Folk and Heritage Festival at Sahuaro Ranch, Glendale February 20-March 1

Join the Historical League at Folk & Heritage Festival this weekend, Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale, 10 am - 5 pm. Lots of history, music, presentations, re-enactors, the Wild West comes alive!! Visit our booth and Tastes & Treasures: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. Janet Weiss, Patt Walker, Bonnie Newhoff, Karolee Hess, and Mariamne will be there.

Family friendly and Free event.
The Glendale Folk and Heritage Festival brings together folk music and the rich heritage of Sahuaro Ranch Historic area. In addition, there will be activities including "jam sessions", storytelling, cowboy poetry, and more!

Karolee Hess

Patt Walker

Mariamne Moore assisting  Customer

Janet Weiss

Bonnie Newhoff and Karolee Hess

Mystery Castle Tour for Historical League

Listed in Arizona Historic Registry and Phoenix Points of Pride, this castle is a fascinating place, filled with stories. 
Remembering how he built sand castles with his daughter in his native Seattle, Boyce Gully "disappeared" to Phoenix and built a native stone castle with 18 rooms, 13 fireplaces, parapets and many charming nooks and crannies, then furnished it with southwestern antiques. 
Boyce Gully died in 1945 before he could send for his family. His daughter, Mary Lou Gully, was an adult when she moved into her “castle” and began living her fairy tale, perpetuating her dream. She shared her “home” by giving guided tours of her beloved Mystery Castle until her death in 2010.

Fountain Hills Great Fair Feb 21-23, 2020

Sunday set up again after Saturday's rain, thanks to these fabulous volunteers: Delores Tomasek, Carolyn Mendoza,
Gary, Barb Ziehler, Tom and Cathy Shumard

Fountain Hills Great Fair starts Friday, Feb 21 at 10 am. Visit Donna Esposito, Karen Overton, Karolee Hess, Katie Tovar and Sharron McKinney at our booth, sample granola, talk about Arizona history and food!!
Thanks to Linda Corderman and Karen Overton setting it up on Thursday.
Rain in Fountain Hills on Saturday! Much as we love the rain, it changes our plans for the Great Fair. Books don't do well with rain so we will be closed today but open tomorrow 10 am - 5 pm Sunday, Feb 23. Stop by and visit with Carolyn Mendoza, Delores Tomasek, Susan and Ennis.

Windy Friday kept blowing tablecloths, signs and papers!!

National History Day Competition 2020

National History Day Arizona is a signature program inspires middle school and high school students to research and create their own history projects. We rely on volunteers to help us judge the series of regional contests that take place statewide. Meet students who are excited to share what they have learned and make an impact on a young historian's life! See below for upcoming competitions and sign-up today.

2020 Contest Information

The 2020 NHD AZ Contest Registration opens on Monday, December 2nd. Please review the regional competition dates and locations. Students must attend one, but only one, regional competition to advance to the state competition. To register, visit the NHD AZ website.

Interested in being a judge for a competition? We are looking for people excited about history and empowering students! Visit the NHD AZ website to sign up and be a judge.

• Northern Regional Competition: Saturday, February 8, 2020 @ NAU Language and Literature Building, Flagstaff, AZSouthern Regional Competition: Saturday February 15, 2020 @ Flowing Wells High School, 3725 N Flowing Wells Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705
• Central Arizona Regional Competition: Saturday, February 22, 2020 @ SRP Headquarters, 1500 NORTH Mill Ave., Tempe, AZ. 85281
• Valley of the Sun Regional Competition: Saturday, February 29, 2020 @ Willis Junior High, 401 S McQueen Rd, Chandler, AZ 85225
• ​Arizona State Affiliate Competition: Saturday, March 21, 2020 @ Arizona State University, Memorial Union, second floor

Willo Historic Home Tour Sunday, Feb 9

Donna Esposito

Karen Overton

Visit the Historical League booth and share your AZ history while you browse our books filled with history. Tastes & Treasures II: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. 

