From the Manager’s desk…
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks to Mary Shumway and crew for giving up their Thanksgiving to prepare a great meal for the rest of us to enjoy.
I want to thank Jane Oldorf for donating 2 beautiful pictures to the Sewing Room. Steve wanted to thank all the volunteers who helped put up the new Gazebos in the Sports Complex. If you haven’t seen them take a ride over there. They are a great addition to the Complex.
Hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. Don’t forget to decorate your site. Once again the park is giving monetary prizes for the best decorated Park Model and RV. Ballots will be put in your mail box. Bring your ballot to the Activity Office no later than December 21st by 4pm. Prizes will be given out on December 24th at the Christmas Eve Party.
The office will be closed 12pm on Christmas Eve and all day Christmas.
Remember that some of our residents are allergic to perfumes, aftershave, cigarette and cigar smoke. Please avoid wearing scents to any of our park functions. If you are a smoker please do so in your unit or away from your neighbors.
Steve and I along with the entire staff want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Steve and Sally Jo Johnson, Managers
This park is like heaven to us so please do not drive like Hell through it.
page 2
Sunday Worship & Fellowship
The church services at Sundance 1 RV Resort meet each Sunday at 8:30 AM in the Hole in the Wall with Pastor Scott Bailey. Everyone is welcome.
The Gate…
Many people have already settled in for the season and many more are continuing to arrive daily. A warm welcome to all! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to catching up with park friends over the winter months. Thank you to everyone that has already begun volunteering at the park gate, as well as those that have signed up to volunteer in the near future. If you would like to join our volunteer team, it is not too late! New volunteers are always welcome! Volunteering with the gate is a great way to meet new people, as well as learn more about the park. It is a very straight forward position and I will be sure to provide you with as many details you will need in order to participate comfortably and enjoy your time.
Bible Study…
The Bible Study Group meets on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. in the Hang Out Room. We are studying the subject of “End Times”. Please join us as we see what Scripture has to say about this topic. On December 10 we will be watching the Dr. David Jeremiah DVD lesson on the Anti-Christ. Study guides for the Paul Stevens series “End Times” are available for $6.00.
BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS
Christmas will be here in a matter of a few weeks. Do you want to take a few moments out of your busy schedule to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? Please come to the Birthday Party for Jesus on Thursday, December 24 in the Hang-Out Room. Festivities begin at 2:30p.m. No signup is needed. Hope to see you there!
Friday Night Sabbath…
Anyone caring to join us for Shabbos on Fridays at 6:30 PM, please call me at 214-668-8750. Looking forward to hearing from you,
Celebration of Life…
A Celebration Of Life is planned for our friend, Jeannie Johnson, who passed away in June. Please come and join us on December 6, 2015, in the Hole in the Wall from 2-4:00 PM. Refreshments will be served.
page 3
From Sue’s Desk….
Welcome to December!! We’ve got a busy, full month of events and activities for you. Let’s begin our holiday season with the following things to do. Merry Christmas to all our Sundance 1 family!!
Please be sure to check out the new Sundance 1 web site (sundance1rv.com) . We’ve been busily entering this season’s events and now they are even categorized for you. Just click on ‘events’ and you’ll see the categories such as dances, clubs, games, kitchen, etc. Plus….it is very user friendly. I would appreciate it if you would find your activity and let me know of any corrections which I need to make. Thanks for your cooperation!
Dec 4—Country Store from 9-Noon in the Hole in the Wall. Lunch is available
Dec 4—Park Preview of our Electric Light Parade Float—starts at 5:00 PM
Dec 5—Casa Grande Electric Light Parade Downtown
Dec 6—Celebration of Life for Jeanne Johnson— 2PM Hole in the Wall
Dec 7—Florence Copper Mine Tour—1PM—No Charge
Dec 9—Laughing Bird Show from 7-9 PM in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 11—Tag-A-Long to the Caywood Cotton Farm Tour at 1:00 PM
Dec 11—Free Movie Night—6:30 PM in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 14—New Image Fashions Sales from 10 AM to 2 PM—Hole in the Wall
Dec 17—Sundance 1 Annual Christmas Show—7:00 PM in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 20—”Mrs. Clause” Show at 2:00 PM Matinee in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 24—Christmas Eve Chili Dinner and Gift Exchange—5:00 PM in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 25—Christmas Dinner Pot Luck—4:00 PM in the Hole in the Wall
Dec 30—Blood Drive from 10 AM—2 PM in the Hang Out Room
Dec 31—New Years Eve Party—8:00 PM to Midnight
Sundance 1 RV Resort December Dance Schedule Dec 12—DJ Dick Anderson—$3 at the Door—7-10 PM Dec 19—Dakota Kid—$8 advance/$9 at the door—7-10 PM Dec 31—NYE—Desert Drifters—$15—8 PM—Midnight Dances are in the Hole in the Wall
Wire Wrap Jewelry Classes… Classes will meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday from 1-3:00 PM in the Craft Room. There will be different projects as well as the beginners pendant. Check the clipboard in the Activities Office. All tools and materials will be provided.
