks, roasts, ground beef, organ meats, bones and pet food.

Purchases can be made at the Prescott Farmers Market every Saturday.

The winter market is at Prescott High School, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Prescott Summer Farmers Market is at Yavapai College, 7:30 a.m. to noon. The Chino Valley Summer Farmers Market is on Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m. at Olsen’s Grain. Whole and half animals are available for custom processing.

Contact the ranch at 928-7089385 or BHDRanch.com.

TEN stars! I could not have imagined there was any realtor out there who would actually provide such a truly excellent home-selling experience as Dede, Lauren and the rest of the folks at Garden Brook Realty gave us. After a very unpleasant prior experience in listing our property in Chino Valley with a large company, finding Dede was a breath of fresh air. I was totally impressed with her attention to detail and the many workable ideas she had for presenting and marketing our property. Have to say she’s something of a perfectionist and her thoroughness was reflected in all she did, including the professionally produced visual tour and the written description in our listing. Couldn’t have been more pleased in that from the day we listed with Dede, got a full-price offer, and handed our buyers the keys, it took less than two months. Again and again she impressed us by going above and beyond our expectations. I would be entirely comfortable recommending Dede and Garden Brook Realty to my closest friend or family member.

~ Craig

•

•

THE PRESCOTT PIONEER

PRESCOTT • PRESCOTT VALLEY • CHINO VALLEY • DEWEY-HUMBOLDT

Ribbon-Cutting Marks Subaru Grand Opening

Aribbon-cutting officially recognizing the Grand Opening of the Findlay Automotive Group Subaru facilities in Prescott had dozens of civic and community leaders turning out to congratulate the latest addition to Findlay’s multiple car dealerships in Prescott.

The 24,000-square-foot newly constructed building had dozens of people touring its large interior showroom, sales offices and management and administrative space when Subaru executives and Findlay management personnel welcomed guests on Dec. 10. Service and maintenance bays, along with car-washing and detailing spaces are located at the rear of the dealership located at 3230 Willow Creek Road.

Dave “Mac” Macfarlane, general manager for Subaru in Prescott, said the multimillion-dollar facility already employs more than 50 people and more likely would be hired in the near future.

Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli spoke briefly, praising the dealership for its commitment to using local contractors and hiring local labor. Other speakers included representatives from the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. All praised the Findlay Automotive Group for its ongoing positive contributions to the greater

economy of the Prescott area.

In just the past several months, the Prescott Subaru dealership has become “the fastest growing and highest value Subaru dealer in central and northern Arizona and that includes the Flagstaff and Show Low areas,” says Christian Robinson, local director of internet sales and marketing.

Robby Findlay, a co-owner of the five-state, multiple-automobile brand franchises, says he was pleased local residents have responded so favorably not only to Subaru but also GMC, Buick and Toyota dealerships operated through the Findlay Automotive Group. From its home office in

Henderson, Nev., Findlay says Subaru is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “We’re proud to bring the expanded dealership to this greater community,” he remarks.

It was noted that Findlay Sub-

AIR PASSENGERS..cont. from page 21

out of Prescott Municipal Airport during 2019. That estimate is based on current passenger trends.

Commercial flights are offered through SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express. Presently, passengers can fly nonstop round-trip jet service from Prescott to¬ Los Angles or to Denver seven days a week.

According to Sobotta, the City is moving ahead with planning for the first phase of the new terminal. The Prescott City Council has approved sending a schematic design for the terminal to the Federal Aviation Authority and

aru Prescott will donate a portion of the sales from each Subaru to the Prescott Teen Center as a part of its “Share the Love Event” that characterizes the international motto of the Japanese automobile manufacturer.

has discussed allotting $3.5 million of reserve funds into terminal costs. The new terminal, projected to be 18,000 square feet, is estimated to cost about $.6.5 million. Infrastructure costs and other fees likely will take that amount to about $11 million.

Local architect Michael Taylor is working with Dibble Engineering in planning the project with hopes to design the new single-story terminal with high ceilings and large windows looking east toward Mingus Mountain. Also under consideration is converting a portion of the existing terminal to a full-service restaurant.

The Benefits of Mountain Biking are Infinite

by Kelly Tolbert, Recreation Services Coordinator, Prescott Parks and Recreation

As local parks and recreation professionals, it is the responsibility of our department to maintain industry standards while providing quality recreation opportunities to our community. This also comes with providing a variety of other public services. This can be quite a challenging process as it involves determining, planning and maintaining valued amenities that continuously evolve to meet the supply and demand in proportion to the increasing population.

Perhaps our best example of how this is done is through our multiuse trail system. Featuring over 100 miles

of trails within the City of Prescott, this nonmotorized system is also referred to as the Mile High Trail System and is open to equestrians, bicyclists and hikers essentially year-round due to our mild, sunny climate.

Tourism & Trails

Another function of the department is to support tourism efforts, which ultimately assist in generating funding for the entire city. The trail system is a huge attraction for drawing vital visitors, new residents and special events that all contribute to the local economy. According to a recent visitor’s survey conducted by Northern Arizona Univer-

sity (NAU), 40 percent of visitors cited their motivation for traveling to Prescott as trail use. Local real estate professionals also quote trail availability as a top appeal for prospective clientele.

It seems adventure seekers have discovered our spectacularly diverse mountain community that combines history and outdoor recreation, drawing an increasing number of mountain bikers annually. Mountain bike popularity has increased exponentially in the past several decades. Morphing from traditional road cycling, the first mountain bike is traced back to the mid-1970s, and the activity has only been officially recognized as a worldwide outdoor

Traveling • Dining • Entertainment

sport since the Olympics welcomed it at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Fast forward to current day mountain biking, which appeals not only to competitive athletes, but also to people of all ages and physical conditions. Delving a bit deeper into the benefits of exploring trails on two wheels, one may ask: “Why not?”

Benefits of Mountain Biking

Combining an element of risk with a childlike curiosity for discovery of natural history, hitting the trails on a mountain bike offers immeasurable benefits. There is, however, a measurable relationship between physical ac-

tivity, obesity, and supply and demand regarding recreation opportunities. Scientific evidence shows a positive correlation between adults facing cardiac issues or concerns about cancer risk and significant reductions of these health problems through consistent activity including mountain biking. Regular exercise reduces “free radicals” by signaling the body to adapt to the stress of exercise, ultimately producing antioxidants while also protecting against the natural symptoms of aging. The result is the strengthening of the heart itself, as the heart functions much like any other muscle, reducing the risk for cardiac arrest.

Regular exercise has also shown to reduce visceral fat, located around the belly and consequently surrounding the organs associated with heart disease. Avid mountain bikers will attest to an increased feeling of overall happiness likely related to the increases in endorphins and dopamine in the brain, as well as a sense of self confidence and belonging to a community of like-minded enthusiasts.

