Discover Flagstaff publishes Flagstaff 365 Happenings on a weekly basis to highlight local events happening in and around Flagstaff. “Flag Happs” is distributed throughout Downtown Flagstaff, displayed in kiosks and storefronts, and also available at the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Below are some highlights of the week.
Coconino County will celebrate the 74th Annual Coconino County Fair on Labor Day weekend, September 1 – 4, 2023, at the Fairgrounds at Fort Tuthill County Park in Flagstaff, Ariz. County residents are invited to join the fun and tradition by entering a public exhibit. Every year the fair showcases the best recipes, artwork, crafts, collections, livestock, home grown vegetables, flowers, and more to the over 40,000 visitors who attend the fair every year.
The Fair features exhibits from all ages and skill levels and many departments give out special awards and prizes, including ribbons and gift cards for exemplary exhibits. Cash prizes are available in many areas thanks to sponsorship from the Friends of Coconino County Parks. Public, private, charter, magnet, and home schoolteachers are encouraged to save student portfolios to exhibit in the schools building. Any participant who submits five entries or more in one department will receive a complimentary fair admission ticket.
At their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve fee changes for the Coconino County Fair, effective starting with the 2023 fair.
The Coconino County Fair ticket prices have not increased since 2008, and the changes reflect growth, increasing costs, and staffing needs.
In Dance Nation, an army of competitive dancers navigates ambition, friendship and desire as they plot to take over the world. Our pre-teen heroines, played by a multi-generational cast of women, know that every plié is a step toward finding themselves and unleashing their power. This show, by Clare Barron, was a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist.
Tusayan’s first annual Cinco de Mayo celebration will take place on Friday, May 5 at the Squire Resort. The fiesta takes place from 3 to 7 p.m., is family-friendly, free, and open to the community.
There will also be lawn games, piñatas, a Mariachi band and a variety of authentic Mexican foods for guests to enjoy. The drive-in movie, Coco, will be begin at 5:30 p.m.
The Cinco de Mayo event is new this year and reflects the town’s goal of offering more activities and recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike. A full flyer with more details on the event is available here.
Free admission for all Coconino County residents! 12 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at Lowell Observatory
Every year, hundreds of undergraduate students in all disciplines become researchers—either joining a professor’s lab or creating their own research project, including getting their own funding. That work culminates at the Undergrad Symposium, a daylong event in which students present their research to the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Experience the 15th annual symposium on Friday at the High Country Conference Center. All events are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, April 24
Sammy Kershaw, The Orpheum
Disciple Live Events Presents Sammy Kershaw LIVE at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown Flagstaff! 6:30 p.m.
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This morning is your last chance to bid on unique experiences through the MNA Virtual Auction. The auction closes today (Wednesday, 4/19) at 12 pm (MST).
We are grateful to the many individuals and businesses who have generously donated their time and services to benefit MNA, and we are grateful to you for your enthusiastic bidding!
The experiences below are just a few of the many items you can bid on before noon. Happy bidding!
Prepare to be engulfed in a larger-than-life choral sound when NAU Shrine of the Ages Choir, directed by Timothy Westerhaus, joins the FSO to perform Haydn’s hopeful Missa in Angustiis (Mass in Troubled Times), also known as the “Lord Nelson” mass.
Growing up in a mostly white community, Cate Cameron was almost a teenager before she truly felt curious about her Chinese heritage; not until she was around people with similar backgrounds did she feel comfortable exploring her roots as an adopted Chinese American. That journey continued in Flagstaff; during her four years at NAU, she found a community and learned more about her birth culture. In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which NAU celebrates in April, Cameron talks about how she first explored and then embraced her Chinese heritage through Chinese language classes, the Chinese Culture Club at NAU and spending a year studying abroad in Hong Kong.
Friday, April 14
Star Party, High Country Motor Lodge
Explore the universe with astronomers from Lowell Observatory. 7:30 p.m.
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First Friday ArtWalk, Downtown Flagstaff
Join us in Downtown Flagstaff on the First Friday of each month for art and music! 5 p.m.
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4–6pm at Sedona Arts Center
Sponsored by: City of Sedona
Music: Mother Road Trio
Food: The Cheesy Javelina
Artist Demonstrations & Special Exhibition:
Jan Sitts: A Retrospective
SAC Ceramics Department Demos & Sale
This unique exhibit features specially chosen works bridging 40 years of Jan’s career as an artist and features a wide-variety of media.
