WHAT'S NEW IN SEDONA, AZ… (June 29, 2007)

Sedona, Tucson, Tubac and Phoenix have been ranked among the top 25 U.S. arts destinations in their respective categories, according to a readers poll by American Style magazine. Among cities with populations under 100,000, Tubac was ranked 20th. Sedona climbed three spots to take second place in that category, with Santa Fe, N.M., taking the title as top small city arts destination.

Tucson was ranked 9th for midsize cities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999 in the 10th annual Top 25 Arts Destinations poll. The results, published in American Style’s June issue, include profiles of the top three cities in each category. Complete results of the annual reader's poll are featured on www.AmericanStyle.com, as well as in the magazine.

Official Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center Gets a Facelift
The Official Chamber of Commerce Uptown Visitor Center temporarily relocated to the Sinagua Plaza in Uptown Sedona (320 N. Hwy 89A Ste 3 & 4) in March 2007. The official Visitor Center will undergo a major renovation beginning in May. Construction will take place for approximately 6 months.

Plans for the renovation include a complete facelift of the interior, exterior, and landscaping and relocation of the call center. The renovated visitor center will utilize state-of-the-art technology in order to best serve our 3 million visitors to Sedona. The Chamber of Commerce will continue to depend on our valuable volunteers and the support of the community during this time of transition. For visitor information, please call the phone numbers 928-282-7722, 800-288-7336 or visit www.VisitSedona.com

Enchantment Announces New Resort Manager and New National Sales Manager
Danna Holck, General Manager of Enchantment Resort in Sedona has announced the appointment of Mr. Nicholas Gold as Enchantment's new Resort Manager. Gold has been Corporate Director of Food & Beverage at Miraval in Tucson for the past 3 years and will begin his new duties at Enchantment on June 4. Prior to Miraval, Gold was Food & Beverage Director at Ibis Golf & Country Club in West Palm Beach FL and he's also worked for the Longboat Key Club in Sarasota, FL. Among other luxury resorts throughout the country, Gold has worked for the El Conquistador Resort and the El San Juan Hotel both in Puerto Rico.

Enchantment Resort welcomes Peggy Ryan as their new National Sales Manager. Peggy joins Enchantment from El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa in Taos, NM where she was the Director of Sales. She previously worked at Canyon Ranch Health Resorts in Tucson and also Miraval Life in Balance Resort & Spa. Peggy is a specialist in high-end groups and the leisure market, working with travel professionals and meeting planners. Enchantment is located at 525 Boynton Canyon Road Sedona, AZ 86336, enchantmentresort.com

Pink Jeep Tours Rehabs Trails
Nearly three million visitors come to Sedona every year, eager to see the richly colored red rocks, and beautiful surroundings. Many of them take Jeep tours to areas they couldn't otherwise access. Others arrive in their private 4x4s or they bring trailers of quads, using published guidebooks to find trails where they can try out their own skills and exercise their equipment over rugged terrain.

All this motorized traffic takes a toll on the local trails, sometimes creating damage that can force closure of the trail altogether. Private off-road drivers, untrained in extreme navigation skills and unaware of the long-term ecological consequences such as loss of vegetation, which in a high desert environment leads quickly to a chain reaction of soil erosion, flooding, and more loss of vegetation.

Since locally designated Forest Service funds and personnel must be spread over the entire 1.8 million acre Coconino National Forest, the Forest Service is unable to tend to every single trail. Without private support and cooperative relationships, some of the routes would be closed. Much of that support comes locally from Pink Jeep Tours, a company that employs a full-time trail maintenance team of Rich Bowen and Bruce Berger. For more information, please contact Pink Jeep Tours at 928-282-5000.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park Announces Second Anniversary
Dean and Prayeri Harrison, founders and owners of Out of Africa Wildlife Park, announced that the Park is celebrating its second anniversary in Camp Verde. Two years ago, the Park moved its operations from its 16-acre facility in Fountain Hills, Arizona to a spacious new 104-acre facility in Camp Verde, Arizona, ninety miles north.
The new location has greatly expanded habitats for its large African animals including giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, sables, rhinoceros, lions, leopards, hyena, and other exotic creatures from around the world. At 3,400 feet elevation, the facility also enjoys cooler temperatures year round and offers a high desert environment similar to the Masai region of Africa.

