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An Antique Store that Car Buffs Can Get Revved Up About

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For Steve, it’s a labor of love.

Steve Whitten, co-owner of Prescott Antiques, says his store draws happy shoppers because there is something for almost everyone, including a unique collection of automobile memorabilia.   

Aside from the classic cars for sale in the car lot across the street, Whitten showcases items related to classic cars, trucks and hotrods in the shop.

Prescott Antiques features antiques and collectibles from 35 vendors in two buildings: one three-story building and one two-story building. The main building also has a bakery in the basement, complete with a classic jukebox. Pastries, muffins, cookies, breakfast sandwiches and coffee are among the offerings.

The antiques and collectibles include autographed baseballs, vintage baseball card packs and sports memorabilia, as well as jewelry, coins, glassware and Western regalia such as saddles. Prescott Antiques buys entire estates and collections.

Whitten, who opened Prescott Antiques about three years ago with his wife, Rhonda, said he has enjoyed antiques since he was a teenager.

“I always liked antiques and the classic cars. It was always the plan to have the classic cars along with the antiques. I loved going to garage sales as a kid and my dad got me interested in cars. For years, I was a buyer, not a seller. It was a hobby and three years ago we decided to turn it into a business,” he said. “We have a little bit of everything.”

Whitten also finds the business side interesting, as he’s been collecting items for 30 years. “The fads change every 10 years. Some items cost four times as much as 10 years ago. The prices of some antiques will go up, while others will go down.”

Whitten also sees the generational changes. He said many people are more interested in the collectibles from the 1970s rather than the 1920s. He adds that Tonka Toys prices “are going through the roof” because they are popular right now. “It’s whatever people are buying or collecting at any given time.”

In the family business, Rhonda is often at the cash register, while their sons Cole, 19, and Clay, 17, help out. For Steve, it’s a labor of love. “People who come in here don’t want to rush back home. They want to spend time and money. And I get to be around what I love all day. It’s just fun.” QCBN

By Stan Bindell, QCBN

Prescott Antiques is located at 915 E. Gurley. For more information, call 928-800-9776.

Photo by Stan Bindell: Co-owner Rhonda Whitten greets customers at Prescott Antiques. 

Celebrate Fall: Immerse Yourself in Nature, Be Unapologetically Messy

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I’ve learned it’s hard to “act like a lady” when nature sings to your soul and beckons you to climb on rocks and wade in rivers.

Fall is nature’s beautiful and colorful dance that gently escorts us away from long sunny days. Our aspen trees paint the high elevation mountainsides in gentle hues of autumn. Their delicate leaves float to the ground to create golden pathways that light up the woods. It’s a magical time and humans like to frolic in it.

Before McDonald’s had the ball pit, leaves were the things kids would roll around in. Leaves are fun. And that’s what I would try to explain to my after-kindergarten caregivers when they gave me that exasperated look and the sigh that followed while plucking leaves from the lacy designs on my tights again, before my mom came to pick me up.

I’ve learned it’s hard to “act like a lady” when nature sings to your soul and beckons you to climb on rocks and wade in rivers. And that’s why I love author Melissa Sevigny’s new book, “Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon.”

Through her captivating storytelling skills, Sevigny allows us to vicariously dip our toes into the mighty Colorado while immersing us in a time that was really quite limiting for girls and women.

In 1938, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter were two botanists who seemed to be driven by curiosity and didn’t mind getting messy on their journey to scientific discovery.

Sevigny writes that women of the day were not encouraged to pursue science; however, botany was socially acceptable. “Botany’s virtues were women’s virtues: gentility, innocence and modesty. Flowers, after all, reflected the qualities most treasured in women; fragility, purity and loveliness.”

Interestingly enough, women were mostly the ones who were gathering plant specimens and pressing them for researchers to study. However, as Sevigny explains, “they were not permitted to collect any plant that couldn’t be reached on a leisurely afternoon stroll.”

