Enjoying our work....A few past endeavors...
The Olde Town Tempe Spring and Fall Arts Festivals have been happening since the late 60s. Twice a year the downtown area of the City of Tempe is taken over by the southwest's largest arts and crafts festival, with over 500 vendors. I was responsible for the largest area of vendors, 350 plus, from layout of the grid work to create the formal order of booth space to making sure everyone had as pleasant experience as possible, vendor and patron alike. In charge of 10 to 15 workers and numerous volunteers, the events were as fun for me as they were demanding of interpersonal excellence. In the same general area each year was the Tempe Fiesta Bowl New Year's Eve Block Party, with nearly a quarter of a million celebrators in attendance. One day, 22 hours of hard work and preparation, a few hours break and then cleaning it all up afterward was what it entailed on a physical level, let alone the crowd and vendor negotiations. Even with other endeavors or employment, I kept these events in my schedule for nearly a decade. Most recently, Dec. '03, 2002, I was called upon to perform the Operations Manager position, in charge of all logistical supplies and communications during the event. Unfortunately, I was in our Operations tent for the most of the duration and I did manage to see some of my old artisan friends if only for a brief moment. The event came off without a hitch, thanks to the well-oiled machine of devoted coordinators and workers that came together once again.
Enjoying our work....
One World was a cable access show I produced and hosted (Jan, 1990- Aug, 1992). We did about 110 shows or so with guests including professional actors, radio/TV personalities, city officials, community activists, youth organizations, psychics, chiropractors, psychologists, artists, musicians, authors, business consultants, homeless, educators, administrators and more. One World seems like a dream for some. The format was designed to promote the example of overcoming fears in professional and private lives and sharing those processes with our audience to help them find ways to move through their own fears. The purpose: to empower people to succeed in manifesting their dreams in life. Discussing inner promptings and outer synchronicities, reflection in common human experiences, dissolving the barriers between people and practical advice for everyday living were all pieces of the flow of conversation with each guest. The challenge was to find the golden thread, or same essence, throughout each of the guests' personal paths. Most often I had two guests from semi-diverse backgrounds and although the exact words and language may have been different, they were explaining virtually the same processes of moving through fear to achieve success in both personal and professional endeavors.
Video
Clip w/ Jean Choudhuri, President - Indian Women in Progress
Who? was a commercial show, aired on KDMA Channel 27, focusing on community activism... solutions (1992). What started as one show turned into five, which also included youth empowerment, holistic medicine, constitutional opinions and a community calendar. I became the producer for the other shows as well, which were hosted by Judy Bailey, Terry Friedmann, M.D., and Joe Abodeely, J.D., in order. The final show was a community calendar of events. I scripted all the spots with a little help from a wise friend, hired the crews, booked the studio time and coordinated all the production and post-production work. Who? was a real prize for its day, which seemed to be ahead of schedule for the market. We got two weeks worth of shows completed before we found out the station was not able to meet its commitment of valley-wide coverage. Our backer managed to get our production costs back. Can Do! Productions, Inc. awaits its rebirth as I retained it after the process was complete. Working with passionate people is exciting and fulfilling. It was great to have the opportunity to take charge of such an endeavor, with real benefits for people and the community being the goal. Now two decades later, I see many programs are focusing on the 'good news' and folks that are working seeming miracles through various organizations and personal endeavors to help people and planet to grow and prosper in a constructive and healthy manner.
Show
opener...
Victoria Rowell and Larry Mahan... Alex
Coord...
The Native American Heritage Center for the Phoenix Indian School Preservation Coalition (PISPC) was a two and a half year project working with the Mayor, City Council and Planning Task Force to facilitate the development of a Native American Heritage Cultural Center and cultural icons in the landscape to be included on the old Phoenix Indian School property. The Indian School was originally built in 1890 and was the center for cultural genocide of indigenous peoples in Arizona during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The PISPC was organized to begin the healing process between the worlds of indigenous and corporate Americans. Jean Chaudhuri (a Muskogee Creek woman and co-chairperson) asked me to join the coalition soon after I interviewed her on ONE WORLD. I was honored to be asked to record the desires of the coalition (made up of people from nearly all 21 Nations in Arizona, many more Indian Nations across the country, and a few non Indians). I listened carefully and intently, compiling a synopsis of the desires, presenting them to the Mayor of Phoenix (Paul Johnson) and his staff.. Most were ultimately to be included in the Phoenix Indian School Park Master Plan. The only item that wasn't included was the actual heritage center, which was to be a tour hub to the reservations. The architectural drawings were prepared by Morley and Associates, a Navajo design firm from Flagstaff, I believe. Jean Chaudhuri passed away several years later, not seeing the fruition of her work as Chairperson of the PISPC. The new Steele Indian School Park opened in the fall of 2001 in nearly the complete fashion that the Coalition desired and more. I found the new name to be rather amusing just the same.
A finished product now known as Steele Indian School Park...
