Masters of Brewtality whets their whistle with some wine at Page Spring Cellars

The freaks and geeks down here in the Masters of Brewtality crypt aren’t what you might call the fanciest of folks Some of our staff members have strange, unnatural deformities, not limited to prominent warts, tentacles and third legs, and, thus, we tend to get treated pretty poorly by the above-ground world. The case was not the same this month.

It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, and we hopped in the official MOB souped-up monster truck hearse for a breakneck run down the hill from Flagstaff to one of the most overlooked spots here in northern Arizona: Page Springs. Nestled between Sedona and Cottonwood, this is easily one of the most picturesque green belts in the entire state, fed by the creatively named Page Springs spring and Oak Creek

Our connection there was winemaker Bree Nation, who had promised a VIP tour of the grounds, and we couldn’t have been more excited The lobby was filled from the greeter’s stand to the front door shoulder-to-shoulder, standing room only, with wine connoisseurs from regions the likes of which we knew we would never truly understand. This was as far out of our element as we could be, but, thankfully, we were immediately swooped up from the back of the line and taken to a private tasting room as affluent jaws hit the floor. Sometimes, rarely, you get a taste of the good life and, like the fine red and white wines we were about to sample, it must be cherished and quaffed deeply. If you were to ask any of us to name a single wine we sampled, we wouldn’t be able to. The lights of clarity went off after the second small glass and that, dear reader, is why Masters of Brewtality will give Page Springs Cellars our official “Hard Partier” badge.

After a couple bottles in our secluded sunroom, Bree took us down to the barrel room. Many a bunghole was ravaged, as she and head winemaker Corey crawled over towering racks of wine barrels in various stages of the aging process. Each was dazzling in its own way, and we relished the opportunity to use the term “bunghole” over and over again because we are adults and can use adult words without bursting into uproarious laughter. We did giggle every time, though.

It needs to be clarified that we’re about as far from wine connoisseurs as anyone can get and, beyond the knowledge gained during a single wine and cheese pairing class we took fifteen years ago, we couldn’t tell you the difference between red and white wine other than they come in different colors Thankfully, that single class did teach us just enough so that when we found ourselves surrounded by knowledgeable enthusiasts, we managed to fake it for the most part

And that’s what we’d recommend you do too, when, like us, life takes you out of your usual comfort zone, which in our case is craft beer, and plunks you square into the viper’s nest that is artisan wine. Our best tips are to swirl the wine in the glass. This aerates the wine and brings its flavors out while making you look really cool and edu- cated. Second, hold the wine up after swirling and look at the drops of wine that have cascaded down the sides of the interior of the glass You’ll want to call them “legs” because that’s what they are actually called amongst wine people and using their jargon will ingrain you to them further. Make sure you hold the wine up to a light source to appreciate the color. This will also increase the chances of others around you doing the same, but with lights in their eyes, they won’t be able to see how hopelessly out of your element you are. Finally, take a good, long smell. Like, real deep, but don’t snort any wine into your nose, it’s not that kind of place Throw a couple buzzwords in, like “strong notes” and whatever fruit comes to mind first. You can even just lie outright and if you do it with confidence, no one will disagree because maybe you’ve got some superhero’s palette and are just that good. I think we described at least two different wines as having notes of Etruscan Hard- wood, which sounded really cool and no one said anything about. Nailed it!

Follow this advice, and you should be able to be a beer person blending with wine folks, provided you don’t talk too much. Which is hard because wine is definitely a chatty drunk. All in all, we can’t recommend visiting Page Springs Cellars enough It was a fantastic day of opulence and fun. The vineyard and surrounding countryside alone is worth checking out and the service was top notch The food was an outstanding compliment to the litany of flavors we experienced, they had some live music which was graciously not overly intrusive to the experience, and being able to walk the grounds and see every ingredient as it was being cultivated expanded the experience perfectly. A huge thanks to Bree and Cory and the rest of fine folks at Page Springs for making us feel right at home, despite being as novice as you can be. Until next month, boils and ghouls, stay creepy!

