Bullhead City Blog » Bullhead City News & Events

Rockin’ The River Regatta

Evan Fuchs — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:29:57 +0000

Summer is right around the corner, which means it’s time to mark your calendar for the 4th annual Bullhead City River Regatta.

The Regatta takes place on Saturday, August 14, 2010, when thousands of people will gather at Bullhead City Community Park for a group float down the Colorado River to Rotary Park.

It looks something like this:

If you register before August 10th, the entrance fee for the 8 mile float is $15. After that is bumps up to $20.

The Regatta is open to teams and individuals, with cash, prizes, and bragging rights up for grabs in several categories.

Last year’s overall winner, The Topock Gamblers pictures above, walked away with 500 bucks!

Regatta weekend kicks off on Friday night with the Ye Gatta Regatta pre-party at Community Park from 5:30 – 10 pm and concludes with the Ye Hafta Afta party at Rotary Park. Good times for all!

For detailed information and registration visit bullheadregatta.com or go directly to the Regatta registration page.

Also, be sure to join the Bullhead City River Regatta Facebook page.

City Manager Starts Blogging Today

Evan Fuchs — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:03:26 +0000

With precisely one day on the job, Bullhead City’s new City Manager, Toby Cotter, starts blogging today at Bullhead City’s website.

The blog, entitled 365 Days to Sustainability, will cover a wide range of community topics:

From finances to tourism to senior services, this ongoing community dialogue will help us discover and explore how to build the most sustainable community possible. We will discuss taxation, water, solar, healthcare, housing, recreation, clean air, diversity, civic groups, tourism, community engagement and much more.

A daily blog, huh? Sounds pretty ambitious to me! I love the idea and think it’s a indication that we might expect some fresh ideas from the new City Manager.

The first entry includes a plea to the community to get involved:

What can you do? I would ask that you please step forward and assist the City Council, Staff and myself in this venture. There are so many ways to become involved in our community. Voting, volunteering, coming to city meetings, joining a community group, attending social events, suggesting a new way to improve city services and being a positive member of your neighborhood are just a few of the ways you can participate.

Yes, it does take a village, doesn’t it?

You might notice he closes the blog post by saying he is looking forward to working with us again. This isn’t Cotter’s first tour with Bullhead City. He served a few years back as Bullhead City’s Public Information Officer. Most recently, he was Village Administrator in Richfield, Wisconsin (population 11,500) before accepting the new position in Bullhead City.

Bullhead City has a history of short-term City Mangers, which hinders such important things as continuity in leadership and long-term planning. Especially when you consider that the City Council has built-in turnover. Let’s hope the trend stopped yesterday.

I’ve talked to Toby Cotter about this very concern, and it’s not something lost on him. I’m excited for the City to have a familiar and qualified person taking over and really do look forward to see how Bullhead City progresses under his guidance.

I’m also looking forward to reading his new blog. One question, why no ability to leave comments on the blog posts? I’ll have to do my commenting from here, and I invite you to do the same.

Still Time to Visit with Santa

Evan Fuchs — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:21:12 +0000

There are still chances to see Santa, courtesy of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #50‘s “Visit with Santa” program.

At these following locations, Santa and his Helpers on a sleigh, escorted by police patrol cars, will visit with children in several Bullhead City neighborhoods.

Children can visit with Santa, tell him what they want for Christmas and receive a Candy Cane. Be sure to bring your camera to take pictures with Santa.

12/14 Monday – Rio Lomas & Arroyo Vista Area

5:30pm Sierra Santiago & Hi Jolly Drive
6:35pm Corwin Road & Lariat Drive
7:05pm Mohave Crossroads Plaza- 3699 Hwy 95 (45 min stop)

12/15 Tuesday – Old Bullhead City/Sunridge Estates

5:30pm First Street & Moser Avenue
6:05pm Seventh Street & Lee Avenue
6:35pm Sun River Road & Landon Drive West
7:05pm Canyon Walk Apartments- 2795 Desert Foothills Boulevard

12/23 Wednesday

5:30pm Goldrush Apartments- 2030 Prospector Court

The ‘Visit with Santa’ program is free. For more information, contact Community Services Officer Lorrie Duggins of the Bullhead City Police Department at (928) 763-9200 ext. 204.

Reproduced with permission from Bullhead City Press Release

A Face for Radio

Evan Fuchs — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:23:24 +0000

I’ve been writing about the Bullhead City real estate market on a regular basis for some time now. Besides the blog, I do a column for the Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mohave County Economic Development Journal. Those outlets have also opened the door for other opportunities to spread the word, and that ain’t bad.

So when Don Walker, the host of a weekly radio show called “Powerful Living”, asked me to come on once a month to give the radio and online listeners a quick real estate update, of course I agreed.

In case you’re wondering what the connection is between a fitness/health show and real estate, beats me! But Don has an definite interest in real estate and presumably more listeners than our Mohave Real Talk podcast, so that was enough for me.

