4 OCTOBER 2026 Luna is a cattle dog/pit bull mix. She’s five years old and came to us via One Dog Arizona Rescue. She was three when we adopted her and had been living with her nine pups in back of a building in New Mexico. She’s a bit skittish around other dogs but we’re working on that. She is an absolute nutball and our best bud and can play fetch like no other! We love you Luna! – Alexis M. This is our dog Red! He is a Dutch Shepherd. He trains with K9 Defense and loves to play Frisbee. He is great with both of our little kids and is a good boy! – John P. Bear is a 1.5-year-old lab that we’ve had since he was 12 weeks old. His favorite thing to do is go swimming and play keep away. Bella is a Pomeranian/Chihuahua – she’s 16 years and loves sun bathing and napping. My favorite thing about both them is that they greet me every single time I come home with wagging tails and kisses. – Kelly B. Ming Ming is a two-month old gray tabby. Her favorite thing to do is play with a remote control toy mouse and chase around the backyard. My favorite thing is when she purrs instantly as soon as she sees me. She’s so loving and playful! – Bonnie B. EDITOR’S NOTE Normally, I wouldn’t start my editor’s note off with a comment about the weather, but it’s currently pouring rain and – being the craziest amount I’ve seen thus far in 2026 – it felt worth commemorating, especially because gloomy weather makes me feel more October than anything else. The pumpkins have been staring me down at Costco since August so cloudy skies really set the mood. This month’s edition feels chock- full of everything Arcadia. We showcase our Lady Titans flag football team, which debuted for a third year, now under Head Coach Mark Kelley. Kick off resulted in a loss against Scottsdale Christian, but these girls are full of grit and ready to redeem themselves through the rest of the season. A trip to the California coast became a new business for Arcadia couple Art and Kathy Rowland, who have been baking shortbread cookies out of their kitchen for the past five years. The duo grabbed some ‘cash register cookies’ from Bouchon Bakery – and the rest is history. Art says his favorite part of baking is the many flavor combinations one can come up with – no ingredient is off limits. October is really the start to fun holidays events; Halloween and Oktoberfest are well-known, of course, but there are also fall markets, pumpkin and apple patches, ghost tours, haunted houses – you name it, someone is probably celebrating it. We’re diligently working on our upcoming edition and excited for the months to come. Thank you for reading the Arcadia News, and happy October days! – Mallory Gleich UPCOMING THEMES: No one has better coverage in the areas of Arcadia, Biltmore and the Camelback Corridor. Promote your business to 45,000 loyal Arcadia News readers. For more: call/text 602-840-6379 or email ads@arcadianews.com .       Would you like to share your pet? Send a photo and a description (50 words max) of your pet to editor@arcadianews.com or text it to 602.840.6379 . Include your pet’s name and age, along with any fun facts about them you’d like to share. All animals are welcome! “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.” – Robert Brault Christ Lutheran School Preschool - Grade 8 • www.clsphx.org LC-MS 3901 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix | www.cclphoenix.org | (602) 955-4830 LOVE GROW SERVE IN-PERSON WORSHIP Traditional Worship 8:00am/10:45am Contemporary Worship 8:30am/10:30am Teaching Service 9:30am ONLINE WORSHIP Sunday @ 8:am/10:30am FB Live or CHRISTCHURCHPHX.ONLINE.CHURCH Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Best Chicken Nuggets & Tenders! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Best Shrimp & Chips in the Valley! Drive Thru/Take-Out is Our Specialty! 20% off any order over $15.00! Off er expires 10/31/26. Valid with coupon only. Present coupon at time of purchase. May not be combined with any other offer. 1 coupon per person. Valid at all 8 locations. No cash value. Coupon cannot be reproduced. Phone orders taken till 10:00pm Monday thru Saturday. Closed Sundays. 602-840-0630 4121 N. 44th St., Phoenix Cash only. ATM on Patio. VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 VOTED BEST LOCAL BURGER IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2020, 2022 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2021, 2025 VOTED BEST TAKEOUT IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2023, 2025 VOTED BEST LOCAL BURGER IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2025 VOTED BEST OF THE BEST SEAFOOD AND TAKEOUT IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2025 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE GLENDALE STAR 2020, 2023, 2025 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN LOVIN’ LIFE 2023, 2024, 2025 VOTED BEST LOCAL BURGER IN LOVIN’ LIFE 2024 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE MESA TRIBUNE 2025 Family Owned & Operated Since 1947 Eight Valley locations to serve you

5 OCTOBER 2026 By Michael P. Murphy Art Rowland didn’t realize it when he impulsively bought a small bag of cookies at a California winery a few years ago, but it was the start of something. Those classic shortbread cookies were so good that Art decided he wanted to replicate the recipe when he returned home. He was a banker by trade and admittedly not a culinary expert, but he knew how to bake cookies. After experimenting with several recipes, Art produced one that satisfied him; then he and his wife Kathy took a batch to a party and received more than a few compliments. Knowing this, a realtor friend contacted them about a different kind of sales promotion, and she wasn’t interested in using store- bought cookies. “She put some of our cookies in a bag, attached her business card, and that was what she would leave behind when she made business calls,” Art said. He set up an LLC and a bank account because they needed to invoice the sale. That’s when Art and Kathy decided to set themselves up as a small business, in case they wanted to keep baking and selling. After all, Art’s shortbread cookies were exceptionally good, and the possibility of more demand was there. “We sat on it because it was such a busy time,” Kathy said. “Then I retired from the medical supply business. My last day was a Friday, and on Monday I got my food handler’s license.” Art secured a web domain name, found a designer to create a website, and learned how to package professionally. Their daughter designed a logo and the family easily settled on a brand name. The Art of Shortbread launched in November 2022 as a licensed Arizona cottage business. “Right in the middle of the holidays!” Kathy laughed. Over time, they received requests for a variety of different flavored cookies, and Art was always willing to experiment. For instance, he learned to skin an apple, then chop, shred, and dehydrate it to create a flour-like consistency, then replace cooking flour with the apple to create the apple pie flavor. “Arcadia has plenty of citrus, so we use our own oranges for the orange-cranberry flavor,” Kathy said. “We use a lot of lemons, limes, and locally produced vanilla.” “And we bake to ord er,” Art said. “Because we want the cookies to be as fresh as possible for our customers. We deliver within 48 hours.” There are currently 35 different flavors offered on The Art of Shortbread website. So far, the duo has supplied cookies for weddings, showers, and corporate events. Art even created a butterbeer cookie, complete with sprinkles, representing the four houses of Hogwarts. Packages of Art’s cookies can be found at a handful of local restaurants, just like when Art rediscovered his love for shortbread cookies at the California winery years ago. theartofshortbread.com A sweet little business – that started with a cookie Art and Kathy Rowland launched The Art of Shortbread in 2022 and it now offers 35 flavors of shortbread cookies. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHY ROWLAND PHOENIX COUNTRY DAY