One of the biggest finished projects was for Boom Boom, the rescued Southern White Rhinoceros. The largest ongoing project is construction of the new Tiger Splash arena. Future projects include an expanded reptile display area, the opening of Lemur Land, and the acquisition of additional animals. Two female giraffes for Kibo and Pilgrim, and a female rhino for Boom Boom, are at the top of the wish list. Baby camels are on the Park's coming-soon list and expected to arrive in June 2007. For more information, visit www.outofafricapark.com or call 928-567-2840.

Wine Spectator 2007 Restaurant Awards Includes Reds
Ed Conway, Manager of the Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa, announced that the hotel's restaurant, Reds, has been included in Wine Spectator's 2007 Restaurant Awards. The annual award recognizes restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine, and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.

“We're proud of this award from Wine Spectator," says Conway. "Our team at Reds has worked hard to develop our wine list, including selections from around the world and keeping the inventory fresh with exceptional wines." For information on wine tastings at Red's call 928-203-4111 or toll free at 866-312-4111, www.sedonarouge.com

L'Auberge de Sedona in the Heart of Red Rock Country is Red Hot
Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Zagat Survey Applaud Arizona’s Elite Retreat. L’Auberge de Sedona, one of Arizona’s foremost retreats, has been named, for the third time, one of the “Top 500 Hotels in the World” by Travel & Leisure magazine, one of the world’s most prestigious travel publications. The intimate creekside property nestled on the banks of Oak Creek in the heart of Red Rock country also secured a top spot on this year’s “Gold List” (for the eighth time) as one of the best places to stay in the world and one of the top 100 hotels in the country, as chosen by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. Additionally, the property has been rated one of this year’s top U.S. Hotels, Resorts & Spas by the Zagat Survey.

L’Auberge de Sedona has consistently been the recipient of many other awards in recent years, including the “AAA Four-Diamond Award” from the American Automobile Association, the “DiRoNA Award of Excellence” from Distinguished Restaurants of North America, and the “Best of Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator magazine. The property also has been named one of the “Greatest Hotels in the World” by Travel & Leisure, the “#1 Country Hote" by Departures magazine, one of the “50 Most Romantic Retreats in the World” by Travel & Leisure, one of the “Top Hotels in Arizona” by Ranking Arizona, and the “Best Place to Have a Unique Wedding” by Phoenix Wedding Pages. Additionally, Conde Nast Traveler placed L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek among the “Top 250 Restaurants in America.” For more information, please call 800-905-5778 or visit www.lauberge.com

Third Annual Sedona Marathon
Four Winds Adventures proudly announces that the 3rd annual Sedona Marathon returns February 9, 2008. This years event brought international visitors from 9 countries and runners from 43 states. Japanese sports reporter Hajime Nishi named the event one of his top ten favorite world-wide marathons, turning more international eyes to Sedona for recreational fun.
Four Winds Adventures LLC continues to produce specialty events such as the Sedona Marathon, the Sedona Jam, Celebrity Adventure Games, Mountain Rage, Supreme Adventure Race and Outdoor Industry Challenge among others. For more information on the upcoming Sedona Marathon and sponsorships, call 800-775-7671, locally 928-203-4514 or visit www.SedonaMarathon.com
WildWind Launches Motorcycle Tours in Arizona
Escorted Programs to the Red Rock Wonderlands & Beyond – WildWind is now offering escorted motorcycle tours to the unimaginable wonderlands of Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Sedona, and Canyon De Chelly, among other spectacular destinations, including ancient ruins, ghost towns and secret paradises. Tours begin at $100 for a half-day and $150 for a full-day of fun and adventure. Custom tours are specially built to client desires and can be combined with horseback riding, jeep tours, cookouts, spa services, stagecoach robbery, and other themed activities. Self-Ride, Off-Season and Group rates available. Prices do not include bike rental. WildWind pays travel agent commissions. Visit www.WildWindMCTours.com or call 602-690-2864.
About WildWind: Drawing from decades of motorcycling and adventuring experience that includes travel through some 50 countries and most states, Joshua Placa combines an extensive background in journalism, tour design and itinerant barnstorming. From tours of discovery into the Martian landscapes and lost canyons and cultures of the Southwest, to the urban frontiers of vibrant cities, if fun or fascination is there, he'll find it. The enigmatic Madam X wears all black and a lethal smile, otherwise known as Andrea Borderlon, is half-Native American/half-Biker and all about the ride. Possessing years of international experience, she has mastered both Alpine and desert riding.
RoadRunner Summer Fun Run
The City of Sedona and Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) are pleased to announce a 9-week summer transit service in West Sedona. From now until Friday, August 10, 2007 hourly service will be offered Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Sedona. Look for the smaller transit vehicle and the numbered transit stop signs. The cost for the service is $1.00 for a daily pass. For members of the Sedona Community Center or the Boys and Girls Club, the service is free (a membership pass must be shown). For more information, please contact the Sedona RoadRunner at 928-282-0938 or visit www.SedonaRoadRunner.com
Western Americana Day is Coming to Sedona!
"Would you like to participate in the rebirth of "small town Sedona?", asks Mayor Pud Colquitt. On September 22, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, and Sedona Airport Authority will sponsor a community festival and activity day.

