Desert Messenger

8 www.DesertMessenger.com March 6, 2019 Quartzsite Improvement Assoc. Part II The Rock't Band schedule VFW BOUSE Friday March 15th 5-9:00 PM PARTY AT THE PARK Sunday March 17th 2019 10:00 AM 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! We have great lunch menus, serving at 12 noon sharp! Suggested donation is only $3.50. There's cards, books, games, puzzles, pool table, Wi-Fi available. Community Services, Volunteers Needed! Come join the fun at Quartzsite SENIOR Center 40 Moon Mountain Ave. For more information call 928-927-6496 Senior Center open all year! Monday - Friday, 9am – 3pm 24 HOUR STORAGE MANAGER ON SITE 24/7 Storage units & vehicle storage Call 360-961-3866 or 928-723-6001 BEST PRICES IN TOWN! By Jackie Deal Possibly the QIA (Quartzsite Improvement Association) was birthed in tranquility, Mary Allen's book, "QIA: How Come?" doesn't say. But from that point on there was strife and acrimony. The original one acre plot donated by Jack and Tillie Brassell was, fortunately for us, deemed too small and a four acre plot donated by Sig Sigurdson was accepted. Hard feelings erupted and "about twenty original QIA members angrily with- drew." Mary Allen goes on to say "the Old timers rebelled at every step the intruders took." She also says that in addition to the "anti-QIA group," there sprung up a group of "anti-antis." The groups couldn't have been too large considering the total population but undoubtedly they were vocal enough to make up for their size. By 1973 Sigurdson donated an additional fi ve acres and $25,000 toward the building of the QIA hall. And thus amid strife and dissention, the QIA began. The QIA has expanded, the original 48x36 foot "gathering place" is now 120 ft X 140 ft. The "Big Room" is now called the Desert Sky Theater and features a stage, spotlights and new sound system. The other half of the main room is the Bingo Room and is busy with bingo and other things. The dining room also doubles as a meeting and activity room. The old craft room was turned into an Off-Road meeting room but the Off-Roaders have out-grown that room and now use the Bingo Room. The Kitchen functions almost non-stop and the Offi ce is open from 9-12 Mon- day through Friday. The rooms are constantly being rearranged: dining tables and chairs are moved around by the hard-working Custodial crew. Two, sometimes three, events a day are hosted in the Theater room. All that new space is well used. If you haven't been into the QIA; why not? Come in and learn what the QIA has to offer. The seven acres has grown to twenty fi ve acres. During the Pow -Wow the parking area is turned into 500 spaces for vendors of rocks, gems and minerals. This incredible transformation happens almost over-night. This year saw the approval for the purchase of the lot to the East of the build- ing. The new acreage even has a building on it! Everyone is frothing with ideas for its use. Stay tuned! The original offi cers were: President: Glen Fulton, Vice-President: James Cowell, Secretary: Dorothy Anderson, Treasurer: Grace Jones. Original committees were: Ways and Means, Building, Health and Sanitation, Hob- by, Beautifi cation and Public Relations. Mary Allen comments: "There were almost more committees than residents at the time." Today we have twelve or more committees or departments. All run by volunteers. And in future articles we'll cover each of them and try to ex- plain their importance to the functioning of the QIA. So as not to play fa- vorites we'll try to cover them alphabetically. Welcome to the QIA. Come in before it closes for the summer March 25th, 235 E. Ironwood St. DesertMessengerNews Skyhawk schedule Fri. Mar. 8 Dance/Senior Center Wed. Mar. 13 Dance/Brenda RV Fri. Mar. 15 Dance/Senior Center

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