It’s kind of hard to believe that presidential candidate Donald Trump was in town last weekend. Everything went by so quickly.
There was so much pomp and circumstance crammed into the day before his arrival, then the long morning of coverage and now, boom, Arizona’s polls have closed and the country will shift its gaze to the next state on the campaign trail.
It was certainly an unexpected whirlwind of excitement for the town.
I was on my way out of a local gas station Thursday afternoon when I ran into the Times’ own Tammie Ott.
She told me all of the buzz about Trump’s planned visit to Fountain Hills and suddenly the upcoming quiet weekend didn’t seem so quiet anymore.
I was so preoccupied trying to figure out what we needed to do in terms of coverage that I drove away from the pump without actually filling up my tank. I circled back around and corrected my mistake, but not before embarrassingly explaining to the gentleman who had filed in behind me why there were 15 bucks on the pump and why I’d appreciate it if he would let me sneak back in and claim the gas I had paid for.
Obviously, the impending visit from Trump became the only thing anyone was talking about.
Here in the office, the discussion turned to coverage. We knew that anyone who wanted to see the speech itself could watch on television or Youtube. Instead, we decided to keep the focus on how Trump’s visit would impact our town specifically. What did this big, sudden event mean for local businesses? Who would be footing the bill? How did they plan to keep Fountain Park safe? What did local supporters and visiting protestors have to say?
Those are the angles we decided to focus on, and you’ll find the results in this very issue.
As for the day of the event, it was a pretty standard case of organized chaos. We had four staffers on hand to provide coverage, with two in the main fence and two working their way through the larger crowd beyond.
It was hot out, but most folks seemed to be in good spirits.
Honestly, I was pretty proud of how Fountain Hills handled the big visit. For or against Trump, his arrival put Fountain Hills in the news across the country and beyond.
The line to get into the main event was massive, but it seemed to be moving quickly. Those who did not make it into the fence calmly lined the nearby hillside. And while there were a couple unfortunate incidents blocking traffic, the protesting never got out of hand in Fountain Park.
People came, they heard what Trump had to say, and then they left peacefully. Considering how Trump rallies have gone elsewhere, I’d call that a success.
Hopefully those visitors will fondly recall their brief time here in Fountain Hills. Maybe they even got a bite to eat here, filled up on gas and stopped by a few stores along the way. Maybe they’ll decide to come back some weekend for another visit. Even without a presidential candidate handy, we’d be happy to have them.
