St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

The Elected Board of Directors determines policies and plans of action aimed at maintaining and developing a community in which business and families can thrive.

Visit the Chamber's site at:
http://www.stgeorgechamber.com/


click on the following link to see their current online newsletter:
http://www.stgeorgechamber.com/BIZ%20NEWS/2008/7.29.08.html


click on the following link to view their newsletter archives:
http://www.stgeorgechamber.com/LocalBizNews%20Online.htm

Cool off with our mild winter mountain scenery

Click photos to enlarge and see detail....

St. George to Las Vegas

Driving time from here to Las Vegas is about 2 hours, and is approximately 120 miles southwest from St. George.

Besides what the “Vegas Strip” has to offer, check out the following link:

https://www.vegas.com/attractions/

Towns and freeway exits around St. George

More gorgeous scenery of St. George

These are poppin up all over town

These wonderful RedBoxes are becoming the rage around here. They are extremely popular and the best thing that could have happened in the world of movie nuts.

I remember when the first one appeared at the Albertson’s store by us. As people became aware of what they were, the line in front of them became longer and longer. Then the store ordered a second one and