Of course, what these two women had in mind was no leisurely afternoon stroll. They were called to the Grand Canyon and a river that only 50 men before them had survived.

“With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world,” wrote Sevigny. “Journalists and veteran river runners boldy proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.”

Because of their efforts, we now have a catalog of thorny, spiny and spiky specimens that lived along the Colorado River more than 70 years ago, a time when humans had just begun to change the river ecosystem.

These women were pioneers, scientists and change-agents in the history of the American West. Their journey was stickery, muddy, rocky and scary at times, but because of their determination and courageous bushwhacking ways, Clover, Jotter and many other women made the path much smoother for generations of women who followed to pursue their own passions, no matter how messy they might be.

This fall, I invite you to frolic to the rhythms of nature, the beat of your heart and the calling of your soul, even if you get leaves in your stockings. QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens

Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.

Hear from Melissa Sevigny on Zonie Living at www.starworldwidenetworks.com.

Courtesy Photo: KNAU science reporter Melissa Sevigny says her new book, Brave the Wild River, took five years to research and write, including a river rafting trip down the Colorado River. It is available now on Amazon.

Arizona’s Christmas City Celebrates with Santa, Parades, Courthouse Lighting, Bonfire Festival, Outside Market, Music and Boot Drop

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“We’re excited to be kicking off the holiday season for people in Prescott and hope everyone will come out and celebrate with us.”

Arizona Christmas City organizers are planning a holiday season of free events in downtown Prescott. Festivities begin with The Holiday Light Parade & Bonfire Festival, which returns for its 26th year in Prescott on Saturday, Nov. 25, starting at 6 p.m. on Cortez St. The parade will be led by Santa and will feature more than 40 colorfully lighted floats and music from school marching bands. The parade ends on the field at Mile High Middle School, where the Bonfire Festival will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There will be music, visits with Santa and reindeer games for kids.

Attendees can also get a closer look at the illuminated floats – all parked on the field for viewing. Prescott High School and Bradshaw High School marching bands will perform at the bonfire. Entrance to the field is through the gate on Goodwin St., across from Old Firehouse Plaza.

“Prescott is a magical place for the holidays,” said Prescott Downtown Partnership Executive Director Audra Yamamoto, who organizes this event. “We’re excited to be kicking off the holiday season for people in Prescott and hope everyone will come out and celebrate with us.”

Prescott’s 41st Annual Christmas Parade and 69th Annual Courthouse Lighting are held the first Saturday in December. From 1-3 p.m. on Dec. 2, the Christmas parade will fill downtown Prescott with floats, marching bands and music – all leading up to the arrival of Santa. Kids can visit with Santa on the Courthouse Plaza after the parade until 5 p.m. That evening is the Courthouse Lighting from 6-6:30 p.m. Live Christmas music will start at 5 p.m., as attendees wait for the moment when the Courthouse and more than 80 trees surrounding it come to life in brilliant light. Fireworks follow the lighting and will light up the Courthouse from above. A free shuttle service will be offered with parking again this year.

The 35th Annual Acker Night is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 8, in downtown Prescott. The Opening Ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. on Gurley Street. On Acker Night, residents and visitors stroll through downtown Prescott, taking in the holiday lights and listening to live music from more than 500 performers. More than 100 Prescott businesses open their doors to these volunteer musicians with the shared goal of keeping music alive for local schoolkids. While admission is free, all tips to artists provide music lessons and instruments to local youth and support school music programs. A free shuttle service is provided from Frontier Village Shopping Center on Highway 69.

Next up is the 2nd Annual Christmas Village & Christkindl Market. Inspired by a centuries-old European tradition, it features holiday gift items from more than 20 local vendors, German-style foods, and a beer and mulled wine garden. The Christkindl Angel is expected to return to host the event, which also includes outdoor amusement rides, Christmas music, visits with Santa, and Clydesdale horse-drawn wagon rides around the festive Courthouse Plaza. The event will be open 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, on West Goodwin Street. Admission is free.

