Join the National Day of the Cowboy celebration Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, in Sedona, and celebrate part of the local cultural heritage

There will be a “whole lot of cowboy goin’s on” from noon to 8 p.m. all along State Route 89A, at the Shops at Hyatt Piñon Pointe and on State Route 179 at Red Stone Center. The event is co-presented by The Red Rock Posse and Sedona Main Street Program. An event program and parking map are available at sedonamainstreet.com.

Activities will continue throughout both days, including live cowboy entertainment and performances, country music, arts and trades demonstrations, activities for little cowpokes, promotions, sales and even games to play throughout the area.

Always the fourth Saturday in July, this year Saturday, July 23, is the officially proclaimed National Day of the Cowboy. In honor of the day, a special cowboy arena is being set up at Canyon Breeze Plaza. Cowboy and western dramas and comedies, gunfights, dance routines and single-action shooting demonstrations are taking place there on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from High Noon to 7 p.m.

The Red Rock Posse is a “wild bunch” of gun-slinging cowboys  — and a few cowgirls — riding out of Sedona. All their many skits are originals, offering a bit of history enacted with a sense of humor. No story would be complete without shoot-outs offering lots of gunfire. All their work on this event is complimentary. They not only spend time writing and rehearsing for this big celebration but also help with all the planning and coordinating of other performers and activities.

Single-action shooters, the Kirkhams of Sedona, will be demonstrating their skills at Canyon Breeze Plaza as well. Cody, alias “Cody James,” has 12 top three national and world championship places, including this year’s 2016 Overall National Winter Range Champion and 2016 World Top 16 Shoot Off Men’s Champion. Jessica, alias “SASS Kicker,” has won the Top Overall World and National Lady’s Championship in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

On Friday at 7 p.m., Cody will be joined by his father, Greg Kirkham, who got the interest started and has fanned both the cowboy and community spirit ever since. On Saturday, at 1 p.m. they will once again host action-packed shooting, and then a special cowboy shooting competition for all buckaroos and buckarettes — using Nerf guns — starting at 1:45 p.m. for 6- to 8-year-olds and then for 9- to 13-year-olds. At their 7 p.m. demonstration on Saturday, they may be joined by “SASS Kicker” Jessica, if she is back in time for a special appearance.

Lee Anderson, a living historian, author and superb horseman, will appear with his horse and faithful partner, Concho. On Friday, he’ll be riding throughout town on Concho from noon to 4 p.m. and then performing at Canyon Breeze Plaza from 4 to 6 p.m.

Anderson is a student of the old vaquero “Bridle Horse” methods. He jokingly admits, “I am probably the only Swedish vaquero you’ll ever meet.”

In the hands of a true bridle horseman, a well-trained bridle horse is pure poetry in motion. For example, it has been recorded that the old vaqueros were big sportsman and loved to show off at festive occasions.

Sedona Scarletts, a pom squad, will perform a Western dance routine at Canyon Breeze Plaza. They will delight you with their youthful enthusiasm a few times between 6 and 7 p.m. on Friday and between 5 and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The Sedona Scarletts Pom Squad formed in fall 2015 as a junior cheer group for youth football and chose to continue their dance passion. The Scarletts are made up of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. They are continually learning new routines and perform at community and sporting events. The Scarletts are coached by Lisa Cox and Shara Coughlin.

Nearby, there will be a fabulous raffle with ticket sales from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday to benefit Sedona Main Street Program in an effort to continue its work, which makes this and other free community events possible throughout the year. The grand prize is a five-night stay at Hyatt Piñon Pointe and there are many other valuable prizes, all from generous business donors in Sedona Main Street District. The winner will be drawn on Saturday at 6 p.m. and need not be present to win.

Sedona Arts Center will have an exhibit featuring the paintings and bronze sculpture of Joe Beeler, renowned founder of Cowboy Artists of America, on both Friday and Saturday. The center is also hosting western artist demonstrations all day on Saturday.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., three artists will be featured:

