AZ — Strike gold at the Irish Fountain Fest The annual tradition is back in Fountain Hills with its iconic greening of the fountain “It's been going on for almost 20 years now and we have a lot of really traditional Irish things going on- your traditional food we've got a pipe and drum performance by the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band and we've also got a lot of really great live performances from some Celtic rock bands as well,” said Ryan Preston Recreation Manager of the Town of Fountain Hills the event will feature a Crescent Crown Beer Garden there will be plenty of fun for the kiddos too at the Kid Zone The only thing you will need to purchase is the beer [and] the food on-site You're also welcome to bring your own food to the event the face painting for the kids- all free,” reiterated Preston One of the event’s highlights is the greening of the fountain we turn it completely green,” said Preston.  Can’t make it to the event? The town has their annual Greening of the Fountain in Fountain Hills on St. Patrick’s Day The video in the player above showcases some of the best things to do in the Valley this March- read more about it right here The International Dark Sky Discovery Center is being built in Fountain Hills "This is not a Fountain Hills attraction," said Joe Bill of the International Dark Sky Discovery Center "This is an international attraction in Fountain Hills...This has been a nine-year journey to get here The first three years were devoted to getting Fountain Hills designated as an International Dark Sky Community." The future 23,000-square-foot facility will include an observatory Read the full story right here Report a typo FOUNTAIN HILLS — Rising high above the desert landscape the Fountain Hills fountain is one of the largest in the world it was initially the tallest fountain in the world when it was built in 1970 it remains a beloved centerpiece of the community “The idea was to build the tallest fountain in the world,” said Kevin Snipes The fountain was meant to draw people in—and it worked.” running for 15 minutes at the top of each hour The famous fountain's white plume is visible far beyond Fountain Hills It can be seen from as far away as the Superstition Mountains The fountain is 10 feet taller than Notre Dame Cathedral 110 feet higher than the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt and three times as high as Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park Click here for a 24/7 live video feed of the fountain Fountain Hill Park is located at 12925 N Saguaro Blvd. If you want to know the secret to Jo and Hutch Davis' loving 73-year marriage They laugh like school children when they tell the story They walked to see if their car battery had died "It was the most fun thing we've done all year "As if we were going somewhere!" Hutch joked live nestled in a cozy apartment at Fountain View Village a senior living community in Fountain Hills Jo caught bronchitis and Hutch suffered a stroke after the start of the new year so they spent most of January in their apartment The adventure looked different from some in their past: taking a trailer to Nova Scotia But the "togetherness," as Hutch described it That's the advice they give to couples today in pursuit of a love that endures all the challenges and changes that life tends to bring: "Togetherness Both attended Creighton Elementary at 28th Street and McDowell Road and church at First Presbyterian at Fourth Avenue and Monroe Street in downtown They rode the same city bus and spent weekends at the church which hosted Friday skating parties and Saturday dances Jo joined the Phoenix Symphony in high school He used to take her to rehearsal when they were teenagers and slip into the back of the auditorium by himself to watch her play They made a routine of getting ice cream afterward at Polar Bar Their friendship evolved into more during high school and college "He fell in love with me because of my violin playing and I loved to just be with Hutch and talk because we talked on a different level I could see what his dreams were," Jo said but Hutch's parents preferred they didn't get married until after Hutch got his degree They went long-distance while Hutch went to the University of Arizona in Tucson to study engineering He would come back to Phoenix every few weeks to visit two-week vacation and they were enjoying being together We're not going to wait two years to get married," Hutch said found the next day off from school and told their parents Jo moved to Tucson and took a job at Rainbow Baking Company to be with Hutch They didn't have much money but made do in a house owned by an engineer who let them stay The only caveat was the engineer's two teenage sons lived there "I kept my fiddle under my chin quite a bit," she said But she didn't play professionally again for years and that was kind of shocking and joyful," Jo said "But we had this little household of these boys and we were just looking forward to Hutch graduating and having an income." A series of moves brings challenges and bondingLife accelerated after Hutch graduated He worked his way up the engineering industry first at General Electric and then for a slew of other companies Jo would find ways to get involved in the community She began playing violin in local groups again and teaching She also immersed herself in her children's activities Hutch also traveled quite a bit during the week They ate family breakfasts and dinners together every day The weekends were reserved for family time Work was set aside to make way for camping home restoration projects and soapbox racing we had a very tight relationship with each and every one of our kids," Hutch said The couple's love for each other and adventure didn't die down once the kids flew the coop "That's when we cut loose and went to Europe and got a trailer and hauled it for months they moved to a high-rise in downtown Phoenix They abandoned all their furniture and wanted to try something new They walked to baseball games and returned to their beloved Symphony Hall They moved to Fountain View Village a couple of years ago part of the Mazatzal Mountains on the Valley's eastern skyline from their living room — a view they specifically requested Their home is filled with evidence of a life shaped by family Photos of their family are hung in the kitchen nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren Their walls are adorned with wall hangings woven by Jo and paintings by their daughter 150-pound loom that Jo uses to weave shawls and wall hangings They took classes in Mesa to learn about it Jo started weaving three years after retiring from a lifetime of playing and teaching violin and now sells her pieces on Etsy She dreams of having a show one day at an art gallery in Scottsdale She credits the arts and Hutch's enduring support as a major contributor to the longevity of their marriage We developed the friendship when we were young and developing our life Taylor Seely is a reporter at The Arizona Republic covering Phoenix and Scottsdale. