
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023
See the beautiful full moon rise and hike the Buffalo Park loop. 5:30 p.m.; free.
The City of Flagstaff’s Beautification, Arts and Sciences team is calling artists to participate in its traffic cabinet art wrap initiative by creating designs for traffic signal cabinets around Flagstaff. This initiative is supported by the City’s Beautification and Public Art Commission and is an opportunity to enhance the visual landscape by using traffic signal cabinets as canvasses.
This call is open to all artists, graphic designers, and illustrators, who are 18 years of age or older and currently live or work within the United States. Submitted designs must be original artwork and can be created in any medium, so long as it can be represented in a high-resolution digital image without loss of integrity or quality. The application period ends on Feb. 1, 2023.
The annual Northern Arizona University Vocal Jazz Madrigal Festival will take place February 9 and 10. It is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States and features special guest clinicians and over 140 high school ensembles from Arizona and nearby states. The two-day festival includes a concert featuring the Accent, one of the premier popular vocal ensembles in the world, alongside NAU’s Shrine of the Ages Choir on February 9 and 10 @ 7:30 PM in Ardrey Auditorium.
Northern Arizona University will host Made Here, a juried student exhibition in the Beasley Gallery within the Performing and Fine Arts building, February 9 through February 24. The Beasley Gallery will host a free public opening of Made Here on February 9 at 5-7 p.m.
This exhibition is an annual competition open to all students enrolled in coursework in the School of Art. Jurors from outside the institution select the works for the exhibit and choose distinctive awards. Student artists and designers working in all media and art disciplines are included.
The Long Christmas Ride Home is written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel and directed by Kathleen M. McGeever. This play of contradictions uses puppets, yet it is not written for children; it is framed by a holiday trip home but is not meant as a Christmas story.
The play presents the family using human actors and puppets inspired by traditional Japanese bunraku puppetry, or as Vogel is quoted saying, “one Westerner’s misunderstanding of bunraku.” The puppets represent the children in some scenes, while the puppeteers themselves take over as the grown children in others.
The Northern Arizona Book Festival returns March 30 – April 2, 2023 with live and virtual programming for all ages, including readings from multiple local and regional authors, poetry slams, workshops, and a day of interactive activities and live performances for all ages in Heritage Square.
This year, we are proud to present a multitude of different authors as well as literary presses in a walkable downtown festival with many more in person events.
We will kick off the festival Thursday night, March 30 with Northern Arizona University’s Creative Writing Program MFA Reading Series, Cinder Skies. On Friday, March 31st we will resume events in the afternoon with both local and nationally renowned authors in several events, including an author meet and greet,featured readings, and an open mic
FREE EVENT
Celebrate Sedona!
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
4–6pm at Sedona Arts Center
Sponsored by: City of Sedona
Music by Guitarras Latinas
Food Truck, Artist Demonstrations, Beer and Wine for Sale
SAC Ceramics Department Demos & Sale
PLUS! A Special Exhibition: ¡Qué Hermoso!
This Celebrate Sedona takes place from 4 to 6pm, featuring music by Guitarras Latinas, and inlcudes a food truck, beer and wine for sale, and demonstrating artists. This free performance takes place along side a new Special Exhibition ¡Qué Hermoso! Celebrating Latinx cultural identity and traditions.
Celebrate Sedona takes place in Uptown Sedona at Sedona Arts Center.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC – Food & Beverage for Sale, FREE ADMISSION, 21 to Drink
NAU Choral Studies will present Spring Festival of Choirs & “Abya Yala — The Land in Its Fullness,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6 at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, Northern Arizona University.
With the support of the Kitt Fund for Musical Excellence and in collaboration with Latin American Studies, Chilean composer Freddy Vilches and his Matices Latin Ensemble will be in residence for a series of public performances.
MESA — NAU Choral Studies will present Spring Festival of Choirs & “Abya Yala — The Land in Its Fullness,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7 at First United Methodist Church Mesa, 15 E. First Ave., Mesa.
