Lyn's note: Please feel free to send us any pictures you'd like included. If your photos are for sale, let us know and we will put them under that category. We have a special section for that purpose. If anyone would like to buy a print of any of Herbert's photos, all profits will be donated to one of the local non-profit organizations. Here is the link to this week's Pictures of the Week.
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-122517.html
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-122517.html
Photo by Betsy Lynn
Here is your bonus round from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/sunset-122017.html
Here is your bonus round from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/sunset-122017.html
Town of Carefree Marketing newsletter
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
Lyn and Herbie,
Very nice photos and event.
Mayor Les Peterson
(Lyn's note: The Chanukah celebration)
Thank you so much for all of your support!
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Temple Chai
Lyn,
Thanks so much. This was beautifully done and now a forever memory to enjoy. I look forward to watching the videos and seeing the pictures. Have a great weekend and wishing both Herbert and you a happy and healthy new year!!!!!
Karen Acker
(Lyn's note: Karen, from Temple Chai, coordinated with Vicki to organize the Chanukah celebration in Carefree.)
Beautiful pictures! Very nice!
Alison Ballai
(Lyn's note: Alison and David Ballai read the prayers in the Family Chanukah video. Alison was commenting on the photo of the fully lit menorah and our Carefree Truth Chanukah issue. Chanukah in Carefree was Alison's idea. She owns Bosco's Biscuits in the Bashas center. Our dogs love her home baked biscuits!)
This is Hope Rosky. Thank you for taking the photos. It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife this evening.
Best,
Hope.
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
Lyn and Herbie,
Very nice photos and event.
Mayor Les Peterson
(Lyn's note: The Chanukah celebration)
Thank you so much for all of your support!
Rabbi Bonnie Koppell
Temple Chai
Lyn,
Thanks so much. This was beautifully done and now a forever memory to enjoy. I look forward to watching the videos and seeing the pictures. Have a great weekend and wishing both Herbert and you a happy and healthy new year!!!!!
Karen Acker
(Lyn's note: Karen, from Temple Chai, coordinated with Vicki to organize the Chanukah celebration in Carefree.)
Beautiful pictures! Very nice!
Alison Ballai
(Lyn's note: Alison and David Ballai read the prayers in the Family Chanukah video. Alison was commenting on the photo of the fully lit menorah and our Carefree Truth Chanukah issue. Chanukah in Carefree was Alison's idea. She owns Bosco's Biscuits in the Bashas center. Our dogs love her home baked biscuits!)
This is Hope Rosky. Thank you for taking the photos. It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife this evening.
Best,
Hope.
Photo of Hope by Herbert Hitchon
With the smiles, enthusiasm and energy of the Christmas in Carefree festival still dancing like sugar plums in our heads, what better time to take stock of the past two weeks?
We lit our first Town Christmas Tree to kick off the festival. It drew nearly 3,000 guests, who were treated to the angelic voices and bells of the Phoenix Boy’s Choir followed by a Candle Light Garden Walk. It was a spectacular sign of things to come. Our first daytime parade drew 38 floats, 800 participants, and ushered in the arrival of Santa seated comfortably in a stagecoach. The participants loved the daytime venue and the spectators, most of whom were from the Foothills in and around Carefree, also enjoyed the parade on a warm sunny day. The joy and enthusiasm on the faces of the children was special.
Our weekends were full of events that delighted visitors. Highlights included the Ryan Sims Country Band, a concert that had such energy, it rocked the Pavilion. The concert was followed by a spectacular fireworks display that inexplicably seemed to have 3 grand finales! We had a Snow Village, that to our young guests seemingly could not open soon enough and closed much too early. We were entertained by the comedy of Jill Kimmel and her tribute to vets and first responders, other concerts by Marmalade Skies – the Beatles Tribute Band, and the Main Event Band, the Phoenix Youth Ballet performing excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite and Elf on a Shelf, the lighting of the Chanukah menorah, and a sprinkling of other entertainment that kept our steady stream of guests smiling. We also enjoyed a vetted Christmas market in the gardens, as well as directing visitors to our local shops, galleries and restaurants.
Christmas in Carefree 2017 has proven once again to be a true community event starting with the the tireless efforts of an army of volunteers and the Town staff. The support and coordination of the Chamber of Commerce made our first daytime Christmas Parade a rousing success. Our many donors and sponsors generously supported our efforts. The Holiday lighting within the Carefree Garden was especially magical this year.
I encourage you to take an evening walk under the desert night skies – enjoy the Christmas Tree, the lit Sundial, the many Christmas lights, the Chanukah menorah and the beauty of the Garden, and to visit our many stores, restaurants and galleries.
And, thank you Don and the Sonoran News for the exceptional front page coverage you provided leading up to Christmas in Carefree. I wish you and your many readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and a blessed Holiday Season.
Best regards,
John Crane
Vice Mayor, Town of Carefree, Arizona
Lyn,
Thank you both for all the wonderful photos and videos and the time you took to share with all of us. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and talents.
Thank you,
Mike Farrar
Lyn,
Not sure why the town gov't decided to do the Christmas Festival themselves and take it away from Magic Bird, who has done such a good job over the years. The first thing I realized was the food court was almost none resistant compared to when Magic Bird ran the festival. It reminds me of most things the gov't takes away from private enterprise....mail delivery, medical services, transportation. I'm sure many good people put huge amounts of effort into this, which they should be appreciated for and thanked publicly.
I'm wondering, what was the general opinion of Carefree residences, and cost difference this year verses when private enterprise did the event ? Maybe my opinion is tainted because I could stock up of Giovanni Italian Sausage this year which was always the highlight of the food court and had a huge following....lol......I went to the food court and spent 0 this year, verse a daily trip to the food court in previous years, where I not only spent $$$$ on great food, but did a fair amount of vendor shopping.
Respectfully,
A. Bard Boand
Carefree, AZ. 85377
(Lyn's note: Hi, Bard. First, let me say that Carefree government is very different than state or federal government. State and federal government make me shudder too. Carefree's Council consists of citizen volunteers who are doing community service. The staff is small, personal and dedicated, not the typical "big government" workers and paid politicians.
The Town decided to extend the Christmas Festival to a 3 week/4 weekend event in order to draw people to Carefree for the entire month. Some of the local restaurants were complaining that the extensive food court was taking business away from them. The restaurants have the disadvantage of brick and mortar costs. But I will pass along your request for the sausage food truck to Town Hall. Much of the grunt work was done by staff members Gina Kaegi and Vicki Zimmerman and by Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer, who I have copied on this. Bard, if you like Italian sausage, I would highly recommend Alberto's restaurant in the Mariachi plaza. He makes his own Italian sausage, and it's one of our favorites. Total yum! Here's his website.
http://albertocarefreeaz.com/
I don't know what the cost difference was, but we had a healthy response from local merchant donors and corporate donors to help underwrite some of the Festival costs. My "job" with the Festival for years has been to hit up the local merchants for cash donations to help fund it, and I again got well over $7,000. Numerous corporate sponsors, like APS, stepped up with bigger donations, as usual. I am not part of that soliciting, although I got some pretty healthy donations from a few of the local merchants. Some of the features within the Festival charged small fees too, a new cost recovery feature this year. It is also the first year Chanukah was included in the Festival, and that was lots of fun. The daytime parade seemed popular, and everyone watching and participating seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. As usual, Herbert photographed the parade, so we got to see the smiles on the faces. It is my understanding that many of the people who attended the parade were local.
Many artists and residents were complaining that there were too many art festivals, and that people saw the same things over and over, so the Town has gone back to only hosting the traditional 3 Thunderbird Artists shows, which feature higher end art, as opposed to arts and crafts shows. Thunderbird has been holding shows in Carefree for about 25 years. Because of the complaints about excessive arts and crafts shows, Carefree has not invited Magic Bird or Vermillion to do shows in Carefree this season. Vicki organized the Gift Market at the Christmas Festival, and this was her first time doing it, so she is very much open to helpful suggestions about what people want for next year, like the Italian sausage food truck. Thanks for your input. It's all been a learning curve.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.)
Lyn,
Thank you for the explanation and clarification of the thinking behind the town of Carefree taking on this huge task of putting on the Christmas festival. The efforts of those volunteers IS appreciated and you gave me further insight to this decision, which I thank you for. Perhaps my frustration was not only a result of the very small food court and my favorite Giovanni's sausage not being there, but my total frustration with just about everything gov't does (excluding local gov't run my dedicated residents who's efforts I do
applaud and appreciate).
Thanks again for talking the time to offer your insight, and I will try your suggestion of trying Alberto's.
Very best regards,
A. Bard Boand
Carefree, AZ.
With the smiles, enthusiasm and energy of the Christmas in Carefree festival still dancing like sugar plums in our heads, what better time to take stock of the past two weeks?
We lit our first Town Christmas Tree to kick off the festival. It drew nearly 3,000 guests, who were treated to the angelic voices and bells of the Phoenix Boy’s Choir followed by a Candle Light Garden Walk. It was a spectacular sign of things to come. Our first daytime parade drew 38 floats, 800 participants, and ushered in the arrival of Santa seated comfortably in a stagecoach. The participants loved the daytime venue and the spectators, most of whom were from the Foothills in and around Carefree, also enjoyed the parade on a warm sunny day. The joy and enthusiasm on the faces of the children was special.
Our weekends were full of events that delighted visitors. Highlights included the Ryan Sims Country Band, a concert that had such energy, it rocked the Pavilion. The concert was followed by a spectacular fireworks display that inexplicably seemed to have 3 grand finales! We had a Snow Village, that to our young guests seemingly could not open soon enough and closed much too early. We were entertained by the comedy of Jill Kimmel and her tribute to vets and first responders, other concerts by Marmalade Skies – the Beatles Tribute Band, and the Main Event Band, the Phoenix Youth Ballet performing excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite and Elf on a Shelf, the lighting of the Chanukah menorah, and a sprinkling of other entertainment that kept our steady stream of guests smiling. We also enjoyed a vetted Christmas market in the gardens, as well as directing visitors to our local shops, galleries and restaurants.
Christmas in Carefree 2017 has proven once again to be a true community event starting with the the tireless efforts of an army of volunteers and the Town staff. The support and coordination of the Chamber of Commerce made our first daytime Christmas Parade a rousing success. Our many donors and sponsors generously supported our efforts. The Holiday lighting within the Carefree Garden was especially magical this year.
I encourage you to take an evening walk under the desert night skies – enjoy the Christmas Tree, the lit Sundial, the many Christmas lights, the Chanukah menorah and the beauty of the Garden, and to visit our many stores, restaurants and galleries.
And, thank you Don and the Sonoran News for the exceptional front page coverage you provided leading up to Christmas in Carefree. I wish you and your many readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and a blessed Holiday Season.
Best regards,
John Crane
Vice Mayor, Town of Carefree, Arizona
Lyn,
Thank you both for all the wonderful photos and videos and the time you took to share with all of us. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and talents.
Thank you,
Mike Farrar
Lyn,
Not sure why the town gov't decided to do the Christmas Festival themselves and take it away from Magic Bird, who has done such a good job over the years. The first thing I realized was the food court was almost none resistant compared to when Magic Bird ran the festival. It reminds me of most things the gov't takes away from private enterprise....mail delivery, medical services, transportation. I'm sure many good people put huge amounts of effort into this, which they should be appreciated for and thanked publicly.
I'm wondering, what was the general opinion of Carefree residences, and cost difference this year verses when private enterprise did the event ? Maybe my opinion is tainted because I could stock up of Giovanni Italian Sausage this year which was always the highlight of the food court and had a huge following....lol......I went to the food court and spent 0 this year, verse a daily trip to the food court in previous years, where I not only spent $$$$ on great food, but did a fair amount of vendor shopping.
Respectfully,
A. Bard Boand
Carefree, AZ. 85377
(Lyn's note: Hi, Bard. First, let me say that Carefree government is very different than state or federal government. State and federal government make me shudder too. Carefree's Council consists of citizen volunteers who are doing community service. The staff is small, personal and dedicated, not the typical "big government" workers and paid politicians.
The Town decided to extend the Christmas Festival to a 3 week/4 weekend event in order to draw people to Carefree for the entire month. Some of the local restaurants were complaining that the extensive food court was taking business away from them. The restaurants have the disadvantage of brick and mortar costs. But I will pass along your request for the sausage food truck to Town Hall. Much of the grunt work was done by staff members Gina Kaegi and Vicki Zimmerman and by Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer, who I have copied on this. Bard, if you like Italian sausage, I would highly recommend Alberto's restaurant in the Mariachi plaza. He makes his own Italian sausage, and it's one of our favorites. Total yum! Here's his website.
http://albertocarefreeaz.com/
I don't know what the cost difference was, but we had a healthy response from local merchant donors and corporate donors to help underwrite some of the Festival costs. My "job" with the Festival for years has been to hit up the local merchants for cash donations to help fund it, and I again got well over $7,000. Numerous corporate sponsors, like APS, stepped up with bigger donations, as usual. I am not part of that soliciting, although I got some pretty healthy donations from a few of the local merchants. Some of the features within the Festival charged small fees too, a new cost recovery feature this year. It is also the first year Chanukah was included in the Festival, and that was lots of fun. The daytime parade seemed popular, and everyone watching and participating seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. As usual, Herbert photographed the parade, so we got to see the smiles on the faces. It is my understanding that many of the people who attended the parade were local.
Many artists and residents were complaining that there were too many art festivals, and that people saw the same things over and over, so the Town has gone back to only hosting the traditional 3 Thunderbird Artists shows, which feature higher end art, as opposed to arts and crafts shows. Thunderbird has been holding shows in Carefree for about 25 years. Because of the complaints about excessive arts and crafts shows, Carefree has not invited Magic Bird or Vermillion to do shows in Carefree this season. Vicki organized the Gift Market at the Christmas Festival, and this was her first time doing it, so she is very much open to helpful suggestions about what people want for next year, like the Italian sausage food truck. Thanks for your input. It's all been a learning curve.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.)
Lyn,
Thank you for the explanation and clarification of the thinking behind the town of Carefree taking on this huge task of putting on the Christmas festival. The efforts of those volunteers IS appreciated and you gave me further insight to this decision, which I thank you for. Perhaps my frustration was not only a result of the very small food court and my favorite Giovanni's sausage not being there, but my total frustration with just about everything gov't does (excluding local gov't run my dedicated residents who's efforts I do
applaud and appreciate).
Thanks again for talking the time to offer your insight, and I will try your suggestion of trying Alberto's.
Very best regards,
A. Bard Boand
Carefree, AZ.
Dear Lyn,
Thank you so much for all you do for our wonderful Town of Carefree and also for your extraordinary support of our efforts to promote literacy with our Little Free Library in the Carefree Desert Gardens!
Warm wishes,
Linda & Mark Putney
I just love the Carefree holiday greeting you put up with the sundial and Christmas tree and Alaskan malamute‘s or wolves, whatever they be.
I thank you and your husband for all you do to keep us all informed. It’s absolutely amazing, you guys are angels!!!!!!
And by the way thank you for helping me and Sal Romano find the lost dog and bring it to its rightful owner a week ago. Absolutely amazing what you guys do.
Victor Gelbron
Merry Christmas to you both ! Your wolves are so beautiful! 🎄😇
Thank you so much for all you do for our wonderful Town of Carefree and also for your extraordinary support of our efforts to promote literacy with our Little Free Library in the Carefree Desert Gardens!
Warm wishes,
Linda & Mark Putney
I just love the Carefree holiday greeting you put up with the sundial and Christmas tree and Alaskan malamute‘s or wolves, whatever they be.
I thank you and your husband for all you do to keep us all informed. It’s absolutely amazing, you guys are angels!!!!!!
And by the way thank you for helping me and Sal Romano find the lost dog and bring it to its rightful owner a week ago. Absolutely amazing what you guys do.
Victor Gelbron
Merry Christmas to you both ! Your wolves are so beautiful! 🎄😇
Me and “Maia Carefree”. She’s 9 months old 🐶
Tracy McCormick
Mary
Dear Lyn -
What a spectacular card! Thank you so much for sending it.
A Very Merry Christmas to you and your very talented husband.
Tom and I wish you both many blessings for the New Year.
Fondly,
Tom and Anne Surrency
I wish you and Herb happy holidays. I enjoy and appreciate the photography and information about Carefree. Give the "kids" an extra hug from me.
Anita Schwartz
Love the trolley and the new consignment shop. Have you visited it yet?
Laurie Palace
(Lyn's note: Yes, the trolley is fun and the consignment shop has tons of neat stuff!)
Nice firemen just put a lockbox on the fence of my front door area
on case of a —-whatever—there is a key to my front door-in it—--
I have been thinking about doing it for ages. They said you write it up.
Happy everything to a fabulous couple.
Loraine Simons
Dear Lyn -
What a spectacular card! Thank you so much for sending it.
A Very Merry Christmas to you and your very talented husband.
Tom and I wish you both many blessings for the New Year.
Fondly,
Tom and Anne Surrency
I wish you and Herb happy holidays. I enjoy and appreciate the photography and information about Carefree. Give the "kids" an extra hug from me.
Anita Schwartz
Love the trolley and the new consignment shop. Have you visited it yet?
Laurie Palace
(Lyn's note: Yes, the trolley is fun and the consignment shop has tons of neat stuff!)
Nice firemen just put a lockbox on the fence of my front door area
on case of a —-whatever—there is a key to my front door-in it—--
I have been thinking about doing it for ages. They said you write it up.
Happy everything to a fabulous couple.
Loraine Simons
Loraine, all I can add is "AMEN".
Joe Corpora
(Lyn's note: Loraine sent a very nice compliment to Herbert and me in last week's Letters.)
Joe Corpora
(Lyn's note: Loraine sent a very nice compliment to Herbert and me in last week's Letters.)