Prescott Best Fest: Commemorative Prescott medallion debuts this week

The Daily Courier

9/12/2011 9:55:00 PM

Karen Despain
The Daily Courier

The Prescott Western Heritage Foundation will leave its own mark on Arizona’s centennial celebration with a special medallion it has produced just for the occasion.

The idea for the 1-5/8-inch piece with an antique brass finish was conceived by Dennis Gallagher, foundation president.

“I have a passion for preserving and promoting our heritage,” he said, adding that the intent of the foundation is to bring various cultural groups together to “partner for success.”

Gallagher, who also is an artist specializing in bronze sculptures, said the idea came to him when Mayor Marlin Kuykendall showed him some military challenge medallions. “I got to thinking about a commemorative coin for the city and wanted it to be Prescott specific.”

Gallagher said he designed the layout and his friend, Alan Lade, photographed the image of the Buckey O’Neill Rough Rider monument on the courthouse plaza. Mike Tickle, a graphic designer, also helped with the look of the medallion.

The medallion that was ultimately struck honors the Arizona centennial on one side and Prescott, Arizona’s first territorial capital on the other, with the image of the Rough Rider statue.

The medallion is available for a $10 donation at Black Arrow Indian Art, 124 W. Gurley St., Jenny Longhorn Western Boutique, 152 S. Montezuma, or by contacting Gallagher at dennisgallagher@mac.com for consignment details or Prescott Western Heritage Foundation sponsorship information. The commemorative medallion also will be available at the Western Town during Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s Best Fest in Prescott, which will kick off Arizona’s centennial celebration.

Proceeds raised from medallion donations will go toward Western Heritage Foundation projects to promote and preserve western heritage through education, events, art, music and activities that promote the Prescott’s western lifestyle for both residents and visitors to the area to enjoy.

Gallagher founded Prescott Western Heritage Days in 2010, which will be a part of Best Fest’s Western Town as a sanctioned official centennial event, he said.

Visit www.prescottwesternheritageday.org to find out more about the Western Town portion of this weekend’s Best Fest in Prescott.