Dec 1, 2017 - There you will find music and dancing! As plans develop, we will be sending out further announcements on "
DECEMBER 2017 Let's Get Physical Pickleball Club.....................2 Bocce Ball Club....................3
1ST ANNUAL RESIDENTS HOLIDAY PARADE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3RD By Toni Justice
Big Fun Travel Club Update...............3 What's Going On Beyond The Gate..................4 Getting To Know You CERT............................. 4-5 CantaMia Cares.........................5 Wildlife & Domestic Animals......6 Food Glorious Food Brad Groll, Tempo Cafe.........6 Resident Profile...........................7 Rhythms Message........................7 Developer/Sales..........................7 Social Committee CantaMia Events..................8 Article Submission Guide..............8 Village Center Information...........8
Over 55 Communities in Florida hold Holiday Parades
A committee of residents is organizing the first annual CantaMia resident's holiday parade to be held near dusk on Sunday, December 3rd. Participants will need to line up at dead end near the guard shack just inside our gates. Parade 'starters' will be there to organize the chaos. All residents are invited to attend even if you plan on just being a spectator. The parade is BY the residents and FOR the residents! So far, we expect walkers/hikers, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, golf carts, UTVs, pets in costume, wheelchairs, and of course our very own resident Santa! We encourage all clubs to participate as a group. Holiday spirit is encouraged. Decorate your vehicle. Put bells on your shoes. Put large snowflakes on your hands. Dress as candy canes, snowmen, angels, elves or reindeer. The possibilities are endless! We invite you to use your imagination.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Rick Drennan Teresa Fuhrer Stephanie Palmer Ron Stolfi
COMMUNITY MANAGER
Pat Pentz-Young
If you would like to be a participant, please be at dead end @ 3:30 p.m. for lineup. The parade will start at approximately 5 p.m. Both parade participants and parade watchers are invited to congregate in the field by the bandstand after the parade. Bring some snacks and your own drinks. Party with your friends! There you will find music and dancing! As plans develop, we will be sending out further announcements on "Next Door". Please pass the word in case we miss anyone! Let's show our support for the wonderful community we live in. If you have questions, you may contact Toni Justice –
[email protected]
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
by Olivia Newton-John
YBANEZ WINS INAUGURAL SINGLES TOURNAMENT 2ND ANNUAL FALL/WINTER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT The last major pickleball tournament of the year for CantaMia will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 2 and 3, as we host the 2nd Annual Fall/Winter Invitational Pickleball Tournament, here at the CantMia courts.
Luis Ybanez
Every asset that is needed to succeed in pickleball singles, Luis Ybanez had in spades. Speed, hard accurate passing shots, and stamina. It all amounted to a Gold Medal for Ybanez on Saturday, November 11, as he captured the first CantaMia Singles Pickleball Tournament title. Top-seeded Terry Webber met Ybanez in the championship. After surviving a 16-person bracket to advance to the finals, both players had covered significantly more miles than they are used to in their daily doubles play. Singles proved to be extremely draining. Everyone in the tournament knows that now. There was also the presence of unseasonable warm weather on Saturday, with temperatures reaching the mid-80’s. Ybanez had defeated second-seeded Tony D’Errico in one semi-final, with near flawless play, while Webber had to dig deep to get past Ernst Walder in the other semi-final. The final match began with an 11-7 win for Webber in the first game. Ybanez came back to even the match with an 11-7 win in the second game. His stamina and conditioning proved the difference in the tie-breaking game, winning 11-3, and claiming the title. The tournament ended with Luis Ybanez gaining the Gold Medal in the championship “A” flight, Terry Webber getting the Silver Medal, and Ernst Walder winning a Bronze Medal match against Tony D’Errico. In the “B” Flight, Dennis Johnson won Gold, Carolina Ybanez the Silver, and Mike Bresin the Bronze.
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Look for another singles tournament next year.
The event is expected to be the biggest pickleball event yet at CantaMia. Players from many west valley clubs have been invited, and player brackets in nearly all divisions are expected to be large. Eight different divisions covering men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles will be played out over the weekend. All divisions will be open to players over the age of 50. Tournament registration has already closed and director Bill Schlimgen is preparing brackets at this time. For more information on the tournament or if you have questions, contact Schlimgen at 602-740-8730 (
[email protected]). If you are not a tournament participant, please come out to the courts and support our CantaMia teams.
CANTAMIA TEAMS MEDAL AT SUNDANCE Pickleball teams from the CantaMia community fared quite well at the recent Sundance Pickleball Tournament in Buckeye, Arizona. Men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles teams from a number of area clubs competed during the weekend of November 18,19. On Saturday, the CantaMia team of Terry Webber and Tony D’Errico claimed the Gold Medal in the men’s advanced division, while Kathy Eastman and Leslie Plant captured Gold in the women’s intermediate division (the highest division in the tournament for women). Our community gained two more medals on Sunday, with Terry Webber and Leslie Plant taking Silver in the advanced mixed doubles and Joe and Trin Kody winning the Bronze in the intermediate doubles. For Webber and D’Errico, this was the their third gold medal in advanced division in open tournaments. For Eastman and Plant this was their first gold medal. The Kody’s took home their first medal also. Overall, there were 12 teams from CantaMia participating in the Sundance tournament.
CANTAMIA WINTER BOCCE LEAGUE 2018 By Dart Smith Thinking about playing? The winter bocce league sign up has begun. December 10, 2017 is the deadline for the winter 2018 season. Beginning in the winter season, we will be basing the total number of teams in even increments. We can take as many teams requesting to play in the league, however, only in even increments. So, if your team is the last team entered by the December 10 deadline and you are number 25, your team will be notified and placed on a waiting list in the evert a team drops. There is a MANDATORY captains meeting on Thursday, January 4 at 6 p.m. in the Village Center. Winter league play begins the week of January 7 and continues for 8 weeks. The top two teams in each division are eligible for playoffs and will play March 4-8 with the championship match on March 10.
Bowling Stones
Playing in the league is a commitment and captains work in conjunction with opposing team captains to schedule your match for the week. If you or your teammates have a lot of limitations with their weekly schedule you may want to consider subbing and not a team commitment. Not interested in playing on a team? We are always in need of substitute players during the season. You must be registered with the league and be on the official league roster to substitute. Deadline to enter as a winter season substitute is December17, 2017. For more information, pick up a flyer in the Village Center in the boxes across from the Fitness Room desk or email,
[email protected] and one will be mailed to you.
BIG FUN
4 JD's
IT’S A WRAP – 2017 FALL BOCCE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Bowling Stones defeated 4 JD’s on November 4 to claim the title of champions. Team members of the Bowling Stones are left to write are Tom and Sherry Bernar, Maggie Pugh and Steve Hardy. 4 JD team members are left to right, Steve Smith, Leo Von Scheben, Whitey Kowalski and Barry Lerch. Each team had a perfect 8-0 season coming into the playoff season. Congratulations everyone!
by Kool & The Gang
TRAVEL CLUB UPDATE By Ron Stolfi The Travel Planners Group is planning a one-day trip to Tucson early next year for all interested CantaMia Residents. We will travel by bus together and you will have the flexibility to plan your day in Tucson. This trip will give us an overview of all that Tucson has to offer and also build community spirit that will lead to additional interesting group travel. Here are some highlights, so you can plan your own itinerary: •
spend 5-6 hours in Tucson, where you can choose shopping, restaurants & hiking
•
take time to tour El Presidio Historic District, UA Museum of Art or The National Observatory
•
option to use the local streetcar system ($4) that connects 23 stops over 3.9 miles
•
option to use the San Tran bus system, only $0.50 for seniors to go to one place at a time
•
Call ahead to the Visitor Center to get a FREE map sent to you 800-638-8350
Tentative price for round trip transportation from CantaMia to Tucson is $35 per person. Exact date is to be determined. More details to follow. If you are interested in joining the travel club, our group meetings are held twice each month on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the tech room. If you have any questions, please call or text Ron Stolfi, travel club chairman, at 914-224-1586.
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WHAT’S GOING ON
by Marvin Gaye
BEYOND THE GATE – HOLIDAY TRAIN RIDES By Myrna and Scott Brooks As members of Maricopa Live Steamers, Scott and Myrna get excited about the Club’s annual Christmas event and they want to invite you, your children and grandchildren to visit the Adobe Western Railroad 2017 Christmas Holiday Lights and Train Rides. The kids can visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, the entire family can ride the rails and enjoy over 500,000 holiday lights decorating a mile loop of track as well as enjoy hot cocoa!!! Their unique 50' Megatree is made of 8,000 Smart LED lights synchronized to music. The holiday rides beginning the day after Thanksgiving through December Fridays and Saturdays from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Sundays Noon – 4:30 p.m. 22822 N. 43rd Ave., Glendale Before choosing CantaMia as their home in 2014, Scott and Myrna Brooks lived on Horseshoe Lake in Wasilla Alaska. Scott's father and brother worked for the Alaska Railroad for several years, and Scott has always enjoyed creating and tinkering. In 2002 Scott became a member of Alaska Live Steamers in Wasilla, a community one hour north of Anchorage. While in the club, he built a locomotive, speeder, and a great 'Thomas' engine with his brother Chris. So it was only natural when they moved to Arizona for them to become members of the Maricopa Live Steamers in Glendale.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Dress warmly for the twenty minute trip to the North Pole. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated. Check out more info on The Maricopa Live Steamers Railroad Heritage Preservation Society by visiting their webpage at www.maricopalivesteamers.com and at www.facebook.com/trainrides So if you like trains, holiday lights, and hot cocoa, combine them all and enjoy an evening with the Adobe Western Railroad. Stop in and visit Myrna and the rest of Santa’s Helpers in the Gift Shop. All Aboard!!!!!!
