October 2018 has been host to several new and exciting events in the White Mountains including the first annual DisclosureCON held at Hon-Dah Resort Oct. 5 & 6. The brainchild of event creator Doc Skinner of 1028 Productions (at right), this “UFO symposium meets ComicCON” perfectly married entertainment and education while boasting an impressive line up of expert speakers, vendors and celebrities.

From authors and artists to Ghostbusters and Ancient Aliens, the investment into a two day pass was not wasted as there were so many interesting sights and sounds to explore. At top right, attendees had the opportunity to talk with folks like Disney Artist Joel Christopher Payne and sci-fi author of The Stingwisher Loren Blowers. At bottom left, fans were delighted to meet a number of screen stars like Mike Bara of Ancient Aliens and Natasha Nyxx of Mysterious Forces Live.

Representing our very own corner of the world, guest speakers like Author and MUFON Investigator David Loomis and the man behind the well known “Fire in the Sky” story Travis Walton spoke to riveted audiences about their first hand experiences. Fun photo opps were nearly endless at this event as well. At left, the Navajo Nation Ghostbusters were a crowd pleaser and at bottom right, Big Kid Comics in Lakeside brought their collection of toys and collectibles that really brought out the big kid in all of us.

For more information about DisclosureCON, please visit www.disclosurecon.com. May the force be with you and see you next year!

Photos by Amie Rodgers

On October 11 – 14, the red carpet was rolled out at Village 8 Theater in Pinetop for the White Mountains’ inaugural film festival: Show Low Film Festival. An incredible success, Martina Webster of Darmar Production along with fellow producers Stephany Borders and Dalea Faulkner, local theater owner Teddy Croney, Doc Skinner, Jesse Valencia and an all star cast of local talent brought a real Hollywood experience to our hometown.

A virtual Disneyland for film buffs, this event featureed more than 50 films and ample opportunities to meet the directors and actors. “A film festival is a venue that offers Indie film makers a platform to show their films. Eventually, as the event grows, it could become a platform from which they can also sell their films to distribution companies like Netflix or Amazon,” explained Martina during our recent interview, “Having your film shown on the big screen is something that most film festivals can’t offer to all the films. So, this is really an incredible opportunity. The films range from shorts to to full features. The content ranges across a wide variety of current topics like Alzheimer’s to spousal abuse or suicide or bullying… you name it, it’s there.”

In addition to enjoying the movies themselves, the festival delivered the incredible opportunity to get ‘behind the scenes’ and meet the magic makers themselves. “The great thing about a film festival is that you might see a film and be able to meet the director or actors and next year, the film might make it big and you can say you knew them when. It is a fun opportunity to meet them in the hallways, have pictures taken with them and get autographs. Whatever people think Hollywood is at a film festival, it all comes true in a way,” smiles Martina.

We at the Maverick Magazine would like to congratulate Martina and her crew on a successful first year and many, many more to come.

For more information, visit www.showlowfilmfestival.com and check out Showlowfilmfestival on Facebook. To become a sponsor next year, please call Martina at (951) 249-5963.

SHOW LOW – Show Low Public Library will host a family-friendly carnival on Friday, Oct. 26, from 6:15 to 8 pm. Dress warmly for this free event, which will be held outside in the library’s parking lot on the east side of the building at 181 N. 9th Street. This event is geared for ages 10 and under, featuring carnival games using the library’s book carts. Each cart will be decorated with a different theme with games to be played and candy for the kids. Come prepared to party with the librarians and be ready for some sweet fun! For more information, go to www.showlowaz.gov/library or call (928) 532-4070.

Know that fear is a common experience for young children exploring the world around them, not just on Halloween. This type of social-emotional learning is a large part of early childhood. Helping young children work through their emotions is a skill that will serve them later in life.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents are encouraged to talk to their child about their fears and anxieties with a sympathetic ear. Do not belittle or ridicule your child’s fears, especially in front of his peers. Do not try to pressure your child into being brave. It takes time to confront and overcome anxiety. Instead, a parent can encourage, but not force, them to progressively come face-to-face with the fear.

First Things First offers these additional tips for minimizing anxiety and helping young kids enjoy Halloween.

Teach kids the difference between real and imaginary. One way to do this is to connect to something kids already do – like playing dress-up or pretend. Talk with your child leading up to Halloween about how people will be dressed up and how costumes – while some can be scary –aren’t real.

