MISSION

Holiday decorating will get a new boost the year – and for a good cause! Three local communities (Yarnell, Peeples Valley and Wilhoit) will host a HOLIDAY SHUTTLE EXPRESS during the first three weekends in December. For a small fee, riders will tour the 3 communities, enjoy hot chocolate and holiday goodies, and get to VOTE on the residence they think was the best decorated (separate ballots for each community!) Residents who want to compete for cash prizes (in each of the three communities) will need to register by October 31 (with a small registration fee.) There must be a minimum of 12 homes in each community in order for the Holiday Shuttle Express to be practical. Click button for more information and registration form.

Holiday Lights

Stay tuned for information about to upcoming events!

We invited the candidates for Yavapai County District 1 Supervisor to a Candidates Forum June 25 at 6 PM at the Yarnell Community Presbyterian Church. The Forum was well received and a number of the attendees took advantage of the ability to ask for written answers to questions of one or more of the candidates.

Click to view the Candidates answers

TRAFFIC GRAPHIC
SQUAD

COMMUNITY
RESOURCES

WEAVER MOUNTAINS
CALENDAR

The Eleventh Annual Remembrance Event was held at the park on June 30th.

Program below: Click on each page to enlarge.

Collaborating for Sustainable Communities
in the Weaver Mountains

The Yarnell Area Resource Group received a grant from APS to be shared with other nonprofit organizations in the area. This supports YARG's mission of Collaborating for sustainable communities in the Weaver Mountains. On the left below, Kim Lytle, President of Petey's Playground accepts a check for $1000 from YARG President Frances Lechner. Below center, Seth Howe, President of the Yarnell Food Bank Board of Directors, accepts a check for $1000 from YARG Vice President and Treasurer Judy Garner. Below right, Jerrie Lea Hopf, Vice President and Treasurer for the Weaver Mountains Health Initiative , accepts a check for $1000 from YARG President Frances Lechner.

FUN EVENT!

This year YARG hosted a revival of the BUZZARD’s BASH, a long time favorite event to welcome the annual return of buzzards to our skies and treetops. The event was on March 16, a day before St Patty's Day so we gave the event a bit of an Irish twist!

YARG Meetings

At the suggestion of one of the members attending our Annual Meeting, we added a page containing the agendas and minutes of the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group, Inc., dba Yarnell Area Resource Group. You will find the button to go to the page containing this information at the bottom of each page on this website. For now you can also click on the button just below this paragraph. The annual meeting reviewed the accomplishments of the past year, talked about possibilities for the next year, presented a financial update and elected 3 Board members. To see the current board members, go to the BOARD page. So – what's up next? Go to the Agendas and Minutes page to see what is going on.

Agendas and Minutes

The Yarnell Area Resource Group had its start in the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group which coordinated recovery efforts after the Yarnell Hill Fire of June 2013. The vision of the YHRG was to honor the memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and to respect residents loss of homes and memories by helping the Yarnell area to become a thriving, economically sustainable community. The Yarnell Fire Memorial Park is part of that vision.

Five years later, by July of 2018, most of the funds had been disbursed to residents who lost their homes and local infrastructure. The remaining funds were designated for the Memorial Park which was dedicated on June 30, 2021. In June 2023, the Park was donated to Arizona State Parks and Trails.

In July 2018, YHRG changed its focus. To honor the memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and the homes and memories lost, we will continue our efforts to develop Yarnell and the area into a thriving, economically sustainable community. The newly named Yarnell Area Resource Group (YARG) created a new mission “Collaborating for sustainable communities in the Weaver Mountains.” This will include:

offering a 501c3 umbrella for organizations and projects that warrant such provision and which align with the mission.
retaining and expanding relationships with individuals and organizations in the Weaver Mountains area and Yavapai County, and State Wide Organizations.
collaborating to organize events, offer suggestions and resources based on our experience that can benefit other local organizations.

As part of our effort in offering the 501c3 umbrella for organizations in the area we were able to obtain a $10,000 grant for Walden Meadows Community Co-op (the water company for Wilhoit). Pictured here are Frances Lechner and Judy Garner presenting the check to Cal Lewis, treasurer and Terry Williams, vice president of WMCC.

T-SHIRTS, HOODIES, & PATCHES

Visitors and neighbors may now order items that help to sustain the Park and the Yarnell Area Resource Group. Click on the button below for information or order.

Sustain the Park

YARNELL SOUTHERN ENTRANCE SIGN

Businesses, organizations and individuals may rent space (REALLY reasonable!) on the large sign on the entrance to Yarnell at the top of the hill. Click on the sign below or “Community Sign” in the footer.

CLICK ON SIGN ABOVE OR COMMUNITY SIGN IN THE FOOTER TO SEE THE NEW FEATURE AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS FROM YARNELL AREA RESOURCE GROUP AND YARNELL-PEEPLES VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Painting by Ray Antolik. Click to enlarge. He is making the prints affordable for us to raise money. They can be purchased at the Yarnell Emporium, 928-427-9593.

Yarnell Area Resource Group wishes to thank the many people and companies who have selflessly donated time effort and money to make the park happen. Click here to see a list of those for whom we will forever be grateful.

Bob Brandon, a self-taught artist, was on the frontline of fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. Bob and his crew were creating a firebreak in the Shrine Road area. A sudden wind shift forced them to abandon their work. The wind shift changed to course of the fire – and the course of many lives.
Prints of “Wildland
Firefighter” are
available.

In May 2023 the park was turned over to Arizona State Parks and Trails. They will continue to operate and maintain the park as a memorial to the events of 2013. Their website is: https://azstateparks.com/