… a few weeks ago a friend invited me to stop by a place called the Melting Point on 89A in West Sedona where I met Austin Littenberg one of the owners and artists who create amazing blown glass art there. Do not know how many times I have driven by the place, looked at the signage and wondered what they did or sold in there … on that day I found out and it is spectacular. I visited with Austin for a while and took numerous photos of the glass art that he created. The image below is a…
Author: Tommy Acosta
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Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to partner with Unify Sedona and PFLAG special event in observation of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Transgender Day of Remembrance is an opportunity for our community to come together and remember those who have lost their lives to violence and injustice because of their gender identity or gender expression. Violence against transgender people is increasing. Join us and help create a more inclusive world for all. This special event will include a screening of the documentary “Transforming…
Verde Valley News – Domestic violence does not take a break for the holidays, and strained families who gather together should be aware of its warning signs and the resources available to help them. Many survivors in a situation of domestic violence try to stick it out during the holidays. “We typically see a decrease in the number of calls over the holidays. Our agency sees an increase of these calls and an increase of people coming into our shelter after the New Year,” Jessye Johnson, Executive Director of Verde Valley Sanctuary, said. The Verde Valley Sanctuary provides safety, services, and…
Verde Valley News – Join us in the Fireside Room at Camp Verde Community Library at 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 1st for the return of Donna Hazlewood, the winner of Verde Valley’s Got Talent. Donna Hazlewood was born and raised in the South and has lived in Arizona for over 30 years. She has been a nurse for over 10 years and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. She has always enjoyed singing, and over the past several years competed in singing competitions reaching a plateau. It was then that she was introduced to legendary performer and…
Sedona News – Members of the Verde Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild will have their spinning wheels humming for “Mondays at the Museum” at the Sedona Heritage Museum on November 28th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The spinners’ guild was formed over 35 years ago by Mary Pendleton of the Pendleton Weaving studio in Sedona along with a few weavers in the Verde Valley. The guild continues today with some 40 to 50 members actively pursuing Fiber Arts such as weaving, spinning, basket-making, dyeing and knitting. They would be happy to share their art with you, and to answer any…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “TÁR” showing Nov. 25-30 at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres. From writer-producer-director Todd Field comes “TÁR”, starring two-time Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. We meet Tár at the height of her career, as she’s preparing both a book launch and much-anticipated live performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Tár is days away from recording the symphony that will elevate her career. When all elements seem to conspire against her, Lydia’s adopted…
… for whatever reason, I have not been spending as much time on the back deck and consequently I have not been out there to get shots of the local bobcat population, so I spent time going through my folders of bobcats and these are a couple of them. The upper photo was shot on the grassy side of the hill below the 17th green, directly across the arroyo from us … he was just soaking up rays in the late afternoon of a cool December day. I spotted him and crossed over to see how social he would be…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present Sedona’s New Family-Friendly Improv Troupe — Unauthorized Happiness — on Tuesday night, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Unauthorized Happiness is returning to the Mary D. Fisher Theatre with their completely made up, completely hilarious improv show. Unauthorized Happiness is a brand new comedy troupe here in the Verde Valley looking to bring excitement and laughs to the community for families, friends and well, everyone! The UH Improv team’s desire is to bring their joy of laughter to audiences, but also to the…
Sedona News – EVENT CANCELLED On Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 5 p.m., “Let’s Talk Music,” an event held at the Sedona Public Library, will offer fascinating insight into the composers and style of music that will be featured at Chamber Music Sedona’s “Past Inspirations” concert, coming up on December 4. Presented by Rob Schottland, a member of the Chamber Music Sedona Board of Trustees, the event will be structured as a conversation, with participants invited to interact and share their reactions to clips of music. Rob will open the discussion with background information about Inon Barnatan and the works…
… all of that beauty for the sole purpose of attracting birds,bees and other critters to come and check out what each bloom is offering … food in return for pollination of the plant and each life form is assured that life for itself and future generations will continue … and we get to take delight in the annual show! The bloom above is an Icelandic Poppy that I shot a number of years ago and still today its beauty carries forward. Below is a rather silly Greenhead Mallard that was bathing himself with abrupt dunks into the water and…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Raymond & Ray” showing Nov. 18-23 at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres. You can bury family, but you can’t bury the past. See the film Tim Wassberg, Inside Reel, calls “Heartfelt and memorable”. “Raymond & Ray” stars Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as half-brothers Raymond and Ray who have lived in the shadow of a terrible father. They reunite when their estranged father dies. Somehow, they still each have a sense of humor, and his funeral is a chance for…
Verde Valley News – Since 2005 Northern Arizona Restorative Justice (NARJ) has been successfully fostering change within our community. An official diversion program for Yavapai County Juvenile Probation in Northern Arizona, their programs with juveniles have an astounding eighty-eight percent success rate. NARJ’s work in local schools has dramatically lowered the suspension rate and improved the overall quality of the school environment which supports better educational outcomes. They have worked personally with families as well as organizations using restorative practices to facilitate better relationships. On Thursday, November 17, NARJ is holding a free evening event How Restorative Practices Help Transform…
Sedona AZ News: Sound Bites Grill in Uptown Sedona brings to its Celebrity Showroom Stage yet another internationally acclaimed jazz master this Saturday, Nov. 19, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. His name is Brian Simpson and in the jazz world he is considered one of its most talented and creative luminaries. An inspired keyboardist, composer, prolific studio musician and producer Simpson is a master of all he purveys. His eloquent approach to playing, sophisticated harmonics sense, bluesy overtones, R&B flavor and keen sense of how to craft a song that stands the test of time have made him the…
By Tommy Acosta Sedona AZ — It went from red tsunami to a red wave, to a red puddle, to a red trickle, to a red drizzle, to a red fizzle. What the hell happened? Well, it wasn’t because voters did not care about the economy or inflation or the border crisis or rampant crime, etc. If any finger needs to be pointed as to why the red wave evaporated, that finger must be pointed at the Supreme Court for their ruling on Roe vs Wade. Fox News pundits in the run to the election tried to negate the impact…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “The Swimmers” showing Nov. 18-23 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Based on a true story, “The Swimmers” follows the journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use. Sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini fled their home country of Syria in 2015 when their house was destroyed during the civil war. They journeyed to Lebanon and then onto Turkey where they arranged…