05/13/2008
A popular campaign in the U.S. city of Flagstaff is calling for help to save from collapsing the last Basque pelota court in the state of Arizona.
The Basque court is seriously deteriorated and community leaders need $1 million to rehabilitate it so they are looking for the support of someone who can help them.
"Now it's up to somebody with money who can see the vision in it," Flagstaff resident Patty Lutrell told the Yuma Sun. "We're basically looking for a rich Basque."
The Basque pelota court, which was built in 1926 next to Flagstaff's Basque boarding house, is "abandoned and falling apart". Both the court and the boarding house are reminders of other times when Basques worked as sheepherders and were an important community in Arizona.
Olga Esparza, the granddaughter of the first owner of the hotel, remembers how on typical Fourth of July at Jesus Garcia's boarding house, young Basques would compete in Basque pelota tournaments at a the court, danced traditional dances and ate Basque food. "I have so many memories, not just for me but for other people," Olga Esparza told the Yuman Sun. "Now there aren't many Basques left in Flagstaff or in Arizona."
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