The Villager

Usually I take a walk in my garden to get inspiration. My garden tells me what to write about. T

Verde Valley First Books (VVFB) is an all-volunteer organization founded by Peg Schlichtemeier in 2018, who sadly passed away in January 2021.

The Rotary Club of Sedona Village had the privilege of exploring the captivating Verde Valley Ancestral Garden during a recent visit to the Verde Valley Archeology Center in Camp Verde.

Years ago, I was interviewed by a Phoenix TV station about endurance training in extreme heat.

In advance of 2023, the recession drum beats were so loud it was deafening. Market pundits warned that as the Fed raised interest rates, it was just a matter of time before the economy entered a recession.

When you retire, you hope that you’ll be able to anticipate the events that could cause you financial challenges down the road.

Jewelry Artist Mickey McCarthy will be the Featured Artist at the Village Gallery of Local Artists for the month of August 2023. A reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 4, 5-8 p.m. to showcase her work. McCarthy will be present to explain her process and discuss her jewelry creations.

A proposed lease agreement between Yavapai County and Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District for the use of the former Big Park School is scheduled to be on the July 11 agenda of the school’s governing board.

Chief Dori Booth, fire marshal from the Sedona Fire District (SFD) presented timely home wildfire protection information to the Big Park Council.

We all like bargains, right?

In March, the Big Park Council’s Art in the Roundabouts (AiR) Committee launched a dedicated website (ourvillageart.org) for the purpose of keeping the public apprised about the project’s purpose and progress, and to gather community input for selection of the artworks.

Following presentations by Yavapai County Supervisor Donna Michaels, Yavapai Director of Planning & Development, Jeremy Dye and Sedona Fire District Fire Marshal Chief Dori Booth, President John Wichert called the meeting to order with 14 Member Organizations and 6 guests present.

Yavapai County Planning & Development Director Jeremy Dye began his presentation to the Big Park Council by saying that he has 72 full-time staff members (50 in Prescott, 22 in Cottonwood) covering 8100 square miles of Yavapai County.

Last week, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau met with various business sectors in the community to discuss our overarching direction with membership and marketing for this upcoming fiscal year.

Crisis Care Kits have become one of the biggest charitable opportunities of the year here in the Village. For several years Village of Oak Creek Church of the Nazarene has facilitated the bulk purchase and packing of much needed hygiene products to be sent to disaster victims.

How do you move 70,000 pounds of rock to build a trail with 740 feet of elevation gain?

My wife Nancy told me she was taking me out to dinner for Father’s Day along with our friends, Dana and John Jacko. Given Nancy’s family name of Battaglini and John’s Italian heritage through his mom as a Larocca, I was pretty sure I was in for a night of pasta and red sauce.

Big Park Council President John Wichert welcomed Guest Speaker District 3 Yavapai County Supervisor Donna Michaels at the Council’s June 8 regular meeting.

The early summer garden is a magnet in the morning before it gets too hot. It inspires a “to do” list of both garden delights, and work to be done. It is really about relishing each day the beautiful relationship that we have helped create.

Village of Oak Creek Church of the Nazarene (VocNaz) will host a community blood drive with the American Red Cross on August 31st from 10am to 3pm at 55 Rojo Drive in the Village of Oak Creek. Rojo Drive is ¼ mile south of the Hilton/Collective round-a-bout.

Earlier today, I was pumping iron and listening to “Dreams” by The Cranberries…

Save the date for the second annual Novel Night, a unique fundraiser for the Village Library, on Sept. 30.

Fiber Artist Florence Johns Vezie will be the Featured Artist at the Village Gallery of Local Artists for the month of July 2023. A reception will be held on Friday, July 7, to showcase her work.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Sedona Referrals Club (SRC), which has been serving the professional business community of Sedona and the Verde Valley since 1993, recently announced its new Board of Directors for 2023-24.

Hurray for all that winter moisture. It may have taken the edge off the so-called "fire season" in eastern Yavapai County temporarily, but residents still need to be in full preparation mode.