Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com January 17, 2024 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 NOW PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH on the 3rd Wednesday of each month OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2024 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear QUARTZSITE ROCKS! EDITORIAL LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Desert Messenger News celebrates 20 th year anniversary Quartzsite, AZ – Shanana Rain Golden-Bear, Publisher of Desert Messenger News, announced at the monthly Ladies Luncheon on Tues- day, August 1st that she will be re- tiring the print edition of the com- munity paper in May, 2024. She explained when she took over the 4-year old paper in 2008, she com- mitted to publishing the paper for only four more years. She said, "The number four is very sacred to me. Those four years went by, and I made commitment to an- other four years. Those four years went by again and another commit- ment was made. This year will be the completion of my fourth 4-year commitment and also happens to be the 20th anniversary!" The paper was founded in 2004 by Walt Akin, a plumber and Quartzsite Town council member, who later was appointed Mayor. The newspaper industry has faced signifi cant challenges in recent years due to the rise in printing costs, de- clines in print advertising and read- ers adopting digital news sources. In 2008, when Golden-Bear acquired the paper, it was only 12 pages, and there were a total of three Quartzsite papers available. Also back then, both the Blythe and Parker weekly news- papers actually covered Quartzsite news, but they cut back local cover- age many years ago. Golden-Bear said plans are in the works for readers to be able to ac- cess 20 years of past editions online at www.DesertMessenger.com. "I'm excited to share the past 20 years of Quartzsite history from the eyes of a small town publisher. I am open to possibilities and look forward to what the universe has in store for me!" Be sure to check out the online edi- tions for expanded editions of 20 years of Quartzsite History! Keep up to date by LIKING Desert Messenger News Facebook page. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. Welcome back SNOWBIRDS! As the winter season kicks into high gear, we welcome our visi- tors to their favorite nesting spots in and around Quartzsite! You'll fi nd this issue is jam-packed with tons of events, special deals and advertising for our winter visitors. We hope you enjoy your visit in our little piece of heaven. The peaceful Sonoran Desert sur- rounding Quartzsite is a delight to experience. Be sure to pack it in and pack it out, so others may enjoy the untamed beauty of the desert for generations to come. As our little town turns into a large city by population, it's also good to be mindful of cooperating with each other. Traffi c can be a bit chal- lenging this time of year; watch for those troublesome left hand turns! Take an opportunity to turn long lines at restaurants and stores into meeting some new friends. For fi rst-timers, there's so much to do this time of year, you'll not be bored... unless you choose to! That's what's so fun about Quartzsite! There are so many choices of shows, swap meets, events, entertainment, music jams, delicious food, good friends and everything you can think of... you'll fi nd it here! In the hustle and bustle of the busy winter season, some folks forget that we are a full time rural commu- nity. We have events year-round. We don't shut down our town when the visitors leave. Events change ac- cording to the seasons, and life goes on in Quartzsite year-round. Some businesses stay open year-round. Many choose to close for the sum- mer, but all of our businesses are important to our community. It's a wonderful community to be a part of; full time or part time. The BLM lands surrounding town are fi lling up and the energy around town is picking up. There are many RV Rallies planned and the famous Quartzfest Hams Gathering, too. And all our churches have special events this month. Oh, did I men- tion the vendors and seasonal food treats? Deals are everywhere with over a thousand vendors offering their services and wares. There will be lots of "happy camp- ers" once again this season in Quartzsite. To all of our visitors and vendors, we welcome you and invite you to return to our commu- nity in the future. Enjoy Quartzsite, and treasure your experiences. Peace, Love, Joy! We are grateful for you all!

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