Remote Surveillance Trailer in Prescott, AZ

Tragedy struck Prescott Valley, Arizona on April 1, 2024, as the Legado apartment construction project burned down due to arson. The community was temporarily left in shock. But from the ashes, a surprising and heartwarming story has emerged — led by a young boy with big dreams and even bigger heart.

Meet Elijah, a local kid with a passion for fish tanks, RC cars, drumming, and, above all else, construction. In the wake of the Legado fire, Elijah didn’t just sit by and wonder what could have been. Instead, he picked up his glue gun, grabbed a pack of popsicle sticks, and decided to rebuild Legado in his own special way — one tiny stick at a time.

“Well, it was a negative impact on our community when it burned down,” Elijah explained. “So I thought I would make a positive impact and start building one (Legado) of my own.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

Starting on December 29, 2024, Elijah began crafting a scale model of the Legado apartments entirely out of popsicle sticks. And not just a few. So far, his project has used an incredible 8,250 sticks! But Elijah isn’t stopping there. Elijah spends time every night working on his Legado. He has gathered supplies from Walmart (glue and popsicle sticks), and tiny lights from Dollar General. He has plans to get plexiglass or real glass from Home Depot, and miniature bricks and shingles from Amazon. As Elijah’s Legado continues to rise, the real Legado is already being reconstructed in the heart of Prescott Valley, AZ.

Elijah’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. He recently met team members from the Fain Signature Group and Founders Building Group — the community builders behind Legado. They invited Elijah to tour the construction site and even shared the official building site map with him, giving him a behind-the-scenes look that would make any future architect beam with pride.

With wide eyes and a builder’s determination, Elijah continues his nightly mission — not just to glue popsicle sticks, but to inspire hope, creativity, and joy in a town still recovering from loss. His Legado may be miniature, but the message behind it is anything but small.

Elijah is more than just a cool kid — he’s a builder of dreams, a symbol of positivity, and a reminder that even the smallest efforts can inspire an entire community.

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Arizonans know the state's population is growing: we can see the changes happening right before our eyes.

The data backs this up. Of the 100 cities across the United States that grew the most in 2024, nine were in Arizona, according to Census Bureau data.

But it's a different question entirely to ask where Americans dream of moving.

That's the question U.S. News & World Report set out to answer by looking at the cities and states that have the most searches online during the first quarter of 2025.

The report found that Americans have a strong interest in the Sun Belt, which is comprised of sun-soaked states in the bottom third of the United States, like Texas, Florida and the Carolinas. Of the top 20 most searched cities, 16 were in the Sun Belt.

Despite being a part of the Sunbelt, only two Arizona cities made the top 50 list. Here's where.

Where do people want to move in Arizona?

The report ranked Prescott as the No. 29 most searched city. The analysis pointed to its status as a retirement destination as a possible reason for its ranking.

"Retirees looking for a warm, arid place to settle down will find that in Prescott, Arizona. The city is located between Phoenix and Flagstaff and surrounded by mountains, with outdoor activities as its calling card," the report stated.

Surprise also made the list at No. 37. Like many of the cities in the top 50, it has a relatively low cost of living.

Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.

The camp is listed for $4.5 million, and a lot comes with it.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — A property that has been part of Arizona childhoods for decades is now for sale.

The Springs Camp in Prescott, which has hosted thousands of kids for summer camps, spiritual retreats, and outdoor adventures, is looking for a new owner—and maybe even a new purpose.

"It's 60 acres just carved out specifically for a camp right here in the Prescott National Forest," said Realtor Jen Bergamini.

For many Valley residents, the place brings back memories of summer adventures and childhood friendships.

"It's been really neat to see the camp grow and change over the years. I came here when I was in high school in the 80s, and in my junior high years, we spent a lot of time up here," Bergamini said.

The Diocese of Phoenix opened the camp in the 1970s. It's currently owned by UCYC, United Christian Youth Camp.

"They're growing their other campus and keeping their ministry focused on one spot for this time," Bergamini said.

The property is listed for $4.5 million—and there's a lot that comes with it.

"This property has both a north side and a south side. Our north side has eight cabins, and there's a matching eight cabins on the south side, and they sleep about 250 to 260 people in those cabins," Bergamini said.

There's a dining hall with a commercial kitchen, a lodge for events, and enough recreational activities to keep anyone busy.

"Two different ropes courses, a basketball court, a soccer/football court, and they also have a paintball area and hatchet throwing," Bergamini said.

There's also a zipline. Bergamini says potential buyers are already thinking way outside the box.

"There's been everything from people wanting it to use it as a venue for weddings or events like that, to using it for big homestead for their family. We've had people wanting to start a school and do like, have these buildings be like dormitories," Bergamini said.

"I think growing up here, it's hard for me to imagine a different use. It's been used for this for so long, but I do think it could be really neat."

The camp is located at 2500 Cold Springs Road, a 15-minute drive from downtown Prescott.

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Impressive Rally in Prescott, Arizona

The Prescott, Arizona area has a population of about 130,000. Out of that they gathered quite a rally. One of the organizers said they were estimating 3,000. It was a passionate crowd. Both in response to speakers and spontaneous chants, but also in the overheard conversations. These things often have a mix of chat about what ever issue the rally is about, plus people who are just happily glad to see each other or meet new like minded folk. At this one a lot more of the conversation was on the seriousness of the situation and less just cheerful visiting.

