Pima set to celebrate Heritage Days

Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: Nick Bingham, left, and Scott Alder flip up pancakes and fun at the 25th annual Pima Heritage Days. This year, Pima Heritage Days will be Friday and Saturday, April 22, 23.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

PIMA — It’s nearly time to strap on the feed bag and get out the dancing shoes as the town of Pima prepares to observe its founding 143 years ago.

The 27th annual Heritage Days, sponsored by the Eastern Arizona Museum & Historical Society, will be held Friday and Saturday, April 22-23. The event is the annual fundraiser for the museum and emphasizes food, family, and fun. This year, the theme is “Small Town, Big Heart, Cherished Legacy.”

The celebration kicks off with a quilt show Friday, starting from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Cultural Hall on U.S. Highway 70, and all are encouraged to view the works of quilted art. Diane Allred and Kerma Matthews are accepting entries. For more information on the quilt show call (928) 485-9462.

Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: Anna Jane Jarvis, right, holds up her quilt with the help of her granddaughter, from left, Emylia Stapley, and daughter, Reecia Stapley, during the 2018 Pima Heritage Days.

Clint Colvin’s pit barbecue dinner will be served Friday evening at the Clyde Davis Cafetorium, from 5 to 7 p.m. The meal includes beans, coleslaw, rolls, homemade root beer, and Texas sheet cake. It’s just $10 to get a belly full for those 12 and older and $7 for those 11 and younger.

Don’t stay out too late, though, because the not-to-miss cowboy breakfast starts at 7 a.m. the following day at the W.M. Carter Farm Museum with the posting of the colors and a blessing on the food. Cooks Scott and Joyce Alder, Kurt Palmer, Shawn Wright, and a host of others make the tasty bacon, eggs, and all-you-can-eat- pancakes, while the rib-sticking delight that is the homemade and Dutch oven cooked biscuits and gravy prepared by Russell and Jonnet Woods form the icing on the cake. Plenty of juice and milk will also be served to wash down the tender vittles, which will be served through 9 a.m. or until supplies are gone. Prices for the breakfast are $5 per plate for those ages 12 and over and $3 per plate for those ages 11 and under.

Jon Johnson File Photo: This was an emerald jewelry piece that was raffled off during the 2018 event.

The activities at Heritage Days are the museum’s major annual fund-raiser and community event. In addition to the breakfast, there will be a raffle with prizes including a quilt, jewelry, and a walking stick, steam engine demonstrations, and there will be an old semi-truck show from 6 a.m. – noon. For further information call Shawn Wright at (928) 965-1050.

The Eastern Arizona Museum is housed in three historic buildings, with its entrance being the former Bank of Pima, built in 1914. Adjacent to that is Cluff Hall. Built in 1882 out of tufa stone from the limestone quarry at Bear Springs Flat, the structure is the oldest building in Pima. Rounding out the facility is the former Rexall Drug Store, which was originally built around 1900. The museum and its board are seeking volunteers to assist with the operation of the museum and its events.