Okay….So I blew it!

The guys were pleading with me to get something on the City of Flagstaff blog about the holiday lighting ceremonies…and I just ran out of time! Sorry.

However, my negligence doesn’t mean you’ve missed out on all the fun.

Flagstaff and downtown are holiday happenings for weeks…all the way through the New Year. Here is a very brief outline so you can come on down and enjoy some or all of the fun:

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, up to the New Year, downtown will feature holiday seasonal activities. Walk historic downtown to view holiday lighting displays, decorations and snowflake projections. Strolling carolers will entertain all ages from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. You can warms up with come cocoa, cider and cookies provided by various downtown businesses.

Lowell Observatory offers the Holiday Skies Program every Friday and Saturday leading up to Christmas. At 7:30 p.m., for a small fee, you can hear a presentation about the mythology and science of the winter sky, including a discussion of the Star of Bethlehem.

I can’t fit all the fun on my blog but there is the APS Northern Lights Parade in downtown on Saturday, December 9th…the BNSF Toys for Tots Santa Comes To Town event in Heritage Square on Saturday, December 16th…the Annual Luminaries in the Coconino Estates neighborhood on Sunday, December 17th…the Chanukah Celebration and Grand Menorah Lighting in Heritage Square at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 17th…The Great Pine Cone Drop at the Weatherford Hotel on New Years Eve. This doesn’t even include all the great lights and attractions around Flagstaff…like Little America, the Flagstaff Mall, and Riodran Mansion etc.

You want more info? Call the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau and ask about "The Flagstaff Holiday Times"...or a verbal rundown.

Don't forget to keep track of Flagstaff Attractions on Flagstaff.CC.

Hope you have a great holiday season. I wish you peace and happiness whatever time of year it is!

Are We Going To Get Snow This Year?

Hi all!

I’m Kimberly Ott – Public Information Officer for the City of Flagstaff. No, I don’t’ get to carry a gun…so I’m not sure why the “officer” is included in my title…but I am the “mouthpiece” for the City. I love my job! Sure it can be challenging at times…but the good stuff far outweighs the bad.

Since I’ve been asked to blog by Jeff and Paul…I though I’d spend most of my time not boring you with the latest results of the City Council business meetings…but rather providing you with timely, interesting, and sometimes fun information about your City and how this affects you!

So here we go! Are we going to get snow this year? I hope so, and if I could answer this question I would be wealthy and not working as a PIO. The yearly snow question brings me to the topic I wanted to talk to you about…Winter Parking!!!!!!

If you have lived in Flagstaff for a long time you are already familiar with this particular City Ordinance. If you are relatively new this might prove a little frustrating. The ordinance states “there is no parking on streets or alleyways from midnight to 7:00 a.m. beginning November 1st and continuing through April 1st”. Seems simple enough…but here is where people get frustrated. This is in effect 7-days a week – snow or not snow! I get more calls each year from folks who receive a ticket complaining that there was no snow, or very little snow when they parked on the street. We (the City) have had to make this rule very black and white to avoid just that kind of an argument. You don’t know how many times our crews are prevented from effectively clearing the streets of snow by cars lining the roadway -- and then we get yelled at for not doing our jobs. If we left the parking issues up to interpretation – we would get lots of great excuses like -- “but when I went to bed last night the news said it wasn’t supposed to snow – it’s their fault, not mine!”

In order to avoid this problem the Winter Parking Ordinance remains in effect whether it is snowing or not—we all just need to remember to park off the street from November 1st through April 1st.

These first few weeks will probably see a lot of warnings – and I emphasize “probably” meaning I can’t guarantee it. When we start getting our winter weather the ticketing will begin – and if it is snowing and you are parked in our way, your vehicle will be towed! Bummer! Nothing worse that having to wake up early to shovel only to find your car is gone and you have to pay a lot of money to get it back.

Bottom line –help yourself and your community by parking off the street until April 1st, 2007! And when to plan to visit the city of Flagstaff, visit Flagstaff.CC