The Villager

The Verde Valley Neighborhood Food Project was established in 2013 with one goal in mind – to support those who feed the hungry in the Verde Valley, one bag at a time. It meets that goal by community donors filling up green bags every other month with non-perishable food items.

The Collective Use Permit: The Planning & Zoning Committee member David Gill provided a summary report on the Special Use Permit application from the Collective.

Amid the ruckus of state and regional contests for public office, there is a quieter search happening here in our immediate midst for leadership on the Big Park Council. These are the volunteer leaders who ensure that our local voice is understood and delivered on matters impacting quality-of-life in our community.

Are you a volunteer? Do you want to help students who need a boost to catch up with classmates? Do you love reading and writing? Do you miss your young grandkids/nieces/nephews? Then we have an opportunity for you.

If you haven’t already discovered it, there are new recycling bins in Cornville, courtesy of Yavapai County. This facility accepts cardboard and mixed paper, steel and aluminum cans, and 1-7 plastics – which must be separated. No glass or other materials.

Keep Sedona Beautiful will resume its Preserving the Wonder Speaker Series on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.sm.

During World War II there were nearly 20,000,000 Victory Gardens across the U.S. producing about 40 percent of all the vegetables consumed during the war years. Of all the home front contributions to the war effort, these gardens were a staple of what average Americans could do at home to provide a dependable and fresh food supply. Many farm workers had enlisted, and farms had to get by without their normal workforce.

We have reached the end of our joyful time educating and caring for your little ones! After a 2.5-year journey of operating a preschool and serving so many families, we have permanently closed our doors.

Sedona United Methodist Church’s annual pumpkin patch at benefits Verde Valley/Sedona Young Life. All proceeds go to Young Life camp scholarships. Learn more at YoungLife.org.

SCOTTY’S TAKEOUT: YOUR CHOICE OF “SANDWITCH IS” OR “SANDWITCH ISN’T”

Last season, Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund supported a major project of providing new and updated trail signage throughout the Red Rock Ranger District. Funds were provided by generous individual donors and grant awards.

Join us Saturday Sept. 3, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Back by popular demand! Join Danielle “Diva” Williams and Keith Ellis, The Clean Comedian, for a night of laughs.

The mixed media artwork of Cindi Horste will be featured during the month of September at the Village Gallery of Local Artists. A reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 2, 5-8 p.m., and Horste will be demonstrating the “Spark Art” wood burning technique using 2K volts of electricity to create unique burn patterns that she later embellishes with turquoise inlay.

Oak Creek Watershed Council, an environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the health of Oak Creek in Northern Arizona, welcomed Jonathan Lutz as its new executive director on July 18. Lutz, who recently worked in the same role at Tucson Audubon Society for three years, has over 14 years of nonprofit leadership experience.

Aside from the usual “Where does the time go?” and “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat” musings that I make over dinner, I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the places to go and things to do in Arizona. And I’ve lived here over eight years.

I have been a fan of existentialism and absurdism since my high school years. One of my favorite quotes from A. Camus is: “Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present.”

Long-term, the emergency department of Northern Arizona Healthcare in Sedona is in a precarious situation as NAH evaluates its services in Yavapai County.

It’s almost that time of year again – festival and event season. With the end of summer nearing, I am personally getting very excited about the many events that will be taking place in our community. In fact, one of those events is just now experiencing a resurgence since COVID: 1st Friday in the Galleries.

Don’t miss the Village fundraising event of the year! Tickets are now on sale for Novel Night on October 1. You’ve got plenty of time to get tickets, plan your costume, and tell your friends. Everyone’s invited to the After Party where we’ll continue celebrating literature, literacy, community, and Sedona Public Library in the Village.

In the July 1 article in The Villager entitled “Truth In Recycling: Are you just wish-cycling,” the author, Jill McCutcheon, suggests that because there is no large facility in this county for dealing with what she calls “Single Stream Recycling," the recovery rate for that method (combining all recyclables in one can separate from other trash) is very low.

This is the fourth article from the Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee (EPPiC) of the Big Park Council. It features Arizona Public Service (APS).

The YCOEM (Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management/Public Works), represented by Jon Jones—Deputy Emergency Manager, presented at our May Emergency Preparedness (EPPiC) meeting.

Another “coming soon” has arrived.

The Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund works in partnership with the Red Rock Ranger District and the community to raise funds to maintain and enhance the non-motorized trails near Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.

Recently I visited the garden at Verde Valley School, and was walking through it with a young man who is very concerned about the environment and the risks to our climate and planet.