This day-long, western themed, festival will feature a classic car show and competition sponsored by the Sedona Car Club from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will also feature a classic airplane fly-in and display starting at 9 a.m. with dozens of classic, restored, military, antique, and state-of-the-art new aircraft will be on display. Affordable rides will be offered to anyone who wants to go back in time to the days of the first airlines in the 1920's. Discount airplane and helicopter rides will also be offered that day.

The day will be full of entertainment including raffle drawings, a variety of country and western entertainers, and other toe-tapping and energetic performances will bring a smile to young and old. A children's area will also be set up with a few blow-up fun attractions and a tent dedicated to crafts, art and other creative activities. Admission to the festival is free, including parking! Please review the festival program for more details or visit: www.SedonaFair.com

Red Rocks Music Festival, Sponsored by Sunterra Corporation 8/25 – 9/2/07
The 6th annual Red Rocks Music Festival promises to have something for everyone. The festival kicks off on Saturday, August 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community of Sedona and Verde Valley Center. It marks the return of composer, Bill Douglas, in collaboration with the woodwind group "Quintessence" to Sedona. On Sunday August 26, 3:00 p.m., the festival will feature several young musicians in the Young Artists Showcase including the Topaz Quartet. The festival will perform a Festival Sampler on Thursday, August 30 in Phoenix and then return to Sedona for a free concert at the Sedona Public Library on Friday August 30 at 4:00 p.m.

The program "Dance Music from around the World" invites the whole family to attend. Labor Day Weekend will culminate with two outstanding performances on September 1st and 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community of Sedona and Verde Valley. New York City opera singer Krysty Swann and Adam Margulies, winner of UNESCO International Competition, David Ehrlich, violinist, a festival favorite, and Rami Solomonow, violist, DePaul University Faculty will perform works by Gershwin, Barber and Schubert. A Sunday performance will showcase "Un Corazon Flamenco" in collaboration with festival musicians. For more information, visit www.redrocksmusicfestival.com or call toll-free 877-REDRCKS (733-7257).

Tlaquepaque to Host 2nd Annual State of the Art – A Collector’s Weekend
An interactive gathering of galleries, artists, collectors and students, as well as musicians and performers, will highlight the second annual State of the Art at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village on Friday, September 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This year’s theme, State of the Art-A Collector’s Weekend will incorporate educational presentations by Michael Quick, the former Curator of American Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The two-day event, occurring in conjunction with Sedona’s Jazz on the Rocks festival, will also have jazz musicians performing throughout Tlaquepaque during the evening hours. Other activities highlighting a variety of interests to please every art palate will include an art walk through various Tlaquepaque galleries, a return of the Dragon Knights Stilt Theater, artist and student artist demonstrations, and art seminars.

A new addition to this year’s event is the promotion of Youth and Art. Students from Red Rock High School will be selected to show a piece of art in each of the galleries. The proceeds from the sale of the students’ artwork will go towards a student art scholarship. For updates on activities and times, please check the Tlaquepaque website at www.tlaq.com or call Tlaquepaque at 928-282-4838.

June 30, 2007   Posted in: United States SouthWest