Horseshoes…. We want to say welcome and hi to all old and new pitchers. We had a very good summer in tournaments around the country. We took 5th place in the world tournaments in Topeka, Kansas in July and also met some friends from Sundance there. Now for this season to start at Sundance. Some of the old pitchers were here to clean up the mess the summer storms damaged. We are so thankful for that – THANK YOU to all who worked. The new shed looks great. I see we even have a light for night use if needed. Please sign up in Activities with your name, site and phone number. It would sure be nice to get back to the 60-70 pitchers we’ve had over the years. We pitch Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:15 to approximately 11:00 AM. We handicap all players to 90% so come on out and meet the gang. We have shoes if you need. You can also practice any time. page 4 Sales Corral… The Staff at the Sales Corral would like to welcome everyone back! Watch for the new units that will be coming in and will be on display at the Corral. We also have a great variety of pre-owned homes! Stop in, take a look, and say Hi. Steve Shepard Rental and Sales and Manager
Crazy Uno…. Come join us for a good time playing the Uno card game with a CRAZY twist. No skill level required. It won’t help to strategize as this game has a hilarious mind of its own. The more players the merrier !!!! Saturday evenings @ 7:00 – 9:00 pm in the Hangout Room. Just bring your laugh !!
Couples Dancing… December 1 is our first Country Waltz class. The last Waltz class will be Dec 22. There will be no class Tuesday, Dec 29. Thursdays we will continue to teach Pattern Dancing. There will be no classes Dec 24 and Dec 31. Both classes are from 10-11:30 AM in the Hole in the Wall. Beginners are welcome, but a partner is required. Classes are $1 per couple. We hope to see you all there
POWER WALKING PROGRAM HOLE IN THE WALL MONDAY to FRIDAY AT 9AM (may be subject to delays) Safe for all levels of fitness PLEASE JOIN US Ceramics… The Ceramics shop is open and ready to do some painting. There is a good supply of green ware available to purchase with more on order. The shop has everything needed to do a project. There are also classes in Horse Hair plus other classes at Country Ceramics available. The shop is open from 9:00 – 3:45 Monday through Friday. Come over and see what we do. Try it, you might like it.. page 5 Crafty Ladies… Welcome back to those of you that have arrived for the winter. It’s time to bring your new ideas and join us for Crafty Ladies. If you have never joined us before, stop in and see what it is we do. We meet on Monday 1-4 p.m. and Friday from 1-4 p.m. in the Craft Room. Quad/RZR Squad… It’s that time of year when our riders start showing up for the winter so Welcome back to Sundance and a season of riding Arizona. Plans for weekly rides are made at the Monday morning coffee Klatch and an email is sent to everyone with the information. We need someone to be in charge of sending emails so if you would be willing, please contact us. Singles… We have plans for the upcoming season—- Dec 13—Christmas Miracle—a play at Robson Ranch, watch for sign up sheet. Dec 20—our annual Christmas Party. This year we are having loaded potatoes and a $5 gift exchange—again watch for sign up sheet. January, we plan on going on the light rail again and to lunch at the Spaghetti Factory. Other upcoming events are Arizona Railroad Museum and Skydiving at Gilbert. Come and join us for some outings! Cactus Needles News… Come join us for charity knitting and crocheting. Currently we are making hats for school age children in the holly Casa Grande area. We have yarn and patterns to share; you bring your skills and needles. We meet every Monday (except 1st Monday of the month) from 10 AM to Noon in the Gambling Room. Line Dancing… Welcome back everyone. Hope you had a great summer. Now it’s time to have some dancing fun and get back into shape. This year I am happy to announce my new STRICTLY BEGINNER CLASS each Tuesday at 1:30 to 3pm. We will focus