Desert Messenger

January 1, 2020 ww.DesertMessenger.com 7 DesertMessengerNews Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily represent those of the Desert Messenger. letters to the editor QIA's Pow Wow is coming soon! DID YOU KNOW? Take a credit on your Arizona State Tax Return – Up to $400 for individuals and $800 for couples! With AZ Charitable Tax Credit, you can donate up to $800 to Friends of the Quartzsite Food Bank and get all of it back in your Arizona tax refund. Your gifts to the Quartzsite Food Bank COME RIGHT BACK TO YOU! The Arizona Charitable Tax Credit is a wonderful opportunity for YOU and FQFB. Help us feed the hungry in Quartzsite. Info at QuartzsiteFoodBank.com or 928-927-5479 KIND WORDS I would like to say a few kind words about my neighbor Scott, who died this week. He was in a lot of pain, but he did his best to overcome it and stay cheerful. The pain in his legs was so bad it hurt him to walk or stand for any length of time. And yet, in the summer, it was Scott who would go around a t night and turn on the sprinkler sys- tem to make sure the trees didn't die. And he collected gravel and shoveled it to fi ll in the potholes. Scott cared. Christina Howe Quartzsite Welcome Back Snowbirds! QIA OFFICE NOW OPEN 9am-12 noon Mon-Fri Please come by and pick up a Calendar of Events! QIA IS QUARTZSITE'S OFF ROAD HEADQUARTERS! • BINGO FRIDAY NIGHTS Doors open at 5pm. Early Birds at 6:30pm • CRAFT FAIR 1 ST SATURDAY JAN. 4- 9am-1pm Yard Sale/ Swap Meet in parking lot. JAN 1 Pancake Dinner 4:30 JAN 7 QIA Membership Meeting 2pm DANCES & ENTERTAINMENT: • JAN 2 Open Mike 6:30pm $3 • JAN 4 Travelers 7pm $5 • JAN 8 Rock Club Scholarship Dinner • JAN 9 Gospel Open Mike 6:30pm $3 BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW BEFORE THEY RUN OUT FOR: • JAN. 7 Michael Cullipher Elvis Tribute $10 • JAN. 21 Bernie & Red $10 • JAN. 25 Nashville Legacy $25-$45 • JAN. 28 Peter, Paul & Mary Tribute $15 POW WOW JAN. 15-19 • Jan 2 Pow Wow Chairman Meeting 1pm • Jan 9 Pow Wow Volunteer Meeting 1pm •Jan 10 Pow Wow Food Handlers' Class QIAarizona.org 928-927-6325 See QIA Facebook for updates Q I A January Food Handler Class in Quartzsite will be January 10th at 2pm at the (QIA) Quartzsite Im- provement Assoc. Food Handler cards are required for every person who handles or prepares food, and/ or handles the food utensils and equipment, including dish washing. The cost is $15.00 per year (no cost for volunteers) and the card must be posted inside the food unit. Food Handler Cards are also avail- able at La Paz County Health De- partment, 1112 Joshua Ave Parker #206 Parker, Monday and Wednes- day from 7:00am until 4:00pm. The offi ce is closed on Friday. Food Handler Class By Jackie Deal The biggest event in the Quartzsite Improvement Association's (QIA) year is coming up- THE POW WOW January 15-19, 2020. Did you ever wonder how this Pow Wow (with- out any Indians) started? Well, it was started in 1967 when the fl edgling QIA received permis- sion to use the Old School House and grounds for the weekend of Feb. 9-13. The building ended up housing 22 exhibits and food was sold from a lean-to hurriedly built onto the end of the school house. The dusty, sandy grounds sprouted 52 "tail- gaters", most of them selling out of the tail-gates of their pick-ups. The fi rst Pow Wow was described as "from hellish to hilarious." Mary Allen in her book, "QIA: Why?" said the cook- ing lean-to "was inept to the point of ab- surdity..one roaster oven..an extension cord..coffee pots. Each time something was plugged in, the fuse blew." Mary Allen goes on to say, "The #1 Pow Wow was considered a success. Enthusiasm was high. It proved what can be done with volunteers working together for a common goal---and HAVING FUN." That's the philosophy of the Pow Wow still today. As the time nears and ten- sion mounts, SMILE, becomes the password. The volunteers may fuss and fume, but secretly they admit, "This is fun; I love it!" New Show Promoters, Mike and Carolyn Zinno, have stepped in to fi ll the large shoes left by Sandy King's retirement. As a couple, as- sisted by "Wiley," their aging min- iature Greyhound, they are doing a bang-up job. Susan Watkins is working hard to fi nd 300 volunteers to help run the Pow Wow. The Pow Wow has grown. Oh, my, how it's grown! The 22 exhibits are now 70, and the 52 tailgaters now number 530 outside vendors. Many people wonder, why "Pow Wow?" Where are the Indians? The explanation is simple; the word "pow wow" means "gathering" and not only for Indians. However, the second Pow Wow in 1968 did fea- ture members of the Colorado River Indian Band "in all their regalia" entertaining the pow wowers. The metamorphosis of the ev- eryday QIA into the Pow Wow is amazing. It seems like overnight (well, maybe two nights) the entire parking lot becomes a sea of tents, tables, vehicles , all kinds of vend- ing structures, ready to tempt the visitors. Indoors, the stage disap- pears and tables laden with pre- cious gems, jewelry and stones fi ll the building from end to end. This all happens January 11-14 and the Pow Wow kicks off January 15th. Food has always been a big part of the Pow Wow and this year will be no exception; Richard Trusty and a whole army of loyal volunteers pre- pare tons of hearty fare and salads. Come hungry and enjoy. January 19 things close down and in an amazingly short time all traces of rocks, gems, minerals and ven- dors disappear and the QIA returns to normal. Although the QIA re- sumes its full schedule January 21, the many volunteers will be licking their wounds and resting up until next year when they'll do it all over again. Don't miss it, it only happens once a year.

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