Sedona AZ (July 21, 2012) – Join the National Day of the Cowboy Celebration, a free Arizona Centennial Official Event in beautiful Sedona, Arizona on Saturday, July 28, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM presented by the Sedona Main Street Program and the Red Rock Posse. Park your car, tie up your horse, put the buggy in the barn and let your boots start walkin’.
The National Day of the Cowboy was established in 2005 to honor and celebrate the character and values of the American Cowboy – honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, respect, patriotism, and a strong work ethic. There will be “a whole lot of cowboy goin’s on” along State Route 89A in uptown Sedona and at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village on State Route 179, thanks to generous sponsors, contributors, businesses and volunteers.
Gunfights and Wild West performances by the Red Rock Posse will take place beginning at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM at the Cowboy Arena in front of Red Rock Western Jeep Tours on Apple Avenue. The 2012 World Champion Cowboy Action Shooters, Sedona siblings Jessica and Cody Kirkham, will be honored at the Cowboy Arena. The Kirkham’s will be demonstratin’ fine shootin’ action with the Red Rock Posse.
Between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM, see Wyatt Earp – a tribute to the legend by his great nephew, plus quick draw competitions, bull whip crackin’ and roping. Try your hand at roping, with or without a bit of cowboy instruction.
Map of Sedona
Latigo, a country band with the right chemistry and sound to get your boots scootin’ to the latest country songs will be playing throughout the afternoon. Take a chance on winning special cowboy memorabilia, then, find Cowboy Bob singing and playing guitar – he will be outside near the Sedona Movie Museum.
On the corner of State Route 89A and Forest Road at Cheers Plaza, visit with the talented cowgirls of Southwest Arizona Sisters from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. These cowgirls represent a premiere equestrian non-profit, better known as SASI, that looks for opportunities to promote the great state of Arizona and the values of the western lifestyle. All are accomplished horsewomen from Phoenix who have worked with some of the best in rodeo.
Also at Cheers Plaza, meet the Arizona Rangers-Verde Valley Company between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. The Rangers keep alive the traditions of the Old West. Learn about the history of the Arizona Rangers, an unpaid, all volunteer, law enforcement support and assistance civilian auxiliary who work to preserve the tradition, honor, and history of the 1901-1909 Arizona Rangers. Head on back to Cheers Plaza at 6:00 PM for Line Dancing and a bit of instruction with Jack Hillman until 8:00 PM.
Sedona Eye Four Paws Up Star Columnist, Harley McGuire
SedonaEye.com Four Paws Up Star Columnist, Harley McGuire, asks that you visit with a Cowboy’s Best Friend from 9:00 AM until Noon in Sinagua Plaza, uptown. The Sedona Humane Society will bring a few of Harley’s mates by to meet you – and all are yearning for a loving home. As Harley says, “You, too, might adopt a star just like mom did with me!”
The Canyon Trails Cowboy Band will be entertaining north of State Route 89A and Jordan Road. This six piece band features five vocalists who harmonize regularly at the Canyon Trails Cowboy Church in Sedona.
Boots and Bustles Old West Social Club will be visiting with folks on the sidewalks along SR 89A. Dressed in period costumes, the Social Club will join you in photographs and answer questions about the day’s activities.
Tex Wagner & Emmylou Dolly Lorretta South perform at Made In Arizona in Oak Creek Marketplace from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Straight from the heartland of country music, Tex & Emmylou (local talents Tom & Shondra) entertain with good ole rip roarin’, knee slappin’, toe tappin’ country tunes and lots of audience participation. There will be cowboys and saloon girls at the wine bar, ring tosses around cowboy boots for prizes, and an occasional hold-up from 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM.
View of Sedona
Harpy Trails will entertain from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM in uptown’s Sedona Arts Center on SR 89A. Ken and Lyn Mikell play a wide range of traditional music, with particular attention to the Celtic roots of cowboy music. From old time trail songs to the golden era of the radio and silver screen cowboy, the music of the Old World found a home at the hearths and campfires of the Old West.
