Page 44 March 2015 City’s oldest theater has tradition of community support By Mallory Gleich When you think of the name Steven Spielberg, the first thing that comes to mind is probably classics like E.T. and Jaws . What you might not have known, however, is that Spielberg went to Arcadia High School and got his start at a community theater that is now known as the Phoenix Theatre. Opened in 1920, the Phoenix Theatre started out in an old carriage house as a community theater called Phoenix Little Theatre. Spielberg premiered his first film, Firelight , here. This bred another success of his: what people know as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Phoenix Theatre is the oldest and largest theater company in Arizona. Phoenix Theatre is known as a producing house in that they build their own sets, hire actors and produce their costumes; everything is done within the walls of the theater. For upcoming shows with auditions starting in April, over 700 people come to audition. There are three different theaters within the Phoenix Theatre: The Mainstage Theatre, The Hormel Black Box Theatre, and The Judith Hardes Theatre. With each of these theaters, the Phoenix Theatre helps other community theaters in the area by providing space for them to premiere their shows. The Phoenix Theatre helps with marketing and production to support the other theaters. Phoenix Theatre is a nonprofit organization that not only provides fantastic shows, but is also a helping hand in supporting the local community. The theater has an educational outreach program that works with a couple of different companies. One of these is the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center. The theater provides research center families and students with theater classes and participation in Phoenix Theatre’s summer camps. The theater also participates in the Partners That Heal program, where a team of actors visit the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and help children in various wards ease their stresses. The actors provide games and presentations that help lessen anxiety for children who will receive treatments and operations. The theater does a production for Arizona State University students attending the School of Music. The students learn from the professional actors at Phoenix Theatre and put on their own production at ASU. For the younger community, the Phoenix Theatre provides field trips and discount prices for Title I schools. Last year, the theater gave $20,000 in scholarships for over 50 students to attend theater camp during the summer. The Phoenix Theatre has a number of different sponsors, one of which is Jamie Hormel, a namesake for one of the three theaters. The theater also holds a fundraising gala and has a variety of corporate sponsors. For the 2015 season, the theater has a number of shows planned, including Anything Goes, The Up Side of Down, Christmas 2.0 , and Buyer and Cellar. The Phoenix Theatre is located at 100 E. McDowell Road in Phoenix. For more information, visit phoenixtheatre.com or call 602-254-2151. Find us on Find an Arcadia News rack location near you. Visit arcadiadaily.com click on “Get a Copy” Photo by: Anthony Zeh • John Babbitt (left) & Kraig Foote (right) Thank you John Babbitt, for 10 wonderful years! You will be missed but never forgotten... * – Kraig Foote, Art One Gallery, Inc. * A 10-year manager with Art One, John is embarking on a 3-year journey to circumnavigate the globe via sailboat. Working together with two other talented artists (a writer and a cinematographer), the crew will document their monumental trip, titled Art & Anchor. Their mission: journey around the globe, collaborating with artists from port-to-port, promoting healthy and creative living via unique projects. Through their actions, they hope to inspire their generation to keep creating and explore the arts. During ArtWalk on Thursday, March 12, Art One will host “Tacos & Tequila” - a fundraiser to benefit the Art & Anchor kickstarter campaign. Discover more about John’s project: artanchor.wordpress.com Support the project’s kickstarter campaign: http://kck.st/1KjjzJK art ne gallery Representing students of Arizona universities, community colleges and high schools, as well as other emerging Arizona artists since 1993. 480.946.5076 • artonegalleryinc.com 4130 n marshall way . scottsdale ENJOY TACOS & TEQUILA AND HELP SUPPORT ART & ANCHOR! STOP BY ART ONE FOR A VERY SPECIAL ARTWALK ON THURSDAY MARCH 12 ~ 7 - 9 PM