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFOUNTAIN HILLS AZ (AZFamily) — One person is in custody and Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers are searching for other potential suspects involved in a road rage shooting that happened along a state highway in the East Valley late Thursday morning Northbound lanes of State Route 87 (Beeline Highway) were closed from Gilbert Road to Shea Boulevard near Fountain Hills but reopened around 5 p.m the situation began with a hit-and-run on the Loop 202 near Scottsdale Road The driver of the vehicle that was hit followed the other car to SR 87 where the suspects reportedly fired shots at the victim near McDowell Road DPS says the suspects stopped along SR 87 about a mile south of Shea Boulevard where they bailed out and ran into the desert One person was taken into custody a short time later troopers and other law enforcement officers continue searching the area for one to two other suspects See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description AZ (AZFamily)— A Fountain Hills couple has been serving handmade French-inspired chocolates in their community for the past two decades Chocofin Chocolatier first opened in Fountain Hills in 2001 Louis and Denise Mirabella moved to their current location near Fountain Hills and Palisades Boulevard where they make their delectable chocolates The Mirabellas worked as pastry chefs before moving to Arizona in 1993 and began making chocolates and selling them to big resorts around the Valley the couple decided to quit their day jobs and bring Chocofin Chocolatier to life “This is our livelihood… We get to do what we love to do,” said Louis but their desserts and chocolates are big in flavor The shop handcrafts chocolates that are sold daily. They come in fun and unique flavors like frisson lemon and sugar-free milk and dark chocolate truffles so they (customers) are going to find a real good quality product here,” said Denise “We do specialize mostly in individual chocolates and we pride ourselves on having a different recipe and using great ingredients for each one.” Chocofin Chocolatier also creates various cakes ice cream cake and sugar-free flourless chocolate torte including the mixed berry streusel pie and chocolate bourbon pecan pie Pies and cakes are also available by the slice the shop has a variety of gelato flavors to enjoy The shop can also make wedding cakes and favors desserts for special events and personalized truffles The Mirabellas say their chocolate is French-inspired Louis says he came up with the name while studying French chocolates Chocolats fins means fine chocolate in French so Louis abbreviated the name to represent the French tradition they started with and it’s not what they’re used to unless they’ve traveled a lot in Europe He says this makes the customers appreciate the chocolate even more Chocofin also creates chocolate products to fit the season pumpkin cheesecakes and the popular chocolate turkeys for Thanksgiving Chocofin Chocolatier will make an eggnog truffle The Mirabella’s say their chocolates are made fresh so they don’t last as long as the drugstore box chocolate that’s more sugar-based “We just put that little extra mile in to make it taste really good,” said Denise The town of Fountain Hills is advocating for people serving as caretakers for loved ones living with dementia The second annual Dementia Friendly Fountain Hills Summit is taking place on Saturday The "dementia friendly" designation means a community is safe and respectful of people living with dementia and their caretakers while also providing resources and support according to the Dementia Friendly America website According to the latest data from the Alzheimer's Association 150,000 people in Arizona are living with the disease and more than a quarter-million people in our state alone are serving as caretakers caretakers can connect with dozens of resource providers and experts in the field who are there to answer any questions For more information or to register, head to this website. Fountain Hills' 2024 election has finally been settled after a Maricopa County recount confirmed incumbent Peggy McMahon won reelection to the Town Council by just seven votes The race for a spot on the small town's council began with a crowded field earlier this year Eight candidates were vying for three open Town Council seats until the July 30 primary when Gayle Earle secured enough votes to win outright and four other candidates advanced to the Nov with the latter receiving 6,592 votes an the former trailing with 6,585 votes ― a seven vote margin that triggered an automatic recount under state law because the gap was smaller than 0.5% of the total votes cast Maricopa County announced that its recount showed no change in the vote tally confirming that McMahon won reelection and will begin her new term on Tuesday "The recount results affirm McMahon and Watts as the two winners of this contest McMahon and Watts will besworn in during the Dec Town Council Special Meeting," the town said in a press release will be in the minority of one on the Fountain Hills Town Council for at least the next two years unseated Mayor Ginny Dickey for her position in November will join right-leaning Town Councilmembers Hannah Toth and Allen Skillicorn on the dais to form a 6-1 majority until at least 2026 Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X @KmackSam or reach him at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.