Bike Groups & Bike Shops

Locally, there are several groups that welcome new riders, experienced riders and essentially anyone interested in riding with a group. Prescott Mountain Bike Alliance (PMBA) offers a popular ride called 8-80, which as the name infers appeals to anyone within that age group.

PMBA involves itself with trailwork days, fundraisers and festivals throughout the year, positioning the group as a valuable asset to our community. PMBA also sponsors the skills track (or “pump track”) at Granite Creek Park that includes features allowing users to practice technical skills. Local businesses and bicycle gear shops are helpful places for information on getting started on the trails, upgrading or servicing your bike, renting a bike, or essentially shopping for any gear you may need be remain safe and healthy while on the trails. More information can be found at https://prescottmtb.com.

Trails Suggestions

A personal recommendation for beginners is the Peavine National Recreation Trail, which features a wide, relatively flat, former railroad bed, allowing a new rider to acclimate to the trail terrain. For something more moderate, Prescott National Forest Trail No. 396 meanders along the pine forest surrounding Goldwater Lake and White Spar Campground. Highly technical trails are found within the Granite Dells and are not for the inexperienced; just follow the white dots! Please visit prescotttrails.com for more information and maps of the area trails.

It seems adventure seekers have discovered our spectacularly diverse mountain community that combines history and outdoor recreation, drawing an increasing number of mountain bikers annually.

Contemporary Native Arts Festival Coming to Prescott

by Cindy Gresser, Executive Director, The Smoki Museum of American Indian Art & Culture

Mission, goals, focus — these are all words nonprofit institutions throw around. How are you serving your mission? Will your activities help reach your goals? Are you as an institution keeping focus on your mission and goals? And things change, people come and go. Funding levels change and grants are never a certain thing.

Then there is your community. Does it know and understand what you are doing? Are you also serving its needs?

Lots of questions, and sometimes answers are difficult to determine. The

staff of The Smoki Museum examined all of these questions and determined our institution needed a “signature event” that embraced our mission and goals, and one that could effectively communicate our goals. We turned to our community and asked what it would like to see. Once we knew the answer, we turned to our friends to help us accomplish our objective.

The Smoki Museum is pleased to announce the Contemporary Native Arts Festival coming to Arizona Avenue on April 13 and 14. This event features the best of contemporary Native art, and not just jewelry, pottery and baskets. Fine art painters,

comic book artists, tattoo artists, skateboard artists, spoken-word performers, music and dance, a fashion show by four topnotch Native designers, and a Two-Spirit Pageant will be part of this amazing event.

We are SUPA pleased to announce that the one and only Supaman, aka Christian Parrish Takes The Gun will be our headlining performer. Supaman is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation and makes his homes on the Crow Reservation in Montana. He is a Powwow Fancy Dancer, hip-hop artist and has performed nationwide and on MTV advocating for better lifestyles and more meaning in life.

Our logo was created by Landis Bahe, a well-known and respected fine art painter and tattoo artist at Tat-Fu in Flagstaff. Landis will be showing paintings as well as creating tattoos in our Pueblo Building. (Ask to see my left shoulder, and perhaps you can get an awesome tattoo like mine).

Wendell Sakiestewa, son of the late Hopi artist Michael Kabotie, is producing our fashion show and will be bringing three other Native designers to showcase their designs. Sakiestewa began his career as an electronics engineer working for firms like General Electric and Hamilton Sundstrand aviation. In his spare time, he created his own clothes, remembering the skills his grandmother taught him. Eventually, through a community college fashion design program, he started creating his own line of clothing. This led him to Los Angeles where he graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 1996. He has created designs for Madonna, Snoop Dogg, Smokey Robinson, and many others. Once he reconnected with his father, Michael, the Hopi inspired HopiWenSaks line was born in 2007. He is now working on several other innovative products, including protective underwear for athletes.

Former Miss International

Two-Spirit Timothy “Twix” Ward is producing our Two-Spirit Pageant, and two new crowns, Miss Southwest Two-Spirit and Mr. Southwest Two-Spirit will be presented on Sunday at the festival. Two-Spirit people are those who possess both male and female within them and identify their sexuality in a different way than those in the Western world. Talent, traditional wear, and performance are all part of this pageant.

Our partner in this event is the Granite Mountain Gourd Society, which will be hosting a Powwow on Ken Lindley Field. Imagine, a Powwow right on Gurley Street! Perhaps our headliner Supaman will even make an appearance there. As always, Powwow dancers from across the nation will come to celebrate the gathering we now call Powwow. Powwow highlights the vitality, growth and commitment to keeping old ways alive in our Native people today.

And of course, there will be food. Fry bread and hopefully a host of other offerings from Native culture will be available to enjoy. We hope you will join us at this inaugural event for The Smoki Museum. The Contemporary Native Arts Festival promises to fill two days with all the things Native people care about and hope to share with you.

The event runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., April 13 to 14, on Arizona Avenue. Visit smokimuseum.org for complete details.

Traveling & Tasting in

Article and

Photos by Tori Ward, ROX Travel, Cruise and Resort Specialist

After returning from a European cruise with two friends, it became clear that I misunderstood the meaning of the Mediterranean diet. I gained some weight and a new appreciation for areas around the sea from which the diet earned its name.

Venice

The water was high in Venice and streets were wet, but we sloshed along with the locals who took it in stride. Watching the gondolas motoring about in the rushing canals, we jumped back from the bank when power boats caused water to crash over the pavement.

We had three days to explore Venice’s churches, museums and a couple of the neighboring islands. In 1291, officials in Venice

moved glassmaking to Murano, a short boat ride away, to protect the city’s wooden structures from fire. The move protected the wooden frames and supports of the iconic St. Mark’s Basilica, whose bell tower immediately identifies it and its next door neighbor Doge’s Palace, as the heart of the city. The Palace now houses one of Venice’s museums. Walk in and look up

at the breathtaking masterpiece that is the ceiling.

Croatia

Sailing from Venice as the sun set, we headed to Croatia. The fifth season of “Game of Thrones” was filmed in Sibenik, our port, but we were more interested in visiting Krka National Park. Time spent outdoors among the native plants and cascading waterfalls took up our morning. About an hour away from Sibenik is Split, a Medieval town with a very millennial vibe. Often, locals greet each other with a word that means “take it easy.” As we wander the narrow, winding streets along this coastal jewel, we can’t help but be charmed and relaxed as the sea sparkles below.

Kotor

Our next port of call, Kotor, a coastal town on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast, was a surprise. I loved all the cobblestone streets and local crafts presented in the shops. The old city was built like a maze to confuse invaders, and even the locals get lost. We spent a lazy hour at an outdoor cafe enjoying some of the delicious local fare while counting the stray cats that inhabit the city by the hundreds.