on beginner dances only. So for those that have been wanting to try line dancing, this is the perfect time. The fee is $1 for residents and $2 for outside guests. My Thursday class will remain the same. 1 to 1:30 warm ups, 1:30 to 2:30 beginners and 2:30 to 3:30 intermediate. Fee is still $1 for residents and $2 for outside visitors. Our main goal remains that we are exercising and enjoying it. Come and join us, we have lots of room. Bingo… Well we are off to a fantastic start! Our first night of bingo we had about 58 people, that is our largest opening day in my 4 years! Each week has seen bigger and bigger crowds. Our fund raising continues to find us new equipment, you can help by recycling your aluminum cans, there are several collection cans around; 2 in the Hole in the Wall, 1 near the pool, and 1 in the trash recycle area. We are planning a couple of other fund raising events if you can please help us out. I thought I had located a new machine and board, but unfortunately, it was sold before I could get back to them. Sorry, I was disappointed too but we will find the right one soon. Our winners of our larger pots were, Jenny Miles $76, Peter Roy & Mary Roe $60 each, Corky Barun $124 if you see our winners please congratulate them. We look forward to seeing you at Tuesday night bingo sessions. Door open at 6P, card sales begin at 6:15 and games begin at 7P. See you soon. page 6 Kitchen Events for December… HI THERE! WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! We are in full swing already and keeping George and Cheri very busy. The Pinal County Health Department has up dated its health codes. Due to the above code changes, the kitchen is requiring any persons using the “Sundance kitchen” to cook or help in the preparation of food sold to the public, to have a “FOOD HANDLER CARD”. These changes will affect kitchen staff and any groups wishing the use the kitchen. Our kitchen schedule for December is as follows: Tue, Dec 1. Lunch– Taco Salad At 11:30 AM Fri, Dec 4. Country Store – Broc. Soup or Sloppy Joe At 11:00 AM Sat, Dec 5 Breakfast – Biscuit and Gravy At 8:30 AM Tue, Dec 8 Lunch– Reuben At 11:30 AM Wed, Dec 9 Quilters Lunch At 11:00 AM Sat, Dec 12 Breakfast – Pancakes and Sausage At 8:30 AM Tue, Dec 15 Lunch– Taco Salad At 11:30 AM Wed, Dec 16 Dinner – Chicken Cordon Bleu At 5:00 PM Sat, Dec 19 Breakfast – French Toast At 8:30 AM Tue, Dec 22 Lunch– Cheeseburger At 11:30 AM Thu, Dec 24 Christmas Eve Dinner – Chili At 5:00 PM Fri, Dec 25 Christmas Day Dinner – Ham Potluck At 4:00 PM Sat, Dec 26 Breakfast – Egg Bake At 8:30 AM Tue, Dec 29 Lunch– Taco Salad At 11:30 AM
Woodcarving…. The woodcarving group meets in the Craft Room Tuesdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Friday mornings from 9:00 AM until noon. Beginners are welcome to join in the fun. We have several experienced carvers who are happy to help. We can also start you on an easy project. Hope to see you there!
Sundance Sewers… The sewing room is available 7 days a week. Everyone is welcome. We have a short business meeting on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. When classes are scheduled they will be on Fridays. Our first shop hop will be on Monday December 7th. We will visit three quilt shops and have lunch in the Phoenix area. Our luncheon and show and tell will be Wednesday December 9th at 11:30. Tickets will be available from Sue Roberts or Sally Brown. Price and menu are yet to be determined. Our Foster Child backpacks are almost done. We had a large group working together to get them done for the Christmas party on Dec 12. Other charity projects will be going on throughout the season. Everyone is welcome. Bring your machine and come sew and/or quilt with us. Also we have two loaner machines if anyone would like to work on their project or one of our charity projects.
Ping Pong… WANTED more Ping Pong players. We have two tables so lets fill them both. This game is lots of fun and good exercise. Both women and men are welcome. We meet on Monday nights at 7:00 P.M. in the Hang Out Room.