Street artist, Jetsonorama, honors Flagstaff’s Black history with a mural on South San Francisco Street

Emily Gerdes

Imagine walking through the Southside of Flagstaff and instead of being met with barren buildings that conceal history within their walls, imagine seeing that history displayed on the outside too – in vivid, larger-than-life prints of community members who made their successes on South San Francisco Street Candace Ryan has had a similar idea for the last two years, and 10 months ago, she decided to act upon it Her first step was reaching out to Chip Thomas, also known as Jetsonorama who is a street artist most known for his work on the Navajo Nation, over Facebook

“I knew that the mural needed to represent the Southside and the story of the Southside, and he would be the best person to tell that story,” Ryan said.

Celebrating the people who have come before and who are not always recognized is what Thomas said his goal is with this project. He said this mural is about telling the African American story of South San Francisco Street.

Thomas explained that he knew right away he wanted to partner with fellow artist Kill Joy. Although he had never worked with Kill Joy on a collaborative project, Thomas said he was familiar with her art Thomas has an ongoing art series where he invites artists from around the world to his home on the Navajo Nation and then spends time learning about the culture and community before creating their projects on the reservation.

“I like [Kill Joy’s] color and her color palette,” Thomas said “Her prints and the way she repeats patterns, lays things out and uses space. I think because I don’t have a formal background in any art training per se, I just like the idea of mashing things up and putting different people with different styles together and seeing what comes up.”

Thomas originally got interested in photography at 14 years old, then began to explore the medium a bit more when he moved to the Navajo Reservation in 1987. He said this passion laid the foundation for his love of street art later in life

In 2009, while he was traveling around

Brazil, Thomas identified with the street art community and said he realized he could combine his documentary-style photography with street art After returning to the reservation, he did just that. Now, he is using those techniques to give communities in northern Arizona a sense of agency

“The Southside is changing rapidly,” Thomas said. “We are at a crossroads where we could lose the history of this area, and once you lose the history, it’s impossible to get it back. I think it’s really, really important to honor that history, the trials, tribulations and triumphs.”

Thomas explained photography is the center of his art, but he has been exploring and experimenting with translucent fabric and wheatpasting. The Southside mural combines these techniques while also showcasing crucial members of history that helped provide a foundation for Flagstaff.

Flagstaff’s Beautification in Action Grant has played a big role in making this dream of Ryan’s come true. This grant runs twice a year and the mural fits the exact description of what the city wants the money to be used for Ryan said after the mural gained some momentum she applied through the city and was granted $4,500 for the project. However, Ryan said these funds can only be accessed once they reach their goal

As much as this grant does provide addi- tional aid there are still funds that are not covered. Thomas explained the material they want to use for this project is more expensive since it is more durable and will hopefully stay up forever.

“We are wanting to use some more lasting materials for this mural rather than… regular bond paper,” Thomas said “There’s a synthetic paper that has an indefinite life that we would like to use for this mural.”

Along with the cost of the prints and supplies, the funds generated from the grant and GoFundMe will be used to pay for the artist’s time.

The plan for the mural is for a collage of photographs wheat pasted to the side of the building which has been collected from library archives and personal collections from the community. The process of interviewing people and collecting old photographs has already begun and ensuring the story and photos are historically accurate is a priority, Ryan said.

“I’ve done maybe five interviews with folks and plan on doing some follow up interviews this month,” Thomas said. “In fact, I’ve come across some really wonderful histories that I would not have uncovered were I not doing this project.”

One of the more impactful pieces of history Thomas said he discovered is a photograph acquired from NAU’s Cline Library.

“I wanna say it’s at [Fort Tuthill], and it’s a 4th of July parade,” Thomas said. “It shows maybe four or five men standing on a wagon It’s from 1895 or maybe even earlier, maybe from the 1870s. But two of those men are African-American and contributed through both the railroad and the lumber industry and in the educational system to Flagstaff’s growth and development.”

Besides the effort and cooperation needed from residents and key members of the community to help Thomas and Kill Joy gather the history of Southside, the project also needs financial assistance. At the time of publication, the GoFundMe had yet to breach a third of its total goal of $6,500

Ryan said they hope to continue raising funds until the middle of August in order to start the mural during the first week of September Once the mural begins, depending on Flagstaff weather conditions, it should only take about two weeks to be completed.

Giving back to the community is the purpose of this mural and both Ryan and Thomas repeated how they hope this gives the opportunity to people who have come before and have not always received the recognition.

