Many events in store for first Best Fest

8/7/2011 9:55:00 PM
The Daily Courier

The biggest celebration since Arizonans cheered statehood nearly 100 years ago kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza, with the opening ceremony of the first Best Fest, celebrating the state’s centennial year.

The opening ceremony will include Gov. Jan Brewer delivering an official proclamation of the state’s 100th birthday and the unveiling of United States Post Office’s official commemorative stamp honoring Arizona’s centennial. The first day of issue for the new, commemorative stamp will be Feb. 14, 2012.

The first of three Best Fests takes place in Prescott, Arizona’s first territorial capital, Sept. 16-18. Tucson, the second territorial capital, will play host to the second Best Fest Nov. 11-13, and the final event will be in Phoenix, the state’s capital, Feb. 10-12, 2012, right before statehood day on Feb. 14.

Other highlights of the opening ceremony include music by the Prescott High School band and Pony Express riders carrying the United States flag, the Arizona flag and Yavapai County’s state centennial logo flag. The Prescott Victorian Society and the Prescott Regulators and Their Shady Ladies will also be on hand.

Each Best Fest will feature educational pavilions, cultural villages, a fun zone, craft beer garden, local wineries’ wine gardens and local eateries, which will be open immediately following the Prescott ceremony until 10 p.m. The Best Fest will continue from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.