Glendale, AZ – The entire state of Arizona will be commemorating 100 years of statehood on Feb. 14, and the city of Glendale is offering various activities and programs for residents to join in the celebration!
From weddings to scavenger hunts, Glendale is planning many fun and unique activities around the city for people of all ages.
- Arizona’s Centennial will be part of the Glendale Chocolate Affaire February 3-5 in downtown Glendale. During the Chocolate Affaire, the Glendale Arts Commission will put on a Plein Air painting contest with artists from all over the state coming to compete at this event. This year a major part of the competition instructions include painting historical subjects from the West Valley to acknowledge or salute the centennial, creating artwork to display tie-ins to the centennial such as Sahuaro Ranch, Beet Sugar Factory, First United Methodist Church and Murphy Park, all destinations that are more than 100 years old. In addition, State Historian Marshall Trimble will be featured in the lineup of writer’s workshops, giving a presentation on Arizona history. Finally, Glendale has displayed a giant "Happy 100th Birthday Arizona" sign constructed out of lights that will be glowing for the three day event on the side of City Hall. Info:
www.glendaleaz.com/events or 623-930-2299.
- Glendale Library is coordinating an event for kids in grades 1-4 to celebrate Arizona’s 100th birthday on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m. Find out what it was like to live in Arizona in 1912 and throughout the last 100 years. Learn how cowboys lived, join a scavenger hunt, enjoy interactive activities, crafts and a fun story or two, become a desert explorer and search for Arizona’s state symbols and more! Scheduled to perform are singing cowboy Gary Sprague, along with his horse Dusty and storyteller Elly Reidy. Register beginning Feb. 1 by calling Carolyn at 623-930-3539.
- Glendale Historical Society is offering special Centennial wedding packages on Feb. 14 and throughout the year. The Sweetheart Rose Wedding Package features a ceremony in the beautiful rose garden at Historic Sahuaro Ranch, itself more than 100 years old and a significant part of the state’s agricultural history. For more information, call 623-435-0072 or visit
www.glendalearizonahistoricalsociety.com .
- Throwing fashion into the mix is Pink House and designer Bri Bridge who is designing a Centennial dress to commemorate the occasion. Located in downtown Glendale, Pink House is an eclectic boutique featuring a variety of local designers and artisans. The garment will be a modernized reinvention of 1912 fashion, featuring some of the 5 ‘C’s of Arizona (cotton, cattle, copper, climate and citrus), as well as the state flag. The dress will be on display during the Glendale Chocolate Affaire, Feb. 3-5, in Pink House. Visit
www.pinkhousetreasures.com or call 623-298-4766.
- History buffs will want to check out the Glendale History Online project, created to help both residents and researchers understand our heritage by bringing a photographic history of Glendale alive. Glendale Public Library partnered with Glendale Arizona Historical Society, Glendale Community College, Sahuaro Ranch Historic Area and Thunderbird School of Global Management to share their collective histories with residents. Glendale Libraries’ website links to the Arizona Memory Project, an online effort to provide access to a wealth of primary sources in Arizona libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions. Visit
www.glendaleaz.com/library .
