By Diedra Eby
Photo from the Valley of the Moon website.
Valley of the Moon is an over one-hundred year old non-profit magical fairyland. This Halloween, join the all-volunteer company for the “Ferb-tastic Haunted Ruins Adventure”, based on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb.
The first Saturday of each month is a family-friendly event; the play will be held Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from October 3rd through the 26th every 20 minutes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. American Sign Language night was Oct. 5. Docent-led tours are the third Sunday of each month through spring 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
George Phar Legler is the artist who created Valley of the Moon in Tucson in 1923 after raising his family in Indiana. It was his work as a railroad man that allowed him to purchase the property where he would start building his artistic vision while he worked part-time as a postal clerk. He started the construction in 1923.
George Phar Legler at his desk. Courtesy of Valley of the Moon archives.
He worked on it with the help of anyone who wanted to lend a hand, including his close friend Frank Thibault, (who took up residence in a small adobe cabin along with his wife, Rose), his son Randall “and anyone who would share in his dream, including a number of hobos or otherwise homeless men who worked with Legler in exchange for food and a place to stay. He would never accept money from any of these men, insisting that they help him only in the spirit of brotherhood.”
With no formal training, Legler improvised his techniques; some, such as his use of chicken wire reinforcement in concrete, became widely used three decades later. He used the materials on hand as many artists have, of necessity, been forced to do: He filled oatmeal containers with concrete and wire, then allowed them to dry. Once they were dry, the wired cylinders became the “magic snake.”
Pictured: The Mouse House. Photo by Missa Cherie, courtesy of the George Phar Legler Society.
Legler particularly liked recreating water scenes in the desert. His first sculpture had been a water scene outside the window for a little girl who suffered from tuberculosis so she could look down on it and see the fairies playing. She could use her imagination to escape to the fairyland of waterslides he had created for her. When the little girl died, he comforted the girl’s mother (at her husband’s request) by telling her that she wasn’t gone, she had simply moved on to the “spirit world where she would live forever.”
Along with Walt Disney and 127 others, Legler was listed, in the summer of 1957, as a member of The Fairy Investigation Society whose motto was “We welcome all who have the Fairy Faith.”
In Disney style, the Valley of the Moon presents this year’s Halloween play featuring Phineas and Ferb. In “Ferb-tastic Haunted Ruins Adventure”, an evil wizard and his partner in crime, a mad scientist, are attempting to take over Valley of the Moon where Carl is an intern. If they succeed, kindness and imagination and the fostering of the divine principle of tolerance and brotherly love for all mankind, regardless of race, creed or color might be wiped out forever. This is a job for Phineas and Ferb and their pet platypus. Will they succeed? The only way for you to find out is to get to Valley of the Moon at 2544 E. Allen Road. Tickets are Adults $10; youth $5; members & children under 7 $0.
“Ferb-tastic Haunted Ruins Adventure” with Elizabeth Herdon (right) and Abi Johnston (left). Photo by Jenni Sunshine.
There’s still more to do at Valley of the Moon because Legler’s original idea incorporated mental health and well-being through imagination. To that end, the center has newly added Qigong Class on the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 1 p.m. to 2 p. m There is a suggested donation of $8 to $10.
University of Arizona’s Pre-Professional Integrative Health Fraternity, Upsilon Theta Sigma, held its Mindfulness and Movement Fall Wellness Event at Valley of the Moon on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.
Flyer for Upsilon Theta Sigma’s Mindfulness and Movement fall wellness event.
Valley of the Moon’s family-friendly event is held the first Saturday of each month. No reservations or tickets are needed. Valley of the Moon is a non-profit organization with a volunteer staff, making donations welcome. Check their calendar for upcoming events like Oct. 4th’s Costume Sale and Magic Market.
Want to hear the history of Valley of the Moon while touring the fascinating fairyland in person? Docent-led historic tours happen every third Sunday, fall through the spring, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5, members and children under 7 are free.
Valley of the Moon is now accepting members in its “People of the Moon”, a gender affirming social club open to children and their families.