Greece

To gain some perspective of Corfu, Greece, a Hop-On, HopOff bus was our method of travel. The ship docked opposite the New Fortress, and when I read that it was constructed in 1576, I was eager to see the remains of the Old Fortress that protected the city

the Mediterranean

during the Byzantine period. We hopped off at Mon Repos Estate, a neoclassical villa and grounds, that was the birthplace of Prince Phillip of the United Kingdom. The grounds are beautiful in an overgrown “The Secret Garden” kind of way, and the buildings are rather neglected. However, the parklike setting is relaxing.

We spent the remainder of the day in Old Town, first climbing to the top of the Old Fortress, a fortification full of history. We were rewarded with amazing views. Directly across the street from this site is the Venetian-inspired area of Old Town. Charming arched cafes face the Esplanade. The streets within the city center are mostly traffic-free, and the bakeries, with the travernas (small restaurants or cafes), competed for my attention after hours of sightseeing.

Leaving the port at dusk, the rain that had threatened fell, and a rainbow appeared on the starboard side of our boat, ushering us out to sea. We were on our way to Rhodes.

Rhodes and Santorini

I fell in love with the lovely walled port town of Rhodes and was enchanted by the hilltop city of Lindos and the Acropolis.

Meandering through the pebbled streets, we were always just a few footsteps away from views of the Mediterranean Sea below or a cat or two posing for a picture.

Santorini was everything I imagined it to be. The white buildings and blue-domed churches shine far above the sea. While it’s thought that the buildings are painted white as a defense against the intense summer sun, the truth is that in 1967, the military government dictated the color scheme, and now it’s the landmark of the hillside villages on the island. After walking on paths shared by donkeys that transport materials along the cliff-side structures of Fira, we popped into an Aegean-inspired bistro for grilled octopus and mashed chickpeas.

Athens

Since my freshman year of college, I’ve longed to visit Athens and was not disappointed. The Temple of Zeus, which began construction in 470 A.D., is a focal point of the city, with 15 of the Corinthian columns still standing. Earthquakes, wars and environmental impact have contributed to its destruction. The Acropolis that sits as guardian to the city was constructed during 5th-century B.C. Once inside, we spent the next two hours marveling at the Parthenon, the Odeon of Herodes, the Theatre of Dionysus and the Temple of Athena. I had mixed feelings about the restoration project of the site, an effort that’s been going on since 1975, with modern scaffolding and equipment visible everywhere.

The Plaka, the old district of Athens, sprawls under the Acropolis and is a pedestri-

an-friendly neighborhood of shops, restaurants and outdoor cafes where people-watching is on the menu.

Catania and Naples

Heading back to Italy, we had sunny days in the Sicilian ports of Catania and Naples. Catania sits in the shadow of Mount Etna. The highlight of the day was stumbling upon a farmers market in the Piazzo Carlo Alberto. As much as I was trying to hold out until lunchtime pizza, I couldn’t resist a grilled artichoke fresh off the fire, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs and garlic. Catania is Phoenix, Arizona’s sister city.

In Naples, we opted for a day excursion to explore nearby Sorrento. Sorrento is famous for its lemons, and the product to bring home is Crema di Limoni, a creamy version of Lemoncello. We kept an eye on Mount Vesuvius, but the only thing rumbling was my stomach as we wandered the streets in search of sfogliatellas (shell-shaped filled

EXPERT TIPS:

Italian pastries) and an espresso. This pastry was first created in a monastery, and believe me, eating one is almost a religious experience in and of itself.

We ended our afternoon at a winery with a wine tasting and were treated to a lunch of olives, cheeses and bread drizzled with the winery’s olive oil and vinegar. After all these treats, I wasn’t prepared for the huge bowls of pasta topped with grilled cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves that they brought us.

Cruising the Mediterranean

To see so much of the Mediterranean, I can’t think of a better way to experience the diversity of the area than a cruise. Our voyage was a 12-day cruise aboard the Pacific Princess. The cost of sharing with two friends made the trip affordable and airfares during that time of year were reasonable. Call me if you would like to start planning a trip today!

• Purchase excursion tickets and Hop-On, Hop-Off tickets prior to leaving the U.S. so that you can pay with U.S. dollars, not Euros.

• Many of the archeological sites such as the Acropolis in Athens have no concessions or public toilets, so make sure you bring water. It’s a long hike to the top.

• While visiting churches, proper attire is required. No shorts for men or women, and ladies must have their arms covered, as well.

• Tourist season in the Mediterranean is hot and crowded. Late fall is much less so, but the weather is unpredictable. However, many of the archeological sites offer tickets at half price during this time.

Dancing for the Stars 2019

by Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona

The third annual Dancing for the Stars fundraising event takes place on Saturday, April 13. Lamb Chevrolet, Jewish Community Foundation and James Deep Well Ranch are proud to present this exciting event to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona (BGCCAZ).

This unforgettable event has grown to raise nearly a quarter of BGCCAZ’s annual budget to provide youth after-school and summer programs. The Boys & Girls Clubs has an extensive history of serving youth in communities nationwide and was originally founded as a Boys’ Club in 1860 in Connecticut. Since then, it has grown tremendously, serving more than four million boys and girls annually between some 4,000 clubs.

Locally, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona serves youth in the quad-cities with clubs in Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. While the Boys & Girls Clubs have a time-tested, national model for implement-

ing life-changing programs, BGCCAZ relies only on the local community to make these services a reality.

Dancing for the Stars is one of the most talked about events of the last few years. The 2018 evening show sold out in less than 24 hours. This unique experience to Prescott is a dazzling dance competition at the Elks Theater, featuring local celebrities partnered with professional dance instructors.

The 2019 experience includes a choice of an afternoon matinee show or the full VIP experience with red carpet reception, evening show and legendary after-party. Inaugural celebrity dancer Leza Lachapelle Dandos hosts for another unforgettable evening.

For more information on the 2019 Dancing for the Stars, visit dancingforthestars.net, and follow us on Facebook at Dancing for the Stars.

Celebrity Dancers for 2019

• AMY BONNEY — Deputy Chief of Police with the Prescott Police Department

• BARRY BARBE — Owner of El Gato Azul

• JULIE COWING — Executive Director of Hospice for Good Samaritan Society

• DR. DAN BECK — Anesthesiologist

• MEGAN HOLDSWORTH — Community Leader

• KEN MABARAK — Owner and developer of Lake View Plaza

• LAURA MARKEY — Owner of Center for Physical Excellence

• JOHN MULL — Attorney at Brown, Hanna & Mull, PLLC

• VERONICA PHILLIPS — Owner of Park Plaza Liquor and Deli

• JUDD SIMMONS — Yavapai County Assessor

Miss Yavapai County Competition Brings Scholarship Opportunities to Young Women

by Carrie Brumbaugh, Marketing/Publicity, Miss Yavapai County Board of Directors

Throw out everything you think you know about beauty pageants. The Miss Yavapai County competition is where young women compete for some amazing scholarship opportunities and bring awareness to a social cause they champion.

