Cerca calendar: July 2013

Summer comes to Cerca country with Fourth of July celebrations and plenty of activities at higher elevations where it is cooler.

Through Oct. 19, Cedar City, Utah: Utah Shakespeare Festival. This season’s plays include “King John,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” “The Tempest,” “Twelve Angry Men” and “Anything Goes” through Aug. 31, “Peter and the Starcatcher” through Oct. 18 and “Richard III” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes” Sept. 19 through Oct. 19. Matinees and evening performances. Dark Sundays. 800-752-9849. www.bard.org.

Monday through July 7, Prescott, Ariz.: 126th annual Prescott Frontier Days, World’s Oldest Rodeo. This year’s theme is Spirit of the Frontiersman. Prescott’s biggest event of the year includes rodeo performances, trail rides, parade, fireworks, fine arts and crafts fair, dances and live entertainment. 928-445-3103. www.worldsoldestrodeo.com.

Monday through July 31, Reno: Artown. This art festival features more than 400 events. Artists from around the world will showcase their talents in the visual, performing and humanities arts. Various venues. 775-322-1538. www.renoisartown.com.

Thursday, Big Bear Lake, Calif.: Big Bear Fireworks Show. This is the largest Fourth of July fireworks display in Southern California and can be viewed from anywhere on or along the lake and from most of the town. The fireworks will be shot from a barge on the lake. 909-866-4607. www.bigbear.com.

Thursday and Saturday, Laughlin: Rockets over the River. The event features a spectacular 20-minute fireworks display launched over the Colorado River and choreographed to music on a high-fidelity sound system. 702-298-3321. www.visitlaughlin.com/

Thursday through July 7, Elko: 50th annual National Basque Festival. This event features traditional Basque dance, music, food and Old Country games such as handball, weightlifting and wood chopping. Elko Basque Club and other venues. www.elkobasque.com.

Saturday and July 7, Flagstaff, Ariz.: 80th annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture. Hopis gather to sell their wares at more than 65 booths and to show their skilled techniques in a variety of mediums. Storytelling, music, dancing and American Indian food. Museum of Northern Arizona. 928-774-5213. www.musnaz.org.

Saturday and July 13, 20 and 27, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: Star Parties. Park staff and astronomy volunteers conduct these events featuring telescopes set up to view the night sky. The program starts at the park’s visitor center then heads out to Point Supreme. 435-586-0787. www.nps.gov/cebr/.

Saturday through July 21, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah:  Annual Wildflower Festival. This monthlong festival takes place during peak wildflower season. Take part in guided hikes, workshops on edible plants and kids’ scavenger hunts. 435-586-9451. www.nps.gov/cebr/.

July 10 through Aug. 10, Cedar City, Utah: The Neil Simon Festival. This summer’s plays are “The Sunshine Boys,” “45 Seconds from Broadway,”“Lost in Yonkers” and “Songs-Poems Wanted!” Matinee and evening performances. Cedar City Heritage Theater. 866-357-4666. www.simonfest.org.

July 12, Cedar City and Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: Cedar Mountain Wildflowers. Participants will take a wildflower tour starting in Cedar City and traveling up through the many life zones to Cedar Breaks. Reservations necessary. Zion Canyon Field Institute. 800-635-3959. www.zionpark.org.

July 12-13, Boulder, Utah: Boulder Heritage Festival. This is a celebration of the community’s arts, crafts, music and history. The festival takes place at Anasazi State Park, a treat to visit in itself, where the first known inhabitants of this area lived. 435-335-7550. www.boulderutah.com.

July 12 through Aug. 25, Lake Tahoe: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. This year’s play is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Sand Harbor State Park. 775-832-1616. www.LakeTahoeShakespeare.com.

July 13, Big Bear Lake, Calif.: Big Bear Old Miners Chili Cookoff. Come taste red chili, chili verde and homemade salsas made for this competition. Children’s activities, live music, vendors and shopping. This event is sanctioned by the International Chili Society. The Convention Center. 909-436-9145. www.bigbearchilicookoff.com.

July 13, Bryce Canyon, Utah: Bryce Canyon Half-Marathon and 5K Run/Walk. The marathon travels from Ruby’s Inn in Bryce Canyon to National Scenic Byway 12. It then travels through Tropic and ends in Cannonville. The 5k starts and finishes in Cannonville. 800-444-6689. www.bryce canyonhalfmarathon.com.

July 15, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: Photography at Cedar Breaks. Join photographer Michael Plyler for a day learning the best way to photograph the park’s stunning wildflower displays. Plyler will discuss capturing the big vistas versus the close-up shots. Reservations necessary. Zion Canyon Field Institute. 800-635-3959. www.zionpark.org.

July 15, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah: Wildflower Journaling at Cedar Breaks.  Join instructor Sandy Bell for a day in the park to learn some of the best ways to record your experiences. No prior writing or drawing experience is required. Tools, materials and methods of writing will be covered. Reservations necessary. Zion Canyon Field Institute. 800-635-3959. www.zionpark.org.

July 19-21, Virginia City: Americana Music Festival. Visit one of America’s most historic towns and be treated to three days of bluegrass and country bands and a beer crawl. More than one dozen bands will be featured at five locations throughout town. 775-847-7500. www.visitvirginiacitynv.com.

July 20, Kingman, Ariz.: Chillin’ on Beale Street. This block party and car show takes place in the heart of Kingman. Enjoy a night of cars, music and socializing. 400 block of East Beale Street. 928-897-6039. www.gokingman.com.

July 22, Great Basin National Park: Full Moon Guided Hike. Join the park’s “Dark Rangers” on this excursion. Be prepared for an easy-to-moderate 2-mile hike at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet. Free tickets are available the morning of the hike on a first come, first served basis. Limited to 40 people. 775-234-7513. www.nps.gov/grba/.