from “The King & I” musical
CERT— What is it and why is it important to CantaMia? By Patti Petromilli, BSN, RN, PHN CERT is an acronym for Community Emergency Response Team. It was developed by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) as a result of the many mistakes made during category 5 Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, August 2005. An estimated 1,833 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed. Millions were left homeless. This past summer there were 16 total hurricanes. It was the worst Atlantic hurricane season on record.
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Last month, October 14th was the deadliest fire season in California history as Napa and Sonoma County fires reached nearby Lake County. Hundreds of people were missing as Wi-Fi, power, and cable were all knocked out. A door-to-door search found many survivors, but about 10%, tragically, were dead. Over 5,700 structures were destroyed. Most of the deceased were older adults. That was there, not here. That couldn't happen here, you might say. You might
think the same of the horrific mass shootings that seem to be becoming “the new normal”. Perhaps you think we are safe from terrorist attacks, too. With a Nuclear Power plant just west of us, Phoenix International Raceway with thousands attending just down the hill from our main Parkway up to CantaMia; with hazardous materials traveling routinely on Hwy 10 every day; with a huge fuel storage plant at Lucas Air Force Base just East of us; CERT .... continued on page 5
CERT .... continued from page 4
and with weather quickly becoming record-breaking extremes we need to open our eyes and be prepared. This is where CERT comes in. After years of development, FEMA devised a training whereby average citizens take an 8 session training to help with community disasters. They learn how to safely go into damaged buildings looking for people. They learn how to mark those buildings so First Responders know the danger levels, or if there are still victims within. They learn head-to-toe assessments and how to triage the wounded. Mostly, they learn how to organize their community should they become isolated and have to shelter in place for up to 72 hours before help can arrive. Picture, if you will, such a scenario here in CantaMia. We are already pretty
isolated up the hill where we live. But imagine if you knew there were teams of community volunteers who could help you find food and shelter, dress your wounds and get you water to drink until help arrived. CERT volunteers cannot keep a disaster from happening, but they can greatly ease the burden on First Responders by organizing into teams. Evidence of CERT responders was clear in the hurricanes of 2017. Community members were quickly dispatched with private boats and were organized into search parties during the flooding, greatly assisting the First Responders and arguably saving lives! Last year, 4 volunteers from CantaMia were trained and certified as Community Response Team Members. All are civic-minded people who would like to get our community trained and
prepared to handle an emergency, especially if we are isolated for a few days before help can arrive. The next step in the process is to get one or more persons to the next level, which is to take a course called “Train The Trainer”. Those people will be able to bring the CERT training to us, right here in CantaMia. As we get organized, we will use surveys to determine people’s talents and/or their willingness to be part of a team in the case of an emergency. Watch for those surveys in your email coming in the months ahead. Learn more about the CERT program at www.ready.gov/communityemergency-response-team
CANTAMIA CARES THE GIVING TREE By Patti Petromilli As we get ready for the Holidays, Tammy will soon send an E-Blast about our Winter Season and the several ways that you can give here in CantaMia. Since we just celebrated our uniquely American Holiday of Thanksgiving, let me take a moment to say thanks. Yes, thanks to all of you who bought gifts and gave cash to last year’s Giving Tree. It was a huge success! Our little community made a BIG impact in 2016 at Child Crisis Arizona (CCA). This is a very worthy cause. CCA is now housing over 800 children and is responsible for feeding, clothing, comforting and educating them until they can find Foster Families for them. They also provide counseling to newly fostered families. It is a huge undertaking for this nonprofit. They have saved the lives of many children, and helped mothers in distress. Sit and Stitch Group will again be sponsoring the Giving Tree. CCA’s “Wish List” changes every year, so there will be new gift requests on the tree. A unique gift request from Child Crisis Arizona this year is to sponsor a field trip for housed children. The requested
Patti Petromilli and Myra Bailey, Sit & Stitch Group
donation is $500. I am personally approaching many of our larger groups to see if they want to collectively give. The Sit And Stitch Group will again sponsor the Giving Tree at CantaMia, and our group has decided to buy a field trip as our group contribution. You will find stars (and also tags) hanging on the tree that include all CCA’s “Wish List" items. If you take a tag or star, please put your gift under the tree and hang the star again on the tree. If it is a monetary gift leave it at the front desk labeled “Giving Tree”. As I said, Tammy will show us other ways to give, but I hope you will be as generous to the Giving Tree as you were last year.
