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For more than 15 years, Local First Arizona has been dedicated to supporting locally owned businesses across the state. The organization’s latest venture is FLAVOR, a food and wine festival in Flagstaff; the inaugural edition of the festival is Saturday, September 14, from 1 to 7 p.m. Kendall Jones, Local First Arizona’s business and media relations manager, talked with us about the organization and this exciting new event.

Since some of our readers may not be familiar with it, tell us a little about Local First Arizona.
We’ve been around since 2003, and our mission is to support local economies across the state. We believe in vibrant communities, and we work with local businesses and local communities to help them come together and support each other. The organization was founded by Kimber Lanning, who owns the Modified Arts gallery and Stinkweeds record store in Phoenix. She was seeing a lot of young, talented people leaving the state because of a lack of opportunity, and she wanted to help connect more people to their home in Arizona. Local First Arizona started with a few dozen local businesses, and it’s now the largest coalition of those businesses in the state, with offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.

How did FLAVOR come together?
One of our newest staff members came from the Arboretum at Flagstaff, and she had a wine festival that she did there. We realized we had an opportunity to add to the food and wine festivals we already do, which are DEVOUR, in Phoenix, and SAVOR, in Tucson. We want FLAVOR to be a showcase of local vintners, chefs and restaurants. We’re co-hosting the event with Over the Rainbow Butterfly Garden, and the location is Warner’s Nursery in Flagstaff. The event is sponsored by AZ Central Credit Union, with additional support from Melissa Cripps State Farm, Majestic Mobil, and Renewal by Andersen.

What can attendees do at the festival?
In addition to trying food and wines from local restaurants and wineries, they can wander through the wonderful nursery and just enjoy this beautiful setting. We’ll have live music and entertainment throughout the day, so people can enjoy this sensory experience. Everyone gets a commemorative wine glass and a water bottle as keepsakes, and we also are partnering with Mountain Line to offer free bus rides for each of our guests, so they can enjoy the event responsibly.

Where can people get tickets?
They can visit localfirstaz.com/events/flavor to buy general admission tickets, and they'll also be available at the festival.

To learn more about Local First Arizona, visit the group’s website.

From the issue: "Proudly decked out in her nation's colors, an all-American Jessica Reed, age 9, stars in the children's parade, just one in a swirl of events that make up Prescott's Frontier Days."

A wildfire burning in the Dry Lake Hills area north of Flagstaff has now burned roughly 1,000 acres. 

The Museum Fire started Sunday morning and grew overnight. Planned burnout operations were postponed Sunday night due to the fire activity. As of Monday morning, fire managers were expecting to have a heavy air presence to attack the fire. 

Officials advise the public to be cautious while driving on U.S. Route 180 and U.S. Route 89 near Flagstaff, as heavy smoke is expected in the area. 

Right now, no evacuations have been enforced, but communities in the surrounding area have been put on alert to be in the "prepare now" stage. Coconino County officials have made direct contact with people in neighborhoods that are affected by pre-evacuation notices. An American Red Cross shelter has already been set up at Sinagua Middle School for those who opt to leave their homes. 

For information on road closures and impacted areas, you can visit the incident website.

The Arizona State Historic Preservation Office has announced that the Sandra Day O'Connor House in Tempe is now officially on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The register is the nation's list of properties considered worthy or preservation.

“The Arizona SHPO is proud to have collaborated with Justice O’Connor’s friends and colleagues as well as the O’Connor Institute to ensure national recognition of this legacy resource,” Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer Kathryn Leonard said in a statement.

The Sandra Day O'Connor House was built in 1958 and was originally in Paradise Valley. Justice O'Connor lived there from 1958 until 1981 when she was named to the Supreme Court. The home holds plenty of history as it was where O'Connor spent the years of her life while making the ascent in the judicial field.

The house was relocated to Papago Park in 2009 and had some rehabilitation done on the property. Now it is the home of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. 

“Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is an inspiration to so many Arizonans,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “The O’Connor House was her home for decades as she shattered glass ceilings and blazed a trail for others to follow. With this designation, this important piece of Arizona history will be protected for generations to come.”