Young women interested in higher education should pay attention to the Miss Yavapai County Scholarship Organization. The upcoming competition, a preliminary to the Miss Arizona and Miss America competitions, strives to help women ages 13 to 17 and 18 to 25 become wellrounded, confident and passionate

women dedicated to becoming tomorrow’s leaders.

On Feb. 16, the Prescott area will showcase the first Miss Yavapai County competition where young women will compete for two Miss titles: Miss Yavapai County and Miss Granite Mountain, plus two Outstanding Teen titles. All titleholders will receive a $10,000 scholarship to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — Prescott, as well as additional cash and in-kind opportunities from local Arizona businesses. Contestants will participate in five phases of competition: private interview, talent, lifestyle & fitness, evening

wear and on-stage question.

After becoming a titleholder, contestants go on to compete at Miss Arizona in June where they can earn additional scholarships, and one day we may see a local contestant on the national stage at Miss America. Many contestants end up earning thousands of dollars in scholarship money to pay for their college education.

The Miss Yavapai County Scholarship Organization was founded in March 2018 and consists of a dedicated volunteer board of directors. The first competition will be held on Feb. 16, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Davis

Learning Center on the EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University campus. More information about the organization, volunteering, sponsoring, event tickets, competing or participating in the Princess Program for girls ages 5 to 12, can be found at MissYavapaiCounty.org.

Special Section:

Tips for Making Your Wedding Planning Less Stressful

by Amoré Cianciola, Hassayampa Inn, Director of Catering & Events

Trust your wedding vendors. The people you have hired to assist you with your wedding do this for a living. They will do everything they can and have been hired to create a wonderful day for you.

As a wedding professional who has helped almost 1,000 couples say “I do!”

I am always asked about rules. When do I need to send out my invitations? How many people should I really budget for? What is the proper etiquette for seating my mother’s side of the family at the church? How do I have the day I want and make everyone happy? While there is no magic answer to any of these questions, I have learned a few things over the years.

The best is what I call F.L.O.P. What is this, and why would I want it? The tradition of having the bride’s family pay for the wedding is happening less often. Many well-intentioned family members and friends often ask if they can contribute to your day. This is where F.L.O.P. comes in. F.L.O.P. stands for Florist, Linens, Officiate and

Photographer. To maintain control, you choose your vendor, and when you are in receipt of the invoice at an amount you feel comfortable paying without a patron, ask how much family and friends would like to contribute to the overall cost of the invoice.

When there are divorces in the family, seating can cause unnecessary tension. If there is a clear plan and everyone is made aware of the plan in advance you should be fine. Proper etiquette at the church would be to have your mother sit on the left side in the first row on the aisle and her immediate family fills in that row and the rows behind her.

If the father of the bride is giving the bride away, he would be seated on the aisle in the row just behind the mother’s family. This is true even if the father of the bride is hosting the whole wedding. The seating would be the same for the groom’s family. If all parties get along, there is no reason that the divorced parents can’t share the first row. Even if you do not have “sides,” you would still want to reserve the first couple rows for your closest family members. These rules apply to same-sex weddings, as well.

Trust your wedding vendors. The people you have hired to assist you with your wedding do this for a living. They will do everything they can and have been hired to create a wonderful day for you. While you don’t get an opportunity to plan a wedding every day, your vendor does. Trust does not mean to blindly follow, however, so make sure you read all your contracts and understand exactly what you are getting when you hire them. Don’t expect your photographer or their assistant to glue on your false eyelashes. You hired them for the beautiful images they will capture. The biggest take away I have? Relax, don’t take on too much in the final days leading up to your wedding day, and remember, no matter what happens at the end of the day, when you kick your wedding shoes off and snuggle into your spouse’s arms, you are married to your person.

RASKIN’S JEWELERS CREATES LASTING MEMORIES

by Greg Raskin, Owner, Raskin’s Jewelers

Iwas only 7 when Grandpa Melvin Raskin showed me a cigar box full of vintage watches. He told me to pick out my favorite one, and it would be mine. I could not believe he was letting me keep one. To this day, watches are my favorite piece of jewelry.

Little did I know that 29 years later I would be the third generation in our family jewelry business that started in Oklahoma in 1939. My Grandpa Melvin moved to Arizona in 1946 and opened Raskin’s Jewelers on Central and Adams in downtown Phoenix. My father Lynn Raskin moved to Prescott in 1963 and opened in the Park Plaza shopping center.

After operating four stores in Prescott, we now have had one in historic downtown Prescott since 1969. I was born in Prescott, and my wife Renee and I are blessed with our boys Alex and Drew. My father had his four children working at the store at different times. I remember sweeping floors, answering phones and even helping the jeweler polish rings. On rare occasions, dad would let me even help a customer or two. I learned a lot working with my dad: Honesty, treating people right, and most importantly, giving back to the community that supported our family.

We are part of many happy

BY

and memorable events in people’s lives … engagements, anniversaries and other special times. Helping them pick the right diamond or piece of jewelry to commemorate the event is very rewarding. People have told me about my grandfather or father assisting them in selecting the right piece for their important occasion.

We are in the business of serving others through jewelry and helping people create a memorable experience. Raskin’s believes that our jewelry isn’t just jewelry, it is a memory.

Raskin’s is a complete one-stop shop for all your jewelry needs, and we have a full-time jeweler on our staff. We size rings, set diamonds, gemstones and repair all jewelry, watches and clocks. When a piece of fine jewelry breaks, we can make it good as new. We are also experts when it comes to evaluating and appraising jewelry.

We continue to keep up with technology in our industry. Raskin’s has a laser welder that expands jewelry repair to beyond what traditional torch work can handle.

Custom jewelry design is also offered. If you are thinking about redesigning your jewelry or just updating your wedding set, we can assist you in designing your dream piece. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printers are a great way to redesign your jewelry. The ability to email a 3D image before the jewelry is made

allows us to change design details before the piece is cast and set.

You may be wondering what is new in the jewelry business. White metals, 14-karat white gold and platinum are still the most worn in jewelry. We are seeing yellow gold as a hot trend, and many designers continue to use rose gold. Round diamonds are still the No.1 favorite shape, with cushions and oval shapes coming in second. The marquise diamond is also seeing a resurgence. Bridal designers believe less is more. Small diamonds around a large center diamond still rule. Colored gemstones as a center stone are also a fashionable option for some brides.

Alternative metals for men’s wedding bands such as titanium, cobalt wood and copper have been popular. Gold and platinum are still hot for men, and you can never go wrong adding a few diamonds.