Choose costumes and decorations carefully. Something may be cute or funny to us, but uncomfortable, scary or downright dangerous to young kids. Consider how long your child will wear a costume. Avoid masks, which can be scary and restrict vision; try face-painting instead. If your child is old enough, let her help choose a costume.

Practice for trick-or-treating. This is more than just what to say to get candy. Talk about holding hands when crossing the street and going only to well-lit homes. Remind kids that some people will be strangers, but that you will be with them the entire time.

On the big night. Go trick-or-treating early in the evening. Stay with your children always. If your child is fearful, don’t tell them to not be afraid. This invalidates their concerns and may prevent them from expressing anxieties later on. Remind them that you are there to protect them.

Choose treats wisely. Hard candies, gummy snacks and caramels get stuck in tiny teeth and can cause tooth decay. The best selection of treats is plain chocolate, which melts easily. In addition, look out for very small treats or toys with small parts, which can be choking hazards.

Make holiday learning fun. Engage your child in family traditions, like baking seasonal favorites or carving pumpkins. Read books about Halloween. Talk about your past Halloweens and ask kids to share what they like about the holiday.

By following these simple tips, parents and caregivers can make this time of year fun for the entire family, especially those new to Halloween.

About First Things First – First Things First is a voter-created, statewide organization that funds early education and health programs to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Decisions about how those funds are spent are made by local councils staffed by community volunteers. To learn more, visit FirstThingsFirst.org.

Hollywood Comes to the Mountain

by Amie Rodgers

On October 11 – 14, the red carpet will be rolled out at Village 8 Theater in Pinetop for the White Mountains’ inaugural film festival: Show Low Film Festival. Now you might be scratching your head as to why the Show Low Film Fest is being held in Pinetop, but as it turns out, there is a White Mountain Film Festival held every year in New Hampshire so the domain name and other such things were unavailable. This mystery and others were solved when I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Martina Webster of Darmar Production who along with fellow producers Stephany Borders and Dalea Faulkner, local theater owner Teddy Croney, Doc Skinner, Jesse Valencia and an all star cast of local talent is bringing a real Hollywood experience to our hometown.

As producer, director and owner of Show Low Film Festival Martina has had many years of experience in event planning as well as festival operations. She co-produced the 2015 and 2016 Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema in Southern California and and she co-produced the music video for the feature film title song The Wind of Heaven sung by Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues along with Trinity Houston & David Minasian, and is one of the producers of the feature The Wind of Heaven. She is currently the producer on the film Turnover (www.turnovermovie.com) featuring Down Syndrome and Deaf actors.

“I got into the film industry when I had a dance studio in California. Some of the children wanted to be in the movies. There was a lot of misinformation out there and people ripping folks off with $1,000 portfolios for children whose look is going to change tomorrow. I have also staged a lot of beauty pageants. I worked for Miss California and in television,” notes Martina, “When we decided to move in search of a little bit quieter life (or so I thought), we really fell in love with this area. Once I got to know some people here, I was approached to put on a film festival. I was a little apprehensive at first, but decided it was a good idea because it would help bring film makers up here, which would boost the economy. They have to eat, they have to sleep, etc. It is gorgeous here and a perfect backdrop for westerns and period pieces. You couldn’t ask for a bigger area that is relatively unknown. So many people think Arizona is just a hot desert with maybe the exception of Flagstaff.”

As a new concept to our area, I asked Martina what we could expect at a film festival. “A film festival is a venue that offers Indie film makers a platform to show their films. Eventually, as the event grows, it could become a platform from which they can also sell their films to distribution companies like Netflix or Amazon. It is a bit ambitious to think we will have them all the first year, but that is the goal,” smiles Martina, “What is really fantastic is the partnership we have with Teddy from White Mountain Theaters. She has always been very supportive of independent film makers. Having your film shown on the big screen is something that most film festivals can’t offer to all the films. So, this is really an incredible opportunity.”