page 7 JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Our next Country Store will be held Friday, December 4, from 9 to 12 in the Hole-in-the-Wall. You will be able to make a large dent in your holiday shopping list with over 40 vendors on hand, displaying their wares. Whether it’s clothing, jewelry, housewares or that special gift – you’ll find a wonderful selection from which to choose. Come early and enjoy a cup of fresh coffee and a donut. At 11 AM Mary, Larry and the kitchen crew will offer a delicious lunch of broccoli soup with crackers ($4.00) or Sloppy Joe sandwiches with potato salad ($5.00). Both lunches include lemonade or iced tea. Genealogy…. If you are interested in tracing your roots and would like some help getting started, visit our Genealogy Group. Everyone from Beginners to Advanced genealogists are welcome. Many interesting things are planned this season. We meet the 1st and 3rd Wed. each month. Dec. meetings are on the 2nd and the 16th from 10:00 am to 11:30 am in the Gambling Room. Looking forward to seeing you there. Hands Across the Border… Welcome back to all of you folks that are escaping the dredges of winter. This is surely a wonderful place to be at this time of year. We would like to remind you of our fun filled evening of food and entertainment at the HANDS ACROSS THE BORDER dinner on Saturday, February 20, 2016. A further update will be in the January issue of The Smoke Signal. Rummy Cube… All those that would like to play Rummy Cube on Wednesdays from 9-11 AM, please join me in the Hang Out Room. If you have a Rummy Cube set, please bring it until we see how many sets we need. Look forward to seeing you. R C Cars.. Welcome back! Last year was the first year the racers had a paved track and what a welcome enhancement it was! We are so blessed at Sundance to have one of, if not the best track in the area. With the upgrades to the recreation area last year we did notice more spectators and people inquiring about getting involved in racing cars. Anyone interested in watching or getting involved is welcome to visit us at the track Monday and Wednesday afternoons at 2 to 4pm. There are newly constructed stands built by the race car drivers and is designed for drivers only, but feel free to bring a chair and watch the racing. For your own safety, please do not sit too close to the track. The cars are very fast and periodically we do experience accidents. There is a safety fence but cars have been know too leave the track unexpectedly. Looking forward to seeing you at the track R C Cars.. Welcome back! Last year was the first year the racers had a paved track and what a welcome enhancement it was! We are so blessed at Sundance to have one of, if not the best track in the area. With the upgrades to the recreation area last year we did notice more spectators and people inquiring about getting involved in racing cars. Anyone interested in watching or getting involved is welcome to visit us at the track Monday and Wednesday afternoons at 2 to 4pm. There are newly constructed stands built by the race car drivers and is designed for drivers only, but feel free to bring a chair and watch the racing. For your own safety, please do not sit too close to the track. The cars are very fast and periodically we do experience accidents. There is a safety fence but cars have been know too leave the track unexpectedly. Looking forward to seeing you at the track
page 8 Pickleball… Pickleball is underway at Sundance! The “Activity User Fee” is $10 per person for the season (any stay of 2 weeks or more). This is a bargain, considering many recreation centers charge $3-$7 each time you play). The fees are used to buy balls, and court equipment. Please put your money in an envelope marked “Kathy Schmidt, Space #546” and put it in the park mailbox. Be sure to include your name(s) and space number. The next Pickleball Happy Hour/meeting is Dec. 8th from 4:30-6:00 in the Crafts Room. At that time we will hold elections of officers for 2016. Beginner Clinics are held on Mondays at 9:30 AM. The instructor will have the loaner paddles from the Activities Office, so just wear your tennis shoes and be prepared for a good time. We have started some structured court activities and will add more as our population and interest increases. There will be courts designated for “competitive” players and for “recreational” players for most activities, so don’t be afraid that you’ll be playing against some “hard-hitters” if you don’t want to. On Mon- Wed- Friday it is Round Robin play from 9:15-11:00; you must sign up on the courts between 9:00-9:15 in order to participate. Tuesdays are “Paddle Scramble” from 9:00 – 11:00 and you can show up and leave whenever you want. Thursdays (9:00 – 11:00) are “Men on the north courts; women on the south”. Saturdays (9:00 – 11:00) are “Pick your Partner and Challenge some Opponents”. There will be a “Court Host” each day to help organize these activities. There is lots of “Open Play” time when you just want to do your own thing, and even during structured activity time you can play on an empty court if there is one available. Be sure to check the Pickleball Schedule in the Activities for any additions or changes. The Activities Office has loaner paddles to check out any time except Monday mornings. One more thing: please lock the courts if you are the last one to leave. Thank you Letter Once again, I would like to thank the Summer People for helping us to make our summer more fun, interesting and more enjoyable. We played games including Domino’s, Darts, Pinochle, Pegs & Jokers and Crazy UNO. Coffee was enjoyed each morning and water exercise was participated in 3 mornings a week. We enjoyed breakfast out each Saturday morning at various restaurants in town. Of course, none are as good as Mary’s. Every other Wednesday, we would go out to lunch here in town or go up to the city. We made it to Famous Dave’s twice this summer, which reminds me, I am almost out of BBQ ribs in my freezer. Every other Friday night, we went out for fish. As you can tell, none of us starved. And just for good measure, we had a cook-out/potluck once a month. Believe me, we have some pretty good cooks here in the park. There have been 3 or 4 people who have moved into the park as ‘year rounders’. GREAT! More people for next summer, which means more fun. Come join us. Darts… Darts is played every Tuesday and Thursday [ except on holidays ] in the Hang Out Room at 4 PM. So bring your sense of humor and your sporting attitude for the fun of your life. We like to have fun and laugh. Some bring snacks which is optional. But fun is required. See you there. Mark Your Calendar!! CANADIAN POTLUCK – Mark Your Calendar for Sunday, January 31, 2016. Sign up sheets will be in the Activity Office in early January. Please come and join us and meet fellow Canadians. We can extend our fun until 10 pm so bring cards and games and continue the fellowship. BYOB and your table service. page 9
