42 MARCH 2022 By Rachael Bouley Have you been driving around Arcadia lately and noticed a bright blue VW bus at Sip Coffee & Beer or Tarbell’s Wine Store? If so, you might be surprised to learn it’s not just any old vintage vehicle, but rather a local pop-up flower shop selling blooms right out of the cab. Ann Barker, the owner of Annie’s Flower Truck, developed a lifelong love of flowers that eventually blossomed into a small business in November 2020. She said that she hasn’t looked back since, taking her reconstructed 1964 VW Single Cab along and making the most of a new opportunity after retiring from a successful corporate career in sports and event marketing. “I was doing some freelancing and was spending way too much time on Instagram, where I discovered f lower trucks,” Barker said. “I fell in love with them. They make people happy, and make me happy. Every pop-up is an event with the opportunity to create a memorable experience for the guest and spread a little bit of joy.” Having worked with professional sports teams and large-scale events like the NFL Super Bowl, PGA Tour and NASCAR, Barker said she enjoys creating new memories with people. Now, she can combine both her professional and personal passions. Annie’s Flower Truck gives customers the chance to create bouquets with fresh flowers of their choosing. “On the bus, we have 16 different flowers and a half dozen types of greens or stems to fill out the bouquet,” Barker explained. “Guests know the person they are buying flowers for, so they choose the flowers with that person in mind. They create the bouquet, which makes it more meaningful.” Of course, Barker has to give her beautifully restored bus some credit. “The vintage bus also attracts a lot of attention. You have to love it!” Barker is always happy to help, whether customers are stopping by for a bouquet to brighten someone’s day or fielding calls from other floral enthusiasts interested in starting a flower truck. She’s even finishing an eBook outlining what she’s learned about starting and running a mobile business. When asked why she loves flowers, Barker references Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “The earth laughs in flowers.” She said she appreciates the sweet surprise and joy and loves sharing blooms with the community through pop-up collaborations at local valley businesses, which are just some of the perks of her venture. “The best part is establishing your own business identity, the flexibility, and in my case, working side-by-side with my dearest friend, Joal Redmond. We have been on many adventures together in our careers. I also enjoy collaborating with other businesses to lift each other and support each other,” she said. Barker hopes to do more private events with companies and clubs who want to thank their employees, customers, or members with custom bouquets. “We also have a bouquet bar during the months when it is too hot to take the flower truck out. And we offer the bus as a bar for events – filling troughs with beer and wine or bubbles – one of my other favorite things. Bubbles with Blooms, it’s kind of perfect!” she said. anniesflowertruck.com Mobile shop offers flowers on-the-go The 1964 VW Single Cab bus was restored by Robert Skinner. Barker built the flower displays in the truck herself. Fun fact: This exact bus was used in the Bruce Lee movie Birth of the Dragon ! PHOTO COURTESY OF ANN BARKER Ann Barker It’s easy to recognize and nominate your favorite teacher for Teachers We Love! Just fill out this form and mail, fax or drop it by our office. OR, you can nominate a teacher online at arcadianews.com Be sure to include details about why your teacher is great (more details = better chance of winning!) Do you know a teacher who really makes a Difference? Teacher/Administrator Name: ___________________________________________ School Name: _________________________________________________________ Your Name: ___________________________________________________________ Your Email Address: ___________________________________________________ Your Phone Number: ___________________________________________________ How does this person make a difference? ________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Teachers We Love c/o Arcadia News • 3850 E. Indian School Rd., Phx, AZ 85018 or fill out a nomination form online at: www.arcadianews.com Send Entries to: Winning teachers will receive recognition in an upcoming issue of the Arcadia News and special prizes. Thank you to our sponsors:

43 MARCH 2022 By Cliff Summerhill The Phoenix Observatory Association, later renamed the Phoenix Astronomical Society, was founded in 1948 by Amos Hoff, a professor from Phoenix College. The members of PAS have a few goals in mind. One that’s at the top of the list is learning and exploring everything they can about the night sky and sharing it with others, whether that be through education about the vast regions of space or something as simple as setting up a telescope. “Back in those days, there were more women in astronomy classes than men,” President Stuart Brackney said. “There was not a lot of information or exploration about what was going on in the night sky at that time.” Over the next 70 years, the society became a hub for curious minds and those looking to explore. They offer how-to resources for stargazing equipment, real-time data on the solar system and countless resources for those looking to expand their knowledge. “We are not necessarily a research society,” Brackney said. “We’re more of a hobby club that has serious astronomers in it, but that’s also open to everybody.” The mission of this group is to help stargazers learn more about the ever- changing elements of our solar system. The society hosts monthly “Star Parties” that are open to the public to showcase the wide array of intriguing night sky features. “We have our guys and gals take telescopes out and allow the general public to see what’s glowing up there,” Brackney said. The society meets at Paradise Valley Community College and hosted their first in-person Star Gazing Party of the past couple of years in February. PAS also hosts several guest speakers every month, highlighting something current or informative about the stars and planets within our solar system. Recently, they hosted Dr. David A. Williams from Arizona State University and Dr. Emily Levesque from Washington University. Dr. Levesque’s presentation spoke about a star named Betelgeuse (not to be confused with the movie Beetlejuice !). Currently, the star is dimming and may explode in the near future. According to the lecture, if you were to take Betelgeuse and place it into our galaxy as a replacement for the sun, it would engulf Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and reach all the way to Jupiter. “There is a lot of observational information for the novice and the professional,” Brackney said. He believes that offering virtual presentations has opened some doors for the club. “We are able to get guest speakers we’ve never been able to have,” he said. “We can have speakers from all over the country and will continue to host them with our in-person meetings.” The society leans greatly on partnerships that the state universities have with NASA to expand their lecture series and resources. PAS is also connected with Northern Arizona University’s astronomy program and Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory. Currently, the society has just under 100 members and hopes to recruit more in the future. While many resources are available for free to the public, it costs $25 per year to become a member. “We have the best deal north of the equator when it comes to membership fees,” Brackney said. pasaz.org Party among the stars with an out-of-this-world organization With students in 1957. Hoff retired in 1967. Amos Hoff with the Astronomy Club, 1947. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PHOENIX ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY