CAVE CREEK – Cave Creek Museum is gearing up for a busy November with several special events and its annual fundraiser, “A Miner’s Dinner.” Please do not miss the information below about “A Miner’s Dinner,” which is the biggest museum fundraiser of the year. If you can’t attend, please consider making a donation in support of our fabulous community treasure, Cave Creek Museum!
Saturday, Nov. 5
Free Wild West Days Stamp Mill Demonstration: 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Gold Panning: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ongoing all afternoon
See this historic 1880 “Golden Reef Mine Stamp Mill” in action as volunteers crush hard rock ore in search of gold that can be separated and saved. The Museum is particularly pleased to showcase this 10-Stamp Mill that came from its own mining district and was originally located on Continental Mountain.
Saturday, Nov. 12
Free Stamp Mill Demonstration: 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
See above.
P.O.W.s of Papago Butte: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Visit the historic church on the Museum’s property. Although his “day job” is as chief archivist at the celebrated Huhugam Ki Museum at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, author Steve Hoza has long been fascinated by the history of the German prisoner of war camp that sprawled at the base of the Papago Buttes. From 1944 through the end of the war, the encampment housed 31,000 P.O.W.s and was even the site of a “Great Escape”, when 24 of the prisoners tunneled out of the fenced camp and most were promptly recaptured. Through dozens of photos and in the words of the P.O.W.s, the American soldiers who guarded them, and the Phoenix citizens who lived nearby, spend a little time within the razor-wired confines of what was one of Arizona’s largest prison camps.
Sunday, Nov. 13
Family Fun Workshop: Leave No Carbon Footprint: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Learn about renowned local poet, hiker and preservationist, Geoffrey Platts, who in 1998, was described by Phoenix Magazine as the “Desert Laureate.” Raised in England, Platts moved to Arizona in 1962 and fell in love with the Sonoran desert. He lived in a one-room cabin near Cave Creek for more than two decades. He became an activist who at one point gathered trash in bags and dumped them on the Arizona Senate floor to demonstrate the litter problem. His passing in 2000 was such a big loss to the community that a memorial “Geoffrey’s Bench” sits in the Jewel of the Creek Preserve near Spur Cross Road.
Free with the cost of admission, and children ages 12 and under are always admitted to the museum for free. Reservations are requested.
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Annual fundraiser “Miner’s Dinner”: 4 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Stamp Mill Demonstrations: 4:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m. (free viewing for public)
Guests will be transported back in time as they dine outside by the Museum’s historic “Golden Reef” Stamp Mill that is believed to date back to 1880. Attendees will have a chance to see the fully operational Stamp Mill in action – the only operational 10-Stamp Mill in the state (and the only Stamp Mill in Maricopa County). Guests will also be able to see a blacksmith at work, pan for gold and enjoy a chuckwagon dinner that will be patterned after that of a traditional miner’s fare. Down Home Arizona will perform and guests can also bid on silent and live auction items.
$55 per person. Credit cards accepted. Reservations requested as seating is limited.
Tuesday, Nov. 29
Vino & Canvas: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
$35 per person, with $15 being donated to the Museum. Includes materials and libations. Seating is limited. Register: www.vinoandcanvas.com.
Located at 6140 Skyline Drive, Cave Creek Museum features an extensive collection of prehistoric and historic artifacts that describe the lives of Native Americans, miners, ranchers and pioneers. The Museum hours are Wed., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Fri. from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Entrance fees are $5 for adults; $3 for seniors; and $2 for students. Children 12 and under are free. For information, call 480-488-2764, or visit www.cavecreekmuseum.org.