While at the Sedona Arts Center, don’t miss Sedona artists at work in its gallery and exhibition hall and be sure to see the Joe Beeler Exhibit. Beeler was a Sedona artist and founding member of the Cowboy Artists of America who lived the cowboy code of ethics and was beloved by all.
Sedona National Day of the Cowboy performer
Bladesmith Ray Rybar of Camp Verde is one of the world’s 100 top makers of forged blades. He will demonstrate the art of knife making from 10:00 AM throughout the day in uptown.
National Harmony Yodeling Champions and members of the Blazin’ M Ranch Cowboy Band will give a complimentary performance from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM with Songs of the Old West and classic country tunes. Later, listen as the Tor Brothers of Sedona put a modern spin on country music in their debut. The ever popular Sammy Davis Band will be performing from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM for night owls.
Catch sight of gun, rope and whip tricks by Rock Holliday, High Noon to dusk, along the sidewalks from Cowboy Corral to Cowboy Club.
Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village
Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village is hosting the Leather & Lace Gunslinging Show, an action-packed fist fighting, gun fighting, Wild West performance. Show times will be at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 PM at Calle Independencia. The Coyote Brothers will be entertaining from Noon until 3:00 PM at Patio del Norte and the Two-bit Shotgun Band, a five piece country group from Phoenix, will play from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM at Calle Independencia.
Tlaquepaque will also showcase author Joe McNeill signing copies of his book Arizona’s Little Hollywood: Sedona and Northern Arizona’s Forgotten Film History 1923-1973 and, in support of the effort to build a Sedona film history museum, Tlaquepaque offers a scavenger hunt for artifacts that will be displayed in the future Arizona’s Little Hollywood Museum. Be sure to visit the special effects makeup table, make a donation, and get your face painted with gunshot wounds or cowboy mustaches.
For cowpokes with gumption, ride the mechanical bull (proceeds donated to the Museum) and, for the little cowpokes, there will be a Wild West Wagon bouncer. Watch out for roaming zombie cowboys, creepy characters from the award-winning Zaki Gordon Institute film Dead West viewable in the Tlaquepaque Chapel from Noon to 4:00 PM every half hour.
Blazin’ M Ranch Cowboy Band
The Sedona Heritage Museum presents Michael Peach in his new, original and family-friendly show The Facts Keep Gettin’ in the Way of the Story, a tribute to the Southwest’s cowboy spirit, at 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM inside Jordan Hall (air-conditioned) on the lower level of Wayside Chapel on SR 89A, north end of uptown Sedona. Each one-hour show features Peach’s original cowboy poetry, jokes, and historically-based stories illustrating the humor, heroism and hubris of some of the Southwest’s most colorful characters, both factual and fictional. His performances include material from the writings of Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble and a new poem, Climax Jim, the story of Rufus Nephews, one of Arizona’s most notorious – and least dangerous – outlaws.
Dave Rice Hearts Prairie Band followed by The Renegades are performing at The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Saloon in Sinagua Plaza. Robin Dean Salmon, an alt-country traditionalist on guitar and vocals, will perform at Tasting Arizona in Sinagua Plaza and Cactus Cats can be found between Taos Cantina and Sedona-The Early Years on SR 89A.
Print this Out and About Sedona Eye guide and come watch the cowboys, hoot and holler for the gunfights, chow down on good food, step out and dance to lively country music, watch great art and crafts in the making during Sedona Arizona’s National Day of the Cowboy Celebration. If you feel the Cowboy Spirit of the West move you, be sure to say “Howdy” to a stranger like you’ve known ‘em all your life!
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If you do this again, please consider me if you want some authentic, quality cowboy entertainment. I’ve been to Sedona and would relish the chance to be part of what you do to celebrate the cowboy.
I’m headin’ to Uptown to enjoy National Day of the Cowboy AND it also happens to be National Dance Day. Who will join me in celebrating both days with some Country Line Dancing 6-8pm in front of Cheers? I can’t wait to see you there!
