RIM COUNTRY COMMUNITY BRIEFS

Sunday, September 5
Payson Center for Spiritual Awareness Sunday Celebration at 11 a.m., 107 W. Wade Lane, Suite 2. Guest speaker Annelle Henson will discuss “manifesting the Christ within each of us.”

Jam Sessions with Junction 87 at the Buffalo Bar & Grill, 311 S. Beeline Highway, every Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Monday, September 6
Grief Support Group every first and third Monday of the month from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Hospice House, 511 S. Mud Springs Road. The free drop-in group sessions are for those who have experienced the death of a loved one. For more information, contact Jean Ramsey, 472-6340.

Tuesday, September 7
Rim Country Toastmasters meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Mogollon Health Alliance Auxiliary building next to the Almost New Shop at 304 E. Aero Drive. Networking at 5:30 p.m. The 60-minute meeting begins at 5:45 p.m. Find or refine your voice with us. Learn to persuade and inspire your audience, organize your speech, use vocal variety and overcome fear at the podium. For more information contact, (928) 478-8820 or RimcountryTM@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 8
Pre-school Story Time, every Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. in the Pine Public Library.

Puppet Story Time, every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Payson Public Library.

Kickin’ Cancer Support Group meets every first Wednesday of the month at noon at the Payson United Methodist Church, 414 N. Easy Street. Bring brown bag lunch.

Thursday, September 9
Summer Reading Program at the Payson Public Library every Thursday in June at 9:30 a.m. Bounces, ticklers, brain play, lullabies and stories for ages six months to three years.

Tikes & Toddlers Story Time every Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Payson Public Library Meeting Room.

Family Time at the Isabelle Hunt Memorial Library in Pine every Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. Activities include games, stories, puppets and art. For more information, call the library, 476-3678.

Crafty Kidz at the Payson Public Library Children’s Room every Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. A craft center for kids to create, experiment and have fun. Activities include coloring, painting, stamping, magnets, cooking, clay sculpting, jewelry and papier mache. Open to kids of all ages. Parents must accompany children 5 years of age and under. For more information, contact Harryette, 474-9260.

Dinner Specials every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Greater Payson Moose Lodge #258, 225903 E. Highway 260 in Star Valley. Specials include fried and baked fish, breaded shrimp or chicken along with vegetables, dinner salad, bread and choice of potato. $7 per person. Members and guests welcome.

Payson Raconteurs writers group meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at a local restaurant. The association of local writers makes it possible for writers to read their work for critique. For further information, contact Carole Mathewson, 474-0753.

Payson Tea Party Sons and Daughters of Liberty regular meeting at Tiny’s Restaurant, 600 E. Highway 260 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The Miracle of Magic with Joe Miracle at 6 p.m. at MoJoe’s Café on Main Street. Sit back and be entertained with table magic and magnificent stage illusions. Owners Andy and Cindy Kofile are happy to expand their very popular Dinner Theater on Friday nights with an eclectic entertainment menu. They are proud to support the arts in Payson and encourage everyone to do the same. Dinners from Mom’s secret recipe book are served with every show and include salad, main dish, vegetable, bread and dessert. Reservations recommended. Please call 478-8828.

Anne James, singer/songwriter/guitarist, will appear every Thursday in August from 7 to 9 p.m. at the East West Exchange, 100 N. Tonto Street (at Longhorn and Tonto). No admission charge. For more information, call (928) 951-4420.

Friday, September 10
Free Art Classes every Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Payson Senior Center, 514 W. Main Street. Instructor, Helen Tennent. For more information or to enroll, call 474-3996 or 474-4876.

“Famous Fish Fry” at the American Legion Tonto Rim Post #69 every Friday from noon to 8 p.m., 709 E. Highway 260. Karaoke from 6 to 10 p.m. Public welcome.

Beginning Genealogy Class every third Friday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genealogy Library, 302 E. Bonita Street. The class is packed full of concepts, techniques and ideas which will get you started on your way to fulfilling a lifetime of tracing your family tree. Pre-registration and payment of fee is required. $5 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Evening classes can be conducted by appointment. For more information, contact Peggy Gray, 474-5015.

Saturday, September 11
Payson Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at 816 S. Beeline Highway, behind Chili’s Restaurant and in front of the Sawmill Theater. We have a new supply of fresh, Pearl corn from Concho, AZ and cage-, hormone- and pesticide-free chicken, smoked and frozen, from Chino Valley, AZ. We've also added raw and savory and sweet roasted pecans! Relax in the shade with soft rock and smooth country tunes by ROGER and enjoy a snack or meal. For more info, call Lorian at 468-0961 or visit the Web site at: http://www.paysonfarmersmarket.info/.

The Starlighters performs at Tiny's Restaurant, 600 E.Highway 260 every Saturday night from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The music is from the "American Songbook" with a selection of tunes typically from Broadway musicals written by Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and others along with more recent Bossanova tunes from Antonio Carlos Jobim/Luiz Bonfa and other Latin songwriters.

