It’s all lit up in Prescott for the holidays. The Yavapai County Courthouse (pictured above), Whiskey Row behind it, the gift shops, boutiques and restaurants downtown–they all take part in the holiday festivities that have helped turn this former territorial town into Arizona’s official “Christmas City.”

With a heritage dating back to Victorian times and earlier, they know how to do Christmas here. Phoenicians drive the 90 miles north to see what’s been billed as the world’s largest Gingerbread Village. This year, more than 100 gingerbread structures decorate the lobby of the Prescott Resort now through December 28. The resort is open 24 hours a day.

You have until December 30 to drive through Fain Park and see the mile-long lighted and animated holiday display. We’re talking thousands and thousands of lights.

And this weekend (December 6), Santa arrives. A festive parade welcomes him on a tour around Courthouse Plaza, followed by a lighting ceremony. Afterward, the Governor’s Mansion at the Sharlot Hall Museum hosts an open house with Charles Dickens-era carolers and hot apple cider.

For more information about upcoming holiday events in Arizona’s Christmas City, visit the Prescott Chamber of Commerce or call 800-266-7534.

(Photo courtesy of Prescott Chamber of Commerce.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

A few travel writers, including Christine K. Bailey, author of Destinations: A Complete Guide to Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona and Central Arizona, and Teresa Bitler, whose Great Escapes Arizona was just released are scheduled to appear.

Also plan to see arts & crafts booths, food and live music at the festival on both days.

If you go:

What: ArtFest of Scottsdale                                                               When: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23        Where: Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza, 7380 E. 2nd St.                          Cost: Free

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

RULES

The program explains the rules, and here’s what I learned and observed:

Each team has a pivot. She’s the gal with the stripe on her helmet. There are also three blockers, whose job is to ram into the other team players or somehow keep the other team from scoring. The scoring player on each team is called a Jammer. She’s the gal with the star on her helmet. You really want to be watching her. When she’s in the lead, a referee follows her around the track the entire time to count points. Each Jammer on each team has her own referee. And there are three other referees who skate around in the inside track to watch for penalties and such.

Basically everyone’s watching for what’s called a Jam. Play starts out with everyone lining up on the track, the Jammers (scoring players) in back. They look the coolest, and look ready to go. After the whistle blows, and once they make it into the pack, the Jam officially starts.

The Jammer in the lead has two minutes to make it around the track as many times as possible, passing as many people. She can call it off by putting her hands on her waist, but I don’t know why or when she does that. It happens several times during a game, though.

Teams get points for every opponent the Jammer passes on her way around, but she does not score on the first trip around the track. Since the idea of this game is to stop the opposing Jammer from making those passes, there’s a lot of pushing and pulling. We even saw one woman grab a Jammer’s breasts at one point–to knock her off the track. As you can imagine, the whole crowd loved that!

THEY CAN DO THAT?!

Skaters–wearing old-fashioned roller skates and crazy costumes, some with tatoos and colorful hair–are allowed to use the entire body, including arms, shoulders, elbows, torso, hips, front side and back to knock an opponent out of the way or somehow stop an opponent from passing. What they cannot use is their hands, unless it’s on a teammate. Blockers frequently push their Jammer ahead of the pack when able. Though they are not supposed to grab, trip, hit from behind, strike with an elbow or get into fights, they do it anyway, risking the penalties and/or ejections from the game. It seems the players will try to get away with anything because a referee can only call what he sees.

At last night’s game, aside from the breast grab, we also saw a player nearly lose her shirt (It was ripped halfway off!) and another lose a wheel on her skate after a brawl.

It was pretty fast-paced and intense at times. I was amazed by the numbers in the crowd and the sound of the cheering fans. Because it was loud and I could barely speak to my girlfriend who went with me, I would not suggest this as a first date. But it did seem to be a family atmosphere. Entire families, with grandparents and kids, too, were there. No alcohol is served. But they do have a snack bar where you can purchase greasy foods like chicken strips and fries, and candy, chips and soda. If you’re on a restricted diet, I’d suggest eating before you go.

Check yesterday’s post for the details. If you get a chance to see a game, post your comments here. Let me know if you enjoyed it.

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

For those of us who are outdoor lovers, even 90 degrees means we can ride the bike longer, hike the trail farther, add a few more miles to the run, and generally not worry too much about heat exhaustion. Still need that water and sunscreen, though.

So it is that I’ve been hiking again recently. And I’m not the only one. Take a look at local health blogger Michelle May’s post about her observations on a recent hike she took. If you’re an avid hiker, or even a sometimes hiker, you may recognize the people she mentions. Do any of them describe you?

She must have overlooked my type, the Huffer & Puffer. You can not only spot me, but you can also hear me from a distance. I’m the one who looks as though she’s barely going to make it when I’m first getting back out there on the trail. It’ll take my body a few weeks–and lots of “Where’s the bench? I need to rest” comments before it adjusts to the strain of the uphill climbs. It’s usually the boulder hopping that threatens to do me in. But I go on, especially after passing the 80-year-old granny. I saw her yesterday morning coming down the Piestewa as though it was an easy morning stroll around the block. In between my huffs and puffs, I told myself, “Great! There’s no way I can back down now. I’m half her age… Gotta. Keep. Climbing.”

Thank goodness I made it.

If you’ve made it uphill and down recently, post a comment below and let us know what and who you’re seeing out there on the trail. Do you have another hiker “type” you can add to the list?

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

Remember the movie, “Urban Cowboy“? Here’s your chance to do your best imitation of Sissy (Debra Winger) or Bud (John Travolta) on a mechanical bull at the Saddle Ranch Chop House (4321 N. Scottsdale Rd.). It’s open daily, 8 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. The steakhouse, which got it’s start in Hollywood, opened this year near Old Town Scottsdale. It serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, lots of drinks, and late-night meals. Another location is opening across town in Glendale soon.

Check out this review online.

If I bet money on this guy in the video to win the bull riding contest (They host them every Monday night at 10 p.m.), what do you think would be my odds?

Next time you’re in town, give it a shot. And let me know how you do.

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

You really can cook an egg on the sidewalks of Phoenix in the summer. Elementary schools have been known to test this out, and at least one town in Arizona hosts an egg-frying contest. But we actually do a LOT of sunny-side-up kinds of things here. This video illustrates a few:

~Watching cacti bloom.

~Enjoying outdoor recreation.

~Swimming and other poolside fun.

~Boating and rowing and gondola rides.

~Shopping and dining.

~Watching beautiful sunsets.

Wish you were here!

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler