FRANK Talks – Water in the Southwest: Where have we been, and where are we going? – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

Dr. Jennifer Richter, Arizona State University, School of Social Transformation and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society It has been said that, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting.” This is especially true of water politics in the American Southwest, a region defined by its lack of water. The massive 20th […]

Free

Four Corners: The Southwest’s Cultural Crossroad – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

The Four Corners is a common name for the region within 150 miles of the marker where Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, Arizona meet. The Four Corners reflects a wide array of customs of both ancient and contemporary cultures, spiritual beliefs, and histories. This presentation describes the landscape’s extensive geological and cultural transformation contributed by […]

Free

You Are Where You Eat: How Dining Out Defines Arizona – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

When the first dining guide to the Valley of the Sun appeared in 1978, the authors had to explain what “sushi” was. Fast forward four decades, and Arizonans are munching rainbow rolls in shopping-mall food courts. The restaurant business in Arizona now brings in more than $11 billion a year. With stories, statistics and insider […]

Free

The Mysteries of the Harpsichord – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

Although stereotyped as an unmusical machine only fit for The Addams Family, the harpsichord is the most expressive and subtle of musical instruments. It has a unique and beautiful repertoire, and a very special and distinctive playing style. In this session, Dr. Guy Whatley will demonstrate the stunning music written for the harpsichord, and the […]

Free

Apaches and their Horses – Chandler

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

It has been thought that the Apache do not become Apache until the adoption of the horse, which triggered the raiding adaptation. While horses played a central role in the Apachean world, the horse divide is not as pronounced as thought. Horses changed the ancestral Apache lifeway and horses survived and thrived without European horse […]

Free

Bands of Sisters: U.S. Women’s Military Bands during WW II – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

The novelty of these bands—initially employed by the U.S. military to support bond drives—drew enough spectators for the bands to be placed on tour, raising money for the war and boosting morale. The women, once discharged at the war’s end, refused to fade into post-war domesticity. Instead, the strong bond fostered by youthful enthusiasm and […]

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Southern Arizona Cemeteries – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

Throughout the ages we humans have had a need to mark the time and place where people make the final stop on their journey from this world to the next. Sometimes it is a simple cross on rock covered earth while others are elaborate tombstones which tell something of the lives of their residents. There […]

Free

Swing into History – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

Swing Into History With the exception of the most ardent collectors and older generation, the influence and legacy of the big bands is largely forgotten despite their overwhelming popularity and significant role in early radio. Join Larson as he revisits the sounds America listened and danced to for more than three decades. Learn how iconic […]

Free

The Long Walk of the Navajo People – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

The Long Walk of the Navajo People, 1864-1868 In 1864, Navajo people were forced to walk over 450 miles to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico.  Imprisoned on a 40-square mile reservation for four long years the people suffered from hunger, loneliness, illnesses, and severe environmental conditions. On June 1, 1868, U. S. officials and […]

Free

This Land is Our Land: Early Women on the Arizona Frontier – Sun Lakes

Ed Robson Branch Library 9330 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

This PowerPoint program touches on the lives of 5 Arizona women who experienced arduous ordeals & hardships during the territory’s early days. Apache warrior Lozen fought desperately to hold onto land once freely roamed by her people. Larcena Pennington was forced to crawl down a mountain to escape certain death. Mary Aguirre often journeyed with […]

Free

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