Visit Grand Canyon National Park for free

Flagstaff is located close to lots of national parks. Day trips to Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument are easy.

Of course, even closer are the three Flagstaff Area National Monuments, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monuments.

This summer, the difficult question is which parks to visit. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the National Park Service will offer three fee-free weekends this summer to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit these national treasures. The 147 National Park Service sites across the country that charge fees, ranging from $3 to $25 for entry, will waive these entrance fees during the weekends of:

• June 20-21 (Father's Day!)
• July 18-19
• August 15-16, 2009

The waiver does not include other fees collected in advance or by contractors—such as fees charged for camping, reservations, tours and use of concessions. However, many park partners including tour operators, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and other vendors will offer additional discounts and special promotions on those dates.

Be sure to check out my National Parks Travel Examiner articles about visiting national parks this summer.

Flagstaff Makes Kiplinger's 2009 Best Cities List

This year Kiplinger says it's all about jobs when choosing the 10 Best Cities. They were looking for safe havens during the current recession. University and government jobs are a part of that environment.

Here's the list of top 10:

1. Huntsville, Alabama
2. Albuquerque, New Mexico
3. Washington D.C.
4. Charlottsville, Virginia
5. Athens, Georgia
6. Olympia, Washington
7. Madison, Wisconsin
8. Austin, Texas
9. Flagstaff, Arizona
10. Raleigh, North Carolina

Looks like quite a diverse line-up, across the country. Read more about the picks and their methodology at Kiplinger 2009 Best Cities.

A Christmas Carol at Grand Canyon Railway Depot

After its send-off in Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon Railway Depot in Williams, Arizona, will be the first stop for the cross-country train tour promoting “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” new 3-D film from Robert Zemeckis, starring Jim Carey.

A sneak peek preview of the movie in Disney Digital 3-D will be featured in an inflatable theater, but don't expect to get a peek at Jim Carey. Unfortunately, he won't be along for the train ride.

"Featuring four custom-designed vintage rail cars full of behind-the-scenes attractions, entertaining demonstrations, and fun activities, the tour will have its inaugural stop at Los Angeles’ Union Station over Memorial Day Weekend, from May 22nd through May 25th. During the next 24 weeks, the train will make 40 stops in 36 states, as it travels its way across more than 16,000 miles of track. The tour will finish at New York’s Grand Central Terminal over the weekend of October 30th through November 1st."

--Disney Train Tour

The three-day event is free and there is still time to make last minute plans to head to the Grand Canyon Railway Depot to be among the first to get a preview of Disney's latest holiday movie, A Christmas Carol.

For more info: Grand Canyon Railway

Flagstaff: National Train Day

National Train Day is May 9, 2009. Marking 140 years of connecting travelers from coast to coast, National Train Day commemorates the day the first transcontinental railroad was created.

Read about the final spike ceremony on May 10, 1869, at Golden Spike National Historic Site and 140th anniversary--Golden Spike and Transcontinetal Railroad at Promontory Summit.

"Train travel is deeply rooted in American culture and it shows great promise to become a growing part of our country's transportation future," said Emmett Fremaux, vice president marketing and product management, Amtrak. "National Train Day gives the public a glimpse into how the train shaped the country and how it will continue to do so by showcasing how train travel provides greener travel options with clean technology and greater efficiency through high-speed rail travel."

Amtrak services Flagstaff twice daily on the Southwest Chief line, stopping at the Historic Train Depot on the original Route 66. According to the company's 2008 fiscal year report, it was the busiest Amtrak station in Arizona. The historic train station is also the city's official Visitor Center making it the perfect stop for anyone looking for directions, planning travel, details about area attractions, dining suggestions or local history.

For more information about National Train Day. For more information about Flagstaff visit Flagstaff CVB.

Ranger Lecture: Science on the Edge

As a part of the Ranger Lecture Series in Flagstaff, called Conversations on the Edge, the Grand Canyon Association and Cline Library at Northern Arizona University will host Science on the Edge: Preserving Grand Canyon National Park’s Natural and Cultural Resources. Martha Hahn, Chief of Science and Resource Management, Grand Canyon National Park, will highlight some of park's current projects, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the role the Division of Science and Resource Management plays in preserving and protecting Grand Canyon.

Hahn has been Chief of Science and Resource Management at Grand Canyon National Park since May 2007. She previously worked at Grand Canyon in the mid-1980s. She oversaw the Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Studies and Colorado River resource management and planning, and served as the management assistant to the Superintendent.

When:

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
7:00 p.m.

Where:

Cline Library
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Cost:

Free and no reservations are required.

Science on the Edge: Preserving Grand Canyon National Park's Natural and Cultural Resources is part of the 2009 Ranger Lecture Series in Flagstaff, called Conversations on the Edge. The lectures feature specialists from Grand Canyon National Park's Division of Science and Resource Management speaking about the National Park Service's work to monitor, manage and preserve Grand Canyon's natural and cultural resources for present and future generations.

Conversations on the Edge lectures are sponsored by the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park and Cline Library.

If you can't attend the lecture, you'll be able to see the video on the new GCA YouTube Video Channel.


For more info: GCA Community Lecture Series

Northern Arizona Book Festival 2009

Northern Arizona Book Festival
April 24-26, 2009

My personal pick of Festival events is:

Indefatigable Influence: An Exploration of the Grand Canyons' Influence on the Visual and Literary Artists and Writers Past & Present on Saturday, at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., April 25, 2009.

Regionalist, Rod Parnell will moderate a discussion panel examining the ways in which environment (specifically the Grand Canyon and Mogollon Rim) have influenced artists from the Ancient inhabitants of the region to present. The panel will consist of an array of painters, photographers, poets, essayist, and historians, including Bruce Aiken, Wayne Ranney, Steve and Lois Hirst.

Orpheum Theater
Flagstaff, Ariz.

Admission: Free – Event sponsored by the Arizona Humanities Council.

Learm more at Northern Arizona Book Festival.

Note: The Orpheum Theater will be closing on April 26, 2009, after the showing of Film: "The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?".

Williams, Arizona--Small Town 4th of July

Just in from Arizona Travel News:

Residents and tourists will celebrate one hundred years of 4th of July parades this July 4 in Williams, Arizona. A vintage photo shot from the second floor of the historic Grand Canyon Hotel, serving guests since 1891, captured the Main Street parade in 1909 and the community will reenact that same setting this year complete with vintage clothing and horse drawn wagons. The reenactment will occur at high noon as locals and visitors alike are invited to dress in period clothing from 1909 to recreate this historical photo. The reenactment photo will be published in the Williams Grand Canyon News, which celebrates 120 years of publishing this year.

Yesterday’s Main Street became the Mother Road of Route 66 fame and continues to be the focal point of historic downtown Williams. The “Old time 4th of July” events spill out into the community and include a local Rotary BBQ, a traditional ice cream social at the Methodist Church, free Family Swim at the beautiful indoor Williams Aquatic Center, and many more family activities. The 4th of July celebration continues with one of the biggest parades in Northern Arizona starting at 6 pm right down historic Route 66! “Celebrating Small Town Traditions” is the theme for this year’s regionally favorite parade which will feature a special antique war bird fly-over as a kick off for evening Main Street activities.

Spend your 4th of July in the cool pines of Northern Arizona and enjoy the hometown feel of the Small Town 4th of July in Williams Arizona. For more information and a full schedule of 4th of July weekend events visit www.williamschamber.com or call 1-800-863-0546.