Nominations for the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame Class of 2020 are now being accepted.

A nomination form can be found on Page 8A of this week’s edition or can be picked up at the Fountain Hills Times office, 16508 E. Laser Drive, Suite 101. Nominations should be sent to Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame c/o Barbara Hansen, 16929 E. Salida Drive, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268. They can also be emailed to Hansen at bjhansen1@cox.net.

Online nomination forms also are available online at lowerverdevalleyhalloffame.org. All nominations must be in by Dec. 31, 2019.

According to Barbara Hansen, chair of the Hall of Fame committee, the purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize those individuals, living or deceased, whose history of involvement has contributed in some positive way to the betterment of the communities of the lower Verde Valley, including Fountain Hills, Fort McDowell, Gold Canyon Ranch and the Verde communities. Nominations are being accepted from anyone in these communities.

Candidates to be considered for election to the Hall of Fame in 2020 must have resided or been active in the Lower Verde Valley area on or before December 31, 2010.

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.

The Hall of Fame was under the auspices of the River of Time Museum Foundation Board of which Hansen was president. The foundation has now been dissolved and the Hall of Fame is under the auspices of the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum. All Hall of Fame committee members are members of the Hall of Fame.

This year’s committee includes Hansen, Vicki Beseke, Sandy Davis, Tina Duffy, Don Lawrence, Jean Linzer, Joanne Meehan, Sharon Morgan, Peter O’Reilly, Tony Pistilli, Roger Riggert, Mike Scharnow, Jay Schlum, Debbie Skehen, Val Stasik, Sandi Thompson, Robert Thomson and Dori Wittrig. Cherie Koss, executive director of the museum, is an ex-officio member of the committee

The inductees will be announced in mid-January. They will be formally recognized at a special dinner meeting of the Historical Society on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at the Community Center.

Information on dinner reservations will be announced in advance of the event. The Hall of Fame dinner has been a sell out the last couple of years.

Proceeds from the dinner will go to the River of Time Museum Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Its purpose is to support and assist the operation of the River of Time Museum.

The Hall of Fame began in 2004. There are now 148 members.