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• Aug. 14 — Navajo Nation Code Talker Day and Gourd Dance to be held at the Window Rock Fairgrounds
• Aug. 15 — National Navajo Code Talkers Day and Route 66 Centennial Celebration & Mother Road Classic Charity Car Show
• Aug. 15 — Williams Youth Football & Cheer Car Wash Fundraiser
• Aug. 15 — Honey Creek Farm in Williams to hold inaugural Honey Festival
• Aug. 15, 28 — Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra announces upcoming events
• Aug. 18 — Upcoming community meeting for the JW Powell Extension Project
• Aug. 18 — Northern Arizona Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance — Finding Meaning and Hope in Your Caregiving Journey online event
• Aug. 19, 28, 30; Oct. 8 — Coconino Center for the Arts announces upcoming concerts
• Aug. 28 — Night Of Joy event to be held at Williams Rodeo Grounds
• Sept. 7 — 16th annual George B. Wallace Mountain Man Run to be held in Williams
Through Sept. 26 — NightVisions: AMBER, more upcoming events
• Oct. 2 — Celebrate the completion of the Echo Cliffs Health Center
• Oct. 3 — Holiday Art & Craft Sale to be held at San Francisco de Asís Parish
As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to share a snapshot of what’s been happening at United Way of Northern Arizona — and invite you to be part of what comes next.
In 2025, our community came together in powerful ways to support children, families, and individuals across Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties. Through collaboration with nonprofit partners, educators, service providers, and caring neighbors, we made meaningful progress on some of the challenges facing northern Arizona.

FLAGSTAFF — Thank you for supporting the Literacy Center this year. We wanted to let you know that as the year comes to a close, your support helps makes a lasting difference. Your generosity ensures that adults and children in our community have access to tutoring, classes, and immigration legal services that open doors to learning, belonging, and opportunity. Every day, we see lives transformed–parents gaining confidence in English, children discovering the joy of reading, and families finding stability and hope. These successes are possible because people like you choose to invest in our learners.
As the only privately funded adult education center in Northern Arizona, The Literacy Center relies on charitable giving to provide one-on-one tutoring, ESL and GED classes, youth reading programs, and immigration legal services at little to no cost.

Wednesday, December 31
Noon Year’s Eve
Downtown Flagstaff
Heritage Square will be buzzing from 10:00am–1:00pm with crafts, games, face painting, axe throwing, pinecone decorating, a live DJ, a photobooth, and more family-friendly fun, all leading up to a magical Noon Pinecone Drop with a sparkling apple cider toast to welcome 2026. 10 a.m. Free.
Learn More

Season’s Greetings!
As we wrap up 2025, we reflect with deep gratitude on the 36-year journey of the Flagstaff Festival of Science and the many lives changed because of supporters like you.
Each year, the Festival shines a spotlight on the incredible research, innovation, and discovery happening right here in our community. Through more than 100 free events—lectures, field trips, hands-on activities, and school programs—we connect people of all ages to the excitement of science.

As we prepare to welcome a new year, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra wishes to express our deep gratitude for the moments we shared in 2025. Together, we experienced uplifting and artistic performances, impactful collaborations, and collective enthusiasm that inspired us every step of the way.
Whether you attended a concert, supported one of our outreach programs, or simply shared your love of live orchestral music with others, you helped make this year one of connection and joy.

Dear Friends,
There’s still time for a year-end donation to ensure arts engagement for youth at Coconino Center for the Arts.
Creative Flagstaff has been awarded a $15k grant from the Robert Lehman Foundation toward our $30k initiative to expand educational programs and build permanent infrastructure for youth access to the visual arts at CCA, which includes:

All of us at United Way of Northern Arizona wish you and your loved ones a joyful and peaceful holiday season. May this time be filled with meaningful moments, safe travels, and time spent with the people who matter most.
We are deeply grateful for your continued support and partnership. Together, we will keep strengthening our communities and creating opportunities for youth, families, and neighbors across Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties in 2026 and beyond.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year!
Liz Archuleta and the UWNA Team

Coconino County’s Administrative Center, Attorney’s Office, Superior Court and Health and Human Services (CCHHS) office and clinic will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1 in observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
On Thursday, Dec. 25, Animal Services will be available for emergency calls only from 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Calls will be dispatched through 911. For non-emergency matters please call 928-679-8756 and leave a message and an Animal Services Officer will return your call the next day.

Stonehenge is a world-famous prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, built around 5,000 years ago, which features strategically arranged standing massive stones in a circular pattern. On the winter solstice, December 21, the sun sets to the southwest, aligning without a glitch with the central axis of the monument, indicating the arrival of the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

As FLYRS heads into its 10-year anniversary next year, we’re gearing up for our most impactful season yet—and we need your help to get there. Only about half of our annual budget comes from program fees, which means nearly 50% of our operating costs must be raised each year through donors, sponsors, and grants. This year, 221 youth participated in our school-based programs at no cost, made possible entirely through fundraising. These programs give kids resilience, confidence, mentorship, and a healthy community at a time they need it most. As we approach this milestone year, your support is what keeps these opportunities accessible to every young rider—no matter their family’s financial situation. A donation today strengthens the path into our next decade of impact. We have a goal to reach $15,000 dollars by the end of 2025! We are almost there!

FLAGSTAFF — Flagstaff City Hall and all other non-essential City facilities will be closed to the public on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 24, all day Thursday, Dec. 25 and all-day Thursday, Jan. 1 for the Christmas and New Year holidays. This includes the City’s recreation centers, public libraries, the Visitors’ Center, the Cinder Lake Landfill, the Hazardous Products Center, and the Materials Recovery Facility (Recycling Center). Two exceptions are the Joe C Montoya Community & Senior Center, which will close at 1 p.m. on Dec. 24 and the Jay Lively Activity Center, which will close at 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 and will be open with regular programming and operating hours on Jan. 1.

This special section highlights the outstanding achievements of Arizona teachers and schools in 2025. These accomplishments reflect not only individual talent but also the collaborative spirit that drives educational success across schools and classrooms serving Native American students. (Note: This is not an exhaustive list and is presented in no particular order. Some achievements may be missing due to reporting timelines or limited availability of information.)

Lodging Reopens as Transcanyon Waterline Work Continues
As 2025 comes to a close, overnight lodging on the South Rim has resumed and some water restrictions have eased. This progress comes after park water utility crews successfully completed complex repairs to the existing pipeline and resumed pumping water without identifying additional breaks.
Hotels operated by Xanterra—including El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, and Maswik Lodge—as well as Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village, are now welcoming overnight guests, with reservations open. While water storage is improving, the park will continue operating under enhanced water conservation measures until storage tanks reach adequate capacity. Dry camping remains in effect, campground spigots are still turned off, and fire restrictions continue across the South Rim and inner canyon.
This holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our community. Your partnership, collaborative spirit, and generosity are what make northern Arizona so special and why we make this region our home.
I’d also like to invite you to consider a gift to United Way of Northern Arizona that will not only help support our youth and families but also give you a break on your taxes.
There are many ways to give and each has its benefits.