A Calendar of Holiday Events

BY: Melanie Johnston

Arizona Calendar Special Events of the Holiday Season

December is a festive month throughout Arizona. It's a time when friendly communities around the state hold open house, inviting everyone to join in celebrating the holi-day season. The opportuni-ties range from sailing in a parade of lights beneath Lon-don Bridge in Lake Havasu City to whispering Yuletide wishes in the ear of a Western-clad Santa Claus in Tucson. Collected on these pages is a sampling of December events. Consider this an offi-cial invitation to come on out and share the warmth of the season.

Parker: Christmas Lights on the Water

Brightly lit sporting boats stage a 10-mile parade down the Colorado River Novem-ber 26. Starting a mile below Parker Dam, this aquatic light show can be seen from many good viewing spots along either bank. The evening winds up with a trophy presentation at the Sports Valley Restaurant in Parker. Telephone 669-2174.

Tucson: The Historical Society's Territorial Christmas

The Fremont House Museum in Tucson will recapture its territorial splen-dor with antique decorations, toys, and an old-fashioned Christmas tree. The holiday exhibit will be open Wednes-day through Saturday throughout December. Admission is free, but dona-tions are appreciated. Telephone 622-0956.

Prescott Art Show

Prescott's Phippen Muse-um of Western Art presents its second annual Christmas show, featuring 50 Arizona artists. It will run through out December. Telephone 778-1385.

Fiesta Bowl Fun

Fiesta Bowl festivities pack the December Calendarsome events started as early as October! Athletic contests, pageants, ballooning, marathons, bicycle races, and the big parade lead up to the Fiesta Bowl football game at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe. From December 1 to 3, all they'll be talking about in Willcox, center of a growing apple industry, is apples and more apples. The Christmas

Willcox: A Holiday Apple Festival

Apple Festival includes a cooking-with-apples contest, an apple-themed arts and crafts show, and a Christmas bazaar. Admission to the Willcox Community Center is free. Telephone 384-2272.

Mesa: Latter-Day Saints Light up the Temple Grounds

In early December, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decorates the grounds of its Arizona Temple in Mesa with 250,000 Christmas lights. Temple offi cials invite guests to tour the visitor center, gardens, and lighted walkways, and enjoy a concert series. Admission is free. For a schedule, telephone 964-7164.

A High-Tech Tree in Tucson

The Electric League of Arizona blends technology and tradition December 1 to 3 when it cosponsors Holiday in Lights, a weekend of festivities at 20th of August Park. The Christmas tree will be decorated with fiber-optic tubes. The park features a Holiday Village with a Western-garbed Santa, antique carriage and stagecoach rides, and plenty of entertainment. An electrical menorah will be lit in observance of Hanukkah. Admission is free. Telephone 8824040 or 629-9920.

Chandler Trims the Tumbleweed Tree

For something completely different, see Chandler's giant tree comprising a thousand tumbleweeds, embellished with 25 gallons of white paint, 50 pounds of silver glitter, and 1,500 lights. The Tumbleweed Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on December 2 at A. J. Chandler Park. Santa is expected. Telephone 786-2221.

Native American Arts and Crafts

Indian reservations welcome visitors to their holiday arts and crafts sales. The Navajo Nation has scheduled sales in Window Rock December 2-3 and December 9-10. The Colorado River Indian Reservation holds an Art Mart December 17 in Parker. The Gila River Indian Reservation presents its PreChristmas Arts and Crafts Sale November 26 to December 9. Telephone 234-2010.

Ballet Arizona: The Nutcracker

Ballet Arizona will present its interpretation of the holiday classic The Nutcracker to audiences in Flagstaff (December 2-3), Tempe (December 6-11), Tucson (December 15-18), and Phoenix (December 21-28). Tickets are $12 to $18. Telephone 791-4836 in Tucson, 829-5555 in Phoenix.

Camp Verde Sends for the Cavalry

On December 3, Santa Claus travels down Camp Verde's Main Street in distinctly Southwestern fashion -by horse-drawn buggy under the escort of the Camp Verde Cavalry. During the procession, Santa talks with children and gives out presents. The cavalry unit, commemorating the troops who served at Fort Verde from 1865 to 1891, is almost as big an attraction as Santa himself. Telephone 567-9294.

A Festival Afloat: Lake Powell

It's a feast for the eyes and the palate at Lake Powell on December 3. Wahweap Lodge and Marina hosts a chili fest as more than 45 decorated boats form an aqua-parade to Glen Canyon Dam and back. Both the dinner and a lakefront seat at the marina are free. Enthusiasts who prefer to enjoy the twohour light show from a tour boat may do so for $10 apiece. Telephone 278-8888 in Arizona, or (800) 341-8934 outside Arizona.

Yuma Spotlights Friendship

Main Street in Yuma comes alive December 3 with children's activities, a visit from Santa Claus, multicultural foods, crafts booths, and allday entertainment at the annual Christmas Festival. Throughout December, the Yuma Water Tower, renamed Friendship Tower for the season, is draped in lights, representing a 200-foot-tall Christmas tree. Admission to the festival is free. Telephone 782-2567.

Light Show under London Bridge

Bridgewater Channel, spanned by Lake Havasu City's authentic London Bridge, sparkles with a fleet of sailboats, fishing boats, and yachts decorated for the Parade of Lights December 3. Telephone 855-4115.

Prescott: Aglow with Territorial Spirit

The former territorial cap ital of Arizona salutes the season December 3 with an afternoon parade, a reading from the biblical Christmas story, and a choral performance of carols-all as prelude to the traditional Courthouse lighting ceremony at dusk. Telephone 445-2000 or, from Phoenix, 253-5988.

Noche de las Luminarias at the Botanical Garden

On December 3, at least 6,000 luminarias will light the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden's paths, buildings, and 10,000 varieties of cacti and succulents. (Luminarias are candles set in sand inside small paper bags.) For the occasion there will also be strolling carolers, musical ensembles, and a generous supply of hot cider and cook-ies. Tickets ($6) must be purchased in advance. Telephone 941-1225.

A Mass and Fiesta at Tumacacori

Tumacacori National Mon-ument, a Spanish mission ruin 45 miles south of Tuc-son, will be the site of the annual Tumacacori Fiesta December 4. It starts with Mass at 10:00 A.M. and con-cludes at sundown. In between, enjoy entertainment,

assorted foods, and crafts products from Native Amer-ican, Mexican, and Anglo-American cultures. Admission is free. Telephone 398-2341.

Hanukkah: Festival of Lights

Hanukkah, the Jewish re-dedication to spiritual free-dom, is observed in Phoenix beginning December 4 with the lighting of the menorah at Temple Beth Israel. On the evening of December 9, a candlelight ceremony at the temple will include a reading from the Books of the Mac-cabees and the singing of hymns. Telephone 264-4428.

Christmas Spirit in Mesa

Proceeds from the Desert Club of Mesa's elegant Christ-mas Idea House, a private home aglitter with Christmas decorations and gifts, will benefit community service projects such as the Mesa Child Crisis Center, college scholarships, and public hearing-aid programs. Open to the public December 4 and 5, this year's idea house is at 4222 East McClellan Circle (No. 10 Park Ave.) in Mesa.

In Tucson and Tempe: Arts and Crafts

The Fourth Avenue Street Fair in Tucson and Old Town Tempe's Festival of the Arts are two good opportunities to buy handcrafted gifts for the holiday. Both fairs feature the work of weavers, wood-workers, jewelers, and artists in a variety of media. Enter-tainers and purveyors of food and drink are scattered among the artisans. Tempe holds its downtown festival December 2-4. Tucson's fair is December 9-11. Admission to both is free. Telephone 967-4877, Tempe; 624-5004, Tucson. Valley Bank Center pres-

International Christmas in Central Phoenix

ents International Christmas VIII from December 4 to 30, with doors open 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. daily, including weekends. Dozens of decorated trees reflect the multicultural population of the Valley. Noontime programs, weekdays December 5-16, feature local high school and college choral groups. Telephone 261-1005.

Peoria: 13,000 Christmas Lights

Peoria, northwest of Phoenix, stages its annual Festival of Lights December 8 at Washington Park. Holiday spirits are enhanced by the lighting of the city's Christmas tree, arts and crafts tables for children, entertainment by choirs, dancers, and bands, and a visit from old St. Nick. Admission is free. Telephone 979-3755.

Safford's Christmas Trees

Freshly cut pine trees, tumbleweeds, yucca blossoms, and almost anything else that grows in or around Safford gets dressed in holiday attire and presented by local families at the Festival of Trees December 8 and 9. Each year the more than 65 trees filling Safford's Stake Center are viewed by nearly 4,000 people, including visitors from New Mexico and California. Admission is free. Telephone 428-3828. From December 9 to 11 the Famous Buckskinners

Williams: Memories of a Frontier Christmas

And Bill Williams Mountain Men tell tales of Christmas past, the voices of choirs ring through the town, and homemade holiday crafts are sold. Williams residents and their neighbors celebrate the holiday season in an oldfashioned way. Telephone 635-2041.

Downtown Phoenix: The Fiesta of Light

Mayor Goddard hosts his favorite holiday event, the Fiesta of Light, on December 10 at the newly rebuilt Patriots Square. A parade will precede the annual tree-lighting ceremony and a spectacular light-show finale. Visit Santa's Village. Entertainment, holiday foods, and crafts demonstrations are on the schedule from noon to 9:00 P.M. Admission is free. Telephone 262-4627.

Victorian Holiday Festival, Phoenix

Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix, part of the original Phoenix townsite, hosts a Victorian Holiday Festival December 10 and 11. The turn-of-the-century Rosson House is decorated in traditional trimmings, while 19th century entertainment, a vintage crafts bazaar, and food booths fill the Square. Admission to Heritage Square is free; a tour of the Rosson House is $2 for adults, 50 cents for children. Telephone 262-5071

Sedona Sparkles

Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village will be outlined by 6,000 luminarias during its Festival of Lights on December 10. Shoppers are invited to assist in lighting the candles, to join in singing carols, and to enjoy complimentary hot cider. On December 11, Tlaquepaque Village will host Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, groups of carolers, and a midday musical performance. Admission is free. Telephone 282-4838.

Indian Market at Pueblo Grande

Indian artists representing more than 70 tribes of the United States, Canada, and Mexico come to the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix to sell their work December 10 and 11. This is one of the most diversified Indian markets in the Southwest. Last year 600 artists sold a range of handmade goods that included kachina dolls, watercolors, pottery, sculpture, quilts, and authentic Indian costumes fashioned for "Cabbage Patch" and "Barbie" dolls. Admission is free. Telephone 275-1897.

Flagstaff at Christmastime

In northern Arizona, where holiday festivities can-and often do-include snow, Flagstaff decorates its 35-foot Christmas tree, welcomes Santa Claus and children with cookies and punch, and encourages holiday revelers in the singing of carols. The festivities take place December 11 outside Flagstaff's City Hall. Telephone 779-7690.

Thatcher: The Messiah

The home of 100-year-old Eastern Arizona College hosts a grand production of Handel's The Messiah December 11 at the school's Fine Arts Center Auditorium. This 52nd annual performance of the oratorio is presented by more than 150 choir members and is certain to play to a packed hall. Another standing-room-only event is the college's Centennial Festival of Carols on December 6. Admission to both events is free. Telephone 428-1133.

Las Posadas: The Story Retold

This traditional Mexican reenactment of Mary and Joseph's search for a room in Bethlehem is expected to attract more than 3,000 people to downtown Tucson December 15. Bystanders join in singing Christmas songs that accompany the hour-long procession. Las Posadas will begin at the Mary Dill Elementary School at 7:00 P.M. Telephone 622-6911.

Gilbert and the Spirit of Christmas

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce sponsors a decoration contest and publishes a tour directory of houses, buildings, and businesses decked out for the holidays. A schedule of local events is included with the tour map. Telephone 892-0056.

Note of Thanks...

This, our traditional holiday issue, was printed by the Phoenix division of the W. A. Krueger Company on 60-pound Somerset Gloss, manufactured by the S. D. Warren Company. The cover was printed on 100-pound Capistrano, manufactured by the James River Corporation. The four-color separations and final film were produced in the Phoenix plant of the American Color Corporation. Text was set by Jacobson and Whitesides, Inc., of Tempe, Arizona; display type by Jacobson and Whitesides and by ProType of Phoenix. To one and all, the staff extends its gratitude.