The 47th annual celebration of the Yarnell–Peeples Valley Community—Yarnell Daze, Mountaintop Festival 2016—will be held on Saturday, May 14, and is shaping up to be the perfect fun event for the entire family. Festival events begin at 9 a.m. and the day will be filled with a huge variety of free activities.
A highlight of Yarnell Daze is the Parade that starts at 10 a.m. on Main Street. It is something wonderful from out of the past with antique cars and floats, horses, clowns and fire trucks. Visitors should take position along the side of Highway 89 to cheer on the Grand Marshal, Yarnell Honorary Mayor Jerry Florman. During the summer of 2015, three candidates announced their recipient for donated funds that would be raised during several fun events and activities promoted throughout the community. Jerry won this event by raising nearly $7,000 for the Yarnell Community Center. Jerry is a talented local artist and is extremely active in several other community projects.
Other Mountaintop Festival 2016 events line Highway 89. Vendors will be at the Main Vendors Field and throughout. Shops will be open offering many unique items. Plans are to have Firefighter demonstrations held at the Yarnell Fire Station. A Fine Arts Show will be set up at the Blue Barn (corner of Table Top and Hwy 89) with the Art and Craft Vendors set up in the shaded fields. A KidZone of games and crafts, special magic show for youngsters at the Yarnell Library, Go Green Zone displaying the local Spider PHARM-live spiders, water conservation, spinning wheel demonstrations, health and wellness (massage, hand scans), and more will be available.
There will be outdoor dancing, belly dancers, three live bands and great food at the Food Court/Beer Garden. Live music on the main stage will include: acoustic blue guitarist, Bill Dutcher, TripWire, a popular rock band and Chad Freeman and Redline provides country music. Additionally, a popular Easy Listening stage located in the Vendor Field will feature a myriad of local talent and Highway 89 will perform at the Days of Vintage Antique Store. KKLD radio will be broadcasting live from Yarnell the morning of the event and AZAirNet will provide free WiFi through Main Street.
Many raffle items will raise money for local nonprofit organizations including: Yarnell Food Pantry, Yarnell Community Center Meals on Wheels Program, Weaver Mountain Resources providing transportation to the elderly or ill, and Petey’s Playground, which shelters pets when owners are hospitalized or can no longer care for them. Take time to visit the proposed Memorial site for the Granite Mountain Hot Shots, St Joseph’s Shrine, and Dan’s Iris Garden, Indian “TIPI” or the Tovar Grotto. This event is a perfect day trip from most locations in central or northern Arizona.
Parking is available in designated areas or along the street after the parade clears. Note traffic on Highway 89 between mile markers 276 -277 will be restricted from 9:45 to 11 a.m. in both directions due to the parade.
Applications for the parade, art show and vendors or pictures of last year’s event are available at y-pvchamber.com. Visit Yarnell Daze May 14, 2016 on Facebook for more information. You can also contact Trish Edwards, the Yarnell Daze Event Coordinator, at 928-277-6674 or by email at InfoOnTheHill@gmail.com.
Yarnell is nestled in the Weaver Mountains at 4,800 ft elevation in the top of the Bradshaw Mountains on historic Highway 89 north of Wickenburg. There are many unique antique and gift shops and wonderful restaurants spread out over a mile. The area’s residents are proud of their creative go-to-it attitude that is helping them rebuild their community following the devastating wildfire that took the lives of 19 Granite Mountain Hot Shots and destroyed 127 homes.