Our Favorite Stories Through the Years

It was 1993 when I arrived in Sedona. It was very different, but very much the same. Quieter, sure. But it’s just as easy today to get lost in the quiet beauty and energy that surrounds us. In 2003, about the time I was managing businesses for a wealthy family and starting my own, Joe McNeill and Deb Weinkauff founded Sedona Monthly. As highly seasoned professionals at the very height of the magazine business in New York, they saw Sedona as the place to raise their family and to publish a high-style publication. Sedona Monthly would both define and celebrate the lifestyle. It was and still is, distinctive, fresh and ever evolving. In 2017, my acquisition broker approached me about a business listing he had just received. Imagine my reaction when it was Sedona Monthly. I met Joe and Deb, the founders, and the immediate chemistry made me realize this was a good fit. Joe retired, and his last words that day were a more colorful version of don’t mess it up.

He meant that in the sense of we’ve made this an unexpected part of the community. It’s now part of the bedrock. They’re counting on you to continue and evolve it. It’s that support and trust that has powered Sedona Monthly forward through economic cycles, COVID and conflict. We’ve worked hard to be a beacon of optimism, always knowing how fortunate we all are to be a part of such an extraordinary place. Our focus continues to be celebrating our culture and lives. We support a myriad of community causes. There are incredible nonprofits and organizations doing great things in our region. We are also proud to have stood for small, local businesses for 20 years. Small business is a personal passion of mine. We manage a focus group of more than 350 local business owners and support a network of more than 2,000. Their successes are all of our successes.

You, as our readers, have powered all of this. Without your engagement, we wouldn’t be the premium advertising vehicle in the region. Without your passions and stories, we wouldn’t have the reach we have developed. Without your trust, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver the credibility that our advertisers depend on. Sedona Monthly is, above all, aspirational, and that lifts every person, business and organization within. You, our readers, are aspirational. We thank you for 20 years of support and mutual respect. Readers share their thoughts and opinions for sure. We welcome and appreciate that. The number one question, by a landslide is, “How do you always find fresh and new stories after all these years?” My response is always the same: We are just getting started.

OUR FAVORITE STORIES THROUGH THE YEARS

Any time we are able use our platform to elevate community causes, it creates a favorite moment with our team. In 20 years, we’ve published 200 cover stories and countless more sharing the stories of our community. Here are a few staff favorites.

“Into The Sunset,” photo by Deb Weinkauff.

INTO THE SUNSET
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON JULY 1, 2003

This story from our very first year in business is all about Bradshaw Ranch. Even after 20 years, it’s still one of our more popular features online. The reason? Because this place is endlessly fascinating. Here’s more from writer Steven Korn: “Since 1960, it has been a key location for movie, TV and commercial production in Sedona. Only days before the Forest Service took possession of the ranch, Sedona Monthly got an exclusive opportunity to take one last look around, preserving the images on film one more time, and giving us a chance to examine the Bradshaw Legacy in local movie history.”

“Grand Canyon,” photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest.

GRAND CANYON
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON NOV. 1, 2009

We loved this vibrant tale of hiking the Grand Canyon. Editor Erika Ayn Finch brought the tough trek to life with sentences like “Hiking the canyon in the dark wasn’t as frightening as it sounds. The trail is wide, and it’s not like we were enjoying tremendous views up until that point, but the darkness did make the hike seem longer. I imagined family members lounging at home in the stupor of tryptophan and pumpkin pie, planning Black Friday shopping excursions, while I looked forward to a freeze-dried meal of vegetable lasagna, campground toilets and a night sleeping on the hard ground.”

“Sandmen,” photo by Deb Weinkauff.

SANDMEN
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON NOV. 1, 2013

Sedona is an arts-centric community. We love showcasing artists of all stripes and different types of artforms including sandpainting. “A fairly recent art form, sandpainting was traditionally used by medicine men in religious ceremonies until enterprising artists began using the medium to create contemporary art,” writes Erika. The story goes on to profile three Navajo artists dedicated to this unique artform.

“Beyond Sedona’s West Fork,” photo by Deb Weinkauff.

BEYOND SEDONA’S WEST FORK
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON APRIL 1, 2016

We love exploring. That’s no secret. The vibrant trails here offer plenty of opportunity to fully immerse yourself in nature, as our photographer Deb Weinkauff did to capture these images of West Fork back in 2015. West Fork is gorgeous no matter what, but we loved showing you these relatively rare images of the iconic hiking trail’s 8.5 miles.

“Sedona After Dark,” photo by Deb Weinkauff.

SEDONA AFTER DARK
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON SEPT. 30, 2019

Think Northern Arizona has no nightlife? Think again. This story recaps plenty of bars, clubs and venues where visitors can live it up after the sun goes down. We loved busting that myth, and it’s one of the most-viewed stories on our site.

“Where To Go To Take Stunning Northern Arizona Photos,” photo by Hailey Golich.

WHERE TO GO TO TAKE STUNNING NORTHERN ARIZONA PHOTOS
PUBLISHED ONLINE ON AUG. 25, 2020

Many flock to Northern Arizona to appreciate its vast beauty. In this story that appeared in our weddings issue, we spoke with three photographers about their favorite places to capture gorgeous images.

