Community Notes (10/10)

Mountainside Plaza hosts inaugural October Festival

Mountainside Plaza Shopping Center at 40th Street and Chandler Boulevard will sponsor its first October Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.

The festival will celebrate the children of Ahwatukee Foothills with performances throughout the day. There will also be presentations and demonstrations by merchants. Children can visit with Phoenix police officers and firefighters and get up close with a police car and fire truck. Food sampling will also be offered.

Supporting the community is a goal of the Mountainside Plaza merchants. On Oct. 25 the center will be collecting school supplies to donate to local schools. Drop-off boxes will be stationed at Trader Joe's and Safeway.

For more information, call the Prickly Pair at (480) 706-3939.

Autumn harvest at Verde Canyon Railroad

The Verde Canyon Railroad offers a variety of celebrations and events. Ales on Rails means a party on the depot's patio every Saturday and Sunday in October prior to boarding. The Verde Canyon Railroad has invited a choice selection of Southwestern breweries to purvey their best beers at the depot prior to departure and onboard the train during the excursion. Locally-brewed ales served on the covered picnic patio are accompanied by traditional Oktoberfest favorites like sausages, strudels, and pretzels.

October ends with the spooky Haunted Halloween Express, departing at 1 p.m. Oct. 31.

For more information, call (800) 293-7245 or visit www.verdecanyonrr.com.

Drop-in dodgeball at KRC

Drop in for dodgeball from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday nights Oct. 6 to Nov. 10 at Kiwanis Recreation Center, 6111 S All America Way, Tempe. All skill levels are welcome to play and have fun. 

The fee is $4 per person, and the ball is provided. 

For information, call (480) 350-5201 or visit www.tempe.gov/kiwanis. 

Tasting Awhatukee Business Expo coming in February

Mountain View Lutheran Church will host Tasting Ahwatukee - A Business Expo, on Saturday evening, Feb. 21. The event will showcase local businesses and restaurants, and proceeds will support the church's youth and education programs.

In its fourth year, more than 1,600 people attended the weekend event in 2008. 

Tickets will be available starting in January in the church office, 11002 S. 48th St.

For more information or to participate as a restaurant or business vendor, contact Chris Skarsten at (480) 893-2579, ext. 127 or e-mail cskarsten@mvlutheran.org.

Caffe Boa taking holiday reservations

Book your holiday reservations early with Caffe Boa, 5063 East Elliot Road. Caffe Boa will host your party at the restaurant or your home.

For more information, e-mail caffeboa1@msn.com or call (480) 893-3331.

Holiday parties at Foothills Golf Club

If you're looking for a great place to hold your holiday party, then check out The Foothills Golf Club at 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive.

For more information, contact Jennifer DeBrino, director of catering, at (480) 460-4653 or jdebrino@eaglegolf.com. For details on the golf club, visit www.thefoothillsgc.com.

Spot of Grace: Reactivating Your Purpose and Passion

Join Dawna Markova, bestselling author and inspirational facilitator, for a two-day multidimensional workshop presented by A Woman's Way. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 18 and 19 at the Sedona Creative Life Center.

For information or to register, visit www.awomansway.com or call (928) 254-1897.

Prepare now for Global Word Cup

Tryouts for the annual global Word Cup, an innovative competition for all ages hosted by nonprofit organization eSpindle Learning, will take place next spring, but those interested can visit the frequently updated practice quiz at www.eSpindle.org/free_quiz and visit the "word savvy" forum, which is available on the Word Cup site at www.WordCupCafe.org.

Irish heritage contest

The St. Patrick's Day Parade and Faire Committee will announce the second Little Miss Shamrock selection for ages 6 to 12 at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9 at the Irish Cultural Center. Applications are due by Nov. 1. The program is designed to introduce girls of Irish descent and their families to the Arizona Colleen and Rose of Tralee Programs, which are celebrating their 26th and 50th anniversaries, respectively.

For more informatiion or an application, visit www.azcolleen.org or contact Heather at (602) 568-0842. 

KRC offers bus ride to watch tennis professionals

Kiwanis Recreation Center, 6111 S All America Way, Tempe is offering a road trip to the Surprise Tennis Complex Nov. 7 to 9 to watch professional tennis in the Outback Champions Series.

For specific times and prices, go to www.tempe.gov/kiwanis. For additional questions, call Larry Funk at (480) 350-5721.

AZ All Stars golf tourney

Golfers are invited to the San Marcos Golf and Country Club at 100 N. Dakota St. in Chandler on Saturday, Nov. 8, for a benefit golf tournament sponsored by the Arizona All Stars Booster Club. The shotgun start will be at 8 a.m.

The fee of $75 per player or $280 per foursome includes green fees, cart, range balls, lunch and prizes. Hole and prize sponsorships are also available. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit parent booster club that supports travel and fees for competitive cheerleaders at AZ All Stars Cheer and Tumbling Gym, located at I-10 and Elliott Road in Tempe.

For more information, call (602) 421-0807.

Lions Club needs help in clean-up efforts

On the second Saturday of every month, the Ahwatukee Lions Club will be picking up trash and debris on a stretch of Pecos Road. Volunteers meet in the east parking lot at Desert Vista High School, 16440 S. 32nd St., at 7 a.m. and will be out for about an hour. Trash bags are provided, and the filled bags are picked up by the city of Phoenix.

For more information, call Mike Coltrane at (480) 759-9063.

YMCA Youth and Government

Teens in eighth grade and up are welcome to join the YMCA's Youth and Government Ahwatukee delegation.

Meetings are held from 7 to 8 p.m. every Monday at the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA, 1030 E. Liberty Lane, and members learn hands-on how to practice government procedures and prepare for end-of-the-year model Legislature at the Arizona state capitol. Teens will be able to voice their opinions on how things should be run in Arizona and gain valuable leadership experience. This program is incredibly rewarding for anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of Arizona parliamentary procedure or just looking for a fun and highly-involved experience.

For more information, call (602) 252-2963.

Hats being collected for humanity project

St. Benedict Catholic Church and St. John Bosco Interparish School in Ahwatukee Foothills have partnered to launch a Hats for Humanity project to benefit the homeless.

The project is under way and will continue through Oct. 31. The hats will be delivered to shelters in the Valley the weekend before Thanksgiving.

St. John Bosco will have a contest among the classrooms to see who can donate the most hats, with the winners receiving either a pizza party or ice cream social.

To donate warm, clean hats or to request a donation box, call (602) 531-9863.

Pets win big when designers compete at Petutopia

Local Phoenix architects and interior designers will be asked to "think outside the catbox" and design creative pet habitats for the second-annual "Petutopia" event to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Pecos Park, 17010 S. 48th St. This celebration of pampered pets is free and will take place in conjunction with the city of Phoenix Parks and Recreation's "Peek-a-Boo" event.

In addition to the silent auction of award-winning pet items, there will be a pet costume contest, games for kids, raffle prizes, food and refreshments. The Arizona Animal Welfare League will be bringing live dogs for adoption. Adoption fees vary between $70 and $150.

Petutopia is hosted by the Southwest Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), with all proceeds to benefit the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA.

According to Luisa Carr, event organizer and past president of IIDA, animal shelters throughout the Valley of the Sun are in dire need of help. With the increased number of foreclosures happening in the area and pets being abandoned at a record rate, shelters need more funds to continue their good work. Events like Petutopia can help shelters ease their financial burdens.

AFCC presents E-Myth Solution Workshop

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce's Women in Business organization will present the world-renowned E-Myth Solution Seminar Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Grace Inn, 10831 S. 51st St.

The seminar starts at 8:30 a.m. and goes until noon with lunch provided afterwards.

Registration is $125 for chamber members and $150 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.ahwatukeechamber.com or by calling the chamber at (480) 753-7676.

East Valley Marines planning birthday ball

With their 2008 Birthday Ball scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Oakwood Country Club in Sun Lakes, the East Valley Marines are focusing on their mission. As guests arrive, they will be heralded into the ballroom by the Tempe Police Pipe Band, dressed for the occasion in their uniform kilts. Hundreds of Marines ranging in age from teens to men and women in their 80s are expected to attend. Special tributes and speeches will be made to honor a large number of Marine guests who will have just returned from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event will be a night of tradition, ceremony, dinner, music and dancing.

The Birthday Ball is open to Marines of all ages, Navy Corpsmen who served with the Marines and to their families and guests.

Attendees will enjoy a full course served prime rib dinner with all the trimmings. The cost for the dinner is $40 per person. Those who sponsor a Marine and a guest for $80 or a full table of ten Marines for $400 will be noted in the program and their names will appear on their sponsored table. Guests are urged to purchase tickets early since the event sold out last year.

To purchase tickets or for sponsorship applications, call Chuck Crist at (480) 250-0984 or visit www.eastvalleymarines.org. For general information, call Rich Hippner at (480) 883-9393.

