The Camp Verde 2023 Year in Review

January

• Gayle Mabery was hired as interim town manager of Camp Verde on Jan. 2 following the departure of longtime Town Manager Russ Martin, who took a job in Florence. 
• A teen turned himself in for the fatal shooting of a man who he alleged was trying to “get with his 14- year-old sister.” 
• Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes discussed what he considered to be the current issues facing law enforcement at a Mingus Mountain Republican Club meeting, including fentanyl and recruitment issues. 
• Out of Africa Wildlife Park co-owner Dean Harrison died on Jan. 8 at age 75. He founded Out of Africa with his wife Prayeri Harrison and moved the park from the Phoenix area to Camp Verde in 2005.

February

• Maurice Crandall, Ph.D., presented the lecture “After the Whirlwind: Yavapai-Apache Scouts and the Worlds They Made” at the Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 5. He discussed the influence of the Indian scouts on American history.
• Ken Zoll, Director Emeritus of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center, discussed the petroglyphs of the Crane Petroglyph Site at V-V Historic Ranch on Feb. 10. 
• Camp Verde author T.C. Noble released his book “Camp Verde: The First 50 Years” after failing to find a good source on the history of the town and taking on the task of compiling a history book for residents. 
• The plans for the High View at Boulder Creek development continued to evolve to include proposals for a cannabis facility, an unspecified U.S. Department of Defense facility, apartments and a Sprouts grocery store.
• The Yavapai-Apache Nation commemorated Exodus Day on Feb. 25, remembering the day Yavapai and Apache peoples were forced to march 180 miles to a reservation in San Carlos in 1875. The tribes were permitted to return in 1900.

March 

• Copper Canyon Fire & Medical District Fire Chief Terry Keller announced his pending departure at a board meeting on March 7. The board also announced that the district was deeply in debt due to a $856,000 accounting error resulting from a 2016 merger of the Camp Verde Fire District and Montezuma-Rimrock Fire District, compounded by construction of a $3.5 million Cherry Creek fire station in 2019. The CCFMD received $750,000 in state funds to alleviate the financial strain.
• The annual Pecan and Wine Festival took place on March 19. The festival included 15 local wineries and over 100 vendors.
•  Camp Verde welcomed a traveling Vietnam Wall between March 28 and 31 for its Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day celebration, which marked the 50th anniversary of the day the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam in 1973. 
• Camp Verde Utilities found rising arsenic levels at the Mongini Well Site, the town’s main source of water, as well as record water usage. 

April 

• The Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District meeting to address its shortage of board members.
• The Verde Valley Archaeology Center opened its “Indigenous Cosmology and Astronomy” exhibit focused on archaeoastronomy and how early people used stellar cycles to track time. 
• The town of Camp Verde and the Yavapai-Apache Nation co-hosted an Earth Day celebration at the Veterans Memorial Park with live entertainment, a family fun walk, educational booths and arts and crafts vendors.

May 

• The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival hosted a series of educational lectures and events related to birding and the outdoors. 
• CCFMD appointed Job Huey and Ed Gee to fill their vacant board seats at its meeting on May 4, bringing them to a full five-member board.
• The Verde Valley Farmers Market opened for the season on May 13 to offer residents a place to buy fresh produce and local goods. 
• The Verde Natural Resource Conservation District hosted a work group meeting to discuss resource concerns. 
• Camp Verde High School graduates held their commencement ceremony on May 18. 

June

• The Camp Verde Town Council unanimously denied Trampus and Bonnie Mansker’s application for an agritourism use permit for a roping arena and began a process to amend the town’s zoning code relating to animal count during its June 15 special session. 
• The Camp Verde Town Council selected five candidates to interview for the town manager position from a pool of 31 applicants. 
• The Verde Valley Archaeology Center demonstrated the visual effects of the summer solstice on the solar calendar at the Crane Petroglyph Site at V-V Historic Ranch. Ken Zoll, Director Emeritus, gave a talk discussing his research studying solar calendars in the area.

