The Arizona Folklore
Preserve
(Click
on any photo to view a larger version)
The kitchen actually served a purpose,
providing a place for cookies and drinks to be offered on a self-serve
basis. In the center photo, Dolan is with Richard Moffett, for
whose family the home was named. Richard was born on the property,
but in a tent house while the Moffett House was being built. The
stove behind them is a rare combination wood-burning and electric, which
would have been handy during the frequent electrical storms that cut
off the power so frequently (that often happened in the area, even in
Sierra Vista, through the early 1980s). The third photo in this
group looks toward the living room (the performance area) on to the bookstore
and outside.
This is a good point to talk about
the Tom Selleck movie filmed at the Moffett House. The movie was
"Ruby Jean and Joe," and Selleck plays a has-been cowboy rodeo star. The
film crew worked at the Moffett House for seven days straight, bringing
in catered food from California. The filming occurred several months
before the AFP opened for shows. The rooms were repainted and reconfigured
often. A recognizable element of the Moffett House in the movie
is the open shelving between the kitchen and living room.
All ranch house scenes from "Ruby
Jean and Joe" were filmed right there. The movie also includes
some wonderful scenery from Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties.
Three more photographs showing the
beautiful Moffett House grounds. All of the flowers in these photos
are cut. There are a few daffodils left on the grounds, while the
abundant deer have eaten most of them. In the spring, the fruit
trees of the remains of the orchard that existed on the property many
years ago bloom. And there is wild vinca covering much of the grounds,
wherever it can get just enough water to stay alive. As Dolan wrote
in his song, "Hummingbird Canyon:"
"Out in Hummingbird Canyon with the
bear and the deer
Where the wild vinca blooms in the spring of the year
And the wildlife's all friendly cause they got nothing to fear
Out in Old Ramsey Canyon with the bear and the deer"
Try to get to the AFP around April
and you'll see exactly why it was worth singing about: subtle blue blooms
on a beautiful green groundcover.
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The AFP participates
in the Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering each year with a full
day of shows on Friday. For the 2002 event (always in February),
the Moffett House was "reborn" as a Green Room. |
Left: Dolan works with Tim Wiedenkeller
(on guitar) and David Klaus (on bass) to prepare for his show.
Right: The Raw Deal Bluegrass Band
(l-r): Jeff Bost, Jon Messenger, Lance Gray, and Marlene Bassett.

In the photo to the left, Dolan
is holding some tubing that was found around the AFP property.
The stage was built onto the Moffett
House living room as a bump-out. There are two entrances: a wooden
door just to the left of the screen (used for Dolan's multimedia slide
shows) and a doorway with a curtain at an angle.
This concludes the Moffett House
tour. You can click one of the links below to
continue your AFP tour, or go to the bottom of the page for links
to other parts of the site.
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