If you live in Pinal County Arizona and your kids, or you, need some tutoring help the challenge of finding help just got easier as the Pinal County Library District has launched a new free tutoring program that offers students of all ages one-on-one help from certified on-line tutors.

The free program also offers professional writing help for job seekers who need help in creating their resume.

Pinal County residents can access this help by visiting this website.

Any person who lives in Pinal County and who has a library card can access this new service.

The tutoring service is provided by Tutor.com which is a network of more than 2000 certified tutors as well as career specialists.

Whether you have a child who needs tutoring help, or you yourself need some help with classes if you have gone back to school, or if you are someone who is trying to find another job and need resume help — this is a service that is free to Pinal County residents.

Take advantage of it if you need the help.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

A Chili Tasting Contest will be hosted by the  Gold Canyon Business Association as part of the Gold Canyon 2010 Day of the Cowboy.

Events for Day of the Cowboy will take place in Gold Canyon Arizona this year on October 9 & 10, 2010.

—–

To read more about the Day of the Cowboy holiday, visit our earlier blog post.

To check out other events that are planned for this festive weekend in Gold Canyon visit the Event Calender section on GoldCanyon.net.

Participants are needed for the Chili Tasting Contest. Now is the time to sign up to participate Contact Patti Pier at (480) 366-5088 or by e-mail.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

There is a new yoga class getting ready to begin in Gold Canyon.

Smiling Dog Ranch is going to begin offering classes. Christine Werther will be teaching beginning Hatha yoga at Smiling Dog Ranch Mondays with an overflow class to be scheduled on Thursdays if needed.

Class size limited to 7 students.

1st class Sept 13th at 6:30 pm.

$10 donation for single class or $30 for blocks of 4 classes paid in advance.

Loaner blocks and mats available.

Call 480-288-8749 or e-mail tom@smilingdoglandscapes.com to reserve your spot.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

The Apache Junction School District is now connected to an on line program called EZSchoolPay.com. This program allows parents to deposit money into an account for their child. The child can then purchase lunches and other school items. No longer do parents need to worry about lost lunch money. The system also lets parents know how their child is spending  money and what types of food items the children  are buying.

For more information on online meal payments and monitoring, visit www.EZSchoolPay.com, call your child’s school cafeteria, or AJUSD at 480-982-1110 x2314.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Interested in what happened with real estate in Gold Canyon Arizona for month ending July 2010? Then let’s review.

July 2010 – Real Estate Stats
Gold Canyon Arizona at a glance

Information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

July 2010 sales show a slight decline over June 2010 sales, and also a decline in sales from a year ago in July 2009.

• In the Gold Canyon Arizona area, 31 homes sold in July 2010.

In June 2010 there were 37 homes sold.

A year ago in July 2009 there were 42 homes sold.

Average price per square foot for sold homes edged down more in July from June, or a year ago.

• The average price per square foot of Gold Canyon sold homes in July 2010 was $105,52.

In June 2010 the average price per square foot was $107.34 and in May 2010 it was $111.41.

Average price of homes sold in Gold Canyon Arizona

• The average price of sold homes in July 2010 in Gold Canyon Arizona was $260,852.

The average price of homes sold in June 2010 was $214,085.

The average price of homes sold in May 2010 was $259,380.

Distressed properties

• Of the 31 sold in the Gold Canyon Arizona area in July 2010, 18 of the properties were “distressed”***.

A year ago, July 2009 saw 42 homes sold with 23 of those being “distressed”.

The average price per square foot for “distressed” homes sold in July 2010 was $90.68.

The average price per square foot for “distressed” homes sold in June 2010 was $85.34.

Number of homes on market in Gold Canyon Arizona

• During July 2010 there were 299 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona.

July 2009 saw 394 homes on the market, as comparison.

Based on current sales activity the 299 homes currently on the market are considered to be a 10 month inventory of homes in the area.

(** A “distressed” home means either a home is a “short-sale” or one that has foreclosed.)

(This data is compiled from the Phoenix ARMLS for the time period that is referenced. Data is deemed to be accurate, but not guaranteed.)

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Are you interested in having fresh food, veggies and herbs, etc from your own garden? More people seem to be interested in gardening these days. In Arizona, with the heat, this can be a challenge for several months of the year. So if you are like many people, you might like to grow veggies in your yard, but have little clue about how to begin.

There is a proposal being made by one of Gold Canyon Arizona’s residents, Jean Buckborough, for local residents to form a Gardening Share Group in Gold Canyon.  She is making the invitation open to all who are interested in such an endeavor.

The first meeting will be at her home on August 15th.

If growing one’s own vegetables and having a garden is appealing to you, contact Jean directly for more information and details — her contact info us 480-982-6020 or jean@newvisionhealing.com

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

With the state of the economy the pull on non-profits is even greater than before. A local non-profit located in Apache Junction is in need of your help.  Hope Women’s Center is a local AJ non profit that has been around for about 25 years. The organization assists women who are homeless, dis-advantaged, victims of crimes/violence, abuse or otherwise need assistance. Donations, cash and “in-kind” donations are needed.