A virtual Disneyland for film buffs, this event will feature more than 50 films and ample opportunities to meet the directors and actors. “Being the first time, I didn’t think we would get as many entries as we did. To entice a film maker to come to Show Low to show their film at their own expense (flight, lodging, food, etc), I thought it would be more of a challenge. So, I was quite impressed when we were able to accept more than 50 films. We have approximately 8 films that we are screening that are projects that I selected from friends in the industry so they are not competing, just being screened,” says Martina, “Anyone with a film festival pass can come and watch the films being screened Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The films range from shorts to to full features. The films are not rated so it is going to be a
slightly different experience for people. I am sure there are going to be movies that not everyone likes, but they can always get up and check out what is playing across the hall. We are also going to try to play trailers throughout so people can have more of an idea of what they are seeing. The content ranges across a wide variety of current topics like Alzheimer’s to spousal abuse or suicide or bullying… you name it, it’s there.”

In addition to enjoying the movies themselves, this is the ultimate opportunity to get ‘behind the scenes’ just short of joining a production crew. “The great thing about a film festival is that you might see a film and be able to meet the director or actors and next year, the film might make it big and you can say you knew them when. Every session has Q and A time. You can meet them in the hallways, have pictures taken with them and get autographs. Whatever people think Hollywood is at a film festival, it all comes true in a way,” smiles
Martina, “We will have a number of very influential people and the possibility of a number of actors coming. It is hard to name names with actors because you can never be sure. If they get a job the week before, they have to go where the money is. So, they will be announced online as they get here. We are thrilled to have Honorary Chairs like Director of the Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media Matthew Earl Jones coming as well as the distinct possibility of Prince Mario Max, German Royal and Hollywood Who’s Who. His appearance means worldwide press for our area.”

Martina may be a veteran of the movie industry, but as a fairly new White Mountain resident, she has been impressed by the level of local support. “We have enjoyed some really great support from the community. We have a number of restaurants and hotels that are offering a discount with a film festival pass and we are listing them on our website. We are offering affordable ad space in our program, which is a high quality collector’s item if you have it signed by the directors and actors. We will be handing out 100 swag bags and it is a great opportunity for local artists and establishments to get their name out to people. There is no charge to be included, but we are only accepting higher end giveaways and coupons. We don’t want to weigh down the bags with 50 promotional pens,” says Martina with a chuckle, “We also really appreciate in-kind donations like meals and appetizers for the judges and VIPs. Whatever I can do to barter, trade, promote each other and make it easier for everyone, I am thrilled to do it.”

For more information about passes (locals get a special discounted rate), bios, trailers and schedule, please visit www.showlowfilmfestival.com. For up to the minute updates, check out Showlowfilmfestival on Facebook. To become a sponsor, please call Martina at (951) 249-5963.

Instructor Deborah Cox guides students in basic hula hand and foot movements. Students will learn to interpret words and body language of songs and use traditional Hawaiian chants. Instruction in the Hawaiian language is incorporated throughout the class. Students should wear comfortable clothing and bring water and a notebook to class.

Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, Cox has been dancing since the age of four and has been an instructor and choreographer of Polynesian dance for over 20 years. “During my instruction of dance of each island I teach the language of the steps being taught. Students will learn to dance, chant and sing to a specific song for each island,” explains Cox.

Register for the Interpretive Modern Hula class at least four days before the class starts to ensure it is not canceled due to insufficient enrollment. You can now register and pay for noncredit classes online at www.npc.edu/noncredit-classes. Need help registering? NPC campus offices have computers available to use for registering for classes.

NPC’s Community and Corporate Learning Division provides personal interest and specialized corporate training throughout NPC’s service area. For more information about noncredit, personal interest classes, contact Katharine Olsen, community learning specialist, (800) 266-7845, ext. 6244, or email ccl@npc.edu. For corporate training, contact Royce Kincanon, corporate learning coordinator, (800) 266-7845, ext. 6239, or email royce.kincanon@npc.edu.

You don’t have to be big or strong to use the techniques Master Accardo will share in the Self-Defense class (reference HPE 099x) on Saturday, September 15, from 10 a.m. to Noon, at the Snowflake/Taylor Campus, 1611 S. Main St. “You just need to know where to hit to put someone down,” he explains. The cost of the one-day class, open to ages 14 and up, is $20.

He will be offering the same basic self-defense class at NPC’s Show Low campus, 1001 W. Deuce of Clubs, on Saturday, October 13 and at the Holbrook campus, 2251 E. Navajo Blvd., on December 8. All classes meet from 10 a.m. to Noon and cost $20. A group self-defense class in kickboxing is being offered at NPC’s Springerville/Eagar Center, 940 E. Maricopa in Springerville, on three consecutive Saturdays, November 3 through 17, from 10 to 11 a.m. There is a $50 fee for the class. Master Accardo combines martial arts techniques with cardio for an amazing workout. You’ll learn basic kicking and punching techniques while working on stretching and physical conditioning. Open to all levels.

