Set during the Great Depression, Water for Elephants tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, a 23 year old man who runs away to join the circus after a personal tragedy. Employed as a veterinarian in the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, he faces a number of challenges in finding his place in the hierarchy of the traveling circus.

The story is presented as a series of flashbacks by elderly Jacob, now living in a nursing home. He finds his life at 93 intolerable, fleeing the curses of old age by escaping to his memories of life with the circus as a young man.

A colorful and engrossing portrait of an era, Water for Elephants humanizes the unusual characters who populate the circus. According to the author, many of the anecdotes used in the story were based upon real events, culled from the diaries and personal histories of old-time circus performers.

After twelve weeks on the New york Times Hardcover bestseller list, the paperback edition became a major hit on summer reading lists in 2008.

Sharlot Hall Museum needs volunteer docents who enjoy working with young students for the Museum’s expanding history tour program.

Currently the program provides local 4th graders hands-on, interactive history lessons and a new program for 2nd graders, requiring additional docents, is slated for later this year.

Potential docents will complete three entertaining classes that cover methods of teaching, different learning styles, a docent’s perspective, interactive tours, local history and historic characters. A teaching background is not required, just a love of working with children. No experience is necessary, and the program is designed for immediate volunteer participation.

“This training gives volunteers a clear understanding of the history of Prescott, the background of the buildings on the campus, and knowledge of the interesting array of historical personages that have shaped our understanding of our community,” explains Karen Churchill, the Museum’s Coordinator of Volunteer Services.

In 1990, in the early morning hours after St. Patrick’s Day, thieves disguised as policemen gained access into Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner museum and successfully executed the largest art heist in modern history. Stolen brings the audience on a journey to understand not just a crime, but also the nature of beauty itself - its fragility and its power.

According to the FBI, the thieves stole thirteen works of art valued at over $300 million, including a painting by Vermeer (The Concert) and three Rembrandts (including his only seascape The Storm on the Sea of Galilee).

Still unsolved, museum still displays the paintings' empty frames in their original locations due to the strict provisions of Gardner's will, which instructed that the collection be maintained unchanged.

Watoto means “The Children”, and these children are on a mission. Through their inspirational songs and compelling stories, the Watoto Children’s Choir is spreading a message of hope for Africa’s children.

In 1994, Gary and Marilyn Skinner were moved with compassion concerning the critical orphan crisis in Uganda. As a result, Watoto Child Care Ministries was established as an outreach of Kampala Pentecostal Church. Today, Watoto is caring for over 1500 parentless children by providing physical, emotional, educational and spiritual care.

The goal of Watoto is to raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders by pursuing excellence in academic and practical skills, integrity in conduct and moral values, so that each child becomes a responsible and productive citizen.

The Jazz at the Grille Series is a monthly Sunday brunch event held at 129½, An American Jazz Grille, at 129½ N. Cortez Street in downtown Prescott.

Under the musical direction of Steve Annibale,  trios, four piece ensembles and more will present a variety of themed performances once a month.

There will be two seatings at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and reservations are required as seating is limited. $25.00 buys you Prime Rib, Eggs Benedict or other fabulous selections from an a-la-carte menu (see right).

Scheduled perforrmances through March include:

Jan. 18 – “Swing in the New Year”, The Arizona Swing Machine
Featuring Steve Annibale, Clyde Score, Denny Garr, and AJ Siniaho

Faith in Fakes: Travels in Hyperreality by Umberto Eco is a superbly entertaining beginner's guide to semiotics. To what? Semiotics is the study and interpretation of symbols. In our increasingly iconic age, the discipline has much to say, and to do so must delve deeper and wider, into sociology, philosophy and psychology. In this superb selection of essays, Umberto Eco discusses topics as widely spaced as blue jeans, the film Casablanca, ancient monuments and theme parks. Throughout, he manages to communicate intensely difficult ideas with ease, making Faith In Fakes a truly enlightening read that both informs on theory and entertains via the mundane.

The reader must be prepared to go part-way into the discipline, however, especially in relation to specific authors and rarefied vocabulary. While names such as McLuhan, Foucault and Barthes might not deter most readers, words such as oneiric, corybantism, synecdoche, mytonymy, eversive and anthopophagy could prove to be stumbling blocks. There aren't many of these specialist words, however, because overall Umberto Eco's style is beautifully communicative and easy to read.