Page 45 March 2015 Tracey Zemer 602.478.0607 Tracey Zemer 602.478.0607 $1,950,000 4217 N Jokake Dr Scottsdale $914,800 5525 E Pinchot Ave Phoenix Eldorado on 1st 6901 E 1st Scottsdale (Will Bruder Architect) $725,000 7133 N 40th Street Paradise Valley (desert lot) $995,000 5302 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, PV (Al Beadle) $1,450,000 5735 N Harding Dr Paradise Valley $1,699,000 4954 E Lafayette Blvd Phoenix visit azarchitecture.com PRICE REDUCED SOLD 102426 ArcadiaNewsAd_Layout 1 2/17/15 8:38 AM Page 1 New routine for retired dog By Jessica Morrison Aldo, a 10-year-old recently retired police K-9 dog, is heard sniffing before he is seen entering the room at Sky Harbor Airport for his moment in the spotlight. The leashed German shepherd enters with his human counterpart, Phoenix Police Explosive Detection Officer Melina Walker, in tow. Aldo quickly circles the room, sniffing the tables, chairs and windows, demonstrating his former duties as an explosive detection K-9. Aldo’s job at the airport consisted of sniffing unattended bags, vehicles and in rare instances, planes that had been threatened with bombs. When he finishes sniffing, he is always tossed a Kong-brand dog toy, his reward for a job well-done. Acting Deputy Aviation Director Julie Rodriguez said that German shepherds are the most commonly used K-9s because of their “amazing abilities to smell.” She said Aldo is being retired due to his arthritis, which hinders his ability to get in and out of airport police trucks. “He still can do the job and he’s eager to do the job, but we opted to not just stick him on medication and keep him going, [but instead] to retire him,” Walker said. After Aldo officially retired on December 10, 2014, Walker was able to purchase him from the TSA for $1, making him her pet. K-9 dogs that live with their human partners are restricted to their own rooms and a fenced area in the backyard while in the home, Walker said. Three months before Aldo retired, Walker began to slowly integrate him into other areas of the house. He is now a normal dog at Walker’s home, where he lives with three small dogs and Walker’s new K-9 partner, a 2-year-old German shepherd named Uno. “He’s just so funny. He loves to play; he loves being at the airport,” Walker said. “Aldo wants to come to work. He hears my uniform pants when I walk and thinks he is coming to work. He starts howling and yipping when he realizes he’s not coming with me.” When Aldo finishes whining, Walker said he often jumps into the pool. The explosive detection K-9s at Sky Harbor are owned by the TSA, and the Phoenix Police Department supplies the officers to handle the dogs, said Phoenix Police K-9 Officer Derek Stephenson, who works at Sky Harbor with Walker. Walker said the dogs usually selected for detection are nonaggressive German shepherds, which are bred overseas. Stephenson said there are currently eight K-9 teams in explosive detection at Sky Harbor. He said the increased presence of the teams is not only due to 9/11, but also because of the city’s growth and expansion. After 9/11, the TSA expanded the K-9 programs at U.S. airports, Nico Melendez, spokesman for the TSA, said. “There was a very small K-9 presence at airports. After the TSA came in, we grew the K-9 presence, from basically nothing to now over 1,000 dogs.” “The most impactful thing that I’ve seen with our dogs is the response the dogs receive from passengers when they see them in the airports. The passengers seem reassured, and kids are happy to see the dogs,” Melendez said. The expansion of the K-9 program over the last 13 years has been a demonstration of our commitment to keeping dogs in airports. It really speaks to their capabilities, said Melendez. “Having a K-9 in an airport is not just about finding a bomb, it has served as a deterrent to keep people from bringing bombs into an airport.” In Christ We Grow That Others May Know Sunday Worship 8:00 & 10:45 A.M. –Traditional 8:30 & 10:30 A.M. –Contemporary 12:30 P.M. –Spanish Service Wednesday Worship 7:00 P.M. Saturday Worship 5:00 P.M. Saturday Youth-Led Worship 6:00 P.M. Sunday School / Bible Classes 9:40 A.M. (Nursery Care At All A.M. Sunday Services) 3901 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix (602) 955-4830 visit our website www.cclphoenix.org e-mail us at christchurch@cclphoenix.org Christ Church Lenten Services Wednesdays in March 11 AM and 7 PM Lutheran CHRIST LUTHERAN SCHOOL PRESCHOOL - GRADE 8 (602) 957-7010