“The community is welcome to come and hang out and share space with us while we’re over there creating,” Thomas said

Ongoing

MONDAY

DarkSkyBrewing:

Locals Monday Every Monday from 12–10 p m enjoy $2 off non-barrel aged pours 10 oz and higher for Flagstaff locals.

Bingo Night Play bingo every Monday from 6–8 p m $5 entry fee

MuseumClub:

Open Mic Night Every Monday night from 6–9 p m Bandswelcome Manymusicianshave been asked back for paying gigs

OenoWineLounge:

Hospitality Night Every Monday, hospitality workers get 20% off their order Proof of employment required

Tappy Hour Monday-Friday 12–4 p m All wine and beer taps are half off

TUESDAY

FlagstaffBrewingCompany:

Poet Brews Poets and writers are welcome to share their work with the public at this open mic Sign up at 6:30 p m ,show starts at 7 p m

HeritageSquare:

Kids Squared Free kid-friendly activities every Tuesday and Thursday from 10-11 a m

Jazzercise:

African Dance Class Lessons focus on the traditional dances from Guinea, West Africa

6:45–8:15 p m

MuseumClub:

Line Dance Lessons Every Tuesday from 5–8 p m

Karaoke Every Tuesday from 9 p m to close

OenoWineLounge:

Teacher Tuesday Every Tuesday educators get 15% off wines

Tappy Hour Monday-Friday 12–4 p m All wine and beer taps are half off

WEDNESDAY

B66BrunchBrewandBBQ:

Team Trivia Join them every Wednesday for what Flagstaffians are calling “the best trivia night in town!”7:30–9:30 p m

Brews&Cues:

Brews Trivia Eight rounds of hosted trivia Up to 6 people per team Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and

3rd place $3 Mystery Bags and $2 Jello Shots

6:30 p m

Charly’sPubandGrill:

WednesdayNightBlues PresentedbyNorthern Arizona Blues Alliance 6:30–9 p m

EastFlagstaffCommunityLibrary:

Family Storytime Every Wednesday from 10:30–11:15 a m

FirecreekCoffee:

Singer-SongwriterOpenMic Shareyouroriginal songs between 7–10 p m

GopherHole:

Karaoke & Service Industry Night Happy Hour pricesforserviceindustrypersonnelfrom6 p m untilclosewiththesingingstartingat9:30 p m

HeritageSquare:

Dancing on the Square A mixture of swing, Latin, and ballroom dancing from 7–10 p m

MeadHall:

TriviaNight Themedcategories,includingvisual andsound,andprizesforthewinners 6–8 p m

OenoWineLounge:

WarriorWednesday Allactivemilitaryandfirst responders get 15% off

Tappy Hour Monday-Friday 12–4 p m All wine and beer taps are half off

Shift:

Wine Wednesday Half-priced bottles of wine all evening

WeatherfordHotel:

BluesNightatCharly’s EveryWednesdaynight from 7–9 p m

THURSDAY

DarkSkyBrewing:

Trivia Night TAPP’D Trivia! Thursdays 7–9 p m at the DSB Beer Garden

GopherHole:

Trivia Night Doors open at 6 p m with trivia starting at 6:30 p m

HeritageSquare:

Kids Squared Free kid-friendly activities every Tuesday and Thursday from 10-11 a m

ThursdayNightJazz Jamouttojazz,bluesand funk from local bands 5–7 p m

MeadHall:

GREENLAW Live Celtic music at the Mead Hall every Thursday at 7 p m

MuseumClub:

Free Line Dance Lessons from 5–8 p m

Free Country Swing Lessons from 7–8 p m

Dimes with DJ FRSH Amazing drink specials from 8 p m to close

OenoWineLounge:

Wine Tastings Stop by between 5 and 7 p m to enjoy $20 wine tastings and $5 tastings for club members

Tappy Hour Monday-Friday 12–4 p m All wine and beer taps are half off

FRIDAY

Jazzercise:

Casino Rueda in Flagstaff Cuban-style Salsa Dancing followed by social dancing 7:30–10 p m

MuseumClub:

Acoustic Happy Hour Live country music from 5:30–10 p m Check the schedule for shows and times

OenoWineLounge:

Tappy Hour Monday-Friday 12–4 p m All wine and beer taps are half off

SATURDAY

CreativeSpiritsDowntown: