The Daily News: Age

The Daily News: Age: The recent passing of Colorado River Legend Martin Litton turning my thinking to "Age." No matter what our age, we tend to ...

Cottonwood Leaders Meet with Congressman Paul Gosar at Schoolhouse Restaurant

Photo, from left, Mayor Diane Joens, Congressman Paul Gosar, Cottonwood Economic Development Director Casey Rooney, President and CEO of Northern Arizona Goodwill Industries David Hirsch, Cottonwood City Manager Doug Bartosh, Mingus Union High School Superintendent Paul Tighe, Verde Valley Medical Center President and CEO Barbara Dember, and Schoolhouse Restaurant Chef Christopher Dobrowolski. 

By Diane Joens

Congressman Gosar's Washington DC staff called me last week and informed me the Congressman would be in town touring a local cancer center and Home Depot, and wanted to meet for lunch. I put together a team of different leaders in the community including representatives from economic development, jobs, municipal government, schools and health care. Today we enjoyed lunch in Cottonwood at Schoolhouse Restaurant. We talked about water issues, changes in the health industry and school funding through Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT. PILT is received by schools, counties and other agencies for land owned by the federal government, referred to as federal or public land, which is exempt from local property taxes. The PILT program provides payments to counties and other local governments to offset losses in tax revenues due to the presence of tax-exempt federal land in their jurisdictions. With all the cuts during the recession, every little bit helps the schools with our students' education. President Dember of VVMC shared the excellent partnership between VVMC and Verde Valley Caregivers, where return visits to the hospital have been greatly reduced...one of the lowest rates in the nation. Congressman Gosar was very interested in how that program works, and President Dember will be sending him more information.

We talked about job diversity and the need for livable wages. We shared information about the Holocaust program that Doug Bartosh teaches and the Congressman is interested in learning more. The course reminds each and every criminal justice professional that their true role is to uphold the U.S. Constitution and enforce individual rights and liberties for everyone.

We also met Congressman Gosar’s legislative assistant Trevor Pearson, who was quite knowledgeable. Mr. Pearson grew up in Williams, Arizona.

It was interesting how many topics we were able to cover in a short hour, but we got it done! Thank you Congressman Gosar for spending so much time in your district with your constituents.

The know. Northern Arizona.: The Cottonwood Tropics

The know. Northern Arizona.: The Cottonwood Tropics: Delicious! is the word that comes to mind as I think about this little diamond in the desert! The first time I visited the Tropical Dreams H...

Funeral procession for Tommy Mulcaire

Published on You Tube on Sep 6, 2014

Tommy Mulcaire's funeral was held in Cottonwood, Arizona on Sept. 6, 2014. Following his instructions, the survivors gave him this final send off. Brian Bolton drove the flatbed semi in honor of his friend. Rest in Peace Mr. Mulcaire. You gave a lot to your community. http://www.verdenews.com/main.asp?Sec...
Video by Paul Joens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEW3f3xTH_0&feature=youtu.be

Free Swim N BBQ Luau Planned at Cottonwood Pool

Tickets are Limited and Available at the Cottonwood Rec Center

A Let’s Move and Fit Kids Special Event

COTTONWOOD, Ariz. (July 30, 2014) A Swim N BBQ Luau for children is planned at the Cottonwood outdoor pool on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. The pool is located at 100 Brian Mickelsen Parkway. There will be swimming, music and games. This special event will focus on the Let’s Move and Fit Kids themes of healthy living for children and their families. 

Several lucky kids will win one six-month pass, three three-month passes and six one-month passes to the Cottonwood Recreation Center.

Verde Valle Medical Center will present a demonstration on cooking on a barbecue the healthy way. Kids will enjoy a fun luncheon of chicken kabobs and watermelon.

It’s all free, but tickets are limited. Tickets are available at the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Center. For more information call 639-3200 or email Mayor Joens at djoens@cottonwoodaz.gov. The Cottonwood Recreation Center is located at 150 South Sixth Street in Cottonwood.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Cottonwood Mayor and Council, Fit Kids Arizona and the Verde Valley Medical Center. The Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department will provide the facilities and lifeguards for the event. Verde Valley Medical Center and Fit Kids will provide the barbecue luncheon. The mayor and council have budgeted for the free passes to the Rec Center to encourage families and children to become more active.

“Access to healthy foods for the community’s children has a direct impact on the overall health of the community,” says Mayor Joens.

The rise in childhood obesity has been fueled by many factors. Limited access to affordable, healthy foods, greater reliance on fast foods, and increased television, computer, and video game use are among the changes that have contributed to the escalation of childhood obesity rates, according to information from the First Lady.