Raskin’s has a selection of vintage and estate jewelry including pre-owned Rolex watches and an extensive selection of filigree rings and necklaces with European cut diamonds from the 1900s to 1940s.

Raskin’s has something appropriate for every occasion, need and price point.

I am proud to be part of such a great family tradition and feel fortunate to be a resident in such a wonderful community. My family, staff and I appreciate the 70 years of support.

CAPITAL CANYON CLUB PROVIDES SPECIAL SETTINGS FOR LIFELONG MEMORIES

by Michael Longoria, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, Capital Canyon Club, and Rusan Schulz, Membership Director, Capital Canyon Club

You’ve probably been dreaming about your wedding day for as long as you can remember — or at least from the moment you first said “yes.” Capital Canyon Club, located in Prescott, Arizona, and just 90 minutes from the greater Phoenix area, is Prescott’s premier golf and social club.

Tucked away in the beautiful mountainous environment of the Hassayampa Community, Capital Canyon Club is the perfect setting for your special day. The refreshing lodge-style clubhouse combined with tall pines, fresh air, blue skies and dramatic mountain views sets a scene beyond perfection. Our full-service venue provides exquisite menu offerings, customizable event details and a professional catering staff to attend to the intricate details of your very special day. In short, Capital Canyon Club provides everything you need to create memories that will last a lifetime.

At Capital Canyon Club, the breathtaking

natural environment provides several different venues for your wedding reception, banquet, wedding shower or rehearsal dinner. Some venue options include “The View,” which overlooks historic Prescott with views that reach as far as the San Francisco Peaks, and “The Courtyard,” which provides the perfect elements for an intimate evening soiree. “The Lawn” is a quaint setting large enough to accommodate a gathering of as many as 150 of

your friends and family members celebrating your union. “The Capital Room” is our club’s signature venue, which promotes a rustic-style theme with a native stone, floor-to-ceiling fireplace as the focal point of the room. It comes furnished with a custom-made dance floor.

For the bride who wishes to escape the planning rigors and simply ride off into the sunset, Capital Canyon Club’s dedicated and professional catering staff provides exquisite service and will attend to each and every detail throughout the day.

Our full service venue provides:

• Capacity of up to 150 people

• Several cuisine packages

• Indoor and outdoor reception capabilities

• Complimentary bridal changing room

• Discounted golf-wedding packages

With more than 300 days of sunshine, you won’t find a better venue for your mountain wedding. Plan your special day with confidence by choosing Capital Canyon Club. Our experienced catering staff can assist you with all of your event details and will ensure that your day goes exactly as planned. Say the words that last a lifetime at Capital Canyon Club.

Outdoor Venue Offers the Best Nature Has to Offer

by Jennifer Temkin, Operations Director, the Highlands Center

Forest woodland and garden surroundings make the Highlands Center for Natural History in the Prescott National Forest the ideal place for those who wish to connect with nature during their wedding or special occasion. With both indoor and outdoor venues, the center offers the ideal setting for everything from rehearsal dinners and wedding ceremonies to receptions and corporate retreats.

The James Family Discovery Gardens, a beautiful 8-acre native botanical garden, offers a fully paved accessible, ADA compliant path allowing nature to be available to all visitors.

Venues at the Highlands Center for Natural History include:

Kieckhefer Ramada

Our open-air covered ramada in the James Family Discovery Gardens is an intimate outdoor space with sweeping views of the woodland landscape. The ramada is an idyllic location for wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate events and retreats, and events of all occasions.

Kiwanis Amphitheater

This open-air covered amphitheater has a built-in stage and aisle and bench seating, with nature as the backdrop for your event. The amphitheater is ideal

for outdoor wedding ceremonies, celebrations of life, musical concerts and theatrical performances.

Kieckhefer Classroom

The natural woods and soft earth tones of this indoor space create a warm, comfortable environment for your event. Vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows allow natural light to fill the room and provide views of the forest. It is a popular option for wedding receptions, parties, corporate events and retreats.

Margaret T. Morris Patio

Overlooking the entrance to the Discovery Gardens, this enchanting patio is perfect for cocktail receptions, mixers and summer parties and is included in your rental of the Kieckhefer Classroom and Kiwanis Amphitheater.

Library

Our library is located inside the James Family Learning Center, a LEED-Gold facility. This is a great spot for business meetings, small workshops and classes and serves as the bridal dressing room for weddings.

View our wedding gallery at highlandscenter.org/weddings. The Highlands Center for Natural History is located at 1375 S. Walker Road, Prescott, AZ 86303; 928776-9550; highlandscenter.org.

...continued from page 88

dition of sharing and exchange between our two great cities. We look forward to the Zeitz Sister City program continuing, and we thank all of those dedicated volunteers, teachers and students for helping to continue this important exchange.”

To become a member of the PrescottZeitz Sister City Association, contact Chris Kuknyo, Board Chair at chriskprescott@ gmail.com. To be a host family, you must be a parent of a student at either Prescott High School or Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley. German students are matched up with local high school students based on age and gender. Contact the principal at either high school for more information or to pick up an application.

continued on page 140...

Top Five Ways to Save on your Wedding

by Trevor Odom, Elks Performing Arts Center

While it’s true the cost of the average wedding has more than doubled in the past 10 years, it doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to have an elegant and memorable wedding.

In 2015, The Knot magazine published a report that indicated a general decline in the number of weddings each year. When the participants in the survey were asked why they weren’t getting married, one of the top responses was that it cost too much. Follow these tips to ensure you have the wedding of

your dreams with plenty of extra cash for the honeymoon.

Ditch Paper Invitations

Traditional paper invitations can set you back hundreds of dollars, and most people throw these in the trash right after reading them. Ouch. Cut this cost out completely by sending invites via email, text or personally calling and inviting guests to your wedding. If you must have traditional invitations, print and mail them yourself and still realize massive savings.

Simplify Your Menu

One of the biggest pitfalls that couples fall into with menu planning is being too broad. Instead of planning special menus for guests on dietary restrictions, try having an all-inclusive buffet. Your vegan friend can munch on salad and bruschetta, meat eaters can work their way through the chicken breast, and you can be content with a slightly fatter pocketbook.

Carefully Schedule Your Photography

Many photographers charge by the hour, and with the average 2015 wedding photography cost at $2,200 some of these photographers are outearning Manhattan lawyers. You can save on this cost by containing pictures to one or two hours around the ceremony only.

For reception pictures, encourage your guests to take as many pictures as possible and post them to a special Instagram hashtag unique to your event. That way you will have dozens or possibly hundreds of great shots to look through the next day.

