It’s time once again to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the communities of Fountain Hills, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Goldfield Ranch and the Verdes as the committee under the auspices of the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum and Exploration Center is now seeking nominations for the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

A nomination form can be found at LowerVerdeValleyHallOfFame.org near the bottom of the page.

Nominations must be in by December 31, 2025.

Since 2004, the Hall of Fame has recognized individuals, living or deceased, whose history of involvement has contributed in some positive way to the betterment of communities within the lower Verde Valley.

Candidates to be considered for election to the Hall of Fame in 2026 must have resided or been active in the area on or before December 31, 2015.

Consideration for election will be based on the individual’s contributions in one or more of the following categories: arts and culture, business and professional, community service, education, governmental activities and religious and spiritual activities.

There are more than 175 individuals in the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame, according to a press release.

“There are so many individuals who can and should be acknowledged for their contributions to our beautiful Lower Verde Valley,” said Dori Wittrig, chair of the Hall of Fame committee.

Besides Wittrig, other committee members include Sandy Davis, Barb Hansen, Jean Linzer, Joanne Meehan, Jackie Miles, Bill Myhr, Peter O’Reilly, Roger Riggert and Jay Schlum. Sherri Starkey and Mary Endorf from the museum are ex-officio members.

Inductees will be announced in mid-January. They will be formally recognized at a special reception in March of 2026. The event is intended to serve as a fundraiser for the museum. Further details regarding reception tickets will be announced closer to the fete.