All ages enjoy the history of Arizona

Meeting people and hearing their stories about early Arizona is one of the perks of selling Arizona Recollections and Reflections as well as Tastes & Treasures Cookbook. At BestFest in Prescott we had many ages interested.

We had a booth with our Historical League tent but also sold the books at the Centennial Merchandise tent.

Historymaker Ed Mell designs AZ Centennial Stamp

Historymakers honored by the Historical League continue to do great things. Ed Mell has created some wonderful landscapes. He is shown speaking at our Historymakers Gala.

The stamp unveiling was at BestFest in Prescott September 16. A large image of the Commemorative stamp was displayed over the courthouse for the three day festival.

“I actually tried a few different directions before I settled on Cathedral Rock, which I really felt was an icon of Arizona,” Mell said in an interview at his Phoenix studio.

A native Arizonan and a stamp collector in his youth, Mell said this assignment was a dream come true. “It's one of those things I always thought would be a wonderful thing to do.”

Karen Churchard, executive director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation, said U.S. Postal Service representatives asked centennial organizers going in what they didn't want on the stamp. Their answer: the Grand Canyon and saguaro cactuses, which they considered overused.

“We want to showcase our history,” Churchard said.

Mell said the oil painting took him about three weeks to complete. He worked in a style that combines abstract and realism.

He started by taking a photo of Cathedral Rock and developed pencil sketches before producing the final work on a 20-by-30-inch canvas.

The piece now belongs to the Postal Service, and the stamp will officially become available on Arizona's Statehood Day, Feb. 14, 2012. A forever stamp, it can be used indefinitely to mail a one-ounce letter.

“If you're not enthusiastic about painting, it shows on the canvas.”

Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/stamp-73126-arizona-mell.html#ixzz1YizUHxnn

Summer Garden Vegetable Salad

This salad has a unique twist and that's why it is fun to have recipe exchanges. From the island of Newfoundland off the eastern coast of Canada comes a wonderful salad.

GARDEN VEGETABLE SALAD from Rosalind Pinsent
Corner Brook, NL

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 bunch broccoli, cut in bite size pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 lb chopped crisp bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
Chopped tomatoes

Directions:
In a bowl, in layers, place cauliflower, broccoli, onion and crisply cooked bacon.
DO NOT STIR. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise and sugar by hand till combined.
Pour mayonnaise mixture over top of the vegetables. Cover and let marinate in
the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, or just before serving, add chopped tomatoes.
Toss lightly and serve.


**** This is by far my favourite salad. Hope you enjoy it..................

Recipe from: Rosalind Pinsent
Corner Brook, NL

BestFest Photos

The Historical League booth was right outside the History Pavilion at BestFest in Prescott. How great to see lines of people waiting to enter the Pavilion and learn about Arizona's history and her Centennial.

In front of the League booth is Ruth McLeod, Carolyn Mendoza, Zona Lorig and Norma Jean Coulter.

Bill Ponder, CFO of AHS, and Zona are pictured outside the History Pavilion, just as two living history characters are walking by. Great costumes were seen all weekend. Lots of cowboys, sheriffs and "Western Dudes". The Mexican Folk Dancing was beautifully done and everyone looked skyward for the bi-plane fly-over.

BestFest Breakfast at Hassayampa Inn

Staying so close to the BestFest event was great. Thanks to Carolyn Mendoza for getting us wonderful rooms at the Hassayampa with a view, cozy but charming, and including breakfast.

The scrambled eggs served with grape salsa were a hit. Try this recipe from page 33 in Tastes & Treasures and add chopped red grapes for an interesting addition.

Corn Salsa page 33 Tastes & Treasures

1 or 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
1 ½ cups roasted corn (about 2 large ears)
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup vegetable juice cocktail
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt to taste

Combine the jalapeno chiles, corn, bell peppers, cilantro, onion, tomato, sugar, vegetable juice cocktail, lime juice and salt in a large bowl and toss to mix.

Makes 3 ½ cups

AZ Centennial Celebration in Prescott

BestFest is the event to celebrate the Centennial with the kick off in Prescott September 16-18. Four members of the Historical League set up the booth on Friday to showcase our own Arizona Recollections and Reflections Centennial book as well as Tastes & Treasures cookbook, Old Ned aprons, Centennial aprons, hats and visors. 

Carolyn Mendoza is ready to accommodate our first group of shoppers. League members Zona Lorig, Norma Jean Coulter and Ruth McLeod join her. 

 

Prescott is the perfect small town to feature this agenda.

Fun times with the unveiling of the Arizona Centennial postage stamp, patriotic songs, bands, speeches and more. The stamp is beautiful and it is a FOREVER stamp. The Elks Theatre was open for tours with Historymaker Elisabeth Ruffner meeting and greeting guests. Elisabeth also signed several Arizona Recollections and Reflections Centennial books for the League. They were the first ones sold at the event.

Historical League Tour - 10/27 "100 Years 100 Ranchers" Photo Exhibit at Sky Harbor Airport

The 2011-2012 Tour season begins Thursday, October 27, with a guided visit to Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to view the “100 Years 100 Ranchers” photo exhibit, part of the Arizona Centennial celebration. Lunch will follow at the Golden Buddha Restaurant at the Chinese Cultural Center.

Scott Baxter, a Phoenix photographer, traveled tens of thousands of miles in his Ford pickup for nearly a decade, rounding up Arizona ranchers and shooting more than 15,000 frames of film for these 100 black and white portraits. Each photograph features a rancher whose family has been working the land since statehood or longer. At Terminal 4 from October to May, the photographic legacy then moves to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg and to the Tucson Museum of Art.

James Burns, Desert Caballeros museum director, praised Baxter’s work, saying “…I can’t imagine having a state centennial celebration and not having a project like Scott’s.”

Email Judy Blackwell for details on time and cost.