Consider a Wedding Planner

A wedding planner can be your best tool in saving the most money. Wedding planners are professionals who work with all manner of vendors to plan your wedding. They are also your advocate when it comes to making sure you get the best bang for your buck. Many times wedding vendors can get volume discounts from vendors that would simply be unavailable to the average person. This means that an investment of a few hundred dollars can possibly save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Pick a No-StringsAttached Venue

Weddings are a $60-billion industry in the U.S. With all that cash on the line, many venues are trying to ensure they capture every penny they can. This is often done by pressuring couples to buy expensive all-inclusive wedding packages and prohibiting the use of outside vendors. If possible, try to pick a venue that allows you to pick your own vendors. By increasing your options you leave room to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The Bottom Line

While this is in no way a complete list, hopefully it gives you an idea of where to start. The bottom line: The wedding of your dreams doesn’t have to break the bank if you are willing to do a little bit of homework.

If you would like information about the perfect venue for your wedding, call me, Trevor Odom, at 928-756-2844.

Prescott’s “Place to Play” For Adults (age 18 & older) in the Quad-City Area www.adultcenter.org

4,000+ sq. ft. Ballroom / Auditorium with Stage:

• Banquet Style for 280 • Theatre Style for 400+

• On-Stie Bar • Tables & Chairs, Setup & Takedown Included LARGE & SMALL MEETING ROOMS AVAILABLE

Be Active, meet people and make new friends... Ballroom, Country, Swing & Line Dancing Bingo, Bridge & Other Card Games • Fun Activities

Free Seminars from Local Experts • Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba and other Classes Fitness and Billiard rooms...something for everyone!

Join Us Thurs. & Sun. Afternoons!

Games begin at 1:30 pm Doors open at Noon

Step into History. Step into History.

It’s Arizona’s stor y... ... like you’ve never heard nor seen it ... from mammoths to miner s... ‘ancient ones’ to adventurer s... frontiersmen to families. The HISTORY of Arizona glows with color across the four-acre heritage site in picturesque Prescott.

For 90-plus years, Sharlot Hall Museum has preserved and presented the many facets of the Territory ...and is recognized as the Crown Jewel of Arizona and the Central Highlands.

New Event Facility Opens in the Quad Cities Area

by Tracey Horn, Helken & Horn Ad Agency

Looking for a spot to hold your rehearsal dinner, reception or wedding? The Event Spot is a new event facility centrally located in the Quad Cities area. The 4,000-square-foot space is comprised of a beautiful, large main room, a spacious catering kitchen and a patio.

The Event Spot can accommodate up to 391 people and is configured to host all types of events from weddings and parties to meetings, classes and more. Hundreds of free-parking spaces make access easy for all guests. The Event Spot also has the ability to be portioned off to allow smaller events to have a more “cozy and intimate” feel.

Guests enter through a welcoming gathering patio, cross a bridge over a rock lined flowing river that is even stocked with colorful fish. The patio is equipped with relaxing

mood lighting, speakers and comfortable seating. Five 75" high-definition wall-mounted flat-screen monitors to show anything from Power Point presentations to videos.

The Event Spot is conveniently located along Highway 69 in Prescott Valley and has been a great addition to the Quad Cities area. It has been filling the need for event space for almost a year, all at a very cost-effective price.

“Holding an event can be stressful. We pride ourselves on making the process of having your event easy. From communicating with you from the start and helping you with setup and breakdown, you get to focus on the details of the event to make it memorable for everyone,” owner Ken Foote says.

For more information, visit eventspotaz.com or call 928-772-1982.

The ROX Interview (continued)

...continued from page 100

thing higher that would make me move to a big city where I came from and purposely left-- I just have no interest in doing that.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Let’s take Sheila Polk out of her professional role. What kinds of things do you do with your family?

SHEILA POLK: We do a lot of active stuff. I love sports. I play racquetball when I can. I just started playing pickleball lately. When my husband and I are alone, we take our dog out, and we do a lot of hiking. So, between work and being active, you know, there’s not a whole lot of time.

We have three married sons. We now have a grandson who’s 8 months old. So it’s just about spending time with family, and, of course, my larger family, a lot of them still here in Arizona.

PRESCOTT LIVING: How did you influence your children? Incredibly, all three of them are attorneys!

SHEILA POLK: I know, all three! Can you believe it? The thing is that neither Tom nor I were ever pushy about their becoming lawyers. All three boys were very science, math, computer oriented. And then, one by one, each announced that he wanted to go to law school. John, our oldest son, is a tax attorney who primarily does taxes, trusts, and financial transactions. He practices both in Phoenix and Prescott. His law office, at Gurley and Marina, is called Tax Innovations and Practical Solutions (Tax TIPS). Our middle son Stephen focuses on government law, medical law, and business transactions with Boyle, Pecharich, Cline, Whittington & Stallings here in Prescott. Matthew, our youngest son, is a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Of-

fice in Phoenix.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Do you have hobbies? Do you crochet, make quilts, paint?

SHEILA POLK: I love to read. I own a sewing machine. I’ve actually used it maybe once in the past year. I have my list of things to do when I retire. And the things I would love to do include everything you just said, plus art. I’m pretty fluent in Spanish so I do Spanish lessons over Skype, which I love.

PRESCOTT LIVING: What makes you really burst out in laughter?

SHEILA POLK: I love a sense of humor, and I love comedy. In fact, I think because what I do is so serious that when we’re going to watch a movie my husband knows I only really want to watch comedy.

PRESCOTT LIVING: What kind of books do you read?

SHEILA POLK: I usually have a couple books going. I’ll have kind of a light novel going, and then I’ll have something that’s heavier. Then with my car travel, I listen to a lot of books on tape.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Getting serious again. If you could wave your magic wand, what changes would you make in the legal system?

SHEILA POLK: The change I would make is more societal than legal. I just think mind-altering drugs are so insidious. They’re just so damaging. I see so much harm to individuals and families and children and systems. So if I had a magic wand, it would be to get rid of them.

PRESCOTT LIVING: Is there anything you would like the readers to know about you that we haven’t covered.

SHEILA POLK: I’ve said it. I love Prescott. I love the work I do. I literally wake up feeling so lucky that my youth, my education and my career path led me to this position where I get to live and work in a community I love, work with people I love and admire. I work really hard. It’s this job that keeps giving back, it is just so fulfilling. I’m never giving up Prescott and Yavapai County for anything. This is where we’re going to be forever! 

Student Exchange Prescott – Zeitz, Germany: A Real Success Story

Contributed

by Zietz, Germany, Sister City Partners

The exchange was aimed at intensifying the relationship between the two sister cities established in 2012.

In October 2013, a group of eight students and two chaperones from Zeitz, Germany, ventured west across the Atlantic Ocean to visit Prescott. This was the start of the student exchange between two schools in the Prescott area and four schools in Zeitz.