Arizona Group Travel… Hi all, hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and now looking forward to Xmas. UPCOMING JAN. TRIPS. Jan. 10-12th. (Sun-Tue) 3 day 2 night trip to Laughlin, staying at Avi Resort & casino. Great rooms, great food, bingo, theater & newly remodeled casino. Price $139 per person DBL occ. & $175 single occ. This includes your room for 2 nights, 1 breakfast voucher per person, luggage handling & transportation. Jan. 26th (Tues) Day trip to Out of Africa wildlife zoo in Camp Verde, this is awesome. Price is $83 per person, includes admission ticket & transportation. Feb. & Mar. Trips will be in Jan. Newsletter. Flyers for all trips are in the basket on Red Bus in Activities, for you to take. Signup sheets, as room is available, will be on wall above the Red Bus. People from outside the park may go with us as long as they sign up on sheets with all information needed to contact them. They will have to come here to board bus on any trips. Our busses are 50-56 passenger tour busses, so we have room for many, as we have to fill the bus to capacity for the trip to go. Come have fun traveling with us. The Town Council The Town Council of Sundance held its first meeting of the season last month. The members are Harold Beach, Don Clunie, Bob Hurst, Sheila Keyman, Paul Knapp, Alice Neuok and Paul Street. The purpose of your Town Council is to act as liaison for the residence of the park with park management. If you have any concern please speak with one of the members or fill out a comment form found in the activities office and place it in the mail slot located in the office wall across from the post office door. Any signed form will be addressed. We want to thank Dennis Bohl, the summer maintenance worker, and many of the summer residences who, after the many summer storms, worked to protect damaged homes and clean up the mess. Computer Room… The computer room hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 11:45 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:45 PM. There are 9 PC computers, hook-ups for WiFi devices and laptops. Our volunteers are not necessarily detailed experts; but may be able to offer assistance. The fees are $1.00 per day for casual usage or $10.00 for the whole season. There are some charges for printing. All charges are posted in the computer room.
page 10 Please check out the events calendar on our web site for the entire season’s entertainment and events. Congratulations…
To my Sundance friends My sincere thanks to all of you who attended my birthday celebration. All the well wishes, cards, and gifts were so thoughtful. A very special thank you to Sherry Rausch and my sister, Judy, for putting this celebration together and making it so much fun. Such a great party! This was so appreciated. You have all become my extended family and I love you all so very much. Sincerely, Nita Moquin The Activity Office is always looking for your pictures of the events you’re involved in. Please consider e-mailing your pictures which, if there’s room, we’ll include in the Smoke Signal and/or the new and improved Web Site. The e-mail is sundance1activities@hotmail.com. Thanks!
page 11 Sundance Book Group To Meet Monday, Dec. 7 The Sundance Book Group will hold its second meeting of the season on Monday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. in the Card Room. The book this month is Honolulu by Alan Brennert. The story takes place in 1914. A young Korean girl, hoping for a better way of life and an opportunity to get a much-desired education, agrees to become a “picture bride,” leaving Korea for Hawaii to marry an unseen new husband. Suffice it to say, it’s not a happily ever after marriage. Her challenges and adventures in this emerging Hawaiian City will have you turning page after page! Many thanks to Karen Fulner and Sharon Ayers who will be leading the group in my absence. This is one of those books that will bring about great discussion. We’d love to have new members join us. If you like to read great books (all have been recommended by our own members) please join us. We meet on the first Monday of each month. Looking ahead….the book for January 4 is “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese (2009); February 1 “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova (2009). The movie based on this book won an Oscar; .March 7 “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant (1997); April “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (2009) Monday Night Music Jam… Everyone is welcome to join us each Monday at 6:30 PM in the Hole in the Wall to participate with the entertainers or come and listen, sing along or dance. This is a fun, foot-stomping good time. Remember…if you have a favorite song you would like to hear, just let us know. We will do our best to play it for you. Hula… Mele Kalikimaka! December brings happy thoughts of Christmastime. Our hula ladies are getting ready to give you a special Christmas dance gift at the December 17 Sundance Christmas Show! Shuffleboard… Welcome again to all shuffleboard players. For new people—If you don’t know the game and want to learn ask and we will teach you. We will be having our annual shuffleboard tournament if the group wants starting February 15 . We are a fun loving group come out and enjoy we have a great time.
page 12
|