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Celebrating 38 years of service
Vol. 40, No. 21
Ahwatukee Foothills News twitter.com/AhwatukeeFN
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COVER STORY
Millennials
BAND
Mountain Pointe band members gear up for annual Easter parade
Moving to the suburbs; pRE1
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By Kendra Penningroth
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nouncer stations placed along the parade route. A wide variety of entries have been sent in for the parade, making for a diverse and fun viewing experience. “This year what we’re kind of proud of, we got an active-duty U.S. Navy entry form,” Schmitt said. “We always get mayor and the council members from this area. And we get the sheriff always, he won’t miss a parade.” But when the parade ends, the
March 26th marks the 40th Annual Easter Parade and Spring Fling here in Ahwatukee, and of course, the Mountain Pointe Marching Band will be in boisterous attendance. The group will be composed of about 50 to 60 veteran Mountain Pointe band members and “guest marchers” (from local middle schools). The crowd can expect to see strong representations of woodwind and brass instruments, as well as the fan-favorite drum line. All of the drum line cadences are original work, but the band will be playing “stand tunes” like their fight song (which is the same as the University of Southern California’s), “Go Big Red,” and the theme song from “Mortal Combat,” the video game. “It’s a tradition that we (he and his band of the last eight years) inherited. It happens just around the corner, and it’s important that we are involved with the community,” said band director Josh Hartgrove. “We also do the Tempe Veteran’s Day Parade in November… those community events are important to us, we’re not just about football games. We always look forward to being
>> See Easter Parade on page 12
>> See Band on page 12
Valley travel patterns under review; p6
GETOUT:
David Crosby
Making his words count; p37
The 40th annual Ahwatukee Easter Parade is set to take place this Saturday, March 26. [AFN file photo]
Ahwatukee Easter Parade & Spring Fling ready for 40th year By Eric Smith AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Every year for the past 40 years cars and floats and people have marched down the streets of Ahwatukee for the annual Easter parade, and this year is no exception. This Saturday, March 26, the parade will wind its way through Ahwatukee starting at 48th Street and Warner Road. The parade is a massive undertaking and Mike Schmitt has been organizing the parade for 24
years, but has been involved with it for 35 years. “Based on experience you start about 90 days in advance and send our invitations,” he said. “I’ve got a schedule of 79 steps to putting on a parade and I follow them…and get up to the parade date without any surprises, usually.” Schmitt said close to 2,500 people will participate in the parade and roughly 5,000 spectators are expected. There will also be an-
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