The exchange was aimed at intensifying the relationship between the two sister cities established in 2012.

“The exchange program has become a real success story," says Rainer Ecker, Exchange Coordinator at Christophorusschule Droyssig and a 2013

chaperone. “The student exchange has given the sister city project a lot of momentum."

Holger Schmidt, principal of Schwanenteichschule Zeitz, adds: “About 60 U.S. and 70 German students and chaperones have participated so far and none of them has regretted having been so adventurous to cross the Atlantic. Long-standing friendships between students, chaperones and their host families have developed including mutual visits." His point of view is supported by the exchange coordinators of Geschwister-SchollSchule and Sekundarschule II in Zeitz.

The sixth exchange cycle starts in June 2019 when another group of students from Prescott High School and Bradshaw Mountain High School is set to visit their partners in Zeitz. The Zeitz students will visit Prescott in October.

Students will live with host families and experience everyday life, school life and the culture and sights of the Prescott and Zeitz regions as well as practice their foreign language skills.

To become a member of the PrescottZeitz Sister City Association, contact Chris Kuknyo, board vhair at chriskprescott@ gmail.com. To be a host family, you must be a parent of a student at either Prescott High School or Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley. German students are matched up with local high school students based on age and gender. Contact the principal at either high school for more information or to pick up an application.

Hey, Prescott! Cliff Castle Casino Hotel’s got what you’re looking for.

• NEW 6-story, 122-room hotel

• Newest, most popular slot machines

• Live music Friday and Saturday nights

• Vegas-style live Blackjack and Poker

• Family fun amenities

• 4 restaurants offering casual to upscale dining

• If you join our Castle Club, you could win $200 in Castle Cash as a new member!

• Play pennies, win $100,000! “3x2x Super Sevens” Progressive machine

PRESCOTT PUBLIC LIBRARY EVENTS

YOUTH EVENTS

MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY FOR KIDS

11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 9

Escape down the rabbit hole and discover exciting adventures at our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Register at prescottlibrary.info, at the Youth Desk or call (928) 777-1537.

CHOCOLATE FEVER FESTIVAL FOR TEENS

1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23

Did someone say CHOCOLATE? Taste chocolate from around the world, take the chocolate trivia challenge, and create some chocolate-centric crafts. Register at prescottlibrary.info, at the Youth Desk or call (928) 777-1537.

IRISH STEP DANCERS

4 p.m., Thursday, March 14

The Sacred Heart Irish Step Dancers, a group of accomplished and enthusiastic children, will perform in this great St. Patrick’s Day tradition.

ADULT EVENTS

ARIZONA HUMANITIES LECTURE: COWPOKES, CROOKS AND CACTUS: ARIZONA IN THE MOVIES

2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17

From the earliest days of film, Arizona has been a setting and subject for hundreds of films. In this entertaining talk, Gregory McNamee, a frequent contributor on film to the Encyclopedia Britannica and former columnist for the Hollywood Reporter, looks at the Grand Canyon State on the silver screen.

FINANCIAL TALK: HOW TO SELECT AND MONITOR AN INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL

1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22

This presentation will highlight important questions to ask before selecting an investment professional and the red flags to recognize unscrupulous behavior. Presented by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

PRESCOTT WRITERS: CREATING AND GROWING ENDURING CHARACTERS

5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 26

Sam Barone, American historical novelist of more than 20 novels, will discuss how he got started writing, how to write a book series and how to build a fan base.

PRESCOTTLIBRARY.INFO

LAPSIT STORYTIME

9:30 a.m. Fridays

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME

10:30 a.m. Fridays

Bring your baby for some cozy active time on your lap. The storytime will last about 20 minutes, but you are invited to linger and play.

30 minutes of stories, songs and fingerplays especially for children, ages 3 to 5, and their grownups.

MURDER AT MARDI GRAS: ADULT MURDER MYSTERY

6 p.m., Tuesday, March 5

Amid the masks, revelry and flying beads in New Orleans, a murder is afoot. Feel free to dress up (or don’t) for this interactive Mardi Gras mystery for adults performed by actors from the Improvitonians. Refreshments will be provided. Register at prescottlibrary.info, at the Ask A Librarian Desk or call (928) 777-1526.

ARIZONA HUMANITIES LECTURE: HELLRAISING, HEROIC AND HIDDEN WOMEN OF THE OLD WEST

2 p.m., Sunday, March 17

Any woman who came West in the 1800s had to be full of grit and spit to survive, and Jana Bommersbach has collected the stories of dozens of women who prove it. Meet these women through her talk. Bommersbach currently writes for True West magazine.

PRESCOTT WRITERS: PLACING AND PACING THE PARANORMAL

5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 26

Carol Levin, nationally published writer of nonfiction, short fiction and poetry will share her knowledge, facts and findings on paranormal writing.

A STORYTIME FOR EVERY AGE!

TODDLER STORYTIME

10:30 a.m. Tuesdays

20 to 30 minutes of simple stories, songs and fingerplays for toddlers and their grownups.

FAMILY STORYTIME

11 a.m. Saturdays

20 to 30 minutes of stories, songs and activities for the whole family.

FINANCIAL TALK: BASICS OF STOCKS, BONDS AND MUTUAL FUNDS

1 p.m., Friday, March 29

This presentation will explain the difference between these popular investment products and what factors to look for before purchasing them. Presented by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

MAD WOMEN POETS AND WOMANSONG

2 p.m., Sunday, March 31

Kick off Poetry Month a day early with MAD Women Poets and Womansong in a program of original poetry and a capella choral music. An open microphone session follows.

All programs presented with funding from the Friends of the Prescott Public Library.

The Naming of Prescott and Her Streets

by Drew Desmond, Secretary, Prescott Western Heritage Foundation

Corner of Montezuma and Gurley Streets from top of courthouse, Circa 1884. It was unusual for towns to bear the names of people who were not involved with their founding, yet the startup community around Fort Whipple officially named itself Prescott in May 1864.

Prescott was named after author William Hickling Prescott, who was already deceased at the time and had never set foot in the West. Prescott wrote “History of the Conquest Mexico” where he incorrectly theorized that the Indian ruins in the Southwestern U.S. were built by the well-civilized Aztecs who were eventually destroyed by the “savage” Apaches.

Popular in its day, this theory helped heighten fear and harden hearts among Anglos against Native Americans.

It was unusual for towns to bear the names of people who were not involved with their founding, yet the startup community around Fort Whipple officially named itself Prescott in May 1864.

Other names were considered, including Goodwin City, Granite, Fleuryville, Gimletville, and Audubon.

A last contender also harkened to Prescott’s book: Aztlan. Although this last option was rejected by the town founders, it was later adopted by Arizona’s first Masonic Lodge.

