Arizona Festivals

on location: west ❖

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Eventful Arizona

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Towns ThroughouT The sTaTe celebraTe everyThing from cowboy and indian lore To apples and leTTuce 36 October 2010

Visions of the West enthrall groups at Prescott Frontier Days – The World’s Oldest Rodeo and the Navajo Nation Fair.

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n Arizona vacation is much Navajo Times sweeter when choosing a package based on your group’s special interest.

And a great way to customize your visit is to include one or more of Arizona’s numerous festivals and events into your itinerary. A wide variety of niche events can be found throughout the state and themes are as diverse as Arizona itself. Themes include holiday, cultural, sports, arts and crafts, wine and culinary, faith-based and educational. Following are just a few top events with an Arizona flavor: LeisureGroupTravel.com

RODEO EVENTS Prescott Frontier Days – The World’s Oldest Rodeo, Prescott. July 4, 1888, became the birthday of professional rodeo when a group of Prescott merchants and businessmen organized the first formalized “cowboy tournament” and offered cash prizes. These “Cowboy Contests” continued, and rodeo has grown into a multi-million-dollar sport with more than 700 professional rodeos in 50 states.

In addition to bull riding, steer wrestling, bronc riding and other events at the world’s oldest rodeo, this week-long festival includes the Frontier Days Parade, a dance, fine arts and crafts show, Kiddies Parade, and Rodeo Queen Contest and Coronation. Date: June 28-July 4, 2011.

(866-407-6336, worldsoldestrodeo.com) PARADES Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, Phoenix. Presented by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona’s largest single-day spectator event annually attracts thousands of people who line the downtown Phoenix parade route. It is a favorite of locals and of fans traveling to Arizona for college football, featuring colorful floats, helium balloons, marching bands and equestrian units.

Groups can easily get to the parade via Phoenix’s new METRO Light Rail. Date: Dec. 31, 2010. (480-3500900, fiestabowl.org/index.php/events/parade) Parada del Sol Horse-Drawn Parade, Scottsdale.

An annual event since 1953, the world’s largest horsedrawn parade features about 150 entries marching up Scottsdale Road. The theme for 2011 is “Scottsdale Salutes the Troops in Cowboy Boots.” As the parade concludes, a big party called Trail’s End offers kids’ games, pony rides, Old West gunfights and trick roping. Parada del Sol is a non-profit corporation that provides financial and volunteer support to local charities.

Date: Feb. 12, 2011. (480-990-3179, paradadelsol.us) CULTURAL Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff. The museum produces four festivals, plus monthly programs, that highlight the region’s cultures. The festivals offer a balance of ancient and modern cultural presentations, performances and activities, providing insight into the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni and Hispanic cultures living on the Colorado Plateau and in the Four Corners region.

20th Annual Zuni Festival of Arts and Crafts, May 28-29, 2011. A celebration of the Zuni way of life and Zuni expressions of creativity.

77th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture, July 2-3, 2011. A celebration dedicated to encouraging the survival of Hopi arts and crafts.

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October 2010 37

on location: west ❖ 61st Annual Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture, Aug. 6-7, 2011. An authentic presentation of the Navajo “Beauty Way” philosophy of living in harmony.

7th Annual Celebraciones de la Gente, Oct. 29-30, 2011. An exemplification of the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, an ancient Meso-American holiday held throughout Mexico, Latin America and the Southwestern US. (928-774-5213, musnaz.org) Navajo Nation Fair, Window Rock. The largest Native American fair in the country features cultural experiences, including a pow-wow, an arts and crafts fair, and traditional song and dance performances by numerous Indian tribes. Miss Navajo is crowned annually during the festival and the Navajo Art Walk fine art exhibit is held

Yuma Lettuce Days, set for March 11-13, celebrates the area’s veggie business.

at the Navajo Nation Shopping Center.

The Navajo Flea Market is buzzing with excitement during the fair, and dances are held nightly in big tents along the highway. Date: Sept. 8-11, 2011. (928-871-6647, navajonationfair.com) HOLIDAY EVENTS Ghost Tour and Historical Walk, Mesa. This Halloween-season walking tour of downtown Mesa pairs historical sites with tales of ghosts and goblins.

Docents lead guests above and below Main Street. At several stops business owners provide accounts of paranormal happenings in some of Mesa’s oldest buildings. Downtown Mesa’s architectural history is displayed as guests visit establishments that date back to the early 1900s as well as more recent buildings. Private group tours can be arranged with advance notice. Date: Oct. 21-22, 2011. (480-835-7358, mesahistoricalmuseum.org)

Willcox hosts a harvest celebration. Guests can pick Red Delicious, Rome and Criterion apples, fill up on pancakes doused in cider syrup, or opt for peaches and pears, which are also ready for pickin’. Also stop at Stout’s Cider Mill, known by locals as “that apple place in Arizona,” for an enormous piece of delicious apple pie made from home-grown apples. Local wineries, you-pick orchards, and plenty of places to hike and picnic make the Apple Harvest Celebration a fun-filled day for tour groups.

Date: Sept. 3-5, 2011. (520-384-2084, appleannies.com) Yuma Lettuce Days, Yuma. In partnership with the Southwest Ag Summit, this event connects the agricultural industry with the community and visitors. The celebration of Yuma’s thriving veggie business includes seminars, games, kids’ activities, live music and a farmers market. New in 2011, the festival will include a new epicurean component, where local chefs, restaurants and grocery stores provide an array of tantalizing tastes highlighting Arizona’s produce. A surprise celebrity chef, along with other nationally recognized regional chefs, will demonstrate their skills throughout the weekend. Date: March 11-13, 2011. (928-782-5712, yumalettucedays.com) LGT Obtain Arizona visitor guides and itineraries – and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

CULINARY Apple Harvest Celebration, Willcox. Southern AriONLINE EXCLUSIVE zona’s elevation is For more ideas on group-friendly Arizona events, go perfect for orchards, online and see the article on yuletide celebrations in Mesa, and every Labor Prescott, Flagstaff and Lake Havasu. Log on to http://leisureDay weekend Apple grouptravel.com/?p=20348.

Annie’s Orchard in 38 October 2010

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