Scottsdale residents are rediscovering the joys of classic pastimes that helped shape the town’s early character. Trends such as “cottage‑core” and “grandma‑core” echo the gardening, sewing, woodworking and craft activities that were commonplace in the city’s first decades.
Early Roots of Community Hobbies
Founded in 1888 as a farming community, Scottsdale’s pioneers grew their own food and canned produce for family use. When the first library opened in 1921 inside the Farmer’s Bank on Main Street, the County Extension Service supplied books that taught housewives and farmers how to increase yields and make better use of home‑grown crops.
Scottsdale High School, opened in 1923, offered classes that prepared students for agricultural careers and lifelong hobbies. Yearbooks from the pre‑World War II era show students in sewing classes, a radio club, the 4‑H Club, band, chorus, Civil Air Patrol, drama, sports, shop, auto repair and home economics.
Clubs, Competitions and Community Projects
Organizations such as the 4‑H Club, Camp Fire Girls, Boy and Girl Scouts, and the Garden Club brought hobbyists together. Members entered farm animals, canned goods, pies, quilts, fine art and other creations in the Arizona State Fair for prizes.
During the 1930s Great Depression, a government‑funded sewing project employed Scottsdale women to produce clothing and household items for families in need, many of whom lived locally.
Automotive Adventures and Model Railroads
In the 1930s and 1940s, young men built their own jitneys and jalopies from spare parts at local service stations such as Ivy Avery’s and Zeph’s. After assembling a vehicle, they often raced across the desert, later recalling those experiences in memoirs.
Railroad enthusiast Guy Stillman brought his model‑train layout to Arizona in the late 1940s. When his parents donated land in 1967 for a park, Stillman offered his Paradise & Pacific Railroad collection, helping launch the McCormick‑Stillman Railroad Park. The park now hosts model‑railroad clubs in a dedicated building, preserving Stillman’s vision for future hobbyists.
Gardening, Crafting and the Arts
The Scottsdale Garden Club, one of the oldest local clubs, planted an honor grove at Eldorado Park in the late 1960s for veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam. More recently the club donated a Blue Star Memorial to the railroad park to recognize military families.
Sewing peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, with department‑store fabric sections, pattern classes and home sewing machines in nearly every household. Quilting, embroidery, needlepoint, knitting and crochet have also enjoyed revivals, highlighted by a recent crochet coral‑reef exhibit at the Civic Center Library and a massive crochet doily displayed during the Canal Convergence.
Scottsdale’s artistic community dates back to 1909 when Marjorie Thomas opened a studio. The 1950s saw Wes and Joyce Segner run Craft Village, offering art lessons. The Scottsdale Artists’ School, founded in 1983 at Camelback Mall, continues to provide classes in the historic Loloma School building. Senior centers also host art studios and annual exhibitions.
Music, Dance and Equestrian Pursuits
Music has long been a favorite hobby. Helen Smith arrived around 1900 as the town’s first piano teacher, followed by Cora and Montague Machel in the 1940s‑50s. Ballet instructor Ruth Sussman moved her studio to Scottsdale in the 1950s, later mentoring Janie Ellis, who pursued a professional career in New York.
Equestrian activities shifted from farm work to sport in the 1940s. Councilmember Betty Drake and Mayor Lisa Borowsky are lifelong riders, and Anne McCormick helped launch the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, now a signature event held at WestWorld since 1989.
Modern Hobby Revival
Today’s “cottage‑core” and “grandma‑core” movements reflect a desire for simpler, hands‑on experiences. New technology—affordable cameras, 3‑D printers and online tutorials—makes it easier than ever for Scottsdale residents to pick up old‑time crafts, gardening, woodworking or model‑building. The city’s rich hobby heritage provides a solid foundation for this renewed interest, reminding citizens that community, creativity and self‑reliance have always been central to Scottsdale’s identity.
Original reporting: Scottsdale Progress — read the source article.
