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24 www.DesertMessenger.com January 16, 2019 100 Kofa, Quartzsite, AZ Quartzsite, AZ - The Annual Hi Jolly Daze Parade was held Saturday, Janu- ary 12, 2019. This year the theme was "Community Pride." The winners were The Camel Farm took home the Mayor's Choice Award. The Quartzsite Improvement Assoc. (QIA) won for People's Choice Award and the Junior Color Guard took home the Best Theme. After the parade, folks gathered in the park at the Pavilion, enjoying the mu- sic provided by Skyhawk. Delicious food was offered by BT Express, Mi- chael's provided popcorn, PTO had a bake sale, and the Quartzsite Histori- cal Society had a wonderful display with items for sale. La Paz County Sheriff Offi ce displayed two of their K-9 Offi cers in action. The LDS Church shared information on the upcoming Family Prepared- ness event planned for February 2nd. Aydin T. Palabiyikoglu of Ihlas News Agency, Ihlas Haber Ajansı (IHA), a Turkish news agency, was in at- tendance fi lming the parade and in- terviewing attendees at the park. On display were 20 beautiful photos of sights to see in Turkey. Haji Ali (Hi Jolly) was from Ottoman, a port town in Turkey; his mother was Greek, and his father was Syrian. In 1856, Ali became the lead camel driver during the US Army's experiment with the U.S. Camel Corps in using camels in the dry deserts of the Southwest. The tensions of the American Civil War led to Congress not approving more funds for the Corps. In his fi nal years, Ali moved to Quartzsite, Arizona, where he mined and occasionally scouted for the US government. He died in 1902 and was buried in the Quartzsite Cemetery. On February 21, 2018, the documenta- ry "Hi Jolly" by Mert Turoglu, debuted at the Quartzsite Improvement Asso- ciation (QIA) with over 600 people in attendance along with Turkish, Hol- lywood, La Paz County, and Town of Quartzsite dignitaries. The fi lm has since been shown in over 15 US Cities, at the Smithsonian National Musuem of American History, during fl ights on Turkish Airlines, and most recently at a private screening in the House of Turkish Republic in Hollywood, Calif. Hi Jolly Daze Parade was held Jan. 12 ������ | S������ RAIN G�����-B��� ��� S���� B���C��