“Last year was our first time for the market. We’re excited to bring it back again and offer even more fun in Arizona’s Christmas City. It’s a perfect time for last-minute gift shopping and to just get in the mood for the Christmas season,” said Prescott Chamber of Commerce President Sheri Heiney.

The 13th Annual New Year’s Eve Boot Drop is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 31, on historic Whiskey Row. This jubilant celebration on Montezuma Street starts at 7:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and goes until 12:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day. The Boot Drop is fun for all ages, with boot drops at 10 p.m. and midnight. Participants can count down as the 6-foot tall, lighted cowboy boot is lowered from the Palace Building. The event also features live music, fireworks, food trucks, a carnival and giveaways.

“We’re excited to celebrate “lucky” year 13! The Boot Drop is a favorite holiday event in Arizona’s Christmas City and we’re proud to help close out all the festive activities that take place here in Prescott,” said Matt Brassard, organizer with Whiskey Row Boot Drop, LLC.

All the Arizona Christmas City events are presented by Desert Financial Credit Union, Friends of the Jersey Lilly and the City of Prescott. Quad Cities Business News, Flagstaff Business News and other local businesses are providing additional support. QCBN

For more information, visit ArizonaChristmasCity.com.

Courtesy Photo: Holiday music fills the air during Arizona’s Christmas City festivities.

Collaborative Business Leadership Book of Pivotal Moments and Bold Moves Achieves International Best-Selling Status

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“This book is about women defining who they are, not who someone else has told them to be,” she said.

The Master Speaker Trainer, Arvee Robinson, has brought 15 successful businesswomen of diverse backgrounds together to share deeply personal challenges and triumphs in the new book, “The Impact of One Voice, Volume II: Inspirational Stories of Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance.” The collaborative effort, which includes Quad Cities Business News Editor Bonnie Stevens, is a No. 1 International Best Seller on Amazon.

 “These talented authors each have a unique story about stepping beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone and bravely moving into the unknown with great conviction,” said Robinson. “Even when the unknown becomes difficult, heartbreaking, scary and messy at times, they keep moving forward until they reach a destination charted by their heart and navigated by intelligence, intuition and faith.”

 In “The Impact of One Voice, Volume II,” authors tackle their own terror barriers, rise above their circumstances, battle deep-seated negativity, stand up to narcissism, find purpose that’s bigger than their grief and surf through chaos. They have traveled through the darkness to live in the light with empowering messages about becoming who we are meant to be, without settling for less or living with limitations.

 “I feel incredibly honored to be included in this powerful book of short stories,” said Stevens. “When I wrote about surfing through chaos and how to paddle back to joy and purpose, I was transported to a time when I was a mere speck in the Pacific Ocean. I was literally at a low point – sea level – looking up at a huge volcano, feeling very small, lost and powerless. I believe it’s in defining moments like these that we have the choice to become our own heroes, and then to raise our voices in encouragement so that others can be inspired to live a life of meaning and on purpose.”

 “The Impact of One Voice, Volume II” is full of tips, steps and hard-earned wisdom for turning possibilities into reality. “When you are told, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ I believe you can!’” writes international best-selling author Jennifer Marie Pelfini, founder of Jenn Marie Living. “This book is about women defining who they are, not who someone else has told them to be,” she said. “Every woman can see a piece of her life in this book, and it will impact how they can become who they choose to be.” QCBN

“The Impact of One Voice, Volume II: Inspirational Stories of Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance” is available now on Amazon.com.

Courtesy Photo: Fifteen businesswomen have collaborated to write, “The Impact of One Voice, Volume II: Inspirational Stories of Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance.” The international best-selling book is available on Amazon. 

Grand Celebration of Art

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The CoA Exhibition and Sale is open to the public at Kolb Studio through January 15, 2024.

