Jim Pyeatt, Roland “Buster” Pyeatt and Ronnie Pyeatt, circa 1939-1940. Photo courtesy Marie Pyeatt The Pyeatt Ranch sits at the northwest slope of the Huachuca Mountains, bordering the west gate of Fort Huachuca. Located with a spectacular view of the Mustang Mountains, Lyle Canyon and the Sonoita Valley, the homestead has been in the Pyeatt […]
Pat McNamara
Posted inArts & Culture
Silver Artist Sets Up Shop in Sonoita
Patti Hughes sells her handcrafted silverwork on Facebook and Instagram. Patti Hughes, a Sonoita resident since 2019, has had a circuitous journey to her current trade as a silver jewelry artist. A native of Huntington Beach California, Hughes worked as a veterinary technician and as a manager of an equine rental string before marriage and […]
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Sonoita Is New Home for Award Winning Craftsman
Douglas Krause is a two-time winner of the “Will Rogers Artist of the Year” award from the Academy of Western Artists. The Sky Islands atmosphere has attracted yet another nationally recognized artist and craftsman to Sonoita. Douglas Krause arrived here from California in 2019 to continue his trade as a saddle maker, a leather worker, a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Local Bit Maker Carrying on Western Tradition
Elgin welcomed yet another fine craftsman to the area when New Mexico native Kim Parkey and his wife Karen built their house and settled here in 2019. Parkey, a bit and spur maker for over 30 years, is a horseman, a roper and a metal worker whose custom bits are sought after by world famous horse trainers and competitors for their fine quality and craftsmanship.
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A Bit of the Wild Comes to The Sonoita Fairgrounds
Photo Credit: Pat McNamara 22 wild horses and 20 burros were shipped into to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse and burro adoption event, held March 13 – 15. The animals were sorted into pipe corrals for the public to view and possibly adopt. These animals came […]
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Local Distiller Stepping Up to Fight the Virus
Gary Ellam changed his distillery operations in early March to respond to the increased need for hand sanitizer. File Photo by Pat McNamara Since early March, even before the government declared Covid19 a national emergency, Dr. Gary Ellam, PhD, of Elgin Distillery was already converting his operation into making hand sanitizer. As a member of the […]
Posted inLocal News
Fairgrounds Events Curtailed by Shutdown
As with the rest of the world, the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association (SCCFRA) has been negatively affected by the recent Covid 19 pandemic. Harry Dotson, president of the SCCFRA quotes: “There has been no prior precedent to compare with and it’s been like every day, body blows to the organization” Closing Pioneer […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Lost Lives Memorialized by Tucson Artist
This roadside cross in Elgin is one of more than 600 crosses that Alvaro Enciso has erected in Southern AZ. Photo by Pat McNamara Five crosses that have recently appeared on both sides of Hwy 82 two miles east of Sonoita and one cross on the east side of Upper Elgin Rd have a story to tell. […]
Posted inLocal News
Something New Brewing in Sonoita
Sonoita Heritage Coffee displays their products at a recent Empire Ranch Event. From left: Stephanie Drefs, Kelsey Perez, Mike Wright. Photo by Pat McNamara “Good coffee and a good story just go together,” said Sonoita Bible Church Pastor Mike Wright. His goal for his newest venture, Sonoita Heritage Coffee, located next to the Sonoita Bible Church, […]
Posted inLocal News
Sonoita Resident Running for County Office
Sonoita Resident Throws Her Hat in the Ring for County Office “If you aren’t going to do something about it, don’t complain!” is the mantra of Donna Federici, Independent candidate for Santa Cruz County Supervisor for District 3. A resident of the Sonoita/Elgin area, Federici has decided to indeed “do something about it” and with […]