Patagonia Regional Times

Santa Cruz County is now receiving applications for the forgivable loan program funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. For more information on how to apply for up to $25,000 in forgivable loans, with up to $2,500 for artists, visit: prestamosloans.org/santa-cruz-loan. The PRT hosted a live community...

Cleo Mock, who lived in Patagonia for more than 80 years, celebrated her 105th birthday July 13. Cleo came to Patagonia in 1932 to help her grandfather Turner care for her ailing grandmother. She met her husband, Dr. Delmar Mock, while attending Loma Linda University in CA. They moved to...

Call to Artists in the Sky Island area of Patagonia, Sonoita, Elgin and Beyond. Come show and sell your beautiful, original, quirky, elegant, handmade, heartfelt ART in the 19th Annual Patagonia ART WALK, on November 26 & 27, from 10 am – 4 pm. We are seeking art made...

5 – for fun. During the period of pandemic separation, I have not accessorized with any of the earrings or decorative necklaces that I normally would have. Why have I chosen the jewelry that I have worn during this time?. Reason #1: Since I didn’t expect anybody to see...

Lunar eclipses grab the headlines. They’re colorful, they’re easy and safe to observe and they’re given great names. But, for me, there is so much more to the Moon than just those moments when it occasionally falls into the Earth’s shadow. Eclipses are in the here and now, but the Moon’s history is really its most important story. It’s a horror show.

Keep your eyes on the road and your hands up on the wheel. Sage advice when you are driving to the ghost town of Reef high up in Carr Canyon. Carr Canyon Road begins near milepost 328 off SR 92 in Hereford. The first two miles in are easy. The road is paved for the most part and is smooth as you gain some elevation. There are some lovely houses built in idyllic spots on the wash sides. At one place my wife and I once watched as a fawn playfully jousted with some turkeys. Around two miles in, there is a nicely maintained Forest Service Campground. Beyond that is Carr House where you can tour a home built and occupied from 1932 to 1973. The home is open on weekends and serves as an area information center and presentation venue.

Kayla Miller, who is serving as the interim director of the Patagonia Library, has been offered the job of Library Director by the Library Committee, contingent on her passing the course to obtain her AZ State Library Practitioner Certification. Miller anticipates that this will be a semester-long course, after which she would like to earn a masters degree in library science.

This article is the final installment of the story of the Elgin Community Club (ECC) begun in the April PRT issue. When the stone fireplace at the ECC clubhouse was completed in 1938, a commemorative bronze plaque was installed bearing the names of five recently deceased members: Mrs. Ferris, Klene, Nally, Bartlett and Johnson. Short biographies of Mrs. Klene, Nally and Johnson were featured in the April & May 2022 PRT issues. Read on for Mrs. Ferris’ and Bartlett’s stories and to learn about the decision to allow men to become club members in 1950.

We would like to publicly thank the members of the Patagonia Fire Department and Deputy Abelardo. Gonzales-Median of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department who responded to a fire in our camper in Red Rock Acres, east of Patagonia on May 28th. Their quick response prevented a problem from...

Your Grace, please let the record show that in the old and wise societies (which we call “primitive” these days) the men and women live apart. I notice here, among the geriatric set today, you go to group events, like parties, and the sexes separate, as in the prepubescent days of yore. How come? What for?

Growing up I always associated Texas sheet cake with funerals. An old timer died, the family got together and someone on the family tree made a Texas sheet cake. It could be counted on and, for the most part, it was taken for granted. For those of you that don’t...

“Elvia Gallaher is a model educator,” Patagonia Schools superintendent Kenny Hayes said. “When you look up a great teacher in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Elvia.”. The much-respected teacher is retiring this spring after over 30 years in education, with 26 of those spent in...

Two teachers who have made a difference in the lives of their students over the years are leaving the Elgin School. Tami Cubillas and Angela Brown will both be missed by the students and fellow educators. Tami Cubillas. Although her childhood career choice was to be a ‘cowboy,’ Elgin Elementary...

Nine community members attended a meeting on March 10 at the County Building in Sonoita to view revised plans for the repurposing of the building, which houses the Sonoita Library and was the site of the former Justice of the Peace court. SCC Public Works Director Jesus Valdez displayed the...

The Patagonia Regional Community Fund (PRCF) recently announced its 2022 grants totaling $23,600 to seven area nonprofits. In addition, donations this year from the Burton Family Foundation and the Mar-Walt fund added to these funds for a total of $130,700. This is the first year these additional grants have been at such a substantial level.

April 1, 2022 By Kat Crockett and Marion Vendituoli. There was standing room only at the two hour study session held by the Santa Cruz County (SCC) Board of Supervisors on March 30 at the County Complex to discuss the draft agreement between Arizona Minerals Inc (AMI), owned by South32, and the County, which, if accepted, would have AMI donate 134 acres of property while retaining the right to construct the Cross Creek Connector (CCC) on that property to give the mining company a route between Harshaw Rd. and SR 82.

It is a time of celebration in Lochiel. In the tiny settlement at the end of the long road through the San Rafael Valley, the Lochiel schoolhouse has been reborn as a historic site, paying tribute to the Valley’s past. From the late 1800s until students left to ride...

The transportation route table drew the most visitors during the Open House hosted by South32 at Patagonia High School on March 24. The event was held to provide information and discussion with the public on mining methods, tailings and storage, exploration, water and wildlife, transportation routes, and jobs. During the two-hour period there were 40 to 50 members of the public present at any one time along with a host of mining personnel and consultants.

A STEM and creativity program that began several years ago at Patagonia Elementary School is expanding, as teachers develop and pilot a second module this year. ‘The Universe Within’ is homegrown, developed by the nonprofit Mat Bevel Company and the University of Arizona School of Mathematical Sciences. It...