Jan Sitts, a well known artist-painter and teacher has influenced people all over the country with her unique style she created many years ago. After moving to Sedona, Arizona in 1986 she continued her style of layering painting then moving into abstraction. She has an impressive art background, along with studying at the Kansas City Art Institute and B.A, degree at Western Colorado University. She has been teaching art for decades and will be teaching again this May and November at Sedona Art Center. She has authored two books “Its in the Detail* and “Textured, Color, Feeling.”
Thursday-Saturday, March 30-April 2
The Northern Arizona Book Festival, Flagstaff
A festival of literary art, culture, and community on the Colorado Plateau.
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Easter Bunny, Flagstaff Mall — March 24-25
The Easter Bunny has returned to Flagstaff Mall. Fri. 3 p.m. & Sat. 12 p.m.
Coconino County Parks and Recreation is inviting you to attend presentations to learn more about the proposed Coconino County Fair fee updates.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 beginning at 6:00 PM through Microsoft Teams. We expect these presentations to last approximately 1 hour including the Q&A. You can learn more, RSVP to those meetings, and provide comments at coconinocountyfair.com/feeupdate. The public may also post comments and questions to the Fair’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CoconinoCountyFair.
View this email in your browser Watch the trailer here. All films shown at 7 PM The Murdoch Community Center 203 E. Brannen Avenue Free! Upcoming Film March 29: Powerlands In this award-winning documentary, Flagstaff-raised Diné filmmaker…
What sustainable freshwater management looks like in Arizona
World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on March 22. The day highlights the importance of freshwater and the need for sustainable management of freshwater resources—a pressing issue for all. Abe Springer, professor of ecohydrogeology in the School of Earth and Sustainability, shared his expertise with The NAU Review, giving insights on the critical importance of sustainable freshwater management and why it is essential to ensure a healthy future for our planet.
Read the blog
Grand Canyon Trails Update and Flash Flood Safety
Possible flash flood and rockfall activity this week and throughout the next month
Increased precipitation and seasonal snow-melt may lead to enhanced flood risk along creek drainages in the inner canyon. Backpackers and hikers should be especially aware of elevated flows in rivers, creeks, washes, and low water crossings. Low water crossings may become impassable due to flooding or flood damage.
View this email in your browser March 13th, 2023 Connect with your community Adult & All-Ages Events Youth Events Book Clubs Technology Help To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, please call 928-213-2331 (Downtown Library) or 928-213-2348…
42ndAnnual
Juried Members Exhibition and Sale
March 6–31, 2023
Sedona Arts Center’s 42nd Annual Juried Members’ Show, our community’s largest and longest-running group exhibition of visual art in Uptown Sedona is now showing! Free to the public and all the works are for sale, with no sales tax included.
Visitors will find everything from painting and watercolor to metal, wood, jewelry, and fiber art. A focus is also placed on drawing, mixed-media, photography and digital art. The Members’ Show is steeped in tradition and remains open to all current Arts Center members, whether seasoned professionals or new and emerging artists.
The show is open 10am – 5pm Monday through Saturday, and 12 – 5pm on Sunday in our Special Exhibitions Gallery.
Opening Reception / Meet the Artists
Friday, March 10 from 4 to 6pm
March certainly arrived like a lion. Beautiful as all this snow is, I’m looking forward to some more lamb-like weather and eventually some spring flowers. While we may not see those flowers until April or May, we have lots to look forward to at the Museum this month, including fun activities for kids during spring break next week. It’s another example of our efforts to broaden our engagement with visitors and the community, as identified in our Strategic Plan.
This is also the final month for the exhibition Baje Whitethorne Sr: Náátsʼíilid/Rainbow Light, which has been nominated for a Viola Award in Visual Art. If you haven’t seen it yet, come in to enjoy a burst of vibrant color by one of Flagstaff’s preeminent artists. Then come back on March 25 for a closing event to celebrate Baje and this marvelous exhibition, which was curated by another Viola honoree – Alan Petersen.
Saturday, March 11
Anger Management Comedy feat. Reena Calm, Orpheum Theater
Autobiographical and charmingly inappropriate, she’s a jokesmith with a love for wordplay. 7 p.m.
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Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park can expect long lines and full parking lots during the spring break season, which spans from early March through mid-April. As a result of increased visitation, traffic regularly backs up at all entrance stations, with wait times of up to one to two hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Parking lots begin reaching capacity by 12 p.m. and shuttle bus wait times may be prolonged.
