City hosts karaoke, pool movie, bingo, trivia, July 4th fest
Sedona Parks and Recreation will start hosting free events geared toward local family fun on Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. throughout June at the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub in Posse Grounds Park.
“We’re evolving our Fridays in June, previously we did our Summer Cinema Series, and what we’ve seen over the past several years is that although the people that are attending those movies were enjoying them, we were not seeing the attendance that we felt like was justifying the expense or the resource allocation,” Sedona Special Events Coordinator Jason Vargo said. “Decided that we would try a few new things.”
Some alternatives for movies, Vargo said, are Community Library Sedona’s Monday night free screenings at 6 p.m. or the Sedona International Film Festival’s “Movies on the Move,” outdoor screenings throughout the city with the schedule available online at sedonafilmfestival.com.
However, the series will open with one free screening at the Sedona Community Pool.
■ Friday, June 5. Special start time of 7:30 p.m. “Finding Nemo,” Pixar’s classic 2003 animated movie, kicks off June at the pool with free admission. This program is limited to 200 people and is first-come, first-served.
“Our first Family Fun Friday is going to still be a movie night. We’re going to have a movie at the community pool — we’re going to be screening ‘Finding Nemo,’ which is just kind of a family classic that everybody can enjoy,” Vargo said. “The pool movie nights in previous years were by far our most well attended and most enjoyed by people, so that’s the only movie we have planned.”
■ Friday, June 12. Community karaoke at the Hub. This offering was also born out of the karaoke sing-alongs that was the pre-event entertainment before the Summer Cinema Series screen musicals.
“It was very obvious that we could do that as a standalone thing and have people really enjoy it,” Vargo said. “Karaoke is something that lots of people enjoy doing, but it’s typically limited to bar scenarios. So I think this is a really cool opportunity to give people who wouldn’t otherwise be in a karaoke situation publicly a chance to come out and do it.”
Participants’ song selection is largely just limited by their imagination but has to be friendly for a general audience. Vargo said participants can select anything from “Wheels on the Bus,” to their favorite Taylor Swift song.
“It’s just your opportunity to be the star you’ve always known you are,” Vargo said. “We don’t have any plans for other activities at this time, because it’s pretty entertaining on its own. But people can bring their own picnic or food items.”
■ Friday, June 19. Bingo at the Hub.
“It’s going to do exactly what it says on the label,” Vargo said. “We’re going to have a wide variety of prizes, from small all the way up to a larger prize that’s yet to be determined, but they will all be enjoyable and for all ages. Basically, it’s just an opportunity to play a fun community game and get to hang out together.”
■ Friday, June 26. Trivia Night at the Hub.
“I want to make sure it stays fun and accessible to a wide range of ages and types, but also is challenging enough to be an actual trivia night,” Vargo said, adding that the format for the evening has yet to be determined.
In July, Parks and Recreation will also be hosting “Stars, Stripes and Skates,” Wednesday, July 1, through Sunday, July 5, and will have a free summer ice skating rink setup near the Sedona Community Pool. Use of the rink is free and skates will be provided. The rink will also coincide with the return of the Sedona Summer Splash on Saturday, July 4, from noon to 4 p.m. With free entry into the pool, with free food in celebration of Independence Day.
“I would just encourage people to remember that the Parks and Rec Department is always open to feedback and ideas from the community, because it’s our job to provide things that the community wants. We have an email and people are more than welcome to send suggestions or feedback to SedonaRec@sedonaaz.gov or JVargo@sedonaaz.gov.”