Mariamne Moore, Linda Corderman

Sunday, Feb 9. 10 am - 4 pm. 
Historic Home tour plus a street fair featuring local vendors and an antique car show wind down Monte Vista and Holly Roads. Willo district. West of Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ
Thanks to Jolene Beard, Linda Corderman, Donna Esposito, Mariamne Moore, Karen Overton and Patt Walker for making this happen! Patt said, "We were having so much fun chatting with people we forgot to get more pics! "

Mary Jo West February meeting guest speaker

Guest speaker co-ordinator Dee Steen presented Mary Jo with a copy of Tastes and Treasures: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona.

Always an excellent speaker, Mary Jo West kept us enthralled with stories of her career in television and theatre at the February Historical League meeting. 
President Elect Claire Nullmeyer reports, "Mary Jo spoke about her 44 years as the first woman news anchor with the local television station, working beside Bill Close, up to her current employment at Sky Harbor. She  talked about doing a documentary about Mother Theresa and receiving her great gift, from Mother, of a baby girl who became her beloved daughter and the mother of Mary Jo’s three grandchildren on whom she lavishes her $11 hourly salary. Mary Jo shared a message using the word SUCCESS (E for Ethics) She very graciously recognized Pam Stevenson as a colleague."

Museum Director Tawn Downs, Mary Jo West, Dee Steen

Motoring through Time at Heritage Square Feb 8, 2020

Jolene Beard greets visitors

Visit the Historical League booth at Motoring through Time & Heritage Festival, Saturday, February 8, 2020. 
See vintage and custom vehicles on display, stroll through booths featuring local nonprofits and vendors, experience a fun kids’ play area with an all new Cookie Car Cook-Off, and eat delicious food from local food trucks. This is the 13th annual Motoring Through Time festival at Heritage Square, with vehicles and vendors participating in and around this unique local landmark. Visitors will also get to walk through the Rosson House Museum for free on the day of the festival!
Thanks to Jolene Beard, Donna Esposito and Patti Goss for greeting visitors at this event.

Jolene Beard and Donna Esposito ready to go at Motoring Through Time

Thanks to Donna Esposito for this photo.

Fun things to see this year:
Cool Cars – President Herbert Hoover’sHudson 7-Passenger Phaeton, a 1923 Dodge Truck, a 1926 Cadillac 7-Passenger Touring car, a 1948 “Mater” Studebaker Tow Truck, a replica 1965 Shelby Cobra 427, and a 1947 Mack Firetruck.
Vendors Include – Dur Wurst Hot Dogs, Historical League, StrEAT Gyro, Reilluminated Lamps, Leavitt & Asher Jewelry, Arizona Model Railroad Society, Phoenix Trolley Museum, and Girl Scout Troop 997 (they are bringing cookies, we repeat, they are bringing cookies!!)Kids’ Area – Box Cars, our first annual Cookie Car Cook-Off, and fun games
On Stage – Phoenix’s own Obadiah Parker

Location: Heritage Square in Downtown Phoenix
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2020, 10am-3pm
Admission: Museum admission is FREE on this date only; Festival admission is always free

About Rosson House Museum
The Rosson House Museum is a fully restored 1895 Queen Anne Victorian house museum, interpreting the history of Phoenix and Territorial Arizona. Tours of the house include all living areas and offer visitors a glimpse into the lifestyles of early Phoenix families. Admission to the Rosson House Museum is by guided tour only. All tours last approximately 60 minutes. The maximum number of people per tour is 12. Groups of 8 or more require reservations.
About Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a striking reminder of the city’s vibrant Victorian past. Located on Block 14 of the original townsite of Phoenix, the Square dates back to the late 1800s, and the restored Rosson House Museum is its crowning jewel. Heritage Square is operated in conjunction by the Heritage Square Foundation (a 501c-3 nonprofit organization) and the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, and is owned by the City of Phoenix.

WNPA re-orders Tastes & Treasures II again

During the Historical League bus tour of SE Arizona, we stopped in to show them Tastes and Treasures II: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. Western National Parks Association has re-ordered several times since that initial visit in May 2018. They have a large number of venues all over Arizona, including Tumacacori and Saguaro in Tucson.
Enjoy our National Parks and don't forget to browse the books in their gift shops!
Thanks to Chris Hackett for mailing boxes of books to WNPA!