Airport mesa will rock with the sound of music, roar with dozens of airplanes and growl with high-powered luxury cars on Saturday, Sept. 20, during the first ever Sedona Community Fair.

Although the management of the Sedona Airport has a history of welcoming residents to the high elevation tarmac for almost a decade, this year the event will have a number of new features and will be operating through a new nonprofit umbrella organization managed by Al Comello and Shondra Jepperson.

By Susan Johnson

Airport mesa will rock with the sound of music, roar with dozens of airplanes and growl with high-powered luxury cars on Saturday, Sept. 20, during the first ever Sedona Community Fair.

Although the management of the Sedona Airport has a history of welcoming residents to the high elevation tarmac for almost a decade, this year the event will have a number of new features and will be operating through a new nonprofit umbrella organization managed by Al Comello and Shondra Jepperson.

Start-up funding for the new venture has been provided by the city of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and the Sedona Airport.

“We share the vision of the Fair committee to make this an annual signature event that celebrates Sedona’s community and small town spirit,” said Jennifer Wesselhoff, president of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce. “It exemplifies the Chamber’s mission to be in the community for the community.”

Mayor Rob Adams also offered his wholehearted support for the event and its new direction.

“My interest in this comes from being raised on a ranch that was immersed in the Spanish tradition of celebrating food, music and culture,” Adams said. “The many festivals and fiestas we shared with our neighbors gave us a sense of connectedness.”

Although many events in Sedona seek to draw tourists to their venues, Comello stressed that the fair is different.

“This event is for the entire Verde Valley community to celebrate itself,” Comello said. “It’s free and it’s for the whole family.”

Comello said that the mesa is ideal for an event of this nature, having doubled its airplane parking capacity in the past year, and now able to accommodate close to 700 cars, including handicapped parking adjacent to the fairgrounds.

The new blacktop will also provide a generous area for an entertainment stage, food vendors, children’s entertainment areas and booths for educational and nonprofit groups.

Part of the event’s attraction centers on the statewide classic car show sponsored by the Sedona Car Club which will hand out trophies in a number of categories.

“This year, we have an exotic car class that we haven’t had before,” said Ed Pittman, president of the club. “We’re expecting 100 entries from every corner of the state, from Model T’s to Maseratis.”

Giving the cars a run for their money with spectators will be classic, restored, military, vintage and state of the art aircraft from around the southwest, flying in for the morning and afternoon.

A children’s events pavilion will be sponsored in part by ILX Resorts and Camp Soaring Eagle, offering plenty of activities for the younger set.

Some of the exhibits will be provided by the Sedona Historical Society and the local chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots.

One of the most popular attractions returning from past years is the dunk tank, which will be used as a fundraiser for the Sedona Community Center. Susan Barrington, director of SCC, said the “lucky duck” will be announced soon.

Live entertainment will be continuous throughout the day, selected by Shondra Jepperson. “Our lineup is eclectic,” Jepperson said. “We have some great talent coming in, including Nick Nicholson, who sings new country, and has opened around the country for major country western stars, the Gypsy Chicks, who will sing and then give belly-dancing lessons, Steve Douglas doing rhythm and blues, Teresa Robertson and her band Heartbeat and the Rice Brothers Band.”

The Chamber is providing volunteers for the event, but Jepperson said more are needed to serve as ambassadors and to help with setting up, tearing down and keeping things tidy during the day.

For further information on the Sedona Community Fair or how to volunteer, call 862-0210 or e-mail event@sedonafair.com or visit www.sedonafair.com.

Information on the Sedona Car Club Car Show can be obtained from its chairman, Dave Lombardi, at 203-9007.

Susan Johnson can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 129, or e-mail sjohnson@larsonnewspapers.com