A Note from History – March 12
1894 – In Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA, Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.
Meet Hall of Fame ballplayers and get autographs at downtown Mesa’s Blues Baseball & Balderdash March 12 and 13.
Ferguson Jenkins, Lee Smith, Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Jay Johnstone, Pete LaCock, and Tommy Davis will all be at Blues Baseball & Balderdash March 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and March 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. signing autographs, meeting the public, and raising funds for the Ferguson Jenkins Foundation.
Ferguson Arthur “Fergie” Jenkins was a right-handed pitcher, three-time All-Star, winner of the 1971 Cy Young Award, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Jenkins played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox as well as playing basketball as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Lee Arthur Smith, a right-handed relief pitcher, played for eight Major League Baseball teams including the Chicago Cubs. Vida Rochelle Blue Jr., a left-handed starting pitcher, played for the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. Roland Glen Fingers was a relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. John William Johnstone Jr. played for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs. Pete LaCock played for the Chicago Cubs. Herman Thomas Davis, Jr., a left fielder, was best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In addition to baseball, the free weekend event will feature The Bluzmen, the ultimate tribute to the Blues Brothers, and four local blues favorites: The Insinceros, Big Daddy D and the Dynamites, Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns, and The DelRayz.
Blues Baseball & Balderdash will be in downtown Mesa at the intersection of Main and Macdonald Streets. The concerts and event are free as well as free parking.
For more information, go to www.downtownmesa.com or contact Christy Wulf at 480-890-2613.
Cowboy poet at Mesa Library
Friends of Mesa Library presents, Cowboy Poetry at the Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Rd. on Saturday, March 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Author, poet and rancher Mike Dunn, will share his experiences growing up on his grandfather’s Rail “A” Brand Ranch. From riding to herding to sharing stories, Dunn’s history and heritage dates back to the late 1800’s, when his grandfather first settled in Whetstone Mountains, southwest of Benson, AZ. A collection of Dunn’s poetry is in his book, “Somewhere Between Earth and Heaven.” Dunn is a recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award and also the Gail I. Gardner Award.
The cost is $5 per person. The proceeds benefit Friends of Mesa Library, a non-profit organization that advocates for the City of Mesa Library through fundraising and publicity. For more information about Friends of Mesa Library visit, http://www.friendsofmesalibrary.org.
A Note from History – March 11
1927 – The Roxy Theatre in New York City was a 5,920 seat movie theater at 153 West 50th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxy_Theatre_(New_York_City)
Mobility Center Holds 35th Anniversary Open House
The Mobility Center, located at 134 N. Dobson Road, Mesa, AZ 85201, will hold an open house on Friday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate its 35th Anniversary.
There will fun, food, fellowship, new product demonstrations, question and answer sessions with product representatives and free service check-ups. A surprise mystery guest will also be in attendance.
If you would like to join the fun, please RSVP The Mobility Center at (480) 890-0878.
Mesa Students Take Part in the Plastic Bag Round-up Recycling Challenge
Working in partnership with Mesa Public Schools and Bashas’ and Food City supermarkets, the City of Mesa will host a Plastic Bag Round-up Recycling Challenge from March 8-April 2 in honor of Earth Day. Elementary students at all Mesa Public Schools located within the City of Mesa will be challenged to bring in their no-longer-needed plastic grocery bags to help their class and/or school to become the top recycler. A goal has been set for students to collect and recycle one ton of plastic grocery bags.
At the end of the challenge, City of Mesa staff will calculate how many plastic bags were collected by all K-6 students. Winners in the following categories will be announced on Earth Day (April 22):
• Top Boy & Girl: The boy and girl who collect the most plastic bags in the entire district will each win a bike from Bashas’/Food City, a 1-hour ride on a City of Mesa recycle truck and have their photo featured on a recycle truck billboard sign.
• Top Class: The classroom that collects the most plastic bags in the entire district will win reusable bags from Bashas’/Food City and will have their class photo featured on a recycle truck billboard sign.
• Top School: The elementary school that collects the most plastic bags will win the 2010 Earth Day Plastic Bag Recycling Round-Up Challenge trophy!
The plastic bags that are collected will be taken to a local Bashas’ supermarket. From there, Bashas’ will send the bags to a recycling facility for processing. End uses for the material include plastic lumber, carpet and playground equipment. Even after the challenge ends, Mesa residents are encouraged to continue recycling their plastic grocery bags by taking them back to their local retailer including their neighborhood Bashas’ and Food City grocery store. Source reduction is an even better option and can be accomplished by reducing the number of grocery bags used or by using reusable bags instead.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 2.9 million tons of bags, sacks and wraps were generated in 2008 but only 390 thousand tons were recycled, equaling a 13.4 percent recovery rate.
For more information about the Plastic Bag Round-up Recycling Challenge, please visit www.mesarecycles.org.
Steve Tyrell Performing Live at Mesa Arts Center
Steve Tyrell, American jazz singer, producer, and composer, delivers his own interpretation of jazz and pop standards to Mesa Arts Center Thursday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. A Grammy winner and Emmy nominee, Tyrell has produced hits for Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David among others. Tickets are $42 and are available through the Mesa Arts Center Box Office at mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.
Beginning his career in R&B at a young age, Tyrell has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, LL Cool J, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, and Stevie Wonder. He is also well known for performing “The Way You Look Tonight” in the movie Father of the Bride.
In addition to producing hits for popular artists and movie soundtracks, Tyrell has released multiple albums featuring jazz, holiday, and Disney classics, with Back to Bacharach as his latest. Delivering a fresh take on well-known classics, Tyrell’s smooth voice is sure to please every audience.
A Note from History – March 9
1959 – the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.
A Note From History – March 8
1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
A Note from History – March 5
1966 – Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler hits #1 with “Ballad of The Green Berets”
