Multimedia Report: Stayin' in the shade

Multimedia Report by Mark Salvatore, Jeff Jones, and Alan Weintraut

Stay in the shade and drink plenty of water. That’s the advice to endure the heat from people at Civic Space in downtown Phoenix. It’s not a hot day by local standards, only about 95 degrees, but the dry heat scorches and drains those who venture away from the comfort of air-conditioned spaces.

Kenneth Ardry, a Phoenix native, rests on a bench in the shade in Civic Space to escape the heat for a while. Across the street a group of protesters shade themselves with umbrellas from the searing sun. Jets of water spurt rhythmically from the Splash Pad, a fountain at Civic Space. A large sculpture representing a desert flower and made of colorful netting suspended from tall metal posts looms over the fountain, but provides no shade.

A gardener waters the lawn beside a newly constructed wall.

Isaac and Rose Sherman eat lunch and drink water at a table in the shade, while Court Slabaugh, the Civic Space security officer, patrols the park, assuring that city ordinances are not violated. He keeps an ice chest full of water nearby to get him through his shift.

When Isaac and Rose finish eating, they light cigarettes. Court reminds them that smoking is not allowed. They leave Civic Space and the shade behind to finish their cigarettes.

A few blocks away, on a street corner, hot dog vendor Joe Grant sits beside a portable mister in the shade of a tarp. A hot, dry breeze blows the cool mist away from him.

-30-

A pedestrian walks in the striped shade of the Civic Space in downtown Phoenix. (Photo by Jeff Jones)

Water spouts squirt into the air in changing patterns at the Splash Pad, an outdoor fountain at the Civic Space in downtown Phoenix. (Photo by Jeff Jones)

Hot dog vendor Joe Grant rests on a large ice chest as he tries to keep cool under an awning. Beside him a portable mister sprays water droplets into the air to help keep him cool. (Photo by Jeff Jones)