Star Party at Red Rock State Park
Grand Canyon to reduce bison herd NOW PLAYING
Join Astronomers of Verde Valley as they show the mid-September sky. Program is limited to 75 participants. There is a $5 fee per person in addition to park fee. Call 928-2826907 to reserve a spot.
Details: 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16. Red Rock State Park, 4050 Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona. Park entrance fee is $7 for adults, $4 for kids 7-13 and free for kids up to age 6. azstateparks.com/red -rock/, 928-282-6907.
Pickin’ in the Pines Music Festival
If there was ever a music style designed to be heard without synthesizers or pre-amps, it’s bluegrass. And Celtic. And gypsy jazz. Those genres and more will be performed at this festival. There’s also workshops, a barn dance and occasional jamming.
Details: Noon-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15-17. Pepsi Amphitheater, Fort Tuthill County Park, 2446 Fort Tuthill Loop, Flagstaff. $50-$120. pickininthepi nes.org.
Navajo Rug Auction
Perhaps you thought you scored a sweet deal on a Navajo rug, until you notice a tag that says, “Wash warm, tumble dry, assembled in Malaysia.” Rest assured every rug at this sale is authentic, and there typically are bargains to be had. More than 300 rugs and 100 pieces of art will be available.
Details: 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (preview) and noon (sale), Saturday, Sept. 16. Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., Prescott. Free. 928-445-1230, www.smo kimuseum.org.
Creek Days Car Show and Festival
Cruising enthusiasts from around the state show off their rides at this show. As owner vie for attention and awards, visitors may browse among vendors and/or show off their dance moves to live music. Plenty of food will be available as well.
Details: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. LDS Church and Picnic Grounds, 546 Ashby Apple Road, Christopher Creek. Free. www.payson rimcountry.com.
Fire on the Rim Mountain Bike Race
While the event implies a required implementation of physical exertion, fear not. There are a host of activities at or near the finish line that involve casual browsing (among vendors), listening (to live music) and drinking (mostly at the beer garden). And the site is a short ride from THAT Brewery, one of the best brewpubs in Arizona. Sure, you can also race, but you don’t have to.
Details: 4-8 p.m. Friday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15-16. Old Country Road and Bradshaw Drive, Pine. $60-$90 to race, free to attend. www.fireontherim.com.
Grand Canyon National Park will reduce the size of its bison herd through culling, trapping and moving the animals to other locations, the National Park Service said in a press release.
The bison were brought here in the early 1900s by a rancher who cross-bred them with cattle, then abandoned the project. The Arizona Game and Fish Department later took control of the herd and offered bison hunts in House Rock Valley, in the high desert of northern Arizona just east of the park border.
The herd, which once numbered around 100 animals, has since moved into the park, where it has grown. Estimates range from 400 to 600 animals. The animals are hard on vegetation, water sources and archaeological sites. Some fear the herd could grow to 800 animals in the next few years and as high as 1,200 to 1,500 in the next decade if nothing is done.
The park has weighed various options to thin the herd, such as culling it with sharpshooters or trapping and moving the animals. The Arizona Game and Fish Department wanted to expand its buffalo hunt into the park.
The Park Service has rejected the hunting option. Instead, volunteers working with the park will selectively shoot animals. The meat will be distributed to the state, volunteers who participate, food banks and Indian tribes.
The park will also trap and move some animals to other locations.
There is no timetable for when the herd reduction will begin. 47 METERS DOWN THE MUMMY BEATRIZ AT DINNER VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT STEP