With the support of the Kitt Fund for Musical Excellence and in collaboration with Latin American Studies, Chilean composer Freddy Vilches and his Matices Latin Ensemble will be in residence for a series of public performances.
Tickets are now available for La Septima Banda and Freddy Vega Jr. with Decreto Norte concert on Saturday, June 17 at the Pepsi Amphitheater at Fort Tuthil County Park, Flagstaff.
Originally from Guamúchil Sinaloa, La Séptima Banda (formed in 1994), is made up of 19 talented, charismatic, simple and musically inspired members who manage a festive, happy and brave style to perfection. Today they have positioned themselves within the first places of the radial popularity lists and within the public taste in both Mexico and the United States.
Heritage Days will return to the North Rim within Grand Canyon National Park July 28 through July 30, 2023. Each day, Heritage Days programs and demonstrations will run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. throughout the North Rim developed area. Heritage Days provide visitors and staff with the opportunity to experience and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the Colorado Plateau, Arizona Strip, and the Grand Canyon area.
Throughout Heritage Days, members from Associated Tribes will offer special programming and demonstrations, ranging from music and dance performances to presentations on their connections to the Grand Canyon. For more information and a complete list of event activities, including times and locations, please inquire at the North Rim Visitor Center.
How the Home Tour works:
A self-driving tour of some of Flagstaff’s finest homes with live music by symphony musicians at each home. All proceeds support the concerts, education and community outreach programs of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.
You’ll walk through five beautiful homes, from historic Downtown Flagstaff to several of the exclusive golf and ranch communities. Each residence showcases unique features and captivating stories, creating an unforgettable journey through Flagstaff’s past and present.
Purchase advance tickets on the event website here. You’ll receive the Tour Program one day before the event at the email account you used to register. Need help? Reply to this email or call Stephanie Stallings at (928) 774-5107.
Sedona Arts Center (SAC) and the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) announce their collaboration to bring a series of panel discussions to the region on the topic of appropriation of Indigenous art and culture with funding provided by Arizona Humanities.
The three panel discussions are scheduled for:
September 17, 2 PM at the MNA; November 5, 2 PM at the MNA; and January 21, 2024, 2 PM at SAC.
This series of panel discussions complements the Arizona Humanities’ mission in several ways. The talks aim to expand the audience’s understanding of what constitutes authentic Indigenous art versus art that has appropriated aspects of Indigenous culture, and to create deeper connections between artist, culture, and community. By contextualizing the role of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, the boundaries of Indigenous artists’ intellectual property and agency over representation will be explored. By framing each discussion with questions that attendees can adopt in their evaluation of how to engage with Indigenous cultures and art, an enhanced knowledge will foster their ability to appreciate and differentiate authentic representation from appropriation. Panelists will be a diverse complement of Native and non-Native experts, representing a mix of traditional, contemporary, accepted, and challenged perspectives on Indigenous representation.
FLAGSTAFF — Award-winning Chilean singer-songwriter Nano Stern is coming to Northern Arizona University!
A Screening of the recently completed documentary of Chilean singer songwriter Nano Stern “We’ll be Singing by September (Cuando canta el Gallo),” (in Spanish with English subtitles) will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 Communications Room 119 at NAU.
This event is in conjunction with a performance on Friday, October 13 at 7:30 pm in Kitt Recital Hall.
Stern will be present on Zoom for the Q & A after the film. he Q & A will feature Stern in English
FLAGSTAFF — Chilean singer songwriter Nano Stern will play a free concert, “Nano Stern Sings Victor Jara” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 13 at the Kite Recital Hall at Northern Arizona University.
Free and open to the public.
As the world commemorates 50 years since the coup d’état in Chile, Nano Stern revisits the songs of legendary folk singer Víctor Jara, who personifies the spirit of the day through his timeless music and poetry. With austere virtuosity, Stern gives new breath to this immortal repertoire.