Happy Holidays to you!
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WILDLIFE AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS DON'T MIX By Teresa Fuhrer
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
from “Oliver” musical
INTERVIEW WITH BRAD GROLL, TEMPO CAFE FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER By Ron Stolfi I had the pleasure of interviewing Brad, CantaMia’s new food and beverage manager for the Tempo Cafe. He officially came on board on November 7. His candor and transparency in relation to the food service industry was greatly appreciated.
Cantamia backyard, two cats and an egret
Brad has extensive experience in the food and beverage business. He spent his formative years working in his step-father’s restaurant in Brookfield, CT. Learning the business from the bottom up has always been his forte. As a college graduate, he worked as a management trainee for Charthouse Restaurants, typically starting as a dishwasher and then learning all the other facets of the business before he began to open and start various new restaurants. Charthouse Restaurants was a steak and seafood chain across the US and Hawaii, known for good food and service in attractive locations. Brad has very important core goals for everywhere he has worked that include:
Bobcat at the Village Center
We have lately been enjoying watching the egrets, quail, rabbits, coots and blue heron that visit our grounds in CantaMia but caution is recommended for other wildlife that has been spotted. Bobcats have been seen in backyards and walking down our residential streets seemingly unafraid of humans. It is not a stretch to think that a small dog or cat could be on the menu for this predator. Diligence in keeping a watch on our pets is required to avert disaster.
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1. Recognize the customer culture 2. Have a “Cheers” attitude 3. Be aware of social media 4. T.I.P.S. or To Insure Prompt Service Brad has a culinary vision for the Tempo Cafe at CantaMia that he shared with me. He would like to see breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings become a way of life. His development of a food program at the Golf Club at Estella is at the basis of what he wants to accomplish in our community. Full service meals on Friday and Saturday nights are near term goals. Healthy food options are also on his agenda. Brad would like to share a few personal insights into his family life. His wife and son live with him in Goodyear. His son David, 30 years old, is developmentally challenged with the disability of “Angel Man Syndrome”. David is non-verbal and needs special services, but continues to be the joy of Brad’s life. Hugs and kisses are the rule of the day in the Groll family. CantaMia residents are going to experience some very exciting culinary delights from the Tempo Cafe under Brad’s management. Join me in welcoming Brad Groll as the captain of our food excursions. As a final aside, when you see Brad at the cafe, feel free to ask him about his seven years as a George W. Bush impersonator.
RESIDENT PROFILE LOURDES MCINTOSH By Teresa Fuhrer Some residents of CantaMia are avid pickleball players, bicyclists, walkers, runners, gym rats and fitness class aficionados. They have trouble sitting still. Others love to read, assemble jigsaw puzzles, attend discussion and life-long learning classes, cook and watch documentaries. They might have trouble getting out of their chairs. Whichever lifestyle you choose (and for many of us it is a mixture) the complexity of a hobby or activity is lost on the rest of us until we have the opportunity to observe the process and the end product. The greater the devotion to a particular skill, the more beautiful the outcome. A terrific example of this is embodied by CantaMia resident, Lourdes (pronounced Lure-dis) McIntosh. She is a master quilter and her beautiful finished quilts require the visual and textual skills of an artist and the design vision of an architect. She creates about six quilts a year. Lourdes most recent creation is a product of her love for family. It is a memory quilt she intends to give to her mother. She ingeniously produced fabric versions of treasured photographs of herself, her sister and mother and their families into the quilt's design. She then incorporated stunning colors and interlocking fabric designs surrounding those photos to create an homage to her family. (See photo). Her avid skills and interests in sewing came from her relatives. She grew up with industrial sewing machines surrounding her. Her aunt sewed communion and wedding dresses, prom dresses and quilts. Another family member had a business doing extensive alterations. Lourdes also did alterations for a living. Lourdes Barbery was born in Guayaquil, Equador and came to CantaMia via Detroit, Michigan where she met her husband, Charles. She was given a graduation gift of a trip to Detroit by her parents because she had always wanted to see snow. She ended up staying in Detroit for several months and during that time met Charles McIntosh. She went back home to Ecuador but was courted by Charles for several months and eventually married and returned to Detroit. Many vacations in Arizona later, she and Charles decided to retire to CantaMia and have been here since September of 2015. They have a daughter who resides in San Diego, one son living in New York and another son who lives in Houston and two grandchildren. For other interests and hobbies, Lourdes loves reading, Latin American dancing, knitting, cooking and baking. She is involved in the cooking club at CantaMia and teaches soup and salad classes. Latin American dancing and sewing quilts- Lourdes shows us that we in CantaMia are never one-dimensional.