About the only thing better than a picture of the Grand Canyon is a painting, and Grand Canyon Conservancy’s 15th Annual Celebration of Art (CoA) showcased 24 selected artists painting “en plein air” (outside on location) along the South Rim. 

 The week-long event and fundraiser had an audience of returning fans and visitors who were captivated by the artists as their palettes brought the magnificence of the Grand Canyon to their canvases.

 “This is my first year and I’m so excited to be a part of CoA,” said artist Russell Johnson of Prescott. “The Grand Canyon is one of the first places I backpacked when I was 13 and that trip has inspired me to represent what I’m feeling when I’m here.”

 Along with Johnson, six other artists from Arizona attended, Bill Cramer of Prescott, Chris Fanning of Lake Havasu City, Matt Sterbenz of Chandler, Marcia Molnar of Prescott, Deborah McAllister of Cottonwood and Dawn Sutherland of Flagstaff.

Other artists came from as far as Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, California and Oregon.

The CoA Exhibition and Sale is open to the public at Kolb Studio through January 15, 2024. The online sales gallery can be viewed at shop.grandcanyon.org/collections/celebration-of-art.

 “Celebration of Art is a wonderful opportunity to bring a piece of Grand Canyon home with you through unique artwork while supporting the Grand Canyon Conservancy in its effort to raise money for an art venue at the canyon’s South Rim,” said Grand Canyon Conservancy Director of Marketing and Communications Mindy Riesenberg. QCBN

By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN

The Grand Canyon Conservancy is the official non-profit partner of Grand Canyon National Park. For more about the conservancy, visit www.grandcanyon.org.

Legendary Navajo Rug on Display in Winslow

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La Posada owners Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion spent a decade rescuing the huge Hubbell-Joe Rug.

One of the world’s largest Navajo rugs is back home in Winslow after changing hands seven times and disappearing for decades, including being stored in a pickup truck in Flagstaff.

The magnificent Hubbell-Joe Rug is on display at Winslow’s Affeldt Mion Museum. An exhibit of the 86-year-old rug opened Sept. 2 at the museum, housed in the restored train depot at La Posada Hotel.

At 21 feet 4 inches by 32 feet 7 inches, it was the largest known Navajo rug for 40 years until the slightly larger Big Sister Rug was completed in 1977. The Hubbell-Joe Rug is sand colored with red and black designs and patterns from ancient pottery.

Museum visitor Susan Radtke of Sun City West said she was “blown away” by the enormity and beauty of the Hubbell-Joe Rug. Radtke appreciated the complexity of the textile since she took classes and learned to weave.

“Weaving is so hard,” she said. “Dressing the loom is very difficult, but weaving is pure joy.”

La Posada owners Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion spent a decade rescuing the Hubbell-Joe Rug from obscurity, unraveling its history and finding a large enough space in which to display it properly.

“Even the Heard Museum didn’t want it because it was too big,” Affeldt said of the 695-square-foot rug.

Affeldt and Mion have continued to build on their legacy of renovating La Posada and fostering the arts in Winslow. They also renovated and operate the historic Plaza and Castaneda hotels in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Now they’ve brought back a cultural treasure to Winslow as a museum centerpiece.

In 2012, Affeldt tracked down and bought the Hubbell-Joe Rug in Flagstaff for an undisclosed sum. A Winslow businessman’s grandsons inherited the rug and stored it in a wooden box in a pickup truck with a camper shell.

A decade earlier, the rug has been appraised at $470,000, Affeldt said. “It was in surprisingly good condition. If the rug went to auction it would probably bring $1 million because there’s simply nothing like it.”

The Navajo rug’s origin and well-traveled history from coast to coast symbolically add color and texture to the precisely woven textile.

It was commissioned in 1932 by Lorenzo Hubbell Jr. to lure Route 66 travelers to his Winslow trading post. This was another roadside attraction – but far more highbrow – than the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.