Join us for a fundraising celebration of literacy filled with wine education, food, and fun! Tickets are $55 to enjoy 8 tastings from around the world! VIP tickets are available for an additional $10 and include 4 more tastings and two free raffle entries! Live music and refreshments will also be provided.
The event will take place this Sunday October 29th from 2 – 4 Pm at Serendipity.
New Year’s Eve fundraising event for 8th Grade Washington D.C. Field Trip
Grand Canyon Community Rec Center is hosting a New Year’s Eve Fundraiser Party to support the Grand Canyon Middle School D.C. Trip!
Live band, Juniper Hill, starts at 9:30 p.m. Pre-admission tickets and 50/50 raffle tickets available for purchase at the Grand Canyon Recreation Center. More information on the event can be found in the attached flyer here.
In This Issue
Greeting From Supervisor Horstman
City of Flagstaff Detention Basin Tour
Board Approve Applications for FEMA Grants for Flood Mitigation Projects
Coconino County Features Emergency Management (Video)
BOS Approves $5 Million of ARPA Funding for Community Projects
United Way of Northern Arizona, Thanks Our Community Volunteers
The Heart of Democracy: County Certifies Elections
Pathways To Communities Offers A Way Forward
Flagstaff Community Stuffed the Bus
Coconino Couty Celebrates the Holidays!
Winter Parking Ordinance
County Employee ” Dex” Honored
Welcome to Michael Jackiewicz Director of Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJJC)
Community Events and Resources
Contact Us
Weekly Call Updates
For the next two weeks, all employee calls as well as stakeholder/community calls will be canceled in observance of the holidays.
We will start the New Year with a new weekly call format beginning on January 11, 2023. There will be just one call each week, on Wednesday at 11 a.m. for both NPS employees and community members.
Wednesday all employee and community call from the Superintendent’s Office:
TIME: 11 a.m. Arizona Time
CALL IN: 877-491-6221
PARTICIPANT CODE: 7074828#
If you would like a calendar invite sent by email with this information, please email the public affairs office at grca_public_affairs@nps.gov.
Have a happy and safe holiday season!
-Grand Canyon Office of Communications
Volunteer to support the Grand Canyon Community this holiday season!
On Tuesday, Dec. 20, Delaware North will be having a wrapping party to wrap the angel tree gifts from 1-5 p.m. in Yavapai Lodge atrium. All angels on the DNC Angel Tree have been adopted this year and donations should be dropped off before this Friday, Dec. 16 to the General Store. More information on this event can be found in the attached flyer here.
On Wednesday, Dec. 21, Delaware North will be making food boxes in the Canyon Village Market Deli starting at 3 p.m. The food boxes will accompany the angel tree gifts to each family. More information on this event can be found in the attached flyer here.
Both events are open to the community and participation is highly encouraged!
Flagstaff Snow Park
Winter is coming and we know that means winter recreation! Coconino County Parks and Recreation supports safe and fun winter snow play.
For information about the Flagstaff Snow Park, visit www.flagstaffsnowpark.com. Reservations are required and tickets may be purchased on their website.
Happy Holidays! I can’t believe the holiday season is full upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were wrapping up the Plein Air Festival!
This week we open the Big Gay Art Show (BGAS). While the Big Gay Art Show has been held at the Arts Center for many years, this is the first time the show is “ours”. Sedona Pride developed and organized the show for many years and only held the exhibit at the Arts Center. They reached out to us shortly after I arrived here and offered us the program. We jumped on it! Typically, BGAS has been held over the Fourth of July weekend, lasting only a few days. And while we had planned on doing the same, our schedule, with other programming already planned, did not allow us to do that. By moving it to December, we could actually have the show up longer and coordinate it with Celebrate Sedona.
We exceeded our goal of $5,000! Thank you so much for giving!
The FSO staff, board, and musicians are so grateful for the generous donations that came in leading up to and on Giving Tuesday. With your support, 3500 kids have the opportunity to attend our music education program, Link Up!
