12 OCTOBER 2022 Camelback Seventh Day Adventist Church Hyatt Regency Phoenix Space Age Café State Farm Stadium Walkup Dome at NAU Hotel Vendome Round Valley Dome I t happens every year around this time – scary things keep popping up in my mind, and my thoughts turn to places and things that give credence to these mental manipulations. Ghosts, for example. Over the years, I have dealt with several supposed haunted sites. They include alleged ghost sightings in such places as the Red Garter Inn in Williams, the Hotel Vendome in Prescott, the San Carlos Hotel in Phoenix, Coal Mine Canyon on the Navajo Reservation near Tuba City, the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff and the La Posada in Winslow. I have spent extended time in each of those but have never seen an apparition. One believer said it’s because I don’t believe. What I do believe is that several structures across Arizona might give rise to a belief that unidentified flying objects once landed here. And although they didn’t survive the desert heat and summer monsoons, they did influence present-day architecture. At least, that’s what I think about as Halloween approaches. These structures, for example: The Walkup Dome in Flagstaff and Round Valley High School Dome in Springerville look like flying saucers. They’re big, they’re round, and they both can hold a multitude of life forms. They closely resemble many of the sketches and drawings created by UFO adherents. The Walkup Dome, located on the campus of Northern Arizona University, is the world’s largest wooden domed stadium and can hold 15,000 earthlings. Some of them are dressed in strange costumes on certain autumn days, making them appear extremely large and bent upon destruction. The Round Valley Dome has room for 10,000 humans and is the site of many unearthly activities, such as racing madly around an oval track and throwing a leather spheroid through a net-lined metal hoop. Both are enispheres – another word for “domes.” And although both are used for athletic events, neither educational institution nicknamed its athletes The Aliens, Martians, Spacemen or, worst of all, the Plutos. The meeting hall at the Camelback Seventh Day Adventist Church in Scottsdale bears a close resemblance to the two school domes, but it’s substantially smaller, with a capacity of fewer than 1,000 people. It’s painted a sort of tan, probably so it would blend into its desert surroundings and wouldn’t be noticed after landing there. At least, that’s what my mental state switches to every time I pass the building on the corner of Camelback and Hilltop Roads. A couple of left-behind spaceships now serve as eateries. Diners at the Space Age Cafe in Gila Bend sit under a saucer that measures 28 feet across and features a three-tiered space mural rising to a 28- foot ceiling. The Compass Lounge and Restaurant is a vast circular facility on the 24th floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Phoenix. Unlike the others, however, this one moves. It makes a complete revolution every hour, giving patrons a 360-degree birds-eye view of the city. Those looking forward to spinning around while eating will have to wait until December when it reopens after a renovation. The most recent addition to Flying Saucer Architecture is at Loop 101 and Maryland Avenue in Glendale. It’s round, huge and it cost a lot of earth dollars. It’s the State Farm Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play football. The edifice features a retractable roof, a retractable playing field, seating space for 73,000 earth-bound residents and an original price tag of $355 million. And you don’t even have to squint to notice the resemblance between the stadium and that saucer that came down from the skies in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind . And now for something really creepy: Just south of Casa Grande, on a barren spot in the Sonoran Desert that looks like a place where UFOs go to die, a series of abandoned buildings resemble giant, unhealthy caterpillars facing a wrecked flying saucer. They’re actually concrete domes, once covered with chemical foam by an electronics firm that intended to manufacture circuit boards on the site. The worm-like buildings were scheduled to be the workplaces, and the saucer was designed to be the company headquarters. But the project never materialized, and the site was abandoned. Now the ruins sit, eerie and spooky, awaiting a city plan to demolish them. Believe it or not, Arizona’s got ‘UFOs’ The Lowe Road A former Valley newspaperman who now writes about his travels across Arizona, the U.S. and the globe. BY SAM LOWE 602.399.8540 debbiefrazelle.com dfrazelle@cox.net PAST P AST P ARCADIA PTO VP T O VP T PAST P AST P H AST H AST OP H OP H I OP I OP P I P I TA PRESIDENT P RESIDENT P ARCADIA RESIDENT FO F O F R O R O OVER OV ER OV 30 ER 30 ER YEARS Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Agents Debbie Frazelle | CLHMS | ABR Say hello to this quintessential custom-designed Arcadia Ranch home priced to sell fast in one of the most highly sought neighborhoods. Fully remodeled in 2017 & recently transformed into a 4BR 3BA, this home features an open floor plan & giant chef’s kitchen with large island. The electric skylight, vaulted ceilings & wall- to-wall custom sliding doors offer endless natural sunlight. Best of all is the breathtaking resort-like backyard on a 10,000 sq ft lot with views of Camelback Mountain, diving pool with Baja step & huge covered outdoor living area. Centrally located on a tree-lined street, this house is move-in ready with new HVAC & water heater installed just this summer. 4520 E EARLL DRIVE 4718 N 35TH WAY Charming well maintained Classic Ranch home on a tree-lined street, reminiscent of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, in the heart of Arcadia Lite. This 2243 sq ft 3BR 2 BA light, airy home boasts an open floor plan with an updated kitchen, granite counters and a large centerpiece kitchen island for entertaining. The Bonus room with laundry is perfect for a home office or crafts. The lush resort-like backyard with mature landscaping, green grass & multiple patios have a fenced sparkling blue pool. A short walk to La Grande Orange, great schools, fine dining, shopping & the airport. Alley behind the home has been abandoned. This home should not be missed! Price reductions on these wonderful homes in Arcadia

40th Street & Camelback