• Pastel artist Nori Thorne is also accomplished in the art of leather tooling. She does custom designs in belts, pistol holders and other uses for leather. Thorne will demonstrate the various techniques and designs that she uses to turn leather into a work of art.
  n Harvey Stearn has been a dedicated outdoor photographer for over 60 years, starting with his own darkroom prints and moving exclusively to digital capture and printmaking in 2001. His images have been exhibited in galleries, museums, offices and public buildings. He enjoys sharing his art with others, and has taught digital photography for 10 years, including special classes for American Indian children.
  Stearn is recently the author of a book, “In Search of the Old West,” featuring his many photographs of horses, landscapes, old buildings and people.
• After moving to the Grand Canyon in 1981, Mary Lois Brown found little time for painting. She worked as a mule guide for three years and was her inspiration. She still had time to explore and absorb the beauty of the canyon from river to rim. This awesome experience can be seen in her work.
  Three other artists will be featured from 1:30 to 4 p.m.:
• Margo Mitchell’s personal style of oil painting is greatly influenced by the art she admires in museums and galleries in Europe and America. In particular, The Hague School of Art, which often focuses on barnyard animals, encouraged her to pursue those subjects that always appealed to her the most. When painting animals, her goal is to portray them frozen for a moment, as if they will suddenly return to grazing or swish their tails. The results are regularly exhibited in national juried shows.
• Sue Horine has been creating her bead embroidered art jewelry since 2005. Primarily self-taught, her beaded jewelry is becoming easily recognizable as her style has developed from her love of nature and the scenic stone cabochons she incorporates in her work.
• People viewing Julie Talbot’s watercolor work are surprised by the vibrant color and the precise details as well as the look of her finished paintings, many of which are done on watercolor paper gallery wrapped on stretcher bars and coated with an archival varnish requiring no mat or glass. Transparent watercolor continues to fascinate Talbot as she peruses a variety of favorite subjects.
• At Sinagua Plaza, Whiskers Barkery is hosting abstract energy/aura drawings of pets and their people by Marita Gail from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There is no fee for the drawing but donations are welcomed and a portion of the proceeds will benefit local animal rescues. In that same plaza, Touchstone Gallery will have a free Arizona Natural History Event and fabulous fossil displays.

Ropers Paul and Karyl Pitts have come down from Kingman to show how it’s done, if need be. All ages can try their hand at roping, with or without instruction. Give it a whirl with them at the Mid-Block Crosswalk Plaza from High Noon to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

At Uptown Mall, The Movie Museum will host face-painting and temporary tattoos on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

At 89Agave Plaza on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. find free Western stickers and tattoos. At the 89Agave Cantina there is a photo-op cutout that makes for colorful memories.
Past the History Walk and down the road is Ramsey’s Rocks & Minerals at 150 SR 179. Bad Bob and Sweet Su will offer free balloons, a free “Mine of Gold” for kids under 12, western-themed products and a sidewalk sale on Friday and Saturday.

The Shops at Hyatt Pinon Pointe are celebrating the National Day of the Cowboy in a big way.

Adonai Christian Fine Art Gallery is hosting a singing cowboy from noon to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and providing photo opportunities with Dick and Golden Coin, a Tennessee walker horse.
Then on Saturday, the shops will have live music in the courtyards all day plus barbecue tastings and whiskey, wine and beer tastings from 1 to 4 p.m.

Starbucks at Hyatt Pinon Pointe will offer face painting and glitter tattoos for children. Look for sidewalk sales throughout the shops and raffle tickets on sale for great prizes.
Saturday night, there will be a concert at Sound Bites Grill when TJ Broscoff and his band from Austin, Texas, perform at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. The music is “Alternative Country Texas Roots Honest Un-insulting Music.”

Broscoff has spent hours and hours perfecting his playing and developing a style that would include everything from alternative to country influences. There are many guitar players that are good and there are many that are functional, but there are very few that can iron out a style of their very own. Broscoff has done just that. Enjoy an evening of dinner and dancing; reserve tickets by calling 282-2713.

Cheers Plaza, on the corner of State Route 89A and Forest Road, is hosting activities Friday and Saturday. The Squirt Gun Quick Draw fun begins at 2:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Challenge friends and family in a game of Cowpoke Bean Bag Toss and Ring Toss. Ann Pearson, a Sedona Heritage Museum volunteer, will host cornhusk doll making from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Down the street, Cowboy Corral is hosting Buck Helton on Friday and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. He is the resident cowboy singer and western music historian from Old Tucson studios.

At Oak Creek Marketplace, Tom Weathers will perform on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. A cowboy poet and balladeer, he comes from the far end of the food chain as far as his place in the ranching world. He grew up in his dad’s meat market with an apron and his own set of knives from the age of 7. Trips to small outfits around eastern Washington state made it vividly aware that beef wasn’t a product of cellophane wrapping.

