Scottsdale Update - Dec. 5, 2022

HEADLINE NEWS 

Investing in Our Scottsdale. The Maricopa County Flood Control District is starting construction on the Rawhide Wash Flood Hazard Mitigation Project. The project involves a levee system to contain a 100-year flood along Rawhide Wash from Pinnacle Peak Road to a half-mile north of Happy Valley Road. The project will reduce flood risk and potential damage and remove more than 850 homes and buildings from the floodplain. Work on the first phase will extend from Pinnacle Peak Road to the Miller Road alignment. The project also includes new flood walls, existing wall improvements and landscaping.

Help Chase and Rocket make their birthday wishes come true by donating to the Arizona Humane Society. Scottsdale Police Department’s crisis response canines have December birthdays, and they are putting their paws together to host a toy and supply drive (pdf) for their four-legged friends. Drop off the following new items to any library or Horizon Park Community Center:

  • Soft dog and cat treats

  • Small fleece blankets

  • Hard dog toys

  • Cat toys

  • Dog beds

  • Chicken broth

  • Peanut butter 


PUBLIC MEETINGS

Get a head start learning about city issues, projects and activities by attending or listening in on the many public meetings we host. Here’s what’s coming up:

Learn about the responsibilities of city Boards and Commissions and how you can serve.


THINGS TO DO

Monthlong holiday celebration Scottsdazzle continues through December in Old Town Scottsdale. Attend new events and old favorites! Get all the dazzling details

This week’s highlights:

  • Gold Palette ArtWalk: Enjoy hot cocoa and holiday carols as you stroll through Scottsdale’s Art District while perusing the city’s finest works of art. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, art galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way, Old Town. Free.

  • Jingle Barre at the Bridge: Stave off the season stress – and pounds – with a barre class overlooking the Scottsdale Waterfront. Bring a yoga mat and water bottle. Attendees are encouraged to dress festive! Registration required. 9-10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, Marshall Way Bridge. $15 per person.

  • Dazzling Magic Shows: Delight as master magician Craig Davis delivers a fun-filled and highly entertaining show packed with audience involvement. Fast-moving, energetic, and full of comedy, these remarkable performances will keep the spectators on the edge of their seats. 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and 11:30 am.-1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, Marshall Way Bridge. Free.

Via Linda Senior Center hosts annual Holiday Art Show. View stunning masterpieces from students enrolled in various city art classes from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Enjoy refreshments and live music throughout the evening, as well.

Attend the Scottsdale Concert Band’s annual Holiday Pops program. The free concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, in the Scottsdale Community College Performing Arts Center, 9000 E. Chaparral Road. Instead of its usual formal wear, band members will be wearing their “ugly Christmas sweaters.” The Scottsdale Concert Band is an award-winning community band established in 1977, and it is the SCC’s longest standing ensemble. It performs a diverse repertoire ranging from timeless Big Band favorites, contemporary wind music and rousing patriotic tunes.

Help us serve up some holiday cheer at the Ugly Sweater Tennis Social. Scottsdale Ranch Park and Tennis Center hosts this “love”ly event noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Don your ugliest holiday sweater and join staff for mixed doubles tennis play. Register as a team or by yourself. Cost is $10 per player. 

Ongoing:

  • Holiday Lights through Dec. 30, at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park: Hop on board the Paradise & Pacific Railroad and experience a winter wonderland of holiday lights and displays. 

  • Scottsdale ArtWalk: Scottsdale is home to more than 100 galleries, dedicated to exhibiting the finest visual art from around the world and locally. Stroll at your own pace. 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. Specialty-themed Gold Palette ArtWalks are held 6:30-9 p.m. about once a month.

  • Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market: The market features more than 100 local growers and specialty food producers. It runs 8 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday through June at 3806 N. Brown Ave.

  • Second Saturdays @SMoCA: Make contemporary art a family tradition. Solve a puzzle, create a wearable art pendant and explore the museum. Noon-3 p.m.

  • Find McDowell Sonoran Conservancy events.

Get more events information.


PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Horizon Community Center hosts Parents Night Out. Kids grade first through fifth are invited to participate in supervised activities including games, crafts and an ugly sweater contest from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. The $15 resident fee includes pizza too! Registration is limited

Protect your identity by bringing your personal and/or commercial documents to the shredding event Saturday. It runs from 7-10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Walmart parking lot, 15355 N. Northsight Blvd. Cost is $5 per box. Learn more.    

December’s Civil War Roundtable features Jeffrey William Hunt discussing “Mead and Lee After Gettysburg; Climax of the Gettysburg Campaign.” Contrary to popular belief, the Gettysburg Campaign did not end at the banks of the Potomac July 14, but deep in central Virginia two weeks later along the line of the Rappahannock. 

The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable meets Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The lecture starts at 5 p.m.; doors open at 4 p.m. for book sales and speaker meet and greet. You can also join virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85776666048?pwd=aG1VMqeAbFwnZDO7R84KQbUU8ZaC3Q.1,Meeting ID: 857 7666 6048,

Passcode: 374195


FYI 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting town halls for veterans and families during “PACT Act Week of Action.” If you were exposed to toxic substances while serving in the military, a new law called the PACT Act may make you eligible for VA benefits and health care. The PACT Act will benefit millions of veterans of the Vietnam War, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras who were exposed to toxic fumes, burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation and other environmental hazards. Survivors of toxic-exposed-veterans—and veterans who served in specific countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia—are also potentially eligible.

The Arizona town hall runs 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Phoenix 32nd Street VA Clinic, 400 N. 32nd St. Veterans can get help enrolling in VA health care or applying for VA benefits. Bring paperwork such as your DD214 or other military paperwork. If you can’t make it, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more about the PACT Act.

The Sun Devils, the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks … the Artichokes? Scottsdale Heritage Connection at Scottsdale Public Library has a digital collection of Scottsdale Community College student newspapers ranging from 1970-2012. Find out how the Artichokes got their name, and learn about faculty, students, activities and more!

Job of the Week: Water/Wastewater Electricians I and II. The main functions of these positions include installing, repairing and maintaining conduit, wiring, cabling, booster pump circuitry, controllers, appliances, process control equipment, specialized electrical equipment and machinery for water and wastewater systems, using instruments such as voltmeters, ammeters and ohmmeters. Apply: Electrician I, Electrician II


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