LLC SUMMER 2018
Ready for CrossFit Summer outdoor concert in Globe. Photo by LCGross
By Patti Daley
arken back 60 years to a time in Globe-Miami when music filled the air, and all the kids wanted to learn. “People were on their porches dancing, and we’re out there playing our guitars,” Neto Valquez, a Globe-Miami native, reminisces. “We had so much fun.” He was twelve when his father gave him his first guitar, a squareneck.
Today, almost 60 years later, Neto Valquez leads a band called Neto & Imagine, a five-man dance band that plays locally for family, fun and fundraising. They’ve been together as a group for less than six months, but between them have nearly 300 years of playing experience. Alongside Neto are Joe Sanchez on the keyboard, Luis Rodriguez on drums, Manny Gonzalez on bass, and Keith Gustafson on the saxophone. Neto formed his first band in high
Cynamon Strong with Arizona Creative Professionals. Photo by Rodrigo Izquierdo
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school, Carbon Monoxide and the Exhaust Pipes. In the 1960s, he played Globe-Miami venues with the Valiants, in the 1970s, Oscar and the Rivieras. He ‘retired’ from music for 25 years to work at the mine and raise a family with his wife, Sally. His music played on at family events and in 2005, he joined his son Ernie, and daughter, Tiffany, to perform as Neto & Family. Neto & Imagine, Continued on page 38
BLOOM
Youth Soccer Page 24
Opens On Broad By Patti Daley
A Creative Community Comes Together By Libby Rooney
Throughout history, artists have needed to find creative solutions to the problems of making a living and also funding the making of art. Photography, a relatively new art form, has its own set of problems and interesting solutions, some social and some cyber. Artist and professional coops, online communities and photography apps are making photography less expensive and creating creative communities for artists to grow and learn. Always on the lookout for an interesting site to hold a photo shoot, Shane Baker, award-winning, Chandler-based photographer, stumbled into Miami, Arizona about a year ago. Miami is a photographer’s dream. Echoes of the past linger in deserted buildings, shabby-not-chic hundred-year-old houses are perched precariously on steep slopes, and stairways climb up the hillside to destinations unseen. Perfect settings for interesting photo shoots. AZ Creative Professionals, Continued on page 32
John Wong traveled the world, learning how to cook from locals in southern Europe, East Asia and Oceania. Now he’s bringing his adventure home as proprietor and head chef of Bloom, a sleek new restaurant and sushi bar in downtown Globe. “The community has been supportive,” John says in regards to the popular response. Bloom, at 365 N Broad Street, opened in May to five-star reviews on Facebook, and a lot of excitement amongst the locals. On Friday afternoons, it’s packed with the business lunch crowd; on Saturday nights, a younger set. Weekday evenings, locals and travelers enjoy a late meal. Open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11am–10pm, Bloom offers a big taste of six Asian cuisines, a full menu of appetizers, entrees, sake (rice wine), and sushi. Some folks wonder about sushi in Globe. Bloom, Continued on page 36
Chef John Wong. Photo by Jenn Walker
The Ravello Travel Bicycle Page 8
Visitors Guide Special Pull-Out Section Page 19