35 Years of Strength
It's October __, 1990 on a crisp morning in the high desert, ____ runners diligently stretch and hydrate for the very first Bisbee 1000: The Great Stair Climb. Meanwhile, the Board of Directors of the new nonprofit Save Our Stairs is already mulling how best to direct the humble spoils the nascent event has yielded.
The First Bisbee 1000: the Great Stair Climb
The event was an instant hit, and it wouldn't be long before a few hundred runners and a few thousand dollars and turned into tens of thousands of funds raised. Every year.
Three and half decades later, we reflect on the kaleidoscopic range of direct and immediate actions Bisbee Vogue, Inc. has made to help shape our beloved town into the captivating, enriching place that's not only a fun place to visit, but an exceptional place to live.
1990 - 2005
Restoration, Culture, & Beautification
The first few decades of Bisbee Vogue was dedicated to restoration and culture, beautification even.
In order to continue hosting the event that boosted the local economy every year, the 1000 stairs (993? really) in the iconic event needed attention. BVI and the City of Bisbee matched funds to restore and repair the historic stairways, some of which had not seen a trowel since FDR's Works Progress Administration. They added handrails for safety and ...
This era also saw the Tattooed Walls of Bisbee campaign ...
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2006 - 2023
Community Investments
As the event expanded, and generous donors including the Blazing Saddles Trust and local businesses threw their support behind the mission, Bisbee Vogue found more opportunities to strengthen the community via dozens and dozens of micro-gifts to community partners such as Bisbee High School, Lowell School, Cochise College, Bisbee Coalition for the Homeless, Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, Step Up Bisbee, & so many more.
Read the complete itemized list here.
$662,677
Bisbee 1000 Economic Impact Report
No matter how long you've lived here, you know what happens in Old Bisbee every third weekend in October.
And while we can easily calculate how much the Bisbee 1000 raises every year, we couldn't help but wonder what the actual dollar value of the Bisbee 1000 is for the City and local businesses.
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In 2013, the BVI board commissioned an Economic Impact Report, and the findings were illuminating. Turns out that the legacy event pumps nearly $600,000 into the local economy every year.
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(You can read the full report here. For extra fun, adjust those numbers for inflation!)
$587,720
2021
Bisbee Outdoor Recreation Center
The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a frightening and confusing time, and the isolation of lockdowns and social distancing hit hard.
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How were we to stay active, connected and safe?
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In response, BVI moved quickly to connect with National Fitness Campaign and worked with the City of Bisbee and KE&G Construction to install a free, world-class outdoor gym at Higgins Hill Park.
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It not only offered residents the opportunity to get outside, get together and get fit while social distancing, it also allowed us to exert a much-needed sense of control over our lives.
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Today, years after the pandemic, Bisbee's Fitness Court boasts higher than average metrics for a rural installation. According the National Fitness Campaign (using app data), our users have logged 26,800 workout sessions (against a 20,000 session benchmark for our population) and 6.7M calories burned (vs. a 5M benchmark).
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To play, download the app today and get expert training while enjoying Bisbee's perfect year-round weather!
$225,000
Work In Progress
2023
The PlayGrounds @ St. Patrick Parish
As public libraries are centers for lifelong learning, our PlayGrounds are a center for lifelong playing!
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It's a work in progress; but the vision is powerful: Recreation is RE-creation!
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It's for kids, kid-ults, individuals of all backgrounds and families of all shapes and sizes.
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Imagine a 13,000 square-foot, open-air venue ornamented with murals by local artists, outfitted with artificial turf for mini-golf and yoga, plus games and activities such as mega-chess, gaga ball, LEGO, ping pong, archery ... and whatever else we can dream up!
$65,000
so far ...
2024
City of Bisbee Pool
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$17,158
2025
Pickleball @ Vista Park
In partnership with Bisbee Unified School District
It's popular, and it's potent!
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Turns out the popular sport with the peculiar name packs a serious punch when it comes to accessibility, health and wellbeing benefits, and, of course, economic impact! And it’s not just a fad.
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Pickelball has been crowned the nation’s fastest-growing sport among all age groups for the last four years. American high schools are adopting it in varsity programs. And last year’s National Championship in Mesa, AZ, had a $3.6M impact on their city.
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That's why we're replacing BUSD's upper two tennis courts with six tournament-class pickleball courts!
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Open in June ...
$99,785