Join Flagstaff College and Friends of Flagstaff’s Future on Wednesday evenings in March. We’re showing four inspiring documentaries on ways to create the world we want to live in.
Grand Canyon National Park experienced its eighth busiest year ever in 2022 with 4,732,101 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 200,000 above the previous year at a 4.5% increase. Grand Canyon also went from the fourth most visited national park to the second most visited. (#1-Great Smoky Mountains National Park).
Visitation to Grand Canyon reached its highest level ever with approximately 6.4 million visits in 2018. Although 2022’s reduced visitation lessens the stress on the park’s resources, park operations still rely on the revenue from all income sources. Fewer visitors translates to reduced revenue for park programs. Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Funds (aka FLREA), transportation fees, and concession franchise fees are still reduced compared to pre-pandemic years. Funds from these sources support many programs across the park and park managers continue to work on programming costs with these smaller revenue projections in mind for this fiscal year.
Saturday, March 4
Orchestra Northern Arizona’s Spring Sing, Coconino High School
An evening featuring local soloists and Flagstaff composer Bruce Reiprich. 7 p.m.
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Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years.
Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
Book Corner
Blustery weather makes for the perfect time to curl up with a good book! 50 Things to do in the Urban Wild by Clare Gogerty is a book to get the creative juices flowing by giving you ideas for how to connect to your local area. Although written in the United Kingdom, the book is applicable to people living anywhere, including the diverse landscapes of Coconino County. Topics include how to create a leaf journal, how to identify trees in winter, cloud spotting, city hiking, and restoring natural habitats. Get inspired to enjoy your local trail system, nature, and wildlife. Maybe you can even learn skills that you can enter in the Coconino County Fair, with topics including growing plants and incorporating nature in art!
United Way of Northern Arizona has signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Flagstaff to provide coordination of volunteers during “emergencies, disasters or special events” as determined by City officials.
The agreement is similar to one that UWNA has had with Coconino County since 2010 in the aftermath of the Schultz Fire.
UWNA will use Volunteer Hub as the management website for volunteers for both the City and County. The website includes the Volunteer Service Agreement that volunteers for the City need to complete before engaging in any volunteer work.
Highway 67…plowed?!
Last week, North and South Rim Road Crew staff successfully plowed 30 miles of Highway 67, from Jacob Lake to the North Rim boundary, for administrative use. A team of three including John Venn, Brandon Alberta, and John Root completed the operation over the course of one week.
The primary objective of road clearing was to provide for a diesel fuel supply for the back-up generators on the North Rim. After a series of powerful snow storms this winter that knocked out power service, this backup fuel source is critical to support the staff and continuity of operations. Additional objectives included the ability to provide emergency ingress/egress to and from the North Rim, as well as improving safety for residents by allowing administrative traffic in motor vehicles instead of snowmobiles.
Thank you to the North Rim staff who continue to weather repeated storms and impressive snow removal operations!
Cultural Demonstrator this weekend at Grand Canyon Visitor Center
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 17, 18, and 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., stop by and meet Zuni fine art painter, Anthony Gchachu. He will discuss how he conceptualizes and executes his paintings.
Watch him work and learn how Zuni culture and art have influenced his unique painting style that uses layered acrylic paints to create texture, depth and movement to generate emotions.
This series is made possible with grants from Grand Canyon Conservancy.
The public is invited to comment on proposed Coconino County Fair admission fee changes until April 11, 2023.
The proposed recommended fees affect admission prices for adults, seniors, and active-duty military/veterans as well as the parking fee. Youth ticket prices would not change for the 2023 Fair but would change in 2024. Attendees ages 5 years and younger will not be affected by this change The Coconino County Board of Supervisors reviewed the fee changes at the regular meeting on February 6, 2023 and approved a 60-day public input process.
Art Classes & Workshops at Sedona Arts Center
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years.
Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
While northern Arizona is home to many festivals throughout the year, the month of February tends to be a little slower, with much of the region’s tourism dollars coming from out-of-towners looking to ski and play in the snow.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, however.
Emergency contact information may be crucial in case of a natural disaster and/or weather closure notification/event, or other crisis situations. The Grand Canyon Public Affairs Office in conjunction with Grand Canyon Dispatch are beginning to implement a solution towards the goal of enhancing information-sharing and keeping our NPS staff, partners, and residents connected and informed.
