Celebrating 38 years of service
Free of charge
Vol. 40, No. 26
Ahwatukee Foothills News
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016 Today: High 85, Low 58, Sunny and Breezy Tomorrow: High 79, Low 60, Sunny and Breezy
REAL ESTATE: From gardening to HARP refinancing. pRE1
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COVER STORY
LOOP 202
Mountain Park Community Church breaks ground on new location
COMMUNITY:
Rugby family
DV team brings rivals together. p6
By Eric Smith AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Festival because it provides a larger area for the event to expand in future years. “It’s important to provide the Christmas lights to the Ahwatukee community with the Wine and Beer Tasting, but the community involvement is also an important part for the Festival of Lights,” said Judy Lewisohn, FOL’s treasurer. “We have two signature events where one is more of a family event and one that’s an event for the adults.” This year, the Wine and Beer
Mountain Park Community Church (MPCC) has long stood at its current location in Ahwatukee at Pecos Road and 24th Street, serving countless members of its congregation as well as the community. But now, with the planned expansion of the Loop 202 freeway, the church is being forced to move to a new location. “We’ve known that it was coming for years,” said Allan Fuller, pastor at MPCC. “We were actually relieved that a decision was finally made. We did not want to move — we love our location — but the uncertainty was holding us back.” While Fuller and members of the congregation may be sad to see the long-standing church relocate, they also have reason to be excited for the new locale and the opportunities it affords. After an expansive fundraising effort, the church broke ground on its new location at the southeast corner of 48th Street and Frye Road on April 17. The $10.7 million facility will have expanded capabilities. Funds for the project came from multiple sources including $6 mil-
>> See FOL on page 29
>> See MOUNTAIN PARK on page 29
GETOUT:
Mingle & sip
Chandler Craft Spirits Festival this weekend. p32
The Festival of Lights Wine and Beer Tasting Festival will take place at Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass this Saturday, April 30. [David Jolkovski/AFN]
Toast the town
Festival of Lights to host Wine & Beer Tasting Festival this weekend By Daniel Ochoa AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
SPORTS:
Timeless
Luketich’s 40 years with prep baseball. p38 Neighborhood p3 Calendar p5 Community p6 Opinion p15
Faith p19 GetOut p32 Sports/Rec p38 Classified p41
Ahwatukee Foothills residents are invited for an evening of funfilled entertainment during the 21st annual Festival of Lights Wine and Beer Tasting Festival this Saturday. Guest can enjoy an assortment of beer and wine, along with a variety of that will be provided by 14 food vendors. The popular silent auction will include of more than 100 items. The Wine and Beer Tasting Festival is hosted by the Festival of
Lights (FOL) committee each year in order to raise money to support the Christmas light display along Chandler Boulevard. Originally, the Wine and Beer Tasting Festival was hosted at the Foothills Golf Club in June, but members of the FOL committee decided to move the event to Rawhide for space accommodations. The event was also moved up to April to take advantage of cooler weather conditions. Committee members felt Rawhide was the perfect location to host the Wine and Beer Tasting