The Earth Concert 1989 was the brain child of Jean Hudon. It was supposed to be a global concert/telethon for ecosystem regeneration projects. We began gathering a small group in May at our home in north Phoenix, with attendance growing to nearly 40 at some meetings. A friend and I flew to Cape Cod to meet with Jean to discuss details and coordination plans, but it became apparent that we would be fortunate to just be able to organize locally. No business plan had been developed for the project and potential sponsors disappeared. After several months of gathering people and devising a plan of action for the Phoenix area, we held a weekend forum/concert at the Valley of the Sun Center in Scottsdale as an initial fundraiser. Budget was minimal and all the volunteers provided a magnificent environment of cooperation, lead by a small team of hard workers and facilitators. From our earlier efforts, Coca-Cola (a connection through one of our group) was ready to donate the satellite up-link costs, about $2 million, if we only had a business plan. We still managed to attract several hundred for the forum and nearly filled the auditorium for the concert. We all learned some valuable lessons on that one. Still, the relationships created during that time were priceless.
Arizona Bike Week - Feb. 8-16, 1997 drew thousands of bikers from across the country to SpeedWorld the first weekend and then on to downtown Tolleson, Arizona for the second weekend. The five of us (pic below) handled all the logistics for set up, operations and then teardown in both locations. We had nearly 100 vendors at SpeedWorld and over 200 in Tolleson as Bike Week took over the town, so marking out the positions took a little time. Then there was load-in...whew! Good thing there was plenty of coffee. Johnston's barbeque semi-trailer was a major hit. Our own version of the Broken Spoke Saloon was a 100 x 200 foot circus tent complete with three bars and a stage where Canned Heat and Argent performed among others. Several bike 'runs' with 3,000 to 5,000 and then nearly 10,000 bikers arrived at the SpeedWorld and Tolleson (latter two) locations. For all the fear of bikers, most of these guys and gals were a joy to deal with during the event proceedings. I even got the chance to ride a 'Boss Hog'... 350 Chevy engine-powered bike. That is a lot of power to have between your legs. I also happened to catch a glimpse of Bruce Willis stepping off his Harley during the SpeedWorld run. Cruise America was one of our main sponsors, so we had some nice digs to crash in - 24' RVs with full amenities. We made a bunch of new friends of people often feared when encountered in the general public. Everybody has a heart.
The Prophets Conference showcased nearly 30 speakers, 70 vendors and various musicians on 17 acres at Corona Ranch (October 10-12, 1998) in Laveen, Arizona, just outside Phoenix. I was hired by the Axiom Group, the promoters, as the Event Manager for the 3-day event. The facilities included a hall for 800, a large lawn area and a rodeo arena. We brought in 3 large tents, 1500 more chairs, tables, pipe and drape for the booths, 2-1500 watt generators, port-o-johns and nearly 50 volunteers for this event. I had less than 10 days to put it all together, from negotiating the tents, etc., to gathering the volunteers and setting up the area. The attendance was just short of 5,000 for the weekend. There were numerous problems with A/V equipment needs so we kept busy shuffling projectors and screens. The response from patrons and vendors alike was phenomenal. A close friend mentioned never seeing a smile leave my face even in the most tense of the situations. I'm sure the smile left occasionally, butt it was a great compliment. The only bummer was that the Axiom Group left town without paying bills, including my services, and logistical components were locally contracted with payment due after the event. I probably still would have done it even if I knew it was going to be a volunteer position, but at least the materials and service bills should have been paid..
Zen and Dedicated Volunteers after event party at Chili's.
Gaia-Fest was an event borne of conscience and collaboration. We had access to a canyon just off the beach in Pacific Palisades (just outside LA), California. Initial planning began in May of 2001 with the event date of August 18. We got tremendous reception from the local public, and even got Whole Foods, Inc. as a sponsor as well as setting up a food booth at the event itself. We had over 70 vendors from mind, body, spirit, social activism, environmental, eco-technology, organic gardening, and reforestation arenas. The Las Pulgas (the fleas) Canyon provided a perfect location, being the site of an old highway department maintenance yard some decades ago, because of the three-tiered concrete areas where large buildings once stood. Our stage area was at the top, the furthest from the entrance with a magnificent view of the ocean, and live music filled the air all day long, from serious environmentalist acts to progressive rock to surrealistic improv in the evening. I found it particularly interesting as I became the 'conflict resolutionist' living on site for the month prior to the event. We received some great publicity from the Pacific Palisades, with a front page picture and article following the event. It was well worth the weeks of cleanup and preparation of the canyon as well as it had been the focus of environmental issues due to a leaky city sewage line for some years. Within a few months after the event, the City began work on fixing the problem that had existed for nearly a decade. Evidently 'the fleas' became enough of an irritant to get some attention.
Front page
of Palisadian Post and program....
Mission: Earth Dance found my partner, Robin, and I in a new arena with a purposeful mission: to garner support and address the real issues facing our youth today. Our educational system is simply not serving the students with special needs, above and below the norm. Challenged youth eventually react to their environments in unhealthy ways and growing needs go unaddressed. Professionals from a variety of areas spoke and led discussions toward organizational change, community development, multiculturalism, gifted youth (not always in the best of relationships), and alternate dispute resolution. This series of events lead us into the initial conceptual development of Spectrum Academy, a pilot model community for challenged youth. As in many things, our initial momentum waned and our event attendance dwindled, even with some media exposure. We still enjoyed gathering people of purpose, looking to align with their personal missions. Connecting dots for community development is crucial as an organization, or organic nation, of active change management in society. It takes some time for change agents and their cohorts to evolve with efficiency and return to assist the next cycle of activity. No child left behind turned out to be a misnomer.
That's all for now....