“Ultimately, this was created as a marketing tool,” said Lori Bentley Law, museum creative director. “It was helping Winslow at a time during the Great Depression. People weren’t stopping in Winslow. They weren’t going to the stores. This was a tool to try to bring people and it has come full circle and now it’s an added attraction to Winslow.”

Hubbell engaged Julia Joe to weave the rug with help from her family and the Navajo community of Greasewood, northeast of Holbrook. Sam Joe built a 30- by 40-foot stone building to house a very large loom.

Community members pitched in to shear 60 white and 18 black sheep. It took two years to process the wool – dying, carding and spinning it. Daughter Emma helped with that while sister Lillie helped her mother for long days of weaving the rug for three years.

The rug was completed in 1937 and the Joes delivered it to Hubbell. But the world’s largest Navajo rug was simply too big to be easily displayed at the Winslow trading post.

Hubbell loaned it out in 1939 for the Gallup Inter-Tribal Exhibition. Two years later, he died at age 58. Brother Roman continued running the family business. The senior Lorenzo Hubbell (1853-1930) started trading with the Navajos in 1876 and, with his sons, operated as many as 30 trading posts. He was also influential in the designs and styles of rugs created by Navajo weavers.

The road show for the Hubbell-Joe Rug took it across the United States for 30 years. It was displayed at an International Travel Show in New York, New York World’s Fair, Los Angeles County Fair, Arizona State Fair and Heard Museum in Phoenix.

In 1968, the rug was a backdrop for an Indian education summit at Northern Arizona University led by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Paul Fannin of Arizona.

As business declined after World War II, Roman Hubbell sold the family’s Winslow trading post in 1949 to local businessman Kyle Bales. That included the Indian arts inventory and Hubbell-Joe Rug.

Bales’ daughter, Patricia, inherited the rug when her father died in 1959. She later passed it on to her sons.

Displaying the Hubbell-Joe Rug was a challenge for the Affeldt Mion Museum. But Winslow artist John Suttman created a cantilevered wall that enhances the viewing experience by tilting up one-third of the rug, with two-thirds lying flat.

“I think it’s really a spectacular exhibit,” said Law, museum creative director. “We’re so proud of it and so happy to see the [Joe] family’s reaction to it.”

Close to 80 members of the Joe family got a preview of the Hubbell-Joe Rug exhibit in August. It’s unclear how much Lorenzo Hubbell Jr. paid the Joe family to weave the rug, but descendants told Law the family was fairly compensated.

Affeldt and Mion donated the rug to the Winslow Arts Trust for the Affeldt Mion Museum.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5.

Mary Walker, a Gallup weaving teacher who created a conservation plan for the rug, said the rug is in good shape, despite its travels and less-than-ideal handling.   

“I’ve seen Navajo textiles woven from the 1840s and ‘50s and they’re still going strong,” Walker said. “Can it last another 100 years? Oh, I think so.” QCBN

By Peter Corbett, QCBN

Photo courtesy of the Herb and Dorothy McLaughlin Collection at the Arizona State University Library: The Hubbell-Joe Rug is displayed in this undated photo at Winslow’s Hubbell Trading Post, which is now the city’s visitor center.

Santa and Artists Come Together in Chino Valley

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“We want to get the community involved and have a place for artists to sell their wares,” she said.

Quad Cities Largest Christmas Arts and Crafts Show is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, at Del Rio Elementary School in Chino Valley with a visit from Santa, more than 60 vendors and thousands of shoppers expected to attend.

The arts and crafts show is the creation of P & L Events by Chino Valley businesswomen Patty Lindsey and Lorette Stewart. The duo helped the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce with hosting events in the past.

Vendors will be selling jewelry, pottery, wood art, linens, Western shirts and other clothing. There will also be an author’s table. P & L will have coffee, hot chocolate and finger food available. Some of the vendors will sell packaged food. And Santa will be there with a festive backdrop for photo opportunities with children.