Drag boat race champions to be decided at Firebird

The world's fastest boats will be returning to Firebird Lake for the 26th Annual IHBA NAPA Auto Parts World Finals Drag Boat Races Nov. 20 to 23. Gates open at 7 a.m. each day.

Thirteen classes of boats in speeds excess of 240 mph will participate. The NAPA Auto Parts World Finals is the final event on the IHBA Lucas Oil Racing Series and will decide the 2008 season champions.

Firebird International Raceway Lake is located at 20000 Maricopa Road in Chandler.

Tickets range from $10 to $48 and are available by calling (602) 268-0200 or online at www.firebirdraceway.com. Kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult (except to reserve seating areas).

Polar Express season coming up

Grand Canyon Railway's 2008 Polar Express Season kicks off Nov. 6 and continues select evenings into January. The round-trip journey is approximately an hour in length. Most evenings, Grand Canyon Railway offers two Polar Express trains, with one departing Williams Depot at 6:30 p.m. and a second train departing at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $26 for adults and $14 for children. Special Polar Express packages, which include The Polar Express train trip, one night at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and dinner and breakfast at the railway's restaurant, are available starting at $289. Package prices are for two adults and two children and are based on double occupancy. Prices do not include tax and are valid for travel from Nov. 6 to Jan. 10, 2009.

For more information, visit www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).

Holiday boutique looking for artists, crafters

Members of Arizona Community Church are currently gearing up for their Seventh Annual Holiday Shoppe to be held Nov. 14 and 15. Vendor registrations are now being accepted until Oct. 16, or until all spaces are sold.

Vendor setup, close to 100 spaces available, is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13. The Shoppe will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.

The vendor registration packet contains details on dates, times, requirements and fees. To download a packet, go to www.azcc.org and click the "Holiday Shoppe" button. You can also stop by Arizona Community Church at 9325 S. Rural Road in Tempe between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To pick up a packet call Jackie Fahey at (480) 491-2210 to have one mailed to you.

Catholic Charities hosting annual golf tournament

The 2008 Catholic Charities Tournament of Champions will begin with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start Friday, Nov. 7, at the Legacy Golf Resort, 6808 S. 32nd St., followed by dinner and awards. The format will be best ball, four person scramble.

All golfers and Catholic Charities supporters are invited to participate, and players will have an opportunity to win several hole-in-one prizes. Foursomes are available for $700 or individuals may register for $175 per person. Proceeds will benefit more than 50 programs helping vulnerable children and families in crisis throughout northern and central Arizona.

For more information or to register to play, become a tournament sponsor or volunteer, visit www.golfinvite.com/events/index.asp?eventID=1078.

Rabbi leading tour of Israel

Rabbi Irwin Wiener and his wife, Sandi, of Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation, will lead a tour to Israel May 10 to 24.

The tour is open to anyone of any religion, as well as singles, couples, friends, veteran travelers or first-timers.

The cost for an air and land package is $4,397 per person, and land only is $3,197 per person.

For more information, visit www.arzaworld.com or call travel agent Sandra Friedson at (480) 491-2768.

Charity Ride coming up

Arizona Beta Sigma Phis Against Domestic Abuse (AzBSPADA) are hosting their annual Charity Ride or Drive starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 18 at Chesters Harley Davidson, 922 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa. All proceeds will be donated to local domestic abuse shelters.

This event is for bikes, car, trucks or whatever will get you there. The route will take us to Fountain Hills via surface streets and then through Rio Verde on to New River for lunch at the Roadrunner Restaurant and Saloon. There will be a 50/50 drawing, as well as door prizes. The entry cost is $20 per bike or $20 per vehicle (does not include the cost of lunch). For more information, visit www.sharethemagicada.org. To register, call Joan Arnold at (480) 818-0831.

Bondurant Corvette Performance Experience

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving will offer the Bondurant Corvette Performance Experience on Saturday, Dec. 6. Corvette owners (with guest) are welcome to participate in an all day driving experience at the Bondurant School's 60-acre training facility and 1.6 mile road course located at 20000 S. Maricopa Road in Chandler, at Firebird Raceway, Gate 3 (Exit 162, Wild Horse Pass and I-10).

The cost is $195 per Corvette.

For more information, visit www.bondurant.com. Registration is available online at www.bondurant.com/corvetteday08.

Women offered 10-day retreat to Peru

This 10-day women's retreat, presented by A Woman's Way, will be held May 23 to June 2, 2009.

