Tom Mix and Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive
Aug30

Tom Mix and Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive

Originally Published August 15, 2016 By Les Conklin Did you know that there is a connection between Tom Mix and Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive? I’m probably one of the few people in the world that know about the connection, but read on and you’ll know about it too. No; Tom Mix didn’t ride his favorite steed, Tony the Wonder Horse, down Scottsdale Road. No; Mix did not help create the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive....

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Lois Roma-Deeley is Scottsdale’s New Poet Laureate
Aug30

Lois Roma-Deeley is Scottsdale’s New Poet Laureate

Lois Roma-Deeley is Scottsdale’s new poet laureate Poet, editor and educator Lois Roma-Deeley has been selected as the city’s next poet laureate. She is the founding director of the Women Writers Workshop at Arizona State University, currently serves as associate editor of Presence, an international poetry journal, and is an emeritus professor at Paradise Valley Community College. As Scottsdale’s poet laureate, she...

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A Look at Satellite Imagery & Illegal Mining
Aug20

A Look at Satellite Imagery & Illegal Mining

August 20, 2021 A Look at Satellite Imagery & Illegal Mining By Les Conklin with Tanner Conklin   It is not unusual to see news stories about a covert military operation or threatening weather system that features satellite imagery. This month, a blog published by Maxar provides an up-close look at the possible use of images from space to fight Illegal mining that is threatening Indigenous land and lives in remote regions of...

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Volunteers Create Bowls Galore for Empty Bowls Project
Aug20

Volunteers Create Bowls Galore for Empty Bowls Project

August 10, 2021 Volunteers Create Bowls Galore for Empty Bowls Project By A Peek at the Peak It’s impressive what generous, talented people can do when they come together for a good cause. Volunteers who participated in the recent Sonoran Art League Painted Bowls workshop have made or glazed more than 2,000 bowls that will be donated to this year’s Empty Bowls Project. During the months of June and July, the Sonoran Arts...

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Scottsdale: Revised Flood Map Benefits Residents
Aug14

Scottsdale: Revised Flood Map Benefits Residents

June 19, 2019 Courtesy City of Scottsdale Contact: Ashley Couch, floodplain administrator, 480-312-4317 Flood map changes save residents money Hundreds of Scottsdale residents living within the Rawhide Wash floodplain in the Grayhawk master-planned community will benefit from revisions to the city’s flood insurance rate maps. The changes took effect June 14 – the result of a recent restudy of the area along the Rawhide Wash floodplain...

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Thanks for the Images by Les Conklin
Aug11

Thanks for the Images by Les Conklin

August 11, 2021 Thanks for the Images By Les Conklin Thank you very much to Images Arizona magazine for “A Persistent Passion for Preservation.” You will find a link to the online version at the bottom of this article. Images Joseph Airdo, Managing Editor, Carl Schultz, Photographer, and Shelly Spence, Publisher, have done a terrific job. Reading the article, which was published in the August issue of Images, brought two...

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Christmas in July by Rick Smith
Aug11

Christmas in July by Rick Smith

July 31, 2021 Christmas in July Rick Smith Sometimes a person doesn’t fully understand what they’re learning and experiencing in life until enough time goes by that they do. Huh? Such was the case for me one warm Christmas Day in July. What? Christmas in July? How so? Well, here’s how: I was 10 years old at the time, on a family summer vacation with my three sisters and parents. We were on our way to Montana from...

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Singing to Our Sweethearts by Claude Trottier
Aug11

Singing to Our Sweethearts by Claude Trottier

July 31. 2021 Letter to The Peak Editor Brother Conklin, I thought of you when I recently read that Lake Powell is at its lowest level since it was filled. Do you remember singing “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi”  to our wives on Lake Powell. Would the houseboats float today?  Well, a delegation of Biking Sig/Road Scholars from our chapter  (You know them all)  recently made a road trip to serenaded Mimi Blankenship, 104. Could you...

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Two Great Ideas to Make Scottsdale Even More Scenic
Jul27

Two Great Ideas to Make Scottsdale Even More Scenic

June 30, 2021 Two Great Ideas to Make Scottsdale Even More Scenic By Les Conklin   There are good ideas and there are bad ideas. Here are two great ideas for making Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive even more scenic and enjoyable. These are great ideas for several reasons. Both residents and tourists will benefit from the implementation of  these ideas. They add value to the numerous distinctive enhancements that have already been...

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Alex Nadesan Elected New Holland Center President
Jul27

Alex Nadesan Elected New Holland Center President

July 21, 2021 Courtesy Holland Center  THE HOLLAND CENTER WELCOMES ALEX NADESAN AS NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Scottsdale, AZ. The Foothills Community Foundation, dba The Holland Center, announced Alex Nadesan is taking over from Jim Sherbert as Chair for the Board of Directors, effective July 1st. Alex has served on the board since February 2020 and as a member of its various program committees. Alex will work closely with Jennifer...

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