“This is a chance for artists to showcase their work and for people to share joy,” said Lindsey, adding that most of the vendors are from the Quad Cities area and all of the products are made in the United States.

She expects Friday to be the busiest day. “If there is a specialty item you want that is one of a kind, get it Friday, because it could be gone by the next day.”

Chino Valley Morning Lions Club will receive some of the proceeds from the arts and crafts show, which will help pay for eye exams and glasses for kids.

Meanwhile, P & L is looking for locations for more events in Chino Valley and the greater Prescott area and may have a spring arts and crafts show as well. “We want to get the community involved and have a place for artists to sell their wares,” she said.

Lindsey and Stewart previously helped the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce with the Jingle Bash Arts and Crafts Show. “This gives everyone a chance to shop local and support local vendors,” said Lindsey.

Admission is free. Vendors pay $100 per space. Vendor applications can be picked up at Chino Ship and Copy. For more information, call Lindsey at 714-651-7648. QCBN

By Stan Bindell, QCBN

Photo by Stan Bindell: Patty Lindsey with P & L Events showcases her art and helps other artists display theirs.    

Sinema Announces Nearly $750,000 to Flagstaff-Based Agriculture Training Veterans Program

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 The program aims to increase the number of Arizona veterans pursuing careers in agriculture through comprehensive, hands-on and immersive training.

Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema has announced $749,952 to Flagstaff’s Painted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc., funding designed to support a training program for Arizona veterans pursuing careers in the agriculture industry.

 “We’re proud to announce critical support for Flagstaff’s training program that will empower Arizona veterans to build successful careers in agriculture by helping build meaningful relationships and connections with other Arizona farmers and veterans,” said Sinema.

 The program aims to increase the number of Arizona veterans pursuing careers in agriculture through comprehensive, hands-on and immersive training. The program’s teaching curriculum includes 33 different classes on topics ranging from horticulture – the science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants – to personal finance, a network of host farms willing to admit participants for one-week internships, and dynamic support for participants to move beyond the program and develop successful careers.

The senator’s office states that participation in this program will allow Arizona veterans to meet and connect with other veteran farmers and agriculture professionals. QCBN

Army Veteran Calmed by Pit Bull Service Dog

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Everhart, who lives in Tucson, says Bennett saved his life. His only complaint is that Bennett gets more attention.

“Not all disabilities are visible,” declares a patch sewn to the vest of Bennett, the service dog of Nic Everhart. Everhart and Bennett are a striking, unusual pair: Everhart is an Army veteran with non-combat PTSD; Bennett is a pit bull — not your average service breed. Their stories are equally unique and how they ended up together is truly inspiring.

Everhart’s Story

Between 20% and 30% of combat veterans suffer from PTSD annually, depending on where and when they are deployed. Everhart never deployed or saw combat, making his situation less common; his PTSD derives from the plummet in his physical and mental health after a shoulder injury sustained in a 2013 training exercise progressively worsened. Anxiety, night terrors, depression and constant irritability with spikes of rage added to Everhart’s chronic physical pain. This led to a year of binge drinking and eventually a DUI. “I wasn’t an alcoholic,” he said, “but I was self-medicating.”

Two major, disturbing incidents sparked his wake-up call: first, an attempted suicide in 2018; later, uncontrolled rage at his mom, who then encouraged him to consider a service dog for PTSD. Everhart embarked on a six-month search to find a program, but nearby organizations did not have dogs ready. He temporarily gave up in frustration, until he spent two weeks taking care of his brother’s German shepherd.

Impressed by the dog’s ability to intuitively notice and soothe his mood changes, Everhart was convinced he needed a companion animal. His PTSD-fueled temperament issues got him researching breeds labeled aggressive. He wanted to be able to relate to his future dog. He found the American Pit Bull Foundation (APBF) website, where he learned of their shelter-to-service program. Operation Sidekick pairs vets with pit bull service dogs. This Charlotte, North Carolina, group saw an opportunity to save people from PTSD-provoked military suicides and pit bulls from being euthanized.

