Newsletter, August 18, 2006
Mark your calendars now.
The fall months are busy with activities involving
the Oro Valley Historical Society.
Upcoming Programs:
September 21st 6:30 PM. General Membership Program. Visitors Welcome.
Oro Valley Library Conference Room.
Architect Richard Fe Tom will discuss the
restoration of historic buildings. This
topic is particularly timely because an agreement regarding public acquisition
of the historic Steam Pump Ranch is nearing completion.
November 16th 6:30 PM. General
Membership Program. Visitors Welcome.
Oro Valley Library Conference Room.
This program is being co-sponsored by the Center
for Desert Archaeology and will include a talk by Henry Wallace, Field Director
for Desert Archaeology, Inc. speaking on “New
Insights on Honey Bee: Results of
Current Excavations”.
Additional Important Dates:
October 28th-29th . Oro Valley Arts in the Park. The Historical Society will have a booth. Do
you want to volunteer? Call Dick
Eggerding at 575-0462.
The Center for Desert Archaeology is sponsoring a
Fall Lecture Series, through a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council, about the excavations at Honey Bee Village in
Oro Valley. The first one is October 25th at 6:30 PM at the Oro
Valley Library “The Hohokam of Honey Bee
Village: Previous Research and
Preservation Activities”. The second is included with the Historical
Society meeting on November 16th. The third will be held December 6th at the Oro Valley
Library at 6:30 PM and is entitled “Visualizing
Hohokam Life: 3-D Computerized Models
of Honey Bee Village” by Douglas
Gann.
The Center’s grant includes a special public
discussion, co-sponsored by the Society at our January
18, 2007 meeting: “Interpreting
the Honey Bee Village Preserve: A Community Panel Discussion” . It will
provide an opportunity for the community to share ideas for interpreting and
maintaining the Preserve into the future.
Visit the Honey Bee Village Archaeological Site
Excavations -- there’s still time.
Tours of the archaeological site are being
conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc. each Wednesday
and Friday at 7:30 AM until September 8th.
Other News of Note:
The Town of Oro Valley is sponsoring a video of
the archaeological excavations at Honey Bee Village. Initial filming was done during the week of August 13th. The video will be an excellent way to
introduce archaeology in our community schools.
The Historical Society has purchased DVDs of “Oro Valley: An Oral History” produced by Epic Productions and the Town of
Oro Valley. It presents a history of
the Town by Jim Kriegh, Town Founder, and an interview with Henry Zipf whose
great grandfather, George Pusch, established the Steam Pump Ranch in 1874. The
DVDs have been distributed to area elementary, middle, and high schools and
will hopefully be used in history and government classes.
The Town of Oro Valley and the Historical Society
are entering into a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a framework for
future relationships and contracts relating to the collection, preservation and
dissemination of Town historical information.
The draft MOU is being reviewed and should be brought before the Town
Council in early September.
As part of the Oral History Project, Preserving
People’s Memories, the Historical Society is purchasing professional digital
recording equipment, including equipment to transcribe interviews. Interviews
of individuals with stories about past times in the Oro Valley area will begin
soon. The funding for this equipment
comes from a generous contribution by former Town Council Member Conny
Culver.
If you know anyone with memories to share, or have
some yourself, please contact Jim Kriegh (297-4161).
The Historical Society will also be purchasing equipment
for programs including a projector and sound system. To date we have been relying on the generosity of the Library and
Town in loaning their equipment.
Committees have been organizing during the summer
and are ready to start specific programs and projects. Stay tuned for more and become involved!