Contact them at 480-983-4673 for more information about how you can help and donate. Open Tues, Wed and Thurs – 252 N Ironwood Dr, AJ

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

July 24th is National Day of the Cowboy this year.  Gold Canyon Arizona has been very involved in years past to bring the celebration to the area on the designated day, however this year, with the wisdom of past summers when this event has been celebrated during 110+ temp days, this year the actual celebration in the area has been deferred to Saturday, October 9th.

The deferring of the celebration is smart for many reasons — first the temps in July in the Gold Canyon Arizona area, as well as all of Arizona are intense. Outdoor activities of any sort might need a collection of Aid-cars on standby. Secondly, deferring the celebration until October is smart because in October there are many more visitors to the region. Summers in Arizona see many of the seasonal visitors and “snow-birds” gone to cooler locations. So in October, there will be many more folks able to enjoy the festivities of National Day of the Cowboy.

The history of this Western oriented holiday is that it began being sponsored in the U.S. Senate in 2005, 2006, and 2007, by Wyoming’s late U.S. Senator, Craig Thomas. The idea was that there be a day called National Day of the Cowboy to be set aside for Americans to celebrate the contribution of the Cowboy and Cowgirl to America’s culture and heritage. In 2008, the National Day of the Cowboy resolution was sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives (for the first time) by Arizona U.S. Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords and in the U.S. Senate by Senator Mike Enzi, WY. It passed in the Senate and the House, thus naming Saturday, July 26, 2008 as the 4th Annual National Day of the Cowboy.

On Friday, June 20, 2008, the National Day of the Cowboy resolution also passed in the Arizona State Legislature, making Arizona the first state to pass the resolution. Arizona Representative, Jennifer Burns, was asked to sponsor the resolution. She agreed but in thinking it over she ultimately decided she felt it would be more meaningful if it was sponsored by Senators Jake Flake and Jack Brown, the two remaining Cowboys in the Arizona legislature. Senators Flake and Brown both wanted to accept that honor, but sadly, Jake Flake passed away before he was able to introduce the resolution. However, subsequently it was introduced in his honor, by Jack Brown, and passed easily and concurrently in both the Arizona House and the Senate.

In the words of the President Bush, “We celebrate the Cowboy as a symbol of the grand history of the American West. The Cowboy’s love of the land and love of the country are examples for all Americans.”

The National Day of the Cowboy this year is Saturday, July 24th but it will be celebrated on the weekend of  October 9th this year.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Let’s review what happened with real estate in Gold Canyon Arizona for month ending June 2010.

June 2010 – Real Estate Stats
Gold Canyon Arizona at a glance

Information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

June 2010 sales show a slight decline over May 2010 sales, and also a decline in sales from a year ago in June 2009.

• In the Gold Canyon Arizona area, 37 homes sold in June 2010.

In May 2010 there were 42 homes sold.
A year ago in June 2009 there were 44 homes sold.

Average price per square foot for sold homes edged down in June.

• The average price per square foot of Gold Canyon sold homes in June 2010 was $107.34.

In May 2010 the average price per square foot  was $111.41 and in April 2010 it was $118.32.

Average price of homes sold in Gold Canyon Arizona

• The average price of sold homes in June 2010 in Gold Canyon Arizona was $214,085.

The average price of homes sold in May 2010 was $259,380.
The average price of homes sold in April 2010 was $278,898.

Distressed properties

• Of the 37 sold in the Gold Canyon Arizona area in June 2010, 19 of the properties were “distressed”***.

A year ago, June 2009 saw 44 homes sold with 23 of those being “distressed”.

The average price per square foot for “distressed” homes sold in June 2010 was $85.34.
The average price per square foot for “distressed” homes sold in May 2010 was $95.41.

In June 2010 the average price per square foot for “distressed” homes sold was $91.10. In May 2010 the average price per square foot of “distressed” homes sold was $95.41.

Buyers all look for the bargains. (If you are someone who is thinking of selling your home in this market, that your price has to be extremely competitive in order for buyers to consider your home.)

Number of homes on market in Gold Canyon Arizona

• During June 2010 there were 319 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona.

June 2009 saw 412 homes on the market, as comparison.

Based on current sales activity the 319 homes currently on the market are considered to be a 9 month inventory of homes in the area.

(** A “distressed” home means either a home is a “short-sale” or one that has foreclosed. This data is compiled from the Phoenix ARMLS for the time period that is referenced. Data is deemed to be accurate, but not guaranteed.)

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

It’s monsoon season in Gold Canyon and Arizona. If you have large un-pruned trees it is a wise thing to prune them so they are not in danger of the monsoon winds toppling them over.

But be careful. Never attempt to prune trees near power lines. If you have trees within 10 feet of power lines you should call the power company and ask them to disconnect the electrical service so pruning can be safely done. SRP can be reached at 602-236-8888. Call them at least a day in advance to schedule the service. An adult needs to be home when they come to disconnect. (Note if there are other emergencies the power company has that requires their man power, the tree trimming requests will need to be rescheduled.)

New to Arizona and not sure
how to best prune trees?

Here are some links to help steer you in the right direction for pruning healthy trees.

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/pruning/fruit.html

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1139.pdf

http://www.gardenguides.com/94160-prune-orange-trees-arizona.html

Trees left un-pruned are more likely to be affected by the monsoon winds, possibly falling on roofs and causing damage or the trees themselves being up-rooted.

Bookmark

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™