Hi there,
My friends, Dawn and Corinna and Soni, drove with me to Sedona after seeing this on Twitter. We printed it out like it said and got there early (we live near Flagstaff) and parking was a problem. We spent a couple of hours wandering around. The views were the best thing about the morning but the shops not so good but the music and the mood was nice. We drove to the place with the name nobody can spell but it is pretty. We decided not to stay tho and went instead to the place up the street with lots of wind spinners and walked around and had a bite to eat. That was nice. Thanks for telling us about the museum – nice – arts centre nice but we thought it felt like a mall store promotion and would suggest that if it is really about cowboy history there be less overpriced imports from other countries. We will come again if in the area. The day had several very nice moments. It was sad to read about the plane accident. We liked the story about the fireman in pink. They look gorgeous said all the single ladies. Thank you for the map and idea to print it. Bye now Sedona! Karin Elliott
To Dana De Luz:
Rats. Was stuck in traffic backed up in Oak Creek Canyon to the Dairy Queen shortly before 6:00 PM. So much for the city’s talent for improvements to Uptown Sedona.
As traffic flows through well engineered roundabouts on 179, it’s ground to a halt at the less than one mile of 89 owned by the City with narrow lanes, auto and pedestrian congestion not to mention a stop light. Brilliant!
To those who continue to blame 179, why then the back-up coming south down Oak Creek Canyon? Let us give thanks that the voice of the voters denied ownership of the remaining SR89A to the City of Sedona! Lord have mercy.
All we need to add to the Dog & Pony Show is a Creekside Park & Walkway during mainstreet festivities and a huge rain storm. Brilliant! No amount of money given to the Chamber of Commerce to advertise will fix this mess.
Hope you had a blast. It’s almost 8:00 PM and I just arrived home.
Uptown traffic nightmares? More Fed $$ the city & chamber can screw up even more than in the past. Useless lights cheapen the skyline & raise the ugly but who cares, not the chamber, not the council, not the people. The same groups that took a beautiful Sedona and turned it into what it is today. Why lots of us prefer the VOC. Mr Mayor, land in flood zones being developed (if Maddock is right) to move people from Uptown to Southie? Stop & envision another inaccessible landlocked space unsuitable for more cars or pedestrians? Who’s responsible for Flash flood deaths by unsuspecting tourists? Who pays for flash flood car damage if the city develops there? What must be and needs to be developed is a SENIOR AND CHILDREN FRIENDLY WALKING PATH SYSTEM that connects the city by foot not car – more parking lots & highway boondoggles will continue to keep tourists away for repeat visits – a problem now getting daytrippers to come back. Roundabouts move the traffic on 179 (good idea) but at the Creek the new bridge is only 1 lane each way & it’s a 3way intersection & with several business access driveways immediately surrounding it that stop traffic. No way around it, traffic will grind to a halt like Uptown with ideas on the boilerplate now. Invest in connecting the areas of the city by WIDE sidewalks & keep cars out of the way & only at the fringes of the city – turn Cultural Park into a shuttle zone for tourists. Use golf carts or let private jeep companies set up shop there or the trolley, move the chamber there, urgent care center for weather affected or hydration/first aid of hikers & visitors, move in a few sidewalk cafes, set up a live performance outdoor music kiosk area & encourage local musicians to sign up for time slots (for gods sake the city doesn’t have to have control of any of the businesses or services). Make the sidewalks interconnected from Cultural park to Uptown, to southend, to westend using WIDE, LOTS OF beautiful Sedona artscapes and benches for views AND NO USELESS FOUNTAINS OF SPILLING DESERT WATER (for gods sake someone turn off the HOA huge monsters that waste thousands of gallons of water each year) but PRACTICAL water fountains to hydrate walkers unfamiliar with high desert mountain air requirements. Sure make the walkers water fountains good looking but keep them practical to encourage paths use. It’s cheap, it’s effective, it’s not a bad investment if it fails. It will improve the cityscape, the landscape, the air, the noise, keeping the city streets accessible for emergency vehicles & police. We said our piece to deaf city government ears we’re sure. Signing off as secretary, Doug for Golf Resort lunchers