With many people talking about the shootings of Democratic elected officials in Minnesota this same morning, and the Democratic state Attorney General as a speaker, it’s unfortunate to even have to think but the conversation around that seemed nervous about the possibility of similar happening even here.

State Attorney General, Kris Mayes, who grew up in Prescott, rallied the crowd, but especially at two points in her talk in particular. One was when she pointed out that the dictionary definition of liberal includes being tolerant. She though that was a mistake. She said she was a liberal but there was a lot now she will not tolerate and she rattled off a list. She would not tolerate a president acting as authoritarian, the military used to achieve that, science being replaced with weak theories in medical safety, and others. With each of those the crowd cheered louder.

She closed her part saying change could come by way of the three Cs, Crowds, Courts, and Courage. Crowds, which she said this rally had covered, courts which she pointed out the many victories of her office thwarting Trump had covered, and courage.

Another of the strongest moments was when Kathleen Sauer, Chair of the local Democratic party, discussing how everyone needs to make connections as part of efforts to take action, asked everyone to turn to their neighbor and introduce themselves and give some idea what their beliefs are. People took to that whole heartedly. The crowd had a loud rumble of conversation that overwhelmed the speaker for a time.

Lots of attendants had something to say if asked. Susan McElheran, a local book shop owner, said, “One of the things that makes America great is our constitution. The current president and his admin are undermining it.” And then she added, “Another thing is we are a nation of immigrants. The president that MAGA elected is trying to undo that greatness too.”

Michael Brown, a locally recognized potter, said, “I think if everyone is loyal to the constitution we’ll get through this turbulent time in our country. Local Beth Cottle said, “It’s a great event to see people who love the USA standing up for democracy.”

Retired Superior Court judge Ralph Hess said it was an impressive rally, both in turnout and in the peacefulness of it despite the passion. Local business owner Dana Murdock had an interesting alternate reaction to some of what Trump is doing. She thinks it could, “rekindle the flame of ‘power to the people’. I’m sure this was not Trump’s intention but by trying to destroy our democracy, the places needing repair will ultimately be the strongest.”

The rally ended with an energized crowd. Typically the feeling at such an event is a crowd just happy to have made a show of their feelings. As this ended the sense and comments seemed more focused on finding what would be the next way to take action.

“FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IS NOT JUST IMPORTANT TO DEMOCRACY, IT IS DEMOCRACY.” – Walter Cronkite. CLICK HERE to donate in support of our free and independent voice.

Prescott’s Mayor Goode, in his June 1 letter, discusses tourism, upcoming local events, and all Prescott has to offer to both our residents and visitors to our town.

This is the time of year when events take center stage. The months of June and early July are particularly active with events of all kinds, including art fairs, music festivals, car shows, parades, fireworks, and, of course, the Rodeo. These events offer a variety of experiences and are enjoyed by our local residents as well as visitors.

One common misconception is that the City organizes all of these fine events. In fact, with just a few exceptions, special events are organized and hosted by locally based non-profit organizations. These events help raise funds while providing a unique experience for our community. Many of these events are financially supported by the City through tourism grants and sponsorships funded by the City’s transient occupancy (bed) tax.

Recently, the Phippen Museum of Western Art hosted the annual Phippen Western Art show and Sale on the Courthouse Plaza, bringing fine Western artists from all over the world, and making Prescott the center of great Western art.

Territorial Days art show, June 7 and 8, and the Prescott Bluegrass Festival, June 21 and 22, are both organized by the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. The Frontier Days Art Show July 4th is hosted by Prescott Downtown Partnership.

The Prescott Frontier Days World’s Oldest Rodeo takes place June 30 through July 6 this year at the historic rodeo grounds. This event brings top riders from around the world, and the past several years have seen sell-out audiences. The Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo Parade takes place Saturday, July 5, throughout downtown, and is organized by Prescott Frontier Days, Inc.

The City is responsible for two major community events each year. One is the Fourth of July Fireworks. Our dedicated Recreation Services staff work hard to improve these events every year. We are excited about this year’s Fireworks event at Watson Lake. Once again this year, the 4th of July Fireworks will offer free admission for those who only want to attend and enjoy the show, thanks to underwriting from the bed tax.

New for this year, the City has installed removable bollards at key downtown intersections to be used as a safety barricade for parades and other events. This is a safety precaution, intended to keep vehicles out of the event area. These bollards will replace the use of City trucks and staff, saving a great deal of staff and resource use in the process.

Looking ahead, Prescott will stand with the rest of the country to proudly celebrate America 250, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We will have more details about the celebrations soon. In the meantime, here are some historical facts about America 250. Notably, this past April 19 marked the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard ‘round the world,” commemorating the first shots of the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

On June 17 of this year, we mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, arguably the first battle of the Revolution, with the heroic leadership of Colonel William Prescott, grandfather of William Hickling Prescott, for whom our great City was named in 1864.

We hope you enjoy all that Prescott has to offer this month and all through the year.

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