Movie Night: Foodmatters from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. at the East West Exchange, 100 N. Tonto Street. Foodmatters is a hard hitting, fast paced look at our current state of health. Join the world's leading authorities on nutrition and natural healing as they uncover the true cause of disease. Find out what works, what doesn't and what's killing you. Foodmatters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide "sickness industry" and exposes a growing body of scientific evidence proving that nutritional therapy can be more effective, more economical, less harmful and less invasive than most conventional medical treatments. $2 admission. For more information, call 468-2435.Top of Form

Upcoming Events
Awana resumes in Payson on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The nationwide program for community children ages three (by Wednesday, Sept. 1) through sixth grade includes Bible stories, memory verses and games.  Awana will meet every Wednesday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ponderosa Baptist Church.  Contact Shirley Dye, 468-1131 or the church office, 474-9279 for more information and registration.

Chamber Mixer at Majestic Mountain Inn, 602 E. Highway 260 on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Door prizes and raffles. Admission is $3 for chamber members and $5 for all others.

Second Payson Shred-a-Thon at the parking lot of the old Foxworth-Galbraith building, 202 N. Beeline Highway on Friday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon. Businesses and individuals can take advantage of the mobile shredding service to dispose of sensitive documents on-site. Cost per banker’s box (10”x12”x15”) is $6, cash or checks accepted. Cost of other sized boxes will be estimated based on volume. No prep work is needed—staples and paper clips do not need to be removed. TNT Shredding will donate a portion of the proceeds to Time Out domestic violence shelter. The event is sponsored by the Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce, Time Out shelter and TNT Shredding. For further information, contact Tim at (480) 329-7412.

Good Old Fashion Country Jam Session featuring Junction 87 on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Payson Elks Lodge, 1206 N. Beeline Highway. No cover charge. Donations accepted. All proceeds will benefit the Payson children's shopping spree in December. Dress in your western duds or not! All are invited who want to jam as well as those who would like to listen and enjoy. Food will be available for purchase. Elks will be waiting to welcome all as their guests. For more information, contact Mary Smith at 468-8766.

"Take a Walk in Pine" Shop Hop on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. in Pine (Highway 87 north of Payson). Local merchants will offer shopping bargains, food and entertainment. Visit participating Pine merchants with the pine tree in front of their business.

Third Annual Demolition Derby on Sunday, Sept. 12 at the Payson Event Center. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. Derby starts at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for children and free for children under age three. The derby is held in conjunction with the Northern Gila County Fair and is sponsored by Payson Parks & Recreation and Honeycutt Rodeo. For further information, contact Nelson Beck at (928) 474-5242, ext. 306.

FLW Day on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Green Valley Park. Sponsored by the Town of Payson, the free outdoor festival will provide the opportunity to meet several professional fishermen that will compete in the following week's (Wednesday, Sept. 22 through Saturday, Sept. 25) FLW National Guard, Western Series Championship at Roosevelt Lake. Activities will include: Arizona Game and Fish Department Free Family Fishing day with loaner rods and bait; Outdoor Expo at Green Valley Park Amphitheater including outdoor recreation retailers, arts and crafts vendors and food; media session where you can "Meet the Pros!" including professional bass fishermen Clifford Pirch, Mike Folkestad, Brett Hite, Tim Klinger, Justin Lucas, Rusty Salewske, Zack Thompson, Jonathan Walker; National Guard "Fun Zone" activities; and live music by the SRP "Second Shift" band in the evening. The National Guard “Fun Zone” will include: climbing walls, the Wave Machine Inflatable; Shooting Gallery Inflatable; High Ropes Course; Pedal Karts; Boat Simulator; and autograph sessions with professional anglers.

Payson High School Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19 at the Payson Event Center. Deadline for entry is Friday, Sept. 3. For more information, visit the Web site: http://www.ahsra.com/.

Country Bluegrass band, The Gibson Brothers on Monday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. Presented by the Tonto Community Concert Association at the Payson High School Auditorium. Eric and Leigh Gibson grew up on a dairy farm outside of Ellenburg Depot, NY in the shadow of the Adirondack Mountains. Eric plays banjo and Leigh plays guitar. Basic subscription for adult tickets is $80 per person or $30 per performance, if available at the door. For subscriptions or other information, call 474-6115 or 478-4363 or visit the Web site: http://www.tccarim.org/.

40th Anniversary Old Time Fiddler's Contest—AZ State Championship on Saturday, Sept. 25 and Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Payson Event Center. The event is slated to contain lots of family-oriented fun and entertainment, so please make plans to join us and kick back under the tent for some great fiddling fun!

Rim Country Briefs
Northern Gila County Fair on Friday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 12 at the Payson Rodeo Grounds off Highway 87 in Payson. Free admission. Activities include exhibits, kid’s day, llama show, livestock judging and show, 4H horse show, livestock dinner and auction, and demolition derby. Entry booklets are available at the Payson and Pine libraries. For more information, contact Lynn Johns at 474-0422, Katy Taylor at (928) 978-2131, or Wendell Stevens at (928) 595-0113.

Do you have a happy pet story?  Aachanon Publishing will be accepting story submissions until Wednesday, Sept. 15.  Proceeds of book sales will benefit the Humane Society of Central Arizona.  For questions, call Derek Pratt at 468-8405 or e-mail: aachanon@isp.com.