The staff, volunteers and members are grateful to the Fountain Hills and Lower Verde River Valley Historical Society for their insight and commitment to supporting the River of Time Museum for almost 30 years.

The idea of establishing a museum began in 1991 when a small museum opened in half of the Chamber of Commerce office, which at the time was located at Fountain Park, the current site of the Fountain Plaza.

As the popularity of the museum increased, a joint museum/library complex was built and opened in 2003. The River of Time Museum Foundation was formed as a fundraising organization to support the museum’s operations. It was a totally separate organization with its own board of directors and non-profit 501(c)(3) status. In the ensuing years, the foundation provided over $193,000 of support to sustain the museum’s development and operations.

The current foundation board has remained committed to the original charter of the organization but recently has determined that the museum successfully raises funds through events, programs and grants. They have voted to dissolve and entrust the board and staff of the museum with investing the funds remaining. It is my honor to work with our board of directors to develop the policies and procedures for the wise use of these funds to ensure that the River of Time Museum will continue to be a favorite destination in Fountain Hills.

Our thanks go to the outgoing board of the foundation who, with all of the past board members, served to sustain the museum. The final board roster included Jerry Miles, Alan Cruikshank, Jackie Miles, Barbara Hansen, Jean Linzer, Peter O’Reilly, Jay Schlum, Debbie Skehen, Robert Thomson, Dori Wittrig, Ed Kehe, Joanne Meehan, Sharon Morgan, Bernadine Burnette, Vicki Beseke and Mike Scharnow. We are grateful!