My first call-in was yesterday a little after 10 am. I managed to squeeze in some stats, plugged the tax credit for first time buyers, and even promoted our home buyer workshop next week. Have a listen to the archived show here. You can skip to the 1:09:00 mark to catch my spot (that’s an hour and nine minutes).

I really enjoy these opportunities to talk about our local market, and it’s not (just) to feed my ego. Over the years I’ve become passionate about sharing information in an effort to help people educate themselves and make sound decisions about real estate, as opposed to say, relying on sensational headlines.

I’m fortunate to work with others in our office that share this passion, so being the source of real estate information for the Bullhead City area has become part of the fabric of Bullhead Laughlin Realty. At our monthly home buyer workshops, we are all about sharing information about becoming a home owner in today’s market.

The radio show gives us another vehicle to do our thing, so thank you to Don and his Powerful Living program for giving another avenue to spread the word about home ownership opportunities in Bullhead City.

Home Buyer Workshop This Week

Evan Fuchs — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:03:55 +0000

We’re holding another Bullhead City Home Buyer Workshop this Thursday, September 17th. It’s free and open to the public.

The sole purpose of this event is to help people gain a better understanding of the home buying processing in today’s market.

Please note that this is not a sales pitch

We do no selling of any kind. Hey, if you’re buying a house and want some help, that’s great. But I promise we do not sell. Period.

We talk about things like the home buyer tax credit, Your Way Home AZ (22% purchase assistance for buying a foreclosure), what to expect when buying a foreclosure or REO property, current financing options, credit scoring, and an overview of the process itself from beginning to end.

What attendees have said in the past

We ask people to fill out a very brief, anonymous survey to help us improve. We’re proud that it’s been very positive.

Here are a few:

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Love all the info and being able to ask questions.”

“This class and realty office has changed my life.”

“Very informative – good for first time buyers.”

“It was perfect – very informative.”

Interested? Here are the details

If you’d like to attend just drop me an email or call the office at 928-704-6700

Here’s a map to Bullhead Laughlin Realty

We finish up by 8 pm, usually a little earlier.

If you can’t make it this time around, we hold them on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Hope to see you there.

Bullhead City River Regatta

Evan Fuchs — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:31:55 +0000

If floating on the Colorado River with a few thousand friends sounds like your idea of a good time, you’ve got to check the Bullhead City River Regatta on Saturday, August 29th.

The float launches from Bullhead City Community Park at 9 am (check-in begins at 7 am) and winds 8 miles down the Colorado River, ending at Rotary Park. After party with food and entertainment!

Bullhead City Birthday Bath -n- Splash

No regatta is complete without a theme, right? Last year it was Pirates of the Colorado.

This year it’s Bullhead City’s 25th birthday celbration:

Think PARTY! (Cakes, balloons, presents, party games).

Think HISTORY! (what do you remember about the 1980s?)

Be sure to check out the Questions & Answers and Things to Know page from the official site. You’ll get all the details you need, like where to park, how much it costs, how to register your float, and so on.

Oh, and don’t forget about the Ye Gotta Regatta party on Friday night before the float from 5-10 pm. Best Bartender Contest, too? Yep.

The Regatta is GROWING so Register in Advance!

In only it’s third year, the annual Bullhead City River Regatta is growing exponentially. The 900 attendees in 2007 grew to 4,000 plus last year. They are now expecting more than 9,000 people. Holy Float!

Advanced registration for the float is strongly encouraged: Bullhead City River Regatta registration.

Are you a Floater?

If you’ve made the regatta float (or any other Colorado River float for that matter), I’d love to hear your story or see some photos. Please leave a comment or drop me an email.

Free Home Buyer Workshop Tonight

Evan Fuchs — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:13:47 +0000

Come check out our Home Buyer Workshop tonight at 6 pm.

We hold a workshop in Bullhead City on the third Thursday of every month at Bullhead Laughlin Realty.

Learn about the buying process, financing options, negotiating the purchase, and how to take advantage of current government incentives such as the $8,000 federal tax credit.

Foreclosure buyers, learn how to buy a foreclosure and get 22% purchase assistance from AZ Dept of Housing.

The workshop is free and open to the public. No strings attached. No sales pitch. Just honest, straight forward information to help you get on the path to home ownership.

What: Free Home Buyer Workshop

When: Tonight at 6pm

Where: Bullhead Laughlin Realty 2765 Highway 95 1/2 block north of Walmart. Click for map to Bullhead Laughlin Realty

Who: Open to the public

Why: To get the straight scoop on how to become a home owner

How: Easy! Call 928-704-6700 or drop me an email to let us know you’re coming

Hope to see your there tonight!

Oatman Annual Sidewalk Egg Fry

Evan Fuchs — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:43:00 +0000

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lori_greig/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

When I say “Fourth of July”, what comes to mind? Fireworks? Picnics? Star Spangled Banner?

To that I say you’ve never visited Oatman at high noon on Independence Day. At least not in the last 20 years or so.

You see, mid-summer Oatman is so hot you actually can fry an egg!

That’s right, folks. This Saturday, July 4th, Oatman, Arizona will host its annual Egg Fry contest. The premise is simple.