Master John Accardo is a 6th Degree black belt with over 43 years of experience in martial arts. Master Accardo was voted instructor of the year in 1990, and is still a top instructor today, not just teaching his own class but teaching black belts and other masters instructors. Master Accardo was also two-time state champ and 3rd twice in the world competition for fighting. In the last 30 years, he has been working on and perfecting the simplest self-defense from punching and kicking to knife defense, very simple to use and very painful for the attacker.

Register for the Self Defense or Kickboxing class at least four days before the class starts to ensure it is not canceled due to insufficient enrollment. You can now register and pay for noncredit classes online at www.npc.edu/noncredit-classes. Need help registering? NPC campus offices have computers available to use for registering for classes.

NPC’s Community and Corporate Learning Division provides personal interest and specialized corporate training throughout NPC’s service area. For more information about noncredit, personal interest classes, contact Katharine Olsen, community learning specialist, (800) 266-7845, ext. 6244, or email ccl@npc.edu. For corporate training, contact Royce Kincanon, corporate learning coordinator, (800) 266-7845, ext. 6239, or email royce.kincanon@npc.edu.

SHOW LOW, Ariz. (August 15, 2018) – Enjoy a family-friendly Apple Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Show Low City Park, 751 S. Clark Road, with contests, games, live entertainment and delicious treats. Free family activities — promising loads of fun — include cornhole, sack races, football toss, Frisbee toss, bobbing for apples, a photo booth and much more. Sign up at 6:30 for the free kid’s apple pie-eating contest starting at 7 (open to the first 100 kids), with prizes in each age category. Vendors will offer delicious apple treats and other edibles plus homemade crafts, jewelry, soaps and more available for sale. Bring a camping chair or blanket to relax and enjoy live entertainment with Heber Ridge Band, Fat Chance Band and Full Arrest or get up and dance to country-western and classic rock hits. For more information, call Show Low Parks and Recreation at (928) 532-4140.

Heard any good lawyer jokes lately? Oh, come on. Don’t call up the politically correct task force just yet. I’m going somewhere with this. Alright, I’ll go first: “What do you call 10,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? Survey says: A good start.” Why are these jokes and others referencing the blood sucking nature of this profession so unapologetically funny and all too often easy to relate to? My money is on the fact that most of the time when the average person has to “lawyer up” things have gone miserably sideways in our lives. Law suits, divorces, custody battles, lengthy probate squabbles, criminal offenses… These are rarely our shining moments that Mom is most proud of.

To make matters worse, the highest paid attorneys are often the ones who are making the most from the most heinous offenses and/or death. Don’t get me wrong, there are good lawyers out there and inspired by such individuals I even spent a couple years exploring a law career myself, but this story is not about me and my bad jokes. It is about “one of the good ones,” and an afternoon hike I took with local attorney Lorenz Schuerch and his family that make up the heart of their law firm, Mountain Legal, PLLC.

It was nearly perfect White Mountain weather as we strolled at a family friendly rate down the sun dappled paths of the Rim Overlook Trail in Lakeside. Our mission: to wrangle the Schuerchs’ three lively sons into a family photo with nature’s splendor as a backdrop. Of course, we all envisioned the ideal shot to take place on the boulders of the overlook portion of the trail. Unfortunately, I hadn’t quite timed things right for the sun to cooperate and we had three boys who looked as if they were trying to stare at an eclipse without burning their poor little eyeballs. I’ll never forget their middle son Liam’s little mischievous face doing it’s best to smile through his squinting. Ray Charles would have had a better idea of where the camera was.

Needless to say, when you’re an amateur photographer like me, it gives you plenty of time to get to know your subjects as you struggle to find the elusive perfect lighting. For instance, these two crazy kids met as undergrads in Rexburg, Idaho. Pre-Law Lorenz fell madly in love with Graphic Arts Major Kari and church bells rang. They were a family with the arrival of their eldest Tristan before Lorenz started law school at the University of Wisconsin and their youngest Anthony showed up in time for graduation. “They were all law school babies,” laughs Kari, “Needless to say, it was challenging, but we soldiered through and really enjoy our kids. They are the motivation for everything we do. We want to make a good life for them.”

