PRBC Seeks Nominees for Young Entrepreneur Award
The Patagonia Regional Business Coalition (PRBC) has established The Young Citizenship and Entrepreneur Award, to recognize youth who demonstrate leadership, community service, self-advocacy and perseverance.
Eligible candidates must reside in Eastern Santa Cruz County. There will be one award for a middle school youth (6th to 8th grade), and one for a youth who is attending high school. The winners will receive $100 and $1,000, respectively. Nominations must be submitted by mail, and must provide a narrative of the nominee’s service/accomplishments that qualify him/her for this award. Nominees must demonstrate leadership in school or community and entrepreneurial ability, a “can do” attitude, and exemplary character.
All nominations must be received by April 10. The awards will be presented in May. Letters of Nomination should be mailed to: Patagonia Regional Business Coalition, PO Box 1007, Patagonia AZ 85624, ATTN: Denise Bowdon. For details and/ or questions, contact Denise Bowdon at dmbowdon@gmail.com
Fire Destroys Newly Built Studio
A studio on the property of Helen Chester and Mike McDonough in Patagonia burned to the ground on Sunday, March 15. The couple and several guests had gone to bed at 9:30 that evening. One of the guests, who was still awake and reading, reported that he began to hear the popping of spray cans exploding, and looked out the window to see flames coming from the studio, which was located near the front of the property. Everyone began to try and douse the flames, and the Patagonia Volunteer Fire Department was called. The Fire Department responded quickly, but the fire was fast-burning, and, despite their efforts, the entire structure collapsed to the ground.
The studio had just been completed last September. Along with art supplies and personal artwork she had saved over many years, it contained many family albums and photographs, and other irreplaceable items. According to Chester, no one had been in the studio the entire previous day, and as PRT goes to print, the source of the fire has not been determined.
Patagonia Movie House members turned out in droves for the Tombstone Movie and Cowboy Supper Fundraiser. It was a night filled with cowboy boots and happy movie goers. All of us here at the Patagonia Creative Arts Association (PCAA) would like to thank everyone who came out and showed support for our new venture. Thanks to the fundraiser we are now 3/4 of the way to our goal of a new projector and soon we will be able to supplement the Art Centers bottom line—which is good news for children’s programming and a giant step toward becoming a sustainable organization that will last well into the future. If you didn’t get a chance to join us for “Tombstone,” Patagonia Movie House members will get another chance to come out and see what we are about. Mark your calendars for two special events: “2001: a Space Odyssey,” on Saturday April 11 ( doors open at 6 p.m., movie starts at 7 p.m.) and our second Movie House fundraiser, “Oklahoma!” (date and time to come). We recommend buying special event tickets in advance. Please contact the Art Center Tuesday – Thursday for tickets and details at 394-9369, or by Email to makeart1@msn.com. — Cassina Farley, PCAA Director
On Becoming a Firewise Community
Patagonia is one of the most at-risk communities for fire catastrophe in Arizona.
David Seibert of Borderlands Restoration (BR) will give a brief introduction about the potential benefit of establishing Patagonia as a Firewise Community, at the Town Council Meeting on April 8 at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Room. Chief Ike Isakson of the Patagonia Volunteer Fire Department, Luke Reese, Manager of the Patagonia/Sonoita Creek Preserve, and The Arizona State Forestry have begun exploring homeowner and community interest in becoming a part of this program. For more information, come to the Borderlands office, or send an email to dseibert@email.arizona.edu
Tree of Life Property Auction Postponed Again
The foreclosure sale for property at the Tree of Life on Harshaw Road in Patagonia that involves four parcels of land and buildings has been postponed for the third time. The current date for the auction, is April 2 at 11 a.m. on the courthouse steps in Nogales.
Antswer to Our Wild Neighbors Quiz: Ants!
Ants are one of the most prolific kinds of insects, numbering in the hundreds of billions just on the North American continent alone. World wide there are probably 321,035,624,829,901,000 ants!
It has long been known that ants, especially the larger species that build sizable mounds by piling small rocks excavated from their underground tunnels, create lightning. The friction caused by the movement of so many ant bodies rushing around creates static electricity within and on the surface of the Earth. This positive static charge is stored until the opposite, negative charge builds up in tall, bulbous clouds called antocumulus, or thunder ant eggs. When conditions are right, the positive charge and negative charge interact in a very dramatic way to create lightning! This is why you often see lightning shooting upward from the Earth’s surface as well as zigging and zagging from clouds to the Earth.
It is also well known that ants have their own language with which they communicate. On full moon nights if you sit very quietly near an ant hill you might be lucky enough to hear them singing. While ant arias are quite rare, antshop quartets are fairly common and often comical. Enjoy!