The Everbridge platform will help us achieve this goal by sending real-time texts, emails, and/or calls. The Department of Interior approved this platform in 2019 and many NPS units already use it for notifications.
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023
7th Annual Flagstaff Chocolate Walk, Downtown Flagstaff
Join the Flagstaff Visitor Center for a one-day Chocolate tasting event in Downtown Flagstaff. 11 a.m.
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View this email in your browser February 6th, 2023 Connect with your community Announcement Adult & All-Ages Events Youth Events Book Clubs Technology Help To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, please call 928-213-2331 (Downtown Library) or…
Snow transformed the museum campus last month and each day the sculptural spires of ice hanging from the eaves drip, extend, and even bend in the wind. While nature paints the landscape white, within the museum we have art in a full spectrum of colors, from the rich abstract landscapes of Joella Mahoney to Baje Whitethorne’s rainbow-hued skies and cliffs.
Visiting the museum is a warm respite from the cold outside, and I encourage you to visit us to enjoy our galleries and exhibitions. Winter is my favorite time at the museum because the galleries are often quiet and can be experienced at whatever pace a visitor wishes. I love to spend time in front of favorite works of art or displays to really take them in, and sometimes see them from a new perspective.
This week, the National Park Service (NPS) released details on 2023 investments that will improve access and facilities across the country, enhance climate and fire resilience, and further connect people with their national parks.
In the coming years, NPS and federal partners will make investments that will support Grand Canyon’s Shuttle Bus Maintenance Facility, Bus Fleet Replacement and Charging Infrastructure project.
The project aligns with the sustainability and climate change goals of converting the federal fleet to zero emission vehicles. It consists of acquiring 10 new battery electric buses (BEB) and 20 new near-zero emission compressed natural gas buses (CNG) to replace the aging fleet; installing charging infrastructure to support the electric buses, including a solar parking canopy; and replacing an obsolete and undersized vehicle maintenance facility.
Slushii, The Orpheum on Feb. 3
Contemporary EDM combining helium vocals, giddy trance synths, trap drums, and dubstep drops. 7 p.m.
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Do you know how Black history has shaped the history of Flagstaff and NAU? Through events, panel discussions and guest speakers, NAU commemorates the legacy, heritage and brilliance of our Black community. During Black History Month, learn about the significant contributions of Black Americans to our community and the United States and gain a greater understanding of how that legacy continues to evolve and affect Black and African Americans today.
While it uses characters from the original, you don’t need to have seen the original to enjoy this show.
Winter safety tips!
South Entrance Station
We have received multiple reports of park employees and/or residents driving through the south entrance station without stopping. As a reminder, when the bypass lane is closed or inaccessible due to snow, all vehicles are required to come to a full and complete stop when driving through any of the lanes of the entrance station. A failure to stop is not only hazardous but could result in a serious accident to employees who routinely move between booths.
Parking – Safety Concern
Please do not park vehicles on roadways.
Vehicles parked inappropriately compound already hazardous conditions and they impede the plowing of roadways.
Please use designated parking areas.
Vision & Sound creates an educational experience and environment that broadens the understanding and appreciation of African American art, music, film, and literary works for multigenerational and multicultural audiences. We strive to build supportive relationships to encourage cultural equity throughout Arizona and beyond – recognizing that professional American artists of African descent are too often overlooked.
Winter storm recap; additional storm system will move through Thursday evening into Friday
Winter weather has yet again hit us hard on the South Rim, and even more so on the North Rim. As of Tuesday, the North Rim has received more than 72 inches of snow for the winter season. As of Thursday morning, State Route 64/Desert View Drive has reopened; Hermit Road remains closed. Please continue to check the Dispatch Roads Line at 928-638-7496 for the latest road conditions and closure updates.
As we continue to dig ourselves out of the accumulated snow, conditions will improve with another fast-moving storm system Thursday evening into Friday, likely bringing another 3-5 inches of additional accumulation.
This amount of snow removal requires all hands-on deck. Please help us acknowledge the continued hard work of NPS and concessionaire road and trail crews as they remove snow from roads, trails, and sidewalks throughout the park. Additionally, our interpretation and visitor and resource protection staff have assisted in snow removal and aiding stranded and unprepared visitors.
Thank you all for your continued efforts; your work has not gone unnoticed!
13th Annual Flagstaff BrewHaHa, High Country Conference Center
Tasting event that features local and regional craft brews, wine, ciders and more. 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21