Indeed, town founders were so enamored with Prescott’s book, they not only named the town for its author, but they named several streets after the main characters in his book. Montezuma, Cortez, Alarcon, Marina, and Coronado (now Pleasant) are all examples. Marina was the only original street named after a woman. She was Cortez’s mistress.

Three of Prescott’s original streets were named for Arizona’s first territorial governors: Gurley, Goodwin and McCormick, who served in that order. Unfortunately, Gurley never made it to Prescott either. He died “before he even loaded his wagon for the trip.” Goodwin served from 1863 until 1866 when Robert McCormick, of New Jersey, took over.

Military men were also honored with street names. Willis Street was named after Major Edward B. Willis, who established the Whipple post in December 1863 at Del Rio Springs. Speaking of Whipple, that street (and the Army post itself,) was named for Brig. Gen. A.W. Whipple, who was in charge of Arizona’s boundary survey in 1850. The original Whipple Street was actually today’s Mt. Vernon because it led to the post. Carleton Street was named for James H. Carleton of the

1st California Calvary. He arrived in Yuma in January 1863 and defeated the only Confederate expedition into the Arizona territory.

Other streets were named for early explorers. These include: Walker, Aubrey, Leroux, Sheldon and Lount. Granite Street was undoubtedly named for the adjacent creek.

According to the book “Oral History of the Yavapai,” by Mike Harrison, et al., the Yavapai people originally named Prescott “Wahagsigiita.” However, no English translation for it was offered in the book. Another native people called the area “In-dil-chin-ar,” which means “pine woods.”

SOURCES: “Prescott Yesteryears” by Melissa Ruffner; “Prescott Streets” Vertical File; Sharlot Hall Museum Archives

Photos courtesy Tim Gronek collection

THE PRESCOTT PIONEER

PRESCOTT • PRESCOTT VALLEY • CHINO VALLEY • DEWEY-HUMBOLDT

Pruitt’s Fine Furniture Soon To Be in Prescott Valley

“Furniture for Every Budget” — that’s the marketing strategy behind Phoenix-based Pruitt’s Fine Furniture when it opens its store in Prescott Valley in early March. Christy Smith, General Manager for Pruitt’s, explains, “Because we’re a family-owned business, we’re able to keep our margins low and provide a huge inventory with a full range of options for buyers.”

That range will include furniture for struggling college students to furnishings for a young married couple. It also will offer furniture for middle-class families with children, all the way up to truly upscale namebrand home furnishings for custom-built luxury homes.

“We will carry all styles, traditional, contemporary, rustic and modern, for we want to appeal to buyers throughout central and northern Arizona,” Smith says. The store will carry a large inventory of outdoor and patio furniture “to meet the lifestyle that is so appealing in the Quad City area,” she says. Pruitt’s has been in the Valley of the Sun for more than 60 years.

The family-owned business, with its main store in Phoenix, purchased the long-vacant Kmart at 7550 Highway 69 this past December. It immediately began renovation so the second store could open as soon as possible.

Smith, an Arizona native and graduate of Arizona State University, had been a practicing real estate transactional attorney with a multistate clientele before becoming general manager for Pruitt’s. Smith and her husband Brent, who serves as the operations consultant overseeing construction and logistics for the 100,000-square-foot building, spent several days a week in Prescott Valley. They supervised the extensive remodeling necessary to accommodate the multimillion-dollar inventory.

“We will have a significant inventory ready to move into the Prescott Valley store from our Phoenix warehouse in February, and we will be sending delivery trucks daily to keep the new store fully stocked,” she explains.

The building, which is larger than two football fields under a single roof, is being totally reno-

vated. Contractors have laid a new roof and the interior has been stripped to bare walls, exposed ceilings and concrete floors.

Brent Smith said Jebco Construction Co. of Prescott is the main contractor and is using local labor and local materials as much as possible in the renovation of the concrete block-wall building. He says the floors, ceilings and walls will be completely refurbished and that plans include a small coffee shop-type restaurant inside the

store near the front entrance.

The Smiths noted that when open, Pruitt’s in Prescott Valley will be the largest furniture store in the northern part of the state. When operative, it will employ more than 20 people, ranging from stocking services to sales, customer service and management.

Those interested in applying for jobs at Pruitts are asked to contract Smith at Christy@ pruitts.com.

Findlay Toyota of Prescott Has Naming Rights at PVEC

Prescott Valley civic and community leaders were joined by dozens of others from the greater region when the Prescott Valley Event Center was renamed the Findlay Toyota Center on Jan. 5.

Scott Norton, general manager for Spectra, which provides private management services for the Entertainment Center Community Facilities District, says, “We are excited to have Findlay Toyota as our naming rights partner. Spectra, the Northern Arizona Suns professional basketball team, and

Findlay all share core values of giving back to the community and providing value for customers.”

The free three-hour event was highlighted by a ribbon-cutting with local leaders officially designating the 6,000 seat arena as the Findlay Toyota Center. During the celebration, Scandalous Hands performed live music. Activities for children included a jump house, rock wall, face painting and balloon artist. Some NAZ Suns players and the team mascot, Buckets, also greeted celebrants.

In a statement to the press,

Findlay Automotive Group Market Area Manager Jamaal McCoy explained that Findlay Toyota was proud to be a strong local partner in the communities it serves.

“We believe this partnership with the center and NAZ Suns reinforces our commitment to the greater Prescott area,” he says. “It helps support the quality of life through entertainment and community events.”

The arena opened in 2006 and currently is the home for the NAZ Suns (a team owned by the Phoenix Suns and an NBA Gatorade League affiliate). From 2006 to 2014, it was the home rink for the Arizona Sundogs, then a member of the Central Hockey League. Over the years, the facility has hosted a wide variety of community events, including concerts from such internationally known performers as Mannheim Steamroller, Willie Nelson and Stevie Nicks. It also is the host facility for various regional and state athletic championships, motorsports, and community activities such as ice skating and the annual home and garden show.

Imagine hugging a dog or cat – or strolling through parks and gardens in full bloom –without so much as a sneeze, sniffle or watery eye. We now offer an easy, effective, painless allergy program for people of all ages. It addresses the causes of allergies and asthma, not just the symptoms, so it’s a long-term solution! It starts with a quick, pain-free skin test. Call (928) 772-2582 today to schedule yours – then enjoy your furry friend without allergic side effects.

State-of-the-Art for the State of YOUR Heart

The James Family Heart Center at YRMC

 A nationally recognized Heart Center and your destination for exceptional, comprehensive cardiac care with a personal touch.

 World class heart specialists based at our Heart Center and throughout the community.

 Advanced diagnostic tools and top technology.

 Sophisticated surgical suites featuring a stateof-the-art Hybrid Operating Suite.

 Leading-edge surgical and minimally invasive procedures.

 Inspirational wellness programs and valuable support groups.