This Giving Tuesday was a major success and it is all thanks to our amazing and generous community that donated. We are so excited about what the students of Northern Arizona will get to experience in February for the Link Up concert!
As a Holiday gift to our communities, we are opening the museum this Saturday and Sunday with free admission during our Winter Art Market on December 3rd and 4th. If you haven’t been to the museum for a while, this is a wonderful opportunity to come enjoy the exhibitions, let the kids make seasonal crafts, and buy a few unique gifts from Indigenous artists.
For later this month, we’re also preparing a new exhibition – Vast Land, Inner Visions: The Art of Joella Jean Mahoney. This retrospective of a prominent regional artist is full of color and energy, and a beautiful complement to the ongoing exhibition of art by Baje Whitethorne Sr. Both will brighten the dark days of midwinter, so if you are not a member, now is a great time to become one.
Please also consider the museum in your end-of-year giving. MNA is a private non-profit that depends on the support of people like you. Your donation helps us continue engaging local, regional and global audiences with life-enriching knowledge and experiences.
I hope to see you soon at the museum,
Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona
Theatrikos’ opening night of Miracle on 34th Street, last Friday, was sold out and got a standing ovation.
Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas favorite of American audiences. Crew member Lisa Coe commented that, “I always love being part of the Christmas shows at Theatrikos! There’s a positive, warm, and fun magical atmosphere of work and fellowship among cast and crew because of the holiday season.”
An HBO documentary Film, “Master of Light”, will be coming to Sedona for a special impact screening with artist George Anthony Morton at the Mary D. Fisher Theater on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.
The screening is free of charge and presented by the Sedona International Film Festival, Sedona Arts Center, and Northern Arizona Restorative Justice.
“Master of Light” follows George Anthony Morton, a classical painter who spent 10 years in federal prison for dealing drugs. While incarcerated, he nurtured his craft and unique artistic ability. Since his release, he is doing everything he can to defy society’s unlevel playing field and tackle the white-dominant art world. Now, back in his hometown of Kansas City, he’s on a journey to break cycles of intergenerational trauma and incarceration, too.
Starting on Dec. 2, 2022, through Feb. 26, 2023, the Cultural Demonstrator Series will transition to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC) on the South Rim. Every Friday through Sunday, artists from traditionally associated tribes of Grand Canyon will be in the lobby from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Moving demonstrations from the Desert View Watchtower to the GCVC will increase interactions with artists and the public during months of slower visitation. After Feb. 26, 2023, the Cultural Demonstrator Series will transition back to the Desert View Watchtower.
As of November 17, Coconino County is now in Medium CDC Community Level. This change is not unexpected. We have seen COVID spikes in the fall for the last two years, and unfortunately, this year this has happened a little earlier than in past years. As a reminder, the CDC and World Health Organization still considers us to be in a pandemic, and that it does not look to be ending anytime soon.
The DOI has set specific guidelines for us to follow based on the CDC Community Level. The primary change for Medium Community Level is to communicate the concerns of spreading COVID and areas where people gather. Therefore, we will post new signs on all building entrances that state that we are in Medium CDC Community Level, and we encourage individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to practice physical distancing from others in indoor common areas. Additionally, all building entrances should have signs stating that masks are optional and to practice physical distancing.
Finally, the best way to protect yourselves and your loved ones is to be vaccinated and boosted. If you have not received the newly developed and distributed COVID bivalent vaccine, we encourage you to do so. These vaccines have been scientifically proven to be safe and to help prevent COVID illness—and, for those that do become sick, the bivalent vaccine helps protect from serious or long-term COVID illness.
After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the back-to-back days of deals, join us in kicking off the holiday giving season on Giving Tuesday (November 29th)!
On this global day of giving, we’re raising $5,000 to give 3500+ children the life-changing gift of participating in Link Up, an interactive and educational program with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. With busing transportation provided, kids can participate in the culmination of what they’ve been learning all year from the Carnegie Hall classroom activities!
