Tour of historic Desert Botanical Gardens

Did any of us realize how special it is to be back together again as a group? Our first tour in many months, Historical League members met at Desert Botanical Gardens on Wednesday, April 21. The best part of the tour was seeing old and dear friends after a year with restrictions from Covid: isolation and Zoom meetings. Thanks to Mary McMahon and Julie Moore for organizing this tour. Lunch at Gertrudes patio in the historic Desert Botanical Gardens was delightful as Historical League members gathered together after a long year of canceled tours, meetings and events. We felt comfortable being outdoors. Check out the tall burger stack and nutty “Grains and Seeds” bowl. All delicious! Gertrudes is featured in Tastes & Treasures II. www.HistoricalLeague.org/shop/aspx

September Zoom Meeting

 Historical League Sept. Zoom meeting brought out some creative ideas from Tour chairs Julie Moore and Mary McMahon. Stay tuned for details of a fascinating video of Winnie Ruth Judd in lieu of the October tour.

Encanto/Palmcroft Historic Home Tour March 24, 2019

Fun and successful day March 24 at Encanto/Palmcroft Home Tour with Julie Moore, Chris Hackett, Mary McMahon, Ruth McLeod (taking the pictures), Pat Christopherson, Susan Dale visiting with customers and sharing AZ history and recipes.  Susan's neighbor, Jenny, shopped with us.

Julie won the prize for biggest sale to John Lea, retired USMC!

Tour of Franciscan Renewal Center

Original name

Wonderful Historical League tour today filled with Arizona history, art history and stories of the Catholic Church with St Francis. Over forty Historical League members attended, so they split us into 3 groups. The tour guides explained, "Since 1951, the Casa has been renewing lives through spiritual growth, healing and transformation, and serving others." It predates the affluent Town of Paradise Valley – with resorts, mansions, pools, paved roads, and all. That a dusty, former dude ranch would become a God-filled spiritual retreat center and that the Franciscan friars –grounded in vows of poverty – would become surrounded by some of the area’s wealthiest residents speaks to nothing less than the astounding “coincidence of opposites;” that which unifies rather than divides.

A delicious lunch followed the tour with more time for discussion.

Thanks to Mary McMahon and Julie Moore for organizing the tour. Julie was married here in 1974.

In 1951, Lincoln was a dirt road

St. Francis overlooking Camelback Mt.

Beautiful art glass with etchings and layers.

LEED certified, A/C and heat comes up through round circles in the floor.

mosaic details

Fountain Hills Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts

Cathy Shumard setting up the booth

Julie Moore

Julie Moore and Lee Rogers

Thanks to Cathy Shumard and her industrious volunteers, we had wonderful weekend at Ft Hills Arts Festival. Many Historical League volunteers signed up to promote Tastes and Treasures book, AZ Heritage Center at Papago Park and Arizona History. There was a lot of interest in the Portraits of Courage exhibit by President George W. Bush as we handed out brochures and showed them his book with the paintings.

Mary and John Garbaciak visit the booth

Ruth McLeod, Judy Kittoe, Judy Blackwell

Donna Esposito, Nina Filippi

Cathy Shumard, Ruth McLeod planning the show