Experienced facilitator, Karen Ely, will lead participants on a quiet exploration back to themselves. Sitting in the quiet of the ancient, spiritual sites, the women will use journaling, meditation and special exercises to move them back into their old life in a new, more authentic way.

The cost is $2,985.

For information or to register visit www.awomansway.com or call (928) 254-1897.

YMCA's OPAS program

Y OPAS (Outreach Programs for Ahwatukee Seniors) is a volunteer program of the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA providing support services for seniors, 62 and older, who live in Ahwatukee Foothills. Transportation, shopping and errands, friendly visiting, caregiver relief, business help and household assistance are some of the services provided by Y OPAS volunteers.

If you, or someone you know would like to use its services, or if you are interested in volunteering, call the Y OPAS office at (602) 212-6088 (note that the phone number has recently changed).

Income tax too high?

The Arizona Kidney Foundation is reminding "Kidney Car" donors that while they are working on their 2007 tax returns, it's not too early to start thinking about 2008 tax deductions and if you have not donated your vehicle to AKF, now is a great time to begin - you could have a tax deduction in 2008. All vehicle title and paperwork must be received by the Arizona Kidney Foundation no later than Dec. 31 to qualify for a 2008 tax deduction.

There are three ways to participate in the AKF Kidney Car Donation Program. First, a donor can visit the Arizona Kidney Foundation Web site at www.azkidney.org and register online. Second, a donor can call (602) 840-1644, the Arizona Kidney Foundation, and ask that a Kidney Car Donation Program information packet be mailed to their home address. Or third, a donor can call for an appointment and visit the AKF headquarters at 4203 E. Indian School Road, Suite 140, to complete their donation. In all cases, the process requires a donor to submit the original MVD vehicle title as well as completing an odometer disclosure statement and a limited power of attorney form. The Foundation has two notary personal at their headquarters to assist in completing the power of attorney form.

Older children and larger sibling groups need adoption, too

November is National Adoption Month, and Christian Family Care Agency hopes to draw attention to two very special groups of kids who need adoptive homes - children over the age of 10 and children from larger sibling groups (three or more children).

Louise Gonzales, of Christian Family Care Agency's Phoenix office, said while progress is being made in these two areas, the need for loving parents willing to adopt these kids is still tremendous.

Gonzales said parents willing to adopt children from these two areas often will move through the adoption process more quickly. She added that a parent's age isn't usually as big an issue when it comes to adopting an older child.

An adoptive parent's bank account also isn't necessarily a barrier. For more information, call (602) 234-1935 or visit www.cfcare.org.

Woodworkers looking for projects

The Ahwatukee Woodworkers Club gets together on Thursdays to work on charity projects and is currently looking for more projects to take on.

Past projects have included making plaques for Phoenix Children's Hospital, building tables and chairs for preschools and even making model MRI machines for doctors to explain the procedure to children to ease their fears. A model doll house kit was donated to the group, so members built it and held a raffle to raise money to support the club. In another project, models of homes in Tempe were built for the Tempe Historical Society that were raffled in a fundraiser for the society. The group is currently busy making cubbies for a local preschool.

The club is located near the Ahwatukee Recreation Center and is part of the Ahwatukee Retirement Community.

Projects are needed, and organizations such as schools, hospitals, churches or other charities in need of something built or made are asked to contact president Tom Rosenthal at (480) 275-6631.

MOMS Club of Ahwatukee has five chapters

The MOMS (Mothers Offering Mothers Support) Club of Ahwatukee is a national non-profit support group for at-home moms and their children. There are five chapters serving the Ahwatukee area.

- East chapter: south of Chandler Boulevard, north of Pecos Road, East of 32nd Street , West of I-10. Contact Michelle at (480) 704-6609.

- North chapter: north of Warner Road to Baseline Road. Contact Michelle at (480) 229-9323 or nielsens2001@hotmail.com.

- Central chapter: south of Knox Road, north of Chandler Boulevard, east of 36th Street. Contact Sara at (480) 540-2339 or central@ahwatukeemoms.com.

- Northwest chapter: 32nd Street and Ray Road to Pecos Road and 24th Street, including Thunderhill Park Area to 18th Street. Contact Stephanie at (480) 751-7570.

- West chapter: north of Pecos Road and West of 24th Street. Contact Linda at jlnagel@cox.net or (602) 571-4393.

Send submissions to: jwalker@ahwatukee.com