AUTUMN'S VARIETY SHOW IN ARIZONA

Hear ye, hear ye! This year, as every year, during the months of October and November, Arizona is proud to present upon her scenic stage Autumn's outstanding and ever-popular Variety Show. Many colorful stars, anxious to give their usual brilliant performances, await your coming. This year's production will follow the format that has been so well received in the past. Two main acts will be presented on our split-level stage. The first will feature Autumn's pageant of color in the highlands of the north, while the second focuses the spotlight of attention on the lower elevations in the south. But now you must hurry. The show is ready to begin. You will need no reservation, as our outdoor theater has a virtually unlimited capacity, and the only ticket of admission is an appreciative eye for beauty.

The opening scene is in Southern Utah, in late September and early October. Autumn is scurrying through the aspen groves near Cedar Breaks and Navajo Lake, like a whirl-wind with the magic touch of Midas. Shimmering aisles of red and gold mark her passage as she hurries south for her early season appointment with Arizona's Kaibab Forest. Her arrival produces a scene that will have the critics lavishing praise upon the set designer. Blue Spruce, Ponderosa Pines, and enchanting grass-covered meadows have been artistically combined to produce a splendid setting that has inspired the star Aspen performers to their finest efforts. Impressive supporting performances are also given by crowd-pleasing Red Oaks along the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The scene shifts now in the second and third weeks of October, with both the San Francisco Peaks and White Mountains occupying the stage.

The Peaks obviously given one of the show's leading roles make a spectacular entrance as they display a masterpiece of costuming. Their pine-and-aspen robes are fashioned in exciting patterns of green and gold that flow in graceful lines over the bold mountain slopes and into the valleys below. It is a difficult assignment to appear in the same act with such famous competition, but the White Mountains are seasoned campaigners that can always be relied upon for an outstanding performance. Here the Aspen continue to display their amazing talents. And, as an added attraction, the Oaks and Sumac are featured in a number of memorable scenes.

"PATRIARCH OF THE LONELY AUTUMNS"

Nobody knows how or why the Bristlecone Pine has survived so well for so long under nature's least favorable conditions of climate, soil, (or lack of it) and environmental hostilities of the most rugged southwest areas Specimens still growing have been declared to be older by a thousand years than the oldest redwood yet officially measured, indicating an origin dated in the past as far before the birth of Christ as is now in the future

Ah! Autumn! The sight of it! The smell of it! The feel of it! The sound of it! Underfoot the red and golden brown leaves crinkle and crunch as corn flakes!

"The Road to Winter"

As the enactment of Autumn in the northlands reaches its conclusion, the first storms of winter boisterously take the stage to ring down a curtain of white on Act One. In the interlude between our two main acts, you will be entertained by scenes from Arizona's intermediate elevations. Oak Creek Canyon provides one of the finest backdrops for Autumn's colorful entertainers. Sharing the limelight are such acclaimed performers as the Red Maples, Sumac, Sycamores, and Cottonwoods. Their reds, bronzes, and golds are displayed to great advantage against the canyon walls an impressive performance, indeed! Among the other areas featured in this late October and early November interlude is the Upper Verde Valley. Here, top billing goes not only to many of the performers that have been on Autumn's scenic stage previously but to a variety of small bushes as well. They march in great numbers along the banks of the Verde River in what seems a well-rehearsed parade of yellow and red. And when the lighting technician spotlights them with the rays of the late afternoon sun a cry of “encore” will be on the lips of every viewer. But now, once again, the curtain is rising. It is late November and time for the beginning of Act Two: “Autumn in the Lowlands.”

In this act our show's director has used an element of surprise. Realizing that many people are unaware of Autumn's fine performance in the desert areas of Arizona, he presents a series of eye-opening scenes. They are designed to show his lowland favorites, the Cottonwoods and Sycamores, to their best advantage.

You will be spellbound as they display their golden and bronze costumes against spectacular desert backgrounds. Their bright autumn hues fill the desert canyons and waterways, seeming to transform them into giant veins of gold that wind slowly through the foothills.

With a superb sense of showmanship, our director has made the members of the Cacti Family co-stars in this part of the production. When the Saguaros and Prickly Pears, along with the rest of their famous clan, make joint appearances with Autumn's highly rated cast, some of the show's most memorable moments are assured.

AUTUMN FAVORITES

As the show builds toward a climax, scenes are shown along some of Autumn's favorite rivers like the San Pedro, Gila, and Lower Verde. At this point, discipline among the stars seems to get out of hand. The Cottonwoods, Sycamores, and even a colorful assortment of smaller trees and bushes all seem to be trying to get into the act at the same time. A near color riot is the result. The outstanding desert canyon near Tucson, called Sabino, is featured in Autumn's grand finale. Her seasonal fires, burning fiercely, are reflected in a little stream that runs between the rugged canyon walls. But, slowly, the flames are extinguished by the passage of time, and the final curtain descends. Autumn's Variety Show has completed another successful season. But she has a permanent booking on the great stage of Arizona. And you may be sure that, when next the months of October and November move to the front of the calendar, her performers will once again be awaiting your arrival.