July 

• The Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District and the Verde Valley Fire District considered a joint management agreement. 
• Hundreds of people attended Camp Verde’s 29th annual Corn Fest on July 15. The event featured fresh roasted corn, food trucks, vendors, a beer garden, a salsa contest and a cornhole tournament. 
• The Camp Verde Town Council unanimously agreed to offer Tedmond “Ted” Soltis a contract for the town manager position during its meeting on July 12. He would resign after 103 days. 
• The Camp Verde Community Library acquired a rainwater catchment system as part of its future educational and pollinator garden. 
• The Arizona monsoon arrived later than usual. 
• The Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Department held a public forum to solicit residents’ views on priorities for future amenities for the town’s sports complex on July 24.

August 

• Camp Verde schools had their first day of school on Monday, Aug. 7. 
• Camp Verde’s new town manager, Ted Soltis, was sworn in at a town council meeting on Aug. 9.
• The Camp Verde Town Council discussed the number of livestock and other animals that should be permitted on a parcel during a work session on Aug. 9. 
• The annual Redneck Round-Up Demolition Derby and Motorcycle Barrel Race took place on Aug. 19 to raise funds for Valley Academy Career and Technology Education.
• The Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District and the Verde Valley Fire District approved a joint management agreement on Aug. 24 to allow VVFD Fire Chief Danny Johnson to serve as fire chief for both districts. 
• The Camp Verde Town Council held a special session on Aug. 23 to hear a presentation by the Camp Verde Community Library on its operations, policies and procedures in response to threats and harassment concerning a book display for Pride Month.

September 

• Habitat for Humanity broke ground for a new home project in Rimrock on Sept. 7. The home will go to a mother of four who is employed full-time and a full-time student. 
• The Camp Verde Community Library commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of craft classes centered around Dia de los Muertos. 
• The Camp Verde Town Council discussed a “Code of the West” statement for the town. N
• Rainbow Acres, a community and ranch for adults with developmental disabilities, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 21.

October 

• The Verde Valley Archaeology Center opened its exhibit “Grand Canyon — Three Worlds: Inside the Grand Canyon National Park Collections.” The exhibit featured artifacts found in the Grand Canyon organized by three time periods. 
• The Verde Natural Resource Conservation District held a water adjudication workshop at the Camp Verde Community Library on Oct. 6 to discuss the future adjudication of the Verde River. 
• Steve Ayers was named the marshal of the Fort Verde Days parade for its 67th year. Ayers worked nine years as a local journalist and later 10 years as the Town of Camp Verde’s Economic Development Director. 
• Camp Verde hosted its National Night Out on Oct. 23

November 

• The Turquoise Circuit Finals Rodeo took place on Nov. 3 and 4 at the Camp Verde Equestrian Center. Participants competed to qualify for the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which hosts the area winners of the 12 rodeo circuits of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
• The Camp Verde Town Council adopted increased fees for town water and wastewater services for the 2023-24 fiscal year. 
• The Verde Valley Pottery Festival returned for its second year on Nov. 18 and 19. The first pottery festival took place at Ben Roti’s studio space in Camp Verde with 10 artists in 2022. 
• Ted Soltis resigned from his position as town manager after three months and nine days on the job.

December 

• The Camp Verde Marshal’s Office received a report concerning possible sexual abuse of a juvenile by David Edward Castillo, owner of Central Arizona Sports and Physical Therapy and coach of the Camp Verde High School girls’ cross-country team. 
• The Camp Verde Town Council selected Gayle Mabery to act as interim town manager for the second time this year at its Dec. 6 meeting.
•  Vincent Randall, a teacher, Apache scholar and former chairman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, died Dec. 16 at age 83. His memorial service was held Dec. 23. 
• Kids spent a day with local law enforcement during the 20th annual Shop With a Cop event. Fifty children from across the Verde Valley had the opportunity to go on a shopping spree with officers from the Cottonwood Police Department, Clarkdale Police Department, Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department , Sedona Police Department, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Rangers.