Gilbert played an important part in April’s youth so it was a no brainer to take our shoot right to where she grew up and went to school. We shot her at Gilbert High School and her childhood home on one afternoon. When Shane (Director of Photography) and I went to ‘location scout’ we came upon the daughter of the current residents in full animal rescue mode. She had found a beautiful baby falcon and was trying to capture it. At first she thought we were with the Audubon Society coming to her rescue.But we did help her out once she caught it.
The day of the shoot we were all finished and putting our equipment away when some women walked up with a little girl riding a Shetland pony! You don’t see that kind of thing in Phoenix.
We shot two more half days with April. One at her house with her neighbor and former Gilbert High School classmate, Mike with his daughters. Thanks Mike! Plus we went to Granada Park to get April’s shot with Piestewa Peak in the background.
Fun Facts
- April’s firefighter Dad built the house in Gilbert in 1984.
- While living at the house in Gilbert, April’s family had two horses, a cat, a dog and dozens of rabbits. In fact, April used to raise rabbits!
- The neighbor in April’s spot is Mike and though you can’t see he is walking with his two sweet daughters.
- In 1902, the Arizona Eastern Railway asked for donations of right of way in order to establish a rail line between Phoenix and Florence. A rail siding was established on property owned by William "Bobby" Gilbert. The siding, and the town that sprung up around it, eventually became known as Gilbert.
- Gilbert was an agriculture town for many years, and was known as the "Hay Capital of the World" until the late 1920s.
- Gilbert High School has served the Gilbert community for 93 years. When April attended it was the only high school in Gilbert. Now there are five!
- Granada Park is located at 6505 N. 20th Street. It has an art sculpture, lagoon, picnic tables, lighted tennis court, playground, grill, restrooms and multi-purpose field. This place is a real sweet hidden gem!
- Squaw Peak was renamed Piestewa Peak after Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa, the first
- Native American woman to die in combat in the US Military and the first female soldier to be killed in action in the 2003 Iraq Conflict.