The Holidays are here and Downtown Flagstaff is ready to celebrate and create lasting memories! ‘Tis the season to celebrate with friends and family, shop local, support small businesses, give back and have some FUN!!! Downtown Flagstaff is the place to be this Holiday season, be sure to mark your calendars for the following events!
ark visitors and residents are invited to attend a special celebration in honor of Native American Heritage Month. The event takes place in Shrine of the Ages Auditorium, beginning at 6:30 pm, and promises to be an evening filled with cultural dancing and perspectives.
Four dance groups will perform:
The Dineh’ Tah Navajo Dance Troupe,
The Hopi Sinom Traditional Singers & Corn Dancers,
The Guardians of Grand Canyon – Havasupai Ram Dancers,
and the Dishchii’bikoh – Apache Crown Dancers.
Grand Canyon’s Indigenous employees and community members have presented this annual event for more than 20 years. It is free, open to the public, and is sponsored by Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Conservancy, as well as local businesses, organizations, and individuals.
CFproductions LLC is proud to announce the premiere screening of “Why Do Navajo Men Have Long Hair?” (working title), a short 8-minute documentary starring Steve Darden, Makaius Marks, Makairyn Marks, Darrell Marks, and directed by Cherylee Francis, at the historic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on November 19, 2022, 3PM – 5PM.
“Why Do Navajo Men Have Long Hair?” is about MAKAIUS & MAKAIRYN MARKS, two Navajo (Diné) brothers ridiculed for keeping their
long hair as they choose to carry on the Navajo
traditional hairstyle, the Navajo (Diné) bun, called a tsiiyééł. Aware of the treatment of his sons’, DARRELL MARKS (father), travels with his children to visit Navajo (Diné) Cultural Expert, STEVE DARDEN, to gain valuable traditional teachings on why Navajo (Diné) men have the right to have long hair.
Robert Neustadt, of NAU’s Latin American Studies, will present the in-person and virtual Zoom talk: “Re-weaving the Social Fabric: Artisans Beyond Borders” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 as part of the Coconino County Center for the Arts’ exhibit “25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee.”
Neustadt will tie together instances of art about textiles and refugees, including Valarie James’ ‘Artisans Beyond Borders’ and Jennifer Kim Sohn’s ‘25 Million Stitches.’
Space exploration goes underground
For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. Cave ecologist Jut Wynne has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms—and unique living conditions—that exist in Earth’s many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, Wynne, along with dozens of co-authors including engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts, lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the age-old question about life beyond Earth.
Memories of 2022
Coconino County Parks and Recreation supports the community year-round. Have you enjoyed Coconino County arks and natural areas this year? Did you attend a program, like one of the archery clinics or a standup paddleboard class? Did you enjoy events like Pickin’ in the Pines or the Coconino County Fair? Have you enjoyed hiking, wildlife watching, or other recreational activities? We would love to see your memories! Submit your favorite Coconino County parks and natural areas photos for a chance to be featured in our newsletter and social media! Email your photos to cdonaldson@coconino.az.gov.
Whether you enjoyed the summer sun, captured wildlife sightings, watched the autumn leaves, or attended a program or event, we want to celebrate memories of Coconino County Parks and Recreation!
As preparations begin for the 20th annual Celebraciones de la Gente at the Museum of Northern Arizona in October 2023, local media interviewed and photographed members of partner organization Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, museum officials, performers and participants during the recent celebration held on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29, 30 at the museum. See links to coverage below.
The event was preceded by a “Celebraciones” concert, held on Oct. 28, presented by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Northern Arizona and in partnership with Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces.
Former Marine finds a new calling
Tyler Derzay had a plan for his life. It didn’t involve math classes and final exams, and it definitely never included a graduate degree in engineering. Yet, this former Marine, who will graduate next month as the standard-bearer for the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences before beginning grad school, found a journey worth taking. As a Lumberjack, he made connections with professors and at the Veterans Success Center, met his wife and found a new life path that honored his family history as much as his military career did.