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Shadows of Sedona
by Jay Burlage
Featured Area: Sedona
Sedona is a city that straddles the
county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde
Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Although according to 2005
Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 11,220, the 2010
Census revealed a population of 10,031.
Sedona's main attraction is its
stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The
formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated
by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop
for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and
mountain biking trails.
Sedona is named after Sedona Arabelle
Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster,
who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.
Sedona is located in the Upper Sonoran
Desert of northern Arizona. At an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,372 m),
Sedona has mild winters and summers.
The famous red rocks of Sedona are
formed by a layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The
Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of red to orange-colored
sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone, a member of
the Supai Group, was deposited during the Permian Period.
There are several events that are
hosted annually in the Sedona area, including:
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Sedona International Film Festival
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Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival
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Sedona Marathon
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The Sedona Miracle Annual Charity
Fundraiser
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El Prado by the Creek's annual
Creekside Serenade each May features art and music on the banks of
Oak Creek in Tlaquepaque arts and crafts village.
Sedona is home to several notable arts
organizations in Northern Arizona.
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The Sedona Arts Center, founded in
1958, is the oldest arts center in northern Arizona.
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The Sedona Jazz on the Rocks
festival, founded in 1982, takes place annually at Radisson Poco
Diablo Resort and other locations over four days in late September.
According to its Web site, the festival was canceled in 2009 due
to the nationwide economic slump but hopes to return for 2010.
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Chamber Music Sedona sponsors a
chamber music program annually from October to May.
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Sedona International Film Festival
& Workshop was established in 1995. The week-long annual festival
takes place in late February and early March at Harkins Theatres
while supplemental events take place at area resorts. The festival
also hosts monthly events.
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GumptionFest, established in 2006
by GumptionFest Artistic Support Foundation Executive Director Dylan
Jung, is a grassroots, local art street festival. The first two
years, the festival took place in early June but was moved to
September for its third year. It was expanded from one night and one
full day to one night and two full days for its fourth year in 2009.
It is one of the largest free music and arts festivals in Northern
Arizona, according to the Sedona Red Rock News.
There is a specialized New Age tourist
industry in Sedona, where the "Harmonic Convergence" was organized by
Jose Arguelles in 1987. Some purport that "spiritual vortices" (local
vernacular is "vortexes") are concentrated in the Sedona area at Bell
Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon. |
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