Around Town with the Roving Ranchers

Ranchers at Francisco Grande

Ranchers at Francisco Grande

Joe Murauskis and Kermit at Singing Pandas

Joe Murauskis and Kermit at Singing Pandas

Pat Sand

The Roving Ranchers were busy this past month going out and about.

On Saturday, Feb. 26, a group of Ranchers drove to the Singing Pandas restaurant in Chandler. Singing Pandas is a family-run business featuring authentic Chinese cuisine. While the group feasted on dinner, “Mike” provided the entertainment of several singing personalities including Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the Blues Brothers, among others.

Never ones to sit home idle, the Ranchers went to Shamrock Farms on Thursday, March 3, for a tour of the facility. Shamrock Farms milks more than 10,000 cows each day. The Ranchers were taken on a guided tour in a cow-spotted tram and viewed the real working dairy farm and the entire milking process. The group was amazed that all the cows are milked within 8 minutes twice daily. Afterwards, the Ranchers enjoyed fresh milk and a few scoops of delicious ice cream.

Leaving the farm, the Ranchers drove to Francisco Grande Hotel and Restaurant. The group dined on generous lunch portions served al fresco on the patio. After lunch, several people strolled the grounds looking at the baseball-shaped swimming pool or took the elevator to the top of the hotel to see John Wayne’s Suite and a bird’s-eye view of Casa Grande. The hotel has John Wayne and San Francisco Giants memorabilia decor throughout.

The Roving Ranchers are always on the go. You can keep up-to-date on where they are going by joining them on Nextdoor.com or Facebook.com. Find us at:

* nextdoor.com/g/aiea1ysif/?is=nav_bar

* facebook.com/groups/551692421964666

The Roving Ranchers are a group of Robson Ranch residents who get together to enjoy places of interest in Arizona and beyond.