Sedona News – The Sedona Westerners Hiking Club raised a record-breaking $37,000 in 2024 for the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund (SRRTF). Fueled by a $10,000 incentive match from an anonymous donor, more than 60 members made donations totaling $35,110 during the February campaign. Adding the Westerners’ yearly Trail Keeper, the club brought in a grand total of $37,110 for Red Rock trail maintenance and enhancement. Dick Williams, SRRTF board member and chair of the philanthropy committee, revealed the results at the Westerners’ March 14th meeting. This year’s collection was more than double that was raised in 2023 and triple…
Author: Tommy
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… and it is Monday and another fantastic day is underway … spent most of the day working on the Knot Yacht … with up to six or more trips down to Lake Pleasant or other lakes it takes a lot of jolting and after seven years of this travel a few rivets have been doing a little leaking so today was the fix it day. A few YouTube videos on how to tighten the rivets and was out to buy a few tools deemed necessary (actually all tools are necessary whether or not you have a use for them)…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to join theaters around the world to present the global premiere of “Irena’s Vow” showing April 15 and 16 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Through the eyes of a strong-willed woman comes the remarkable true story of Irena Gut and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muqb5YfLMLY Nineteen-year-old Irena is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer when she finds out that the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help the Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them…
Sedona News – Join the Sedona Camera Club for a presentation by professional photographer Matt Beaty. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm on Monday, April 29, 2024, at the Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 W. State Route 89A, Suite B-2, Sedona. Doors open at 6:00 pm. A Platinum/Palladium printmaker, Matt owns and operates Hidden Light LLC in Flagstaff, Arizona. Having pioneered a technique to make some of the world’s largest pt/pd prints, up to eight feet long, Beaty enjoys pushing what is possible in alternative process printmaking. His clients include photographers represented in galleries around the world. Matt will focus…
Verde Valley News – The Yavapai Reentry Project (YRP), a project of MATFORCE, works with formerly incarcerated individuals to overcome the barriers often faced when returning to the community from incarceration. A common barrier is access to a computer to apply for jobs and get an education. To help YRP participants overcome this common barrier, YRP is accepting donations for used laptops. Community members can help by donating new or gently used laptops, including broken laptops as well. For community members’ convenience, donations can be accepted two ways. MATFORCE | 8056 E. Valley Road, Suite B, Prescott Valley Drop off laptops…
Sedona News – The Rotary Club of Sedona Village is thrilled to announce the winners of the “Choose Your Adventure” online Raffle, marking the successful conclusion of a dynamic fundraising endeavor. Members gathered for a joyous winner reveal party, highlighting the excitement surrounding the event. Participants from across the United States, along with local Rotarians and sponsors, contributed to the $21,000 success of the Raffle. Eight lucky winners were randomly selected via computer, each claiming fantastic prizes generously donated by Village Rotarians and sponsors. The winners and their prizes include: • Larry Tebelak: Weekend in Beautiful San Juan Island, Washington…
Sedona News – Keep Sedona Beautiful will hold its next Preserving the Wonder Speaker Series event on Wednesday, April 17 at 5:00 pm. During this panel discussion, you’ll learn how a group of residents, businesses, environmental organizations, ranching permitees, recreation-related non-governmental organizations, recreation user groups and law enforcement collaborated to arrive at a set of proposed strategies to address what Keep Sedona Beautiful calls “The OHV Crisis”. These proposed strategies address environmental damage, excessive noise, disruption to the community and safety issues. The Greater Sedona Recreation Collaborative was formed in an effort to respond to concerns voiced by local residents.…
Conflicted: Reflections on Politics and Personal Freedoms: A Thought-Provoking PerspectiveBy Tommy Acosta Sedona, AZ—Recently, a friend asked me about my political affiliation. I’ve never labeled myself as belonging to one party or another but rather as a political scientist studying how people are manipulated. I do not consider myself a capitalist, socialist, communist, anarchist, populist, libertarian, vegetarian, Liberal, Conservative, Republican, Democrat, or any of those identifications, but rather a political “actualist” who sees through the curtains most political parties cast. I see myself as an individualist who thinks for himself. But I do know the kind of party or affiliation…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory It is natural to want others to agree with us. Being validated, especially when we weren’t as children, or yesterday for that matter, offers a power boost unlike any other. When someone says, ‘Yes, you are right,’ or ‘Wow, you are smart,’ it reinforces our sense of self. That sounds pretty good, even necessary, when we aren’t certain of who we are. … and even though we put on a damn good show, most of us aren’t. The need to be agreed with, to be approved of, and to hide it when we aren’t, is an…
Sedona News – Sedona International Film Festival presents the Exhibition on Screen series with “John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger”. The film will premiere in Sedona on Tuesday and Sunday, April 16 and 21 at the festival’s Alice Gill-Sheldon Sheldon Theatre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT7RSSsfWLY John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era. What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern…
Verde Valley News – College for Kids (C4K), Yavapai College’s highly acclaimed summer enrichment program for children kindergarten-to-eighth grade, opens summer registration on Friday, April 12, for the Verde Valley semester running, June 3 – 27. Nurture your child’s talent and foster a positive attitude for college and beyond. C4K offers a variety of classes for curious and active young people, including mountain biking, dance, Spanish language and culture, interactive science classes, hands-on gardening, comic book creation, and videography for kids. C4K instructors are experienced educators who create a teaching environment that is enriching and rewarding for all campers. Free…
Verde Valley News – Rotary Week of Service, initiated in 2021 by the two Arizona Rotary districts, aims to amplify Rotary’s commitment to service. Throughout the week, clubs across the state engage in various acts of service, extending an open invitation to all individuals eager to contribute. This year, the four Rotary clubs in the Verde Valley—Rotary Clubs of Sedona Village, Sedona, Sedona Red Rocks, and Verde Valley—are proud to announce their partnership with the Manzanita Outreach Food Assistance Program. From April 15 to 20, volunteers from these clubs will dedicate their time to support the program, facilitating essential assistance…
By Steve Segner Sedona/AZ — The following are exact words written on Next Door by Dr. William Noonan, the chief architect of the “referendum” to overturn the City Council decision on the Safe Place to Park initiative by Sedona’s elected representatives on the City Council. Noonan moved to Sedona 2 years ago, in March of 2022, and is a lead advocate for the rebirth of the failed entertainment arena at the Cultural Park instead of housing. “The City plans to turn the Cultural Park into a parking lot and an apartment building. The RFP refers to the Western Gateway plan that…
… the show: “The Beauty of Almost Everything” is up on the Sedona International Film Festival website now. It will be held in the Alice Gill-Sheldon theater which is very nice venue … there are only 43 seats in the theater, so it is a more intimate theater to conduct the show and allows for more interchange with the members of the audience. Tickets are available for purchase online now. The show will be on May 1st at 3:30PM and will feature some of the best photographs and photographic art I have produced in the last thirty years. Hope to see you…
Verde Valley News – MATFORCE, a primary prevention organization that focuses on stopping youth substance use before it starts, is excited to announce the winners of the annual #StayHealthy Essay Contest. MATFORCE has implemented the essay contest since 2019 to start youth thinking about the harms and consequences of substance use and sharing those thoughts with their peers and the community. Students throughout Yavapai County participated in the contest. First through third place winners won cash prizes ranging from $500 to $100 respectively. Honorable mentions received a cash prize of $50 each. A new category for 2024, called the Executive…