For the uninitiated, Oatman is small mining town along Route 66, not far from Bullhead City. A visit to Oatman is like traveling back to the old west. A town where (real) burros and (fake) gunfighters roam the streets.

And yes, once a year people gather to see who can cook up the “most edible” egg . On the side walk.

From the Oatman Chamber of Commerce website:

One of the Ghostrider Gunfighters shoots off a round and the fryers have 15 minutes to make the most edible fried egg. We provide two official eggs and a piece of foil. We tried cooking right on the sidewalk at first but the eggs cook right into the sidewalk and are hard to clean up. The fryers can use any type of solar heat. Mirrors, magnifying glasses etc. The are several Egg Fry categories with medals and prizes.

This is a free, one of a kind event. So, why not come out and – as the Chamber of Commerce website says – “join the eggcitement?”

Check out Oatman’s wikipedia page for more on the history of Oatman.

The Flame Must Go On

Evan Fuchs — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:03:10 +0000

Just a quick one to give kudos to Frontier Communications for stepping up to support the community and Arizona veterans by picking up the cost to keep the Eternal Flame burning at Arizona Veterans Memorial Park along the Colorado River in Bullhead City.

The flame has been at issue since January when the City of Bullhead City turned it off (ouch) to save costs. Public reaction to the move was swift as the story made national news. Good thing, too. According to Mohave Daily News that’s how Frontier’s CEO got wind of it:

“This article actually resonated a lot with me because it was about a community that worked hard to do something wonderful and was faced with an economic challenge as a result,” Wilderotter said. “The nice thing about being the CEO of Frontier is I could pickup the phone … and say, ‘How can we help?’ It was deeply important to me that we help.”

Good move Frontier!

The only thing left to say for now is Thank You.

Colorado River Leadership Program Wrap Up

Evan Fuchs — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:21:43 +0000

Thursday was quite a day. I Spent most of the day with the Colorado River Leadership class at our final session, then spent the early evening presenting our home buyer workshop at Bullhead Laughlin Realty. Good times!

Colorado River Leadership Class

“Economic Development Day”, the final session of the nine month program, was fantastic. We started the day in Bullhead City where we hopped on a bus and headed for Kingman.

Our first stop was at the Kingman Airport Authority with Director of Economic Development, Bob Riley. Did you know that 33 million people live within a 350 mile radius from Kingman?

The Kingman Airport Authority seems to have a clear picture of who they are, and not only who their clients are, but also who they are not. They dub themselves “Northwest Arizona’s Business Center.” Considering that they are home to more than 70 businesses with over 2,000 employees, I think they’ve earned the title. Their proximity to I-40, air, and rail, makes them a great location for industry.

A little behind schedule, our time at our next stop, Mohave County Economic Development Dept, was kinda short. Jonas Peterson, Economic Development Director, gave us a short presentation followed by Q & A. There are lot of services to help new and potential new businesses in Mohave County.

Services and incentives range from tax credits, to loans, to assistance with things like employee recruiting and site selection. I get the feeling these things are under-utilized. Big takeaway from this brief visit: Major economic development potential in Mohave County for solar and renewable energy.

The exact spot between Bullhead City and Kingman in which the A/C stopped working is unclear. What is clear is that 20 people on a school bus from Kingman to Lake Havasu City in late May makes for a interesting trip.

We spent a couple of hours with Gary Kellogg, President/CEO of Lake Havasu Partnership for Economic Development, learning about their efforts to attract new businesses and support business expansion. Like the Kingman Airport Authority, these folks are working hard to remain focused on branding and marketing to their client base. They don’t try to be all things to all people.

Judging by the new business park, shopping mall (Shops at Lake Havasu), and several other projects in the works, they do a pretty good job. Spend an hour chatting with Gary and you’ll learn it’s no accident.

By now it’s pushing 100 degrees as we head back to Bullhead City. An hour later, we arrive at the Bullhead Regional Economic Development Authority office. Brad Hoover, a local developer and retired police chief, gave us some thoughts on leadership which I enjoyed. It was no canned speech or PowerPoint, just some words of wisdom from a guy that has been around the block.

Our last speaker was Nancy Mongeau, Vice President of Program Development for Legacy Foundation. Amazing. These folks do great things to support improved health care throughout Arizona. They have donated MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in the Bullhead City area alone. Check out (and support) Backpack for Buddies, their program that puts a backpack with school supplies and health care/hygiene items into the hands into thousands of children. Amazing.

This day was an awesome opportunity to get a peak into the inner workings of economic development in Mohave County. I just can’t imagine circumstances that would have allowed me to see a fraction of these things if I hadn’t been part of the Colorado River Leadership program. Thanks to the Colorado River Women’s Council, and a special thanks to Olivia McCormick, our leader through this series. Thanks also to the rest of the students in the class. This was a really, really cool experience.

On a final note, please consider supporting our class project, Operation: Desert Stage. This project will bring a portable community stage to Bullhead City which will be made available to schools, community organizations, businesses, etc. Thanks.