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Museum Store Sunday caps holiday weekend BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
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useum Store Sunday is slated to return on today, Nov. 28, capping off the busiest shopping weekend across the nation. And Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West has joined over 1,650 museums in the fifth annual event. Museum Store Sunday gives customers a chance to score locally handcrafted relics at the Sue and Robert Karatz Museum Store at Western Spirit. Jeffrey White, the museum store manager, said some items will be marked down by as much as 50 percent. The store will also be participating in Cyber Monday with 25 percent reductions on select styles of wheelhouse socks. Non-museum members also have a chance to take advantage of exclusive savings.
The Sue and Robert Karatz Museum Store at Western Spirit will be participating today in the fifth annual Museum Store Sunday by offering up to 50 percent off select merchandise and several other sales. (Courtesy of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West)
“Normally, if you’re a member, you receive a small discount, so this is where we open it up to members and non-members to receive the same discount,” said White “Given that we’re a non-profit organization, there are no taxes.” The first 10 customers that spend at least $25 will receive a gift bag. If they spend $50 or more, they will receive an individual membership along with their purchase. Another benefit of shopping at The Sue and Robert Karatz Museum Store at Western Spirit is that most of the items for sale are locally sourced and created by local artisans. “We offer unique gift ideas that are purchased locally and we have a lot of artisans that the big box stores won’t have,” said White. “Since these artisans are not getting their supplies from overseas by getting
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Scottsdale church the venue for kids’ musical PROGRESS NEWS STAFF
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he Act One Youth Theater’s upcoming musical in Scottsdale not only offers some holiday entertainment but has chosen an outdoor venue that will enable the audience to enjoy Arizona’s late fall weather and add a layer of precaution against COVID-19. The theater will present “Snow White and the Prince” behind the Open Arms Church, 4640 N. Granite Reef Road, at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and 3, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 4 and 1 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets are available at actoneyouththeater.org. Owner/director Lauri Hunter started the theater for kids 6-18 seven years ago after her daughter graduated from high school and went on to study performing arts in New York.
“My daughter actually got me interested in theater when she was 12. So I volunteered in a multitude of capacities at several adult and children’s theaters in the Valley – including costuming and volunteering on one of the theater boards,” she said. “When she was getting ready to go off to her performing arts school in NY, I didn’t want to leave that world. I also saw a need for a third theater in Scottsdale.” She has persisted with the nonprofit theater despite challenges, last-minute disappointments and a lot of work. “Money has always been a factor,” said Hunter, who volunteers virtually all her time to the theater or its support – including making the costumes and paying for the material she needs. Then again, she added, “My grandma
taught me to sew when I was 12 and I’ve been sewing ever since. I always sewed my daughter’s costumes when she did shows at other theaters. Eventually a few theaters hired me to costume their shows – both adult and children’s theaters.” Then there are challenges that come out of left field – like “losing our venue at the last minute three different times for various reasons in the seven years I’ve been doing this.” “But as they say ‘The show must go on.’ So I reached out to my board and members in my community to ask help us find alternate venues. We’ve always come through and been able to perform as scheduled.” Finding a venue for “Snow White and the Prince” also presented a challenge.
“We used to perform at Phoenix Center for the Arts, but due to COVID, I felt finding a venue outdoors would be safer for the actors and the attendees of our shows,” she said. “Finding an outdoor venue was the hardest. None we could afford. So I reached out to a church I knew about and asked if we could rent the empty space behind their facility.” The kids are excited about the prospects of performing live for the second time this season, Hunter said, after several virtual performances that can be seen on the theater company’s YouTube page. “The kids and their families were extremely happy to be performing live again,” she said.
see PLAY page 28