CANTAMIA RHYTHMS “ARE GONNA GET YOU!”
("Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine) By CantaMia Rhythms Staff Beginning with the February 2018 issue, the Newsletter will be published on a bimonthly basis. All your favorite sections will still be there to make sure you can enjoy everything; but now you, your friends and neighbors will be able plan a little bit further into the future. As always, please keep your club news, story ideas and photos coming to us, so we can get the word out. We will always accept articles at any time, so even if you think of an article in the non-publishing month, just submit it to:
[email protected]
DEVELOPER/SALES
Total closed homes as of November 2, 2017: 658
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SOCIAL COMMITTEE LIFESTYLE EVENTS
ARTICLE SUBMISSION
by Tammy Dixon
SUBMISSION DATE
PUBLICATION DATE
January 15 March15 May15 July 15 September 15 November 15
February 1 April 1 June 1 August 1 October 1 December 1
Submit articles and photos to:
[email protected] Please include (in subject line): Club, group or individual name and the name of your article
VILLAGE CENTER GUARD HOUSE SALES CENTER
(623) 327-1888 (623) 256-6067 (623) 474-6960
VILLAGE CENTER HOURS Monday - Thursday 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. HOLIDAY HOURS Sunday, December 24 - 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, December 25 - CLOSED Tuesday, December 26 - 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, December 31 - 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, January 1 - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. POOL HOURS FOR CHILDREN (under 18) Daily - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT Pat Pentz-Young, Community Manager Merrilee Greathouse, Admin. Assistant Tammy Dixon, Lifestyle Director GUEST RELATIONS/FRONT DESK Mary Reich, Lead Janice Day Norm Greene Tom Hermann Heather Parmeter Nichole Strick FACILITY MAINTENANCE Doug Halfmann Craig Homan Richard Paoff CAFÉ Brad Groll, Food and Beverage Manager Jan Affalter Becca Harshfield Julie Groll Mike Studdard
CANTAMIA VILLAGE CENTER 17700 W. Star Point Drive Goodyear, AZ 85338
CantaMiaEstrella.net
12 2017
What a fantastic Thanksgiving Potluck we just celebrated here in CantaMia! What makes up a Lifestyle Event? I’ve often talked about Lifestyle being a way of living and I found it is the reason why so many residents moved to CantaMia. It is usually a social gathering of residents to a specific event or performance hosted at our facility. The goal is to create opportunities for CantaMia homeowners to meet and interact with each other. What goes into the planning and execution? Between myself and the Social Committee, consisting of resident members, an event evolves with the following actions: • Determining a theme • Date and time of the event • Budget constraints • Sponsorship Options • Entertainment • Food Component • Decorations • Location • Need for rental equipment. i.e., dance floor, tables or chairs? • Number of volunteers required • Special Event Permit • Do we need to close the pool or Village Center for this event? • Lastly, advertising the event to the residents Once we have these items established, that’s when I get to work. First and foremost, working within the budget! How can I bring the most bang to the residents for their buck? When the entertainment and the caterer have been booked then I work within the budget to solidify a ticket price and determine how many residents I can fit within the designated area for the event. One month in advance or more, I advertise the event in several places. First I put it on ActiveNet, then it will go out in my weekly Lifestyle e-blasts, Lifestyle Corner as well as CantaMia Rhythms, Lucite Board and posters in
Social Committee
Clever Chef Team
the lobby. All Lifestyle events have to have a minimum and a maximum for attendance and there needs to have a “cut off” date! All Lifestyle events will close out one week prior to the event by 12 p.m. or sooner if the event sells out. There are several reasons for that “cut off". The caterer needs to have that final number to prepare food and beverage. I need to determine whether we need to rent tables or chairs and how many will be required. My job is to get all residents involved in events and I never want to turn anyone away. My goal is to sell out events and to have the maximum number of residents I possibly can. The Social Committee and I strive to bring good quality events to CantaMia. Are we going to please every single resident at every event? Probably not, but we work endlessly trying very hard to do so! So, as a resident, please watch those e-blasts, read the Lifestyle Corner and CantaMia Rhythms. If there is an event that you would like to attend, don’t wait to sign up because chances are you will miss out if you do. We want you to be part of the CantaMia Lifestyle!
