Mileposts/Calendar

JAPANESE PHONE AID

The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale is the first Arizona hotel to offer Japanesespeaking guests telephone help through the Japanese Assistance Network (JAN). The 24-hour service, which backs up the luxury resort's Japanese-speaking concierge, sets up a three-way conversation between the guest, a resort employee, and a bilingual JAN operator. For information, contact Concierge, The Phoenician, 6000 Ε. Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251; (602) 941-8200.

RANCH MUSEUM

In the 1890s, John Slaughter, an ex-Texas Ranger and onetime sheriff of Cochise County, raised longhorn cattle on his ranch in southern Arizona. There are still longhorns on the ranch (about nine of them), but nowadays it's a National Historic Landmark and a private museum owned by the Johnson Historical Foundation and managed by Paul Noack and his wife, Len.

The Slaughter House Ranch Museum sits on the Mexican border east of Douglas and adjacent to the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge. Its primary attractions are the restored ranch house, which is filled with old photographs and antiques, and a peaceful pond where two species of endangered fish - the Yaqui chub and Yaqui topminnow - live. At least 286 species of birds have been counted on the ranch, and deer and mountain lions come to drink at the pond. There are shaded spots where visitors picnic.

Paul Noack, a big jovial guy who's appeared as an extra in Western movies filmed in the area (he usually plays the blacksmith), enjoys chatting with guests, so if you have questions while visiting, don't be shy.

The museum' is open daily from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 Р.М. (It's a good idea to call and let them know you're coming.) Admission is $5, adults; 50 cents, kids under 14. To get there from Douglas, drive east on 15th Street which will beWelcome Geronimo Trail, then continue on 16 miles east of town. Watch for signs. For more information, call the museum at (602) 558-2474 or the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, (602) 364-2477.

IRA HAYES HONORED

A park in Sacaton on the Gila River Indian Reservation 16 miles north of Casa Grande is the site of an 8-foot by 20-foot granite memorial honoring Ira Hayes, one of the men immortalized in the World War II photograph of victorious marines struggling to raise the American flag on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi. Hayes was a Pima Indian from the community.

Created by artist Oscar Urrea and intended as a tribute to all Pima war veterans, the Ira Hayes Veterans Memorial has an etched plaque depicting the flag raising and contains six stones from Mount Suribachi.

For directions to the monument, call Shirley Lewis at (602) 562-3318.

EVENTS BUFFALO DAZE

April 30-May 1; St. Johns This annual funfest gets its name from a small herd of buffalo that lives in nearby Lyman Lake State Park. (St. Johns is 30 miles north of Springerville in the eastern part of the state; the park is 10 miles south of St. Johns.) Activities include a fiddling contest, junior rodeo, shoot-out reenactments, "buffalo chip cookie" contest, and beard-growing competition. Admission is free, except for the rodeo. If you want to see the free-roaming buffalo, the best times are Wednesday and Saturday evenings when they come to water and feed at the park's entrance on the east

CINCO DE MAYO

Celebrate Mexican independence at a day-long fiesta and street fair at Mesa Southwest Museum, 53 N. Macdonald. Highlights will be traditional dancing, arts and crafts, and authentic Mexican food. The museum, which will be open (there will be an admission charge), is well worth a look. Don't miss the robotic dinosaurs in the prehistoric wing, especially if you have youngsters. Information: 644-2242.

side of U.S. Route 191. Information: 337-2000.

OLD WEST EXTRAVAGANZA

A celebration of the American cowboy called "Trappings of the American West" takes place at Flagstaff's Coconino Center for the Arts (2300 N. Fort Valley Road) in the cool north country. The annual event includes cowboy-poetry recitals; exhibits of photography, paintings, sculpture, saddles, boots, bits, and spurs; music and dancing; a barbecue; and an arts and crafts auction. An admission will be charged for some activities. Information: 779-6921.

CELEBRATION ON CORTEZ STREET

May 29-31; Prescott The mile-high city in the cool pines throws a big party on Cortez Street every Memorial Day weekend - and everybody's invited to browse among the arts and crafts, enjoy the live entertainment, and fill up on munchies from a variety of food booths. The fun starts at 10:00 A.M. daily and ends at 5:00P.M. Saturday and Sunday and 3:00 P.M. Monday. Admission is free. Information: 445-2000 or tollfree 1 (800) 266-7534.

RENDEZVOUS DAYS

May 29-31; Williams The self-proclaimed "Gateway to the Grand Canyon," Williams honors its history with a reenactment of the traditional mountain men's yearly gathering to sell furs, catch up on news, and trade tall tales. The fun includes a black-powder shoot, a parade, arts and crafts, and music. Admission is free. Be sure to allow time to sightsee: a one-hour round-trip drive up Bill Williams Mountain rewards with high-country scenery at its best, and a 17-mile trip on a good paved, then dirt, road leads to White Horse Lake - the "Gem of the Kaibab" and spectacular Sycamore Point. Information: 635-4061.