DREAMS COME TRUE
It's 2009, and you're not getting any younger. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
We're not talking about work, or family, or any of the serious, important things - we're talking about THE CRAZY DREAMS, THE WILD NOTIONS, the things you've always wanted to try but never quite seemed to find the time for.
The time is now. THERE'S FUN AND ADVENTURE to be had without even setting foot outside Arizona - ghost-hunting, race-car-driving, flamenco-dancing, banjo-playing fun.
GET CRACKING
BY SALVATORE CAPUTO, FLO ECKSTEIN,
JENNIFER GOLDBERG, JOSH SAYLES,
DEBORAH SUSSMAN SUSSER & LEISAH WOLDOFF
I've always wanted to...
kick up my heels
Flamenco dancing, which originated in the south of Spain, is not for the faint of heart, or foot; it demands focus, passion and coordination.
At Flamenco!...The Studio, a 2,000-square-foot Tempe space with a floated dance floor and a wall of mirrors, instructor Linda Machado demonstrates how it's done. By turns tough and tender, much like the flamenco she teaches, Machado will have you stamping the floor with conviction in no time. Then you can turn your attention to the magnificent costumes that flamenco dancers get to wear, which are available at the studio, as are instructional videos and books about flamenco. Turns out it's more than just a dance: It's a way of life.
Flamenco!...The Studio is located at 524 W. Broadway, Suite 108. Call 480-205-1658
or visit flamencothestudio.com.
I've always wanted to...
get down and dirty
Used to be, farming wasn't so exotic, but with family farms going the way of the dinosaur, harvesting your own food is something people don't often get to do anymore. If you want to feel like a traditional farmer for a day, head out to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, where they offer a variety of seasonal activities and festivities.
Best of all, you can harvest your own fruits and vegetables in season, through the farm's U-Pick Gardens and Orchards program. For a set rate per pound, you fill up boxes with what you want, whether it's lettuce, radishes and turnips or, in the spring, peaches, apricots and plums, then cart the boxes home and literally enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Schnepf Farms is located at 22601 E. Cloud Road, Queen Creek. Call 480-987-3100
or visit schnepffarms.com.
I've always wanted to...
dig for buried treasure
Ever wondered what it would be like to prospect for gold at the turn of the 20th century? You don't have to go far past Apache Junction to find out. The site of the Old Goldfield Mill in Goldfield, a gold-mining ghost town also known as Youngsberg, was purchased in 1984 by prospecting enthusiast Bob Schoose.
Schoose and his wife slowly revamped the five-acre site, reconstructing an old mining tunnel, adding a snack bar and opening for business in 1988. Soon thereafter came a photo shop, general store, saloon and Goldfield Museum.
The resurrected town now has more than 10 attractions, from the Superstition Narrow Gauge Railroad - a scenic tour around Goldfield - to Goldfield mine tours to gold panning at Prospector's Place, where you get to pan for and keep the gold you find.
Cost per attraction varies; an all-attractions pass costs $25. Call 480-983-0333
or visit goldfieldghosttown.com.
I've always wanted to...
go wild
Ever wonder what it's like to work at a zoo? Check out the Phoenix Zoo's Keeper for a Day program.
Participants are advised to wear clothes that can get dirty as they work with a professional animal keeper to clean and maintain animal habitats, prepare and distribute meals, monitor the health and well-being of the animals and fill out reports.
Possible scenarios include creating a pinata in the shape of an animal for the South African wild dogs to attack or explaining the behavior of the orangutans to zoo guests.
The most popular choices of animals to work with are elephants, rhinoceroses and giraffes.
Keepers must be 18 years or older and have proof of a negative TB test administered within 12 months of the selected program date. The cost is $350 for an individual or $600 for a couple, which includes a Phoenix Zoo T-shirt, a hat, a disposable camera and a coupon for a free lunch; the fee is tax-deductible. Two weeks' notice is required; the program is not offered June through September.
The zoo is located at 455 N. Galvin Parkway. Call 602-914-4333 or visit phoenixzoo.org.
I've always wanted to...
do some pickin' n' grinnin'
You'll find it's tough to evoke tears in your listeners when strumming the banjo - unless it's tears of joy. The acoustic string instrument rarely strikes a sad note. The tinny, lively, rhythmic banjo voice is music of, for and by the people, imploring listeners to clap hands, sing and dance.
The banjo, a descendant of African musical instruments, was created in the Americas by African slaves. It eventually made its way into many kinds of American music - bluegrass, country, jazz, folk, hippie jam, classical.
The banjo has found a home in Jewish music as well. Andy Rubin plays banjo with the Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band out of Sacramento. ("Freilach" is Yiddish for "joyous.") One critic describes the band's music as a "Jewish-Irish-Appalachian hybrid." In the Denver area, Ben Cohen strums banjo with the band Shalom Feivel and Rocky Mountain Jewgrass.
Then there's Banjo Billy, aka Pinchas Spicer, who plays "Jewish banjo for the soul." An Australian, Banjo Billy made aliyah to Israel, where he lives, prays and composes in Safed. Among his tunes: "God in a Bagel" ("There's God in a bagel, in the middle of the hole/It's amazing what you'll find with an open heart and mind/And a prayer").