After years of feeling broken, abandoned and shamed, Everhart felt a special kinship with pit bulls, who he believes have been similarly stigmatized. He immediately began communicating with APBF Founder and CEO Sara Ondrako, who would coach him through the extensive, interview-heavy process. Pairing humans with service dogs is neither quick nor simple. As Everhart said, “It’s not just, ‘Here’s a dog, here are the commands, go forth’…” The process requires intensive vetting and training of both parties. Two months into this, Ondrako called him with the news: they’d found a potential canine candidate. Everhart travelled to Illinois to meet the now one-year-old Bennett. If the two bonded, they could launch into training.

Bennett’s Story

Bennett was in a litter of 10 American Staffordshire Terriers puppies, also called American Pit Bull Terriers, who all contracted parvo, a highly contagious virus. Given to a rescue organization, seven survived with help from a partner veterinarian. They were then donated to APBF, where Bennett was the sole qualifier for the service training program.

When Bennett met Everhart, they seemed to be a perfect fit right away. Ondrako was amazed by how quickly they bonded, declaring them “…peas in a pod.” Those who see them together in public may notice how Bennett lies crossways to Everhart, using his body as a protective barrier.

Bennett has helped Everhart socially, bringing out his natural calm. He’s highly perceptive and adept at noticing the slightest cues of rising anxiety, from changes in breath rate or smell, to nervous ticks like leg-rubbing. Once cued, he employs a progression of tools to get Everhart’s attention: nudges and nose “boops” against the leg; next, a quick yelp. If neither works, he’s trained in deep pressure therapy (DPT), and will sit on Everhart’s lap or — during night terrors — his chest.

With the vest on, Bennett is a hyper-aware medical service dog. When the vest is off, he’s a rambunctious 2-year-old. However, with or without the vest, he bounces back into work mode if he sees Everhart showing any signs of anxiety.

Everhart, who lives in Tucson, says Bennett saved his life. His only complaint is that Bennett gets more attention. QCBN

By Melissa Barrow

For more information about Operation Sidekick, visit https://apbf.dog/programs/os/.

PAAR Honored by Arizona Realtors for Community Service

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“We are thrilled to be recognized for giving back to the Quad Cities,” said PAAR Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Westrum.

The Prescott Area Association of Realtors (PAAR) received the annual Community Service Award from the Arizona REALTORS on Thursday, Oct. 19.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for giving back to the Quad Cities,” said PAAR Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Westrum. “Realtors aren’t just here to write up contracts, they live in these communities, too, and want to make them the best communities by supporting civic and non-profit organizations.”

PAAR includes community service as part of its strategic plan. Just in the last year, the organization has conducted two food drives for the Chino Valley Food Bank, packed more than 350 care packages for Prescott Meals On Wheels, created an Early Childhood Development Nook at the Prescott Valley Public Library, collected Coats for Kids and held a towel drive for the Yavapai Humane Society.

PAAR also sponsored the 4th Annual Quad Cities ATHENA Leadership Awards in September. “Our membership is mostly women. Our president and president-elect are women,” said Westrum. “We wanted to participate in a program that recognizes and supports women in leadership.”

PAAR, made up of more than 2,500 members, is a non-profit organization that manages the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of homes for sale, advocates for private property rights and fair housing, and offers educational classes for realtors.

“We have a school in the Prescott area where real estate agents can take continuing education classes for their education and code of ethics requirements,” said Westrum.

PAAR President Faye Humphrey, broker/owner of KMF Real Estate, accepted the Community Service Award on behalf of the organization at The Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park during the Arizona REALTORS Leadership Conference. QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN

Photo Caption: PAAR members gather at the Chino Valley Fire Department for a food drive.