This “family first” prerogative is what ultimately led the family to the White Mountains rather than Washington D.C. “We thought we wanted to live in D.C. So I spent all my summers with big firms and corporations there. During our last summer, we just really felt that it wasn’t a good fit for our family. We didn’t have much family time and weren’t looking forward to raising the boys in a metropolitan environment,” says Lorenz, “So, we started looking around at different opportunities. At the time, I was working for a federal contractor as part of their in-house legal team, which allowed me to work from home. We began looking and were familiar with this area. We have some good friends and family up here and loved the idea of living in the mountains. It seemed like such a dream after living in the big city of D.C. So, we made our move out here and I started studying for the Bar while working for a solo practitioner in Pinetop. In January, we started our own firm. In addition to her own Graphic Arts business, Kari is our paralegal, receptionist and all around support staff and Tristan is our file clerk.”

“We focus a lot on estate planning because there are many White Mountain residents that don’t necessarily have an estate plan in place. They often think that they don’t have enough assets to warrant it, put it off or just don’t plan on dying any time soon, which is understandable,” Lorenz chuckles, “In order to be accessible, we do a lot of house calls and visits at the local senior centers. We also work in business law because that is my background. I’m thrilled to offer my corporate law experience to our local business owners. I am also a small business owner so I can relate to the challenges we face.” Mountain Legal, PLLC also offers criminal law and civil litigation services, but chose not to work with family law. “Whether you win or lose, it is just too hard seeing kids ripped away from their families so we don’t do it,” notes Lorenz.

In addition to family values, Lorenz and Kari are big on community involvement and education. “Something that makes us a little different than a lot of law firms is that we are dedicated to empowering the community and our clients with knowledge. We offer workshops and are getting involved in a lot of community events,” smiles Kari.

To which Lorenz adds, “We really want to be part of the community. I have seen so many lawyers that seem to just sit in their office and wait for people to come to them. We want to reach out and love sharing knowledge, which is key to being prepared for whatever comes. We offer free classes in estate planning and business education classes. We will also be hosting some criminal law seminars that address things like your rights when you get pulled over and other common scenarios. Our goal is to empower our clients. Some attorneys keep things so close to their breast because they don’t want to let go of potential income. My experience has been that if you empower people with knowledge, they will come to you in the long run because they know you’re not in it merely for the dollar. I like investing in people and I think money is a really poor motivator. We all need money to live, but beyond that, we need relationships. I think of our business as an entity building a relationship with the community and the people in it.”

This focus on relationships lends itself to a passion for protecting relationships, which is what estate planning is really about. “According to AARP, only 4 out of 10 Americans have an estate plan in place. A lot of people expect that since they have nice kids that they will naturally get along in the event of their passing. Even in families where the kids have done well for themselves, as soon as someone dies, all those feelings come into play and fights break out for Dad’s gun collection or Mom’s good China,” notes Lorenz, “We are here to help you plan so that doesn’t happen or even become an issue. When you pass away, there will be no problems with any arguments because it has already been planned. The judge just needs to sign off on your will and there is no probate process. As a matter of fact, we don’t do probate law because the whole point of our endeavor is to avoid probate in the first place.”

“We really believe in families and feel really strongly about this kind of work because it provides peace of mind and protects a family’s future,” says Kari, “We want to make ourselves as available as possible. If you come to a seminar, you automatically get a free consultation with us. If there are any readers who are interested in hosting a free workshop at their club house, church, neighborhood, etc., please give us a call to set up a convenient day and time. We generally do one a week. We are also offering Friday afternoon Estate Planning Classes through NPC.”

Classes are held at the Show Low Campus from 2 – 3:30 pm. Upcoming dates are August 31st, September 21st and October 19th. These classes will address how to protect your assets, avoid probate, and provide for your loved ones. There will be a brief lecture about what estate planning is, who needs these services and how to get them. Students will also receive explanations of all the documents available for an estate plan and access to a question/answer session. To register, please visit https://www.npc.edu/noncredit-classes.

So, if you’re part of the the majority of Americans without an estate plan in place, there has never been a better time to learn how you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there will be no loose ends for your loved ones to worry about. What can be a messy and mystifying aspect of law doesn’t have to be with the help of Mountain Legal, PLLC. For more information, please visit www.mountainlegalaz.com or call (928) 358-4572. Check out Facebook for upcoming seminar topics and dates.