Feelin' blue? Pick up a banjo and start pickin', in whatever genre nourishes your soul. A used banjo (check Craigslist) is about $100; a new one $300-$400.
For information on local banjo sources and lessons, e-mail Rick Rhodes, rick@arizonabluegrass.com;
or visit the Arizona Bluegrass Association, arizonabluegrass.com.
I've always wanted to...
be shaken and stirred
Admit it. Ever since you first saw a James Bond movie, you've wanted to be as cool as 007 - shooting, fighting, and driving with the same masterful skill.
So how about indulging the fantasy at a fantasy camp? Covert Ops teaches licensed drivers ages 16 and up the art of combat shooting, how to execute "bootleggers" and "J turns" in a car, and how to use martial arts to do things like disarm a foe.
"Basically, we have two-day and three-day experiences where you can be an undercover spy," says Secret Agent Jane (Jane Reifert, owner of Sarasota, Fla.-based Incredible Adventures).
You train in the dojo, on the shooting range and at the auto track, and learn real military, undercover espionage and law-enforcement tactics taught by experts who teach professionals the rest of the year.
Then you're ready for a mission, such as driving in a night convoy (trying to avoid ambush and safely deliver an important political leader to a critical meeting) or rescuing a hostage, Reifert says. "The facility we use (in the Pinal Air Park, north of Tucson) is a former military base."
The next mission is coming up in May. On the $3,796 three-day experience, you use real guns and a fast-attack vehicle, while on the $1,995 two-day, you don't.
Call (800) 644-7382 or visit covertops.com.
I've always wanted to...
get spooked out
Horror movies, haunted houses, Stephen King novels - the thrill of the chill is one that many people can't get enough of. For an interactive scare, turn to Arizona Ghost Tours. They offer night walking tours of Tucson, Bisbee and Tombstone, with enough dark legends and spooky locales to satisfy the thrill-seeker in all of us.
If the walking tour isn't enough, consider checking into Bisbee's Copper Queen hotel for its weekly Ghost Hunt package. A ghost expert will teach you how to investigate supernatural occurrences before you explore the historic hotel in search of paranormal activity.
The Tucson tour is held 7 p.m. Fridays-Mondays; the Bisbee and Tombstone tours, 7 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. Cost is $13 for adults and $9 for children.
Call (520) 432-3308 or visit arizonaghosttours.net. Cost for the Copper Queen
ghost hunt package is $255. Call (520) 432-2216 or visit copperqueen.com.
I've always wanted to...
blast off
If you're curious about space exploration, you can become a crewmember on a simulated space mission. All it requires is a visit to the Challenger Space Center in Peoria.
The "Voyage to Mars" mission transports the first human crew to the Martian surface to explore the red planet; participants collect and analyze planetary samples and other data. As part of the "Rendezvous with a Comet" mission, crew members both in the spacecraft and at Mission Control take part in a daring trek through space to undertake a scientific mission to launch a probe in the tail of Comet Encke.
The missions are two hours long and each participant is assigned a job, from collecting data or performing medical tests on the astronauts to serving as a navigator or a data officer. The experience takes place in three rooms - a briefing room, a simulated spacecraft and Mission Control.
Boarding passes are $17.50 adults, $15 for students and seniors. Public missions are 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays; prepaid reservations are required.
The center, located at 21170 N. 83rd Ave. in Peoria, also features stargazing
nights and family fun days. Call 623-322-2001 or visit azchallenger.org.
I've always wanted to...
run away and join the circus
Flying through the air with the greatest of ease sounds nice and all, but it requires training so that your aerial antics don't end in a trip to the hospital.
At Arizona Circus School, owner Rachel Stegman instructs students on the static trapeze; the corde lisse, a vertical rope; and the tissu, or aerial silk, where a performer is suspended by a special fabric.
Stegman, who grew up in the Valley and opened the school in 2007, has been teaching for 10 years. The school has no facility of its own, but rents space in Scottsdale and Chandler. Private classes are available, as well as small-group sessions for up to four people.
The classes are fun, Stegman says, "and most of the time people are able to do more than they expect. But it's not easy. The classes are still very challenging."
Cost starts at $85 per private lesson and $50 per group lesson; packages are available.
Visit circusschoolofarizona.com or call 480-285-9635.
I've always wanted to...
drive like a pro
If you're looking for a real-life version of "The Fast and the Furious," minus, of course, all the drama, look no further than the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
Located adjacent to Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, the facility is run by former Formula 1 racing prospect Bob Bondurant, whose promising career was cut short after a devastating accident on the track in 1967. He opened his school in 1968 in California, with three Datsuns, a Lola T70 Can-Am car and a Formula Vee. After relocating to the Valley in 1990, the Bondurant School is now equipped with more than 200 ready-to-race vehicles, not to mention its own 15-turn, 1.6-mile road course.
Lessons range from $400 to $5,925, depending on the clinic. Or, if you don't quite feel ready to jump into a race car, try out the Bondurant SuperKart School, where the karts go 0-100 MPH in six seconds. Multiday packages here can run up to $2,175, but a one-hour session costs a less-extravagant $165.
Call (800) 842-7223 or visit bondurant.com.