ARIZONIQUES

Something of an almanac, a sampler, a calendar, and a guide to places, events, and people unique to Arizona and the Southwest.

ADOPT-A-CANYON AT LAKE POWELL

An employee of Wahweap Lodge and Marina at Lake Powell figured a way to make trashy campers pay for their sins. She observed some campers littering an isolated beach on the beautiful 185mile-long lake in northern Arizona and recorded the number of their houseboat as they left. She then cleaned up the beach, packaged the litter, and after determining the boaters' address, mailed it C.O.D.

Fortunately, most boaters are conscientious about keeping the lake clean, but with more than two million visitors annually, the messy minority is highly visible. So the National Park Service, which oversees Lake Powell as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, has come up with an ingenious plan to keep the lake clean. No, the rangers aren't mailing litter to the offending boaters. Instead they are recruiting families and organizations to adopt a favorite canyon and do any cleanup necessary. The National Park Service, Del E. Webb Recreational Properties (concessioner at Lake Powell), nearby Navajo Generating Station, and Salt River Project provide the garbage bags. Mileage expense incurred on the cleanup trip is tax-deductible.

For more information on Lake Powell's Adopt-a-Canyon program, telephone the National Park Service at 645-2471, or pick up an information sheet at the Del Webb facilities at Lake Powell. With ninety-six major canyons and hundreds more side canyons on the lake, there are plenty of adoptions available.

TERRIBLE TOADS

The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine recently published a report by Dr. Michael Hitt of the University of Arizona that cited the dangers of kissing toads. Dr. Hitt tells of a five-year-old boy who suffered an epileptic seizure after putting a Colorado River toad (Bufo alvarius, the most toxic toad in North America) in his mouth. "Perhaps other cases of idiopathic [unexplained] childhood seizures may also be due to toad kissing," Hitt conjectures. His droll conclusion: "If it's true that one must kiss many toads to find one's prince, we recommend that they not be Bufos."

TRANSPLANTED RODEOS

The world's oldest rodeo makes its home in Prescott, Arizona, but some of the world's newest are in Germany. Transplanted by American military personnel, European rodeos are held at Army and Air Force bases with the U.S. Armed Forces as the major sponsor. A number of Europeans, having learned cowboy skills, compete in the events and have formed the European Rodeo Cowboy Association to make sure the sport conforms to approved standards. To date, an estimated two million Germans have seen an ERCA rodeo.

FIESTA BOWL A 'SUPER EVENT'

The Sunkist Fiesta Bowl Football Classic and the Fiesta Bowl Festival of Events have been rated among the top attractions in North America by the American Bus Association. The ABA, representing more than 3500 companies in the tourism industry, annually lists the 100 most popular events, then gives a select few the "super event" rating. For the second time in as many years, both the Fiesta Bowl Festival (forty-six activities in November and December) and the Fiesta Bowl Football Classic (January 1) have taken a well-deserved place on the "Super Events List," among such entertainment favorites as the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl, the Mardi Gras, the World Series, and the Kentucky Derby.

GOLD MINING RETURNS

The Bradshaw Mountains, south of Prescott, are said to have yielded more gold and silver than any other locale in the nation. Between 1885 and 1890, as many as 2000 individual mining operations wrested precious metals from the rocky ridges of the Crown King mining district at the south end of the mountain range, supporting a population at that time larger than Prescott, Phoenix, and Flagstaff combined. Activity continued until the early 1930s, when the United States abandoned gold currency and the price of gold plummeted. In recent times, the Bradshaws have sprouted campgrounds and summer cabins rather than gold mines, but reports from the Gladiator-War Eagle Mine near Crown King may signal the beginning of another boom. According to Nor-Quest of Arizona, owners of the Gladiator-War Eagle, the mine has been producing up to fifty ounces of gold and 350 ounces of silver a day from ore yielding 0.54 ounces of gold and 3.5 ounces of silver per ton.

FISHY FORECAST

"Call my line before you cast yours," invites Bob Hirsch, well-known outdoorsman and author of the Arizona Highways books Outdoors in Arizona - A Guide to Fishing and Hunting and Outdoors in Arizona-A Guide to Camping. You can listen to a twentyfour-hour recorded fishing forecast that combines Hirsch's forty years of Arizona fishing experience with up-tothe-minute reports from fisheries, biologists, resorts, marinas, and guides. The information is updated several times a week often daily-and only costs fifty cents a call. (If you're calling from out of state, additional charges apply.) The number is 1-976-FISH.

TUCSON AIRPORT

The nation's first municipal airport was built in Tucson, Arizona, in 1919. Originally named Fishburn Field for Randolph E. Fishburn, the chamber of commerce member who convinced city fathers of the need for the facility, the airport was renamed Tucson Municipal Flying Field in 1923. For the recently published history of Tucson International Airport, write to Tucson Airport Authority, Tucson International Airport, Tucson, AZ 85706.

IN ARIZONA IN NOVEMBER

CALENDAR

November 7 through 9, Fountain Hills. Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts. Juried arts and crafts competition, entertainment, food, and fun fill the weekend in the desert northeast of Scottsdale. Telephone 837-1654.

November 7 through 9, Wickenburg. Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival. Performers on flat-pick guitar, banjo, mandolin, and old-time fiddlers, family bands, and specialty vocalists compete for more than 6500 dollars in prize money. Telephone 684-5479.

December 1 through January 6, Tucson. The Star of Bethlehem. Learn the story behind the guiding star at the Flandrau Planetarium. Telephone 621-4556.

December 3, Tucson. Feast of San Xavier. You can attend High Mass at the nearly 200-year-old Mission San Xavier del Bac and later an Indian fiesta and celebration honoring the patron saint. Telephone 294-2624.

December 5 through 7, Tempe. Old Town Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts. The Southwest's largest arts festival features continuous live entertainment. Telephone 967-4877.

December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, and 21, Superior. Pre-Christmas exhibits of Gifts from the Desert. Arizona's world-class Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum shows how you can celebrate and interpret the desert this Christmas by making and selecting gifts from desert products. Telephone 689-2811 for reservations.

December 6, Prescott. Christmas Parade and Courthouse Lighting. Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season with a holiday parade, decorative lighting of the Plaza trees and structures, and traditional music. Telephone 445-2000.

December 7, Tumacacori. Tumacacori Mission Festival. The historic Spanish mission celebrates the diverse cultures of the area with food, arts, and entertainment. Telephone 398-2341.

December 13 and 14, Phoenix. Pueblo Grande Indian Market. Singers and dancers entertain as more than a hundred Indian craftsmen display and sell their work. Telephone 275-3452. For a more complete calendar, free of charge, please write the Arizona Office of Tourism, Department CE, 1480 East Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are within area code 602. Edited by Robert J. Farrell