It did my heart good to observe the meeting of the Pioneer Days committee of the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce last week. Many of them were the same people who brought about the revamping of October’s Great Pumpkin celebration in such a successful way. The group is making plans to expand the event with more entertainment, a larger parade, and a wider reach of publicity.
Pioneer Days will take place Thursday through Sunday, March 15-18, and the great parade will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday the 17th. The general theme is the role of mining in our area. The carnival rides will be here and there will be many vendors. Live music will include country, rock, and mariachi groups as well as a variety of music provided by a live DJ.
Veronica Bracamonte has been hired to direct the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce.
She has hit the ground running with a number of committee meetings, especially those dealing with upcoming community events. She is holding fort in the chamber office in the Pinal County building on Alden Road in Kearny, with the office open Monday through Friday. The times are posted at the office.
She encourages visitors at all times. Please keep her in touch with your organization or business about all your events and your hopes and dreams for the towns of the Copper Basin.
Veronica Bracamonte is the new director of the Copper Basin Chamber. She has a lively presence and a steady hand. Acknowledging that the new position has a learning curve, she nevertheless intends to be “out and about” and a helpful voice for the businesses of the area.
Ginger Chester, president of the chamber board, will be working with Veronica to increase membership and enhance member services.
I want to repeat something I said in an earlier column, which is that the second Saturday of each month the transfer station will be open in the early morning to receive yard waste and large items. The Town of Kearny and Pinal County are working together to keep this service going. The neatest thing about this is that the wonderful volunteers will still be guiding the whole operation. So, that’s this Saturday!
The Kearny Town Council is shifting the January and February meetings to 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesdays instead of the third Monday. So the dates are Tuesday, January 16 and Tuesday, February 20.
Do you wish you could paint or draw? Perhaps you already have a background in art. Either way, the art group which meets weekly at Ray Hall of Good Shepherd Church in Kearny wants you to consider joining with them. The artists have a range of experience, from beginners to pretty darned good! They are a convivial group who support each other with patience and kindness. There are times when the place is so silent you could hear a pin drop, and moments later hearty laughs and encouraging remarks are heard.
Simply show up this Friday or another one. If you have art equipment, bring it; if not, there is more than enough to share. The group meets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Well, most of our winter residents are here now. Some arrived in the fall, and others waited until after the Christmas celebration to wend their way to our area. It is good to see all the familiar faces and hear their voices again.
The flu bug took a nasty bite out the ranks of the volunteers who staff the Hand Me Up shop. They closed a couple of days, but are now back open with an overflowing store. Be sure to pay a visit and see what they have.
Last, remember that a blood pressure screening is held each third Friday at Norm’s IGA from 10 a.m. until noon. That’s Friday, January 19, and it’s free.