OUR GROWTH

We’ve been asked about growth constantly, and even more so through the most recent years. We’ve adapted to market conditions with environmental standards, like vegetable-based inks and acid-free production. We’ve adapted with our coverage by focusing on content that was in synch with the latest trends. We’ve adapted on our business side by offering our advertisers programs like:

• Targeted digital marketing, marketing that reaches a very specific audience by their interests, demographics or geographic locations.
• Targeted ad placement on major news sites, major environmental sites, sports sites, etc.
• Digital and social advertising, programs that reach fans of Northern Arizona and our comprehensive coverage.
• Additional advertising programs such as: electric vehicle charging stations, Spotify, reciprocal publications (some of the largest global magazines), digital billboards/out-of-home marketing, wellness kiosks, etc.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A DIGITAL VERSION OF SEDONA MONTHLY

SOCIAL MEDIA

Things have surely changed in 20 years. We love being able to communicate with our audience through social media. Here are the top five most popular posts on sedonamonthly.com and the two images that our followers liked most on Instagram and Pinterest.

1. SEDONA’S FIVE HARDEST HIKES
   We love hiking, and our most popular online story recaps some of the toughest hikes in the area.
   

   “Sedona’s Five Hardest Hikes,” photo courtesy of Coconino National Forest Service.

2. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE: UPTOWN SEDONA AND OAK CREEK CANYON
   Sedona is a spread-out city. We put together our neighborhood guides for readers to provide them with an overview of some of the most popular places in Uptown and Oak Creek Canyon.
   

   “Your Sedona Neighborhood Guide to Uptown Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon,” photo courtesy of Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village.

3. SEDONA VIEW TRAIL HIKE
   The Sedona View Trail is a short hike that offers stellar views of some of the city’s most iconic red rocks including Capitol Butte and Coffee Pot Rock. It’s easy to see why this quick jaunt with a major payoff is so popular on the site.
   

   “Sedona View Trail Hike,” photo by Deb Weinkauff.

4. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE: WEST SEDONA
   From long-time favorite Judi’s Restaurant & Lounge to iconic Crescent Moon Ranch, this story covers some of West Sedona’s most popular spots.
   

   “Your Sedona Neighborhood Guide to West Sedona,” photo courtesy of Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.

5. SEDONA AFTER DARK
   One of the most frequent inbound internet searches is nightlife. Believe it or not, Northern Arizona has a vibrant nightlife. This story features a long list of clubs, bars and venues that come alive after the sun goes down.
   

   “Sedona After Dark,” photo courtesy of Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.

YOUR WORDS

Here’s what some of you have to say about the magazine through the years.

“Why is Sedona Monthly one of my very favorite magazines? Simple: It’s classy, artfully designed and has engaging content that highlights the best of our gorgeous town and its people. It’s magazine storytelling at its best. What a great asset to Arizona!” ~ Local artist Patricia Saxton

“For me, the most memorable thing we ever published was the cover story called ‘The Call of the Canyon,’ the first movie ever filmed in Oak Creek Canyon. It was in the March, 2005 issue, I believe. Using connections in the movie business, the Motion Picture Academy library in L.A., and period newspaper reports, we were able to piece together the story of its production. For the first time ever, anywhere. Not only that, we unearthed a handful of stills from the film, which had been lost for almost a century. Probably nobody alive had ever seen those photos before. To this day, I’ve never seen any others. The second most memorable thing would probably be the cover shoot we did with [actress] Lea Thompson. I think it was for the Jan/Feb 2012 issue. She came to Sedona expressly to do the shoot for us. It was the first time I realized that the magazine had name recognition outside of Arizona.” ~ Joe McNeill, co-founder & former art director of Sedona Monthly

“Sedona Monthly is a wonderful magazine that has supported the art and culture scene in Northern Arizona for 20 years! My favorite section of the magazine is Open Portfolio. The articles are entertaining and educational and help promote our artists. Because of your efforts our area will continue to be a community animated by the arts.” ~ Mary Byrd, emeritus chair of the Fine Art Museum of Sedona

“There are so many that stand out (hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in a snowstorm, visiting The Wave, working with models on fashion shoots, interviewing celebrities for the Sedona International Film Festival), but I’m most proud of the piece I wrote about the Apollo Space Program’s training grounds in Flagstaff (“Space Cowboys,” March 2018) and our annual cover stories on Native American artists, especially the first one featuring the Lister family of jewelers. That was published back in May 2007. I still wear the ring the family made for me as Deb [Weinkauff, Sedona Monthly co-founder and photographer] and I sat in their workshop on the reservation. At that time, it was the only piece of jewelry on which the entire family had collaborated. What a privilege.” ~ Erika Ayn Finch, former editor of Sedona Monthly

“Sedona Monthly showcases Sedona beautifully in all her glory. Whether it’s featuring stories about our fascinating people, glorious trails, favorite hikes, intriguing art galleries, delicious restaurants, local attractions or unique wellness amenities, each issue brings out the best our community has to offer. Thank you for celebrating Sedona every month.” ~ Holli Ploog, vice mayor, City of Sedona

Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest.

CELEBRATING YOU

We end with how we started. As champions of small business, we wanted to showcase other establishments that have stood the test of time. Here’s a brief list of local businesses and when they were founded. If you’d like to share yours, feel free to tweet your business and founding year to us with the #NAMEYEAR. Be sure to tag us.