A couple of months ago, I took a walk through Old Town Scottsdale as the sun set on an idyllic spring day. It was the kind of day that reminded me why I lived here, and with summer on the horizon, I wanted to relish every minute of it.
As I rounded the corner of an alley near Circle K, I was greeted by two horses. It seemed somewhat normal, despite the fact that I was located in one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. Where else would the owner park them? “Only in Arizona,” I thought. And as I continued walking, similar quirky stories about life in Arizona started to pop up.
For the next two weeks, I compiled similar lists of oddities and shared them with family and friends. Nearly everyone I spoke to chimed in with additional reflections about daily life or childhood memories. As the bits and pieces of the collective Arizona experience began to take shape, I started brainstorming ways I could share these insights with the public at large. A blog seemed like a natural fit.
Then like divine clockwork, a local book publisher introduced me to two of Arizona’s best-known storytellers: Marshall Trimble, the state’s official historian, and Clay Thompson, a long-time columnist for The Arizona Republic. They’ve spent their careers chronicling the state’s history and cultural identity, and they’ve agreed to lend their expertise to Arizona Oddities. Excerpts from their books will appear on this blog, in addition to original content and guest posts.
We want Arizona Oddities to serve as a hub for life and culture throughout Arizona. We’ll explore the quirks that connect us and the history that has defined us. We also encourage you to comment and share your own oddities with our community.
Please feel free to e-mail us with feedback about the site or to suggest new topics. You can also follow Arizona Oddities on Twitter.
We look forward to connecting!
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