Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim to Celebrate 2015 Western Arts Day

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – The National Park Service invites the public to celebrate Western Arts Day 2015, Saturday, July 11, on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Western Arts Day celebrates the unique culture that defines Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona, and Southern Utah.

The celebration starts at noon at the Grand Canyon Lodge. Activities will take place at the auditorium and the grassy square east of the lodge. Afternoon presentations include western arts and crafts such as saddle making, flintknapping, Dutch oven cooking, old-time banjo and fiddle music and history, quilt making, and a mountainman encampment. The Utah Old Time Fiddlers from Salt Lake City will perform on the Grand Canyon Lodge veranda between 5 pm and 7 pm.

The event concludes at 8 pm with a special evening program featuring cowboy poet Maureen Bussma from St. George, UT and cowboy musicians Bruce Andre from Sonoita, AZ; Bill Vernieu from Flagstaff, AZ; Kenny Hall from Cannonville, UT and Parker Bowman Smith from Prescott, AZ.

Please inquire at the North Rim Visitor Center for a complete list of event activities, as well as the times and locations. Regularly scheduled ranger programs will take place in various locations throughout the North Rim developed area.

Support for this event is provided by donations received through the Grand Canyon Association and Forever Resorts.

Advance overnight lodging reservations for North Rim facilities may be made by contacting Forever Resorts, at their toll free number 877-386-4383 or at 480-998-1981. You may also visit their website at http://www.foreverresorts.com. Advance reservations for the North Rim Campground may be made on line at http://www.recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

For additional information about Western Arts Day, please contact Jessica Pope, Interpretive Park Ranger, at 928-638-7647. For additional information about Grand Canyon National Park, please call 928-638-7888 or visit http://www.nps.gov/grca.