Economic challenges test Chamber festivals

Fall is festive in Ahwatukee this year with the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce hosting or co-hosting two new community events.

But Wall Street woes and the wobbling economy are also being felt in the village. The Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club's Oct. 11 Food Fest won't be held at the Grace Inn because of a lack of restaurants committing to pay the $200 participation fee and provide sample menu foods for 200 people.

"The Food Fest has been postponed until February," club President Wanda Sampson said. "We didn't get enough restaurants to participate - they pointed to the economy and asked to do it after the first of the year."

Meanwhile, the inaugural TukeeFest held last Saturday has been deemed a success. Co-sponsored by the chamber and the Ahwatukee Community Swim & Tennis Center, the free evening at Ahwatukee Park drew more than 1,000 villagers, according to chamber estimates. The next chamber event, the Ahwatukee Community Fair, is Oct. 18 at Mountain Pointe High School.

This free daytime event, scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m., is billed as the fifth annual Community Fair, although until this year it was known as the Ahwatukee Business Expo.

"It was more focused on business to business (but) we felt it was important for the Ahwatukee community to see which local merchants were serving their community, so we felt a venue change to a more centrally located area was important," chamber President and CEO Laura Rivers said. "With the venue of Mountain Pointe, we're able to have more family-friendly activities like a bounce house, an outside barbeque and the ability to utilize the auditorium to showcase the local schools' talent."

Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high school music groups will perform, as well as a lineup from the Arts Council for Youth, a non-profit organization founded in 2007 that supports arts in Tempe and Kyrene public schools.

Kids Zone bounce houses will be free, though face painting will require a minimal charge to help benefit the schools' art departments.

As of Oct. 1, approximately 40 companies and service providers had anted up the $300 to $500 booth fees for the business display area inside the school - fewer than the 75 at last year's Ahwatukee Expo held at Pointe South Mountain Resort, now the Arizona Grand Resort. But Rivers said it's typical for businesses and service providers to put off signing up until closer to the event date.

"Of course, with the economy, this has been slower than past years but we're still very positive about selling out and we'll keep taking applications," she said.