The four pillars of the Let’s Move program are helping parents make healthy family choices, creating healthy schools, providing access to healthy and affordable foods, and promoting physical activity.
The First Lady has called on mayors and elected officials from across the country to join her Let’s Move campaign, which strives to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. “The Swim N BBQ Luau will be a fun way to work on this campaign as a community,” Mayor Joens says.

Contact: Hezekiah Allen hallen@cottonwoodaz.gov

ELVIS: ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS NEVER SOLD THE STAY AWAY, JOE LP

CONTACTS:             Karin Kwiatkowski, Producer

Abby Kwiatkowski, Producer/Director

Production Phone: 928-593-9383

(Social media contacts listed below)

ELVIS:

ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS NEVER SOLD

THE STAY AWAY, JOE LP

What if there was an Elvis record that was broadcast only once, then locked away never to be heard again anywhere in the world, and never made available to the public?

What if nearly everyone involved in the project has passed away, leaving more questions than answers?

What if this authentic RCA Victor LP seemingly vanished and wasn’t catalogued until 1999, and even then was inadequately catalogued?

The story begins in October 1967 when Elvis started filming Stay Away, Joe, a Hollywood film shot on location in Sedona and Cottonwood, Arizona. While not a stand-out in Elvis’ film career, it generated a unique footnote in his musical career — a footnote all but forgotten in the coming tsunami of achievements by the King of Rock and Roll. Those eclipsing achievements included:

·       After 12 years of filmmaking, Elvis’ electrifying appearance in black leather in the 1968 NBC-TV Special  reclaimed his place as the King, and revived him musically.

·       In July 1969, Elvis began performing in Las Vegas where he set attendance records and made the live album: On Stage February, 1970.

·       In 1970, Elvis starred in the documentary, Elvis, That's the Way It Is. This critically acclaimed film gave most of the world their first glimpse of Elvis performing in his signature jumpsuits.

·       In January 1973, Elvis gave a televised concert from Honolulu, with all proceeds going to charity. Known as Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite, it was seen in 40 countries and captured more viewers than the first moon landing in 1969. The concert album reached reach No. 1 on all the national LP charts.

·       Elvis was the first performer to sell more than one billion records worldwide! He also had 165 charted hits in the U.S. alone. He is the only performer inducted into five Halls of Fame: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Hit Parade Hall of Fame, International Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

 

But back to 1967 in northern Arizona and the reason for the Stay Away, Joe LP.

Its  purpose was two-fold: First, as a 30-minute thank you from Elvis and the Colonel (Tom Parker, his manager) to the people in Cottonwood and Sedona for their kindnesses during the filming of Stay Away, Joe, and, since it aired on a Sunday morning, to introduce listeners to Elvis' two Grammy Award winning albums of gospel music.

According to “Mr. Music,” Jerry Osborne, a renowned expert on all things pertaining to Elvis: “Unbelievable though it seems, this 12-inch album was made for a one-time broadcast by only one radio station—KVIO in Cottonwood, Arizona, a tiny community southwest of Sedona. Ensuring the show ran exclusively on this station is the mention by the host during the show itself of the call letters: K-V-I-O. This fact alone negates the need for more than one copy being distributed.”

Even though a later compilation of songs from the film was commercially released, there was never an actual Stay Away, Joe soundtrack album. The LP broadcast by KVIO did not contain any of the songs from the film, but has since become known as the Stay Away, Joe LP.

In this documentary film, join the cross-country search for the Stay Away, Joe LP and more of the story behind its creation.

#          #          #

Social media links:

Know a history buff, a rare record aficionado or die-hard Elvis fan? Do you--or someone you know--have photos, home movies or audio of Elvis during his time in Arizona while filming Stay Away, Joe?
Send them our way!
You can help us with this production by spreading the word to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. We’ve created the social media links below to share your Elvis-in-Arizona stories:
We want to hear from you!

Share your stories on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elvis-in-Cottonwood/889029447789916

Email us at ElvisPresleyDocumentary@gmail.com.

Or go to Google+ at Elvis Documentary https://plus.google.com/117366919882150502677/posts.

On Twitter, you can find us at @ElvisPresleyDoc.

We're on Instagram at Elvisdocumentary.

IndieGoGo Crowd Funding Campaign (to help pay for clearances, rights and permission to use Elvis’ music, film clips and images): https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/elvis-one-of-the-greatest-albums-never-sold/x/75929#home

And here is the link to Karen Leff's historical account. Karen is owner of Cottonwood Hotel: http://www.cottonwoodhotel.com/elvispresley.html.