Dreams of the “Horseback Side” of the mountain were fueled when he made the acquaintance of works by poets such as S. Omar Barker and Bruce Kiskadden. With the fire kindled, his recitations of the classics are poignant, and he’s become a student of some of the most beloved cowboy poets of our times. He’s also well-versed in cowboy song and his performances depict the deep respect he has for the lifestyle and the writings of those who live it. To Weathers, there is no greater reward than to share classic cowboy poetry or songs with someone who is living or has lived the life and receive the simple acknowledgment of a nod and smile for a job well done.

At The Naja inside Oak Creek Marketplace all throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, local Southwest author, Robert Bernhagen, will have his three books for sale and will be happy to personally sign them.

At Cedic Plaza, on the corner of State Route 89A and Jordan Road, Harpy Trails will perform on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. Ken and Lyn Mikell highlight a wide range of traditional music, with particular attention to the Celtic roots of cowboy music. From old-time trail songs to the golden era of the radio and silver screen cowboy, Ken’s rich vocals and Lyn’s beautiful harp put a new twist on old-time favorites. The music of the Old World found a new home at the hearths and campfires of the Old West. Ken and Lyn are proud to be a part of that continuing tradition.

Buffalo Soldiers of Arizona, Troop I, 10th Cavalry and Troop F, 9th Cavalry, will be on hand from the morning until dusk on Saturday. In full uniform, each takes on the persona of a soldier who fought in the Indian Wars from 1866 to 1891. They will share the story of their part in the history of the West, with antiquities and horse soldier paraphernalia on display.

Nearby, Sedona Fudge Company will give away fudge samples; enter a free daily drawing Friday and Saturday for a pound of fudge. Just outside their door they’ll be hosting Cowboy Dave. He is a real working cowboy and an entertainer, musician [acoustic guitar], poet, storyteller, jokester, etc.

Meet the Arizona Rangers Verde Valley Company and visit for some Rangers history and photo opportunities. They’ll be roving Main Street throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, with a booth set up sharing information on the Arizona Rangers and a raffle to support the Shop with a Cop program for children.

Old-time whittlers — aka Verde Valley Woodcarvers — will demonstrate their talent on Friday and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. They are part of a group that has grown from the passion of one man 18 years ago, founder Norm Knight, to a group of 400 people in the Verde Valley. They start with blanks or boards or almost any material, including soap, and carve wonders.

Free “wanted poster” flash portraits by artist Carol Hofford will be created in front of Red Rock Western Jeep Tours near Sacajawea Plaza at one of the tables with an umbrella. She’ll be drawing from 4 until dusk on Saturday. Stop by to see Wildlife meets the Wild West at Out of Africa Wildlife Park Office and visit a live bearded dragon.

At Matterhorn Shoppes, hosted by Aligning Light Center, local musicians will play during the day. The center will offer 15-minute readings for $15 from 1 to 5 p.m. There will be also be discounted cowboy hats for children at Sedona Kid Company from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Pop into the many Cowboy & Cowgirl Photo Cutout stands set up all along Main Street. Get everyone in on the photo opportunity anytime Friday to Sunday.

A variety of live cowboy and country & western music will be ongoing throughout the event, in other plazas and patios.

Desert Hot Tub Club is a band that performs old folk and Appalachian music, and includes a female lead singer, an upright bass, percussion and acoustic guitar.

Hank Erwin performs old-style country music with an update. Deep vocals recall stories from the road and personal moments occurring while between two places. He originally hails from Kentucky and most recently moved from Austin to the Verde Valley.

Kenneth Cole, a western singer from Peoria, will perform on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. He is known for performing Sons of the Pioneers and Hank Williams tunes as well as honky tonk blues and Christian music.

There will also be two performances during the event by cowboy poet Rocky Sullivan. A local cowboy, he captivates audiences with both his character and his poetic stories. The times and locations of his performances will be included in the event program available at the event, and online by Thursday at sedonamainstreet.com.

Several of the stores, restaurants and cafes on both sides of the State Route 89A and North State Route 179 will be hosting special promotions and sales on Friday and Saturday.

Presented by Sedona Main Street Program, The Red Rock Posse and the city of Sedona, this event is made possible by the generous financial and service support of community-minded businesses, organizations and media partners, with the volunteer efforts of local folks. Thanks also go to the cash sponsors, the business contributors of goods and services, the property owners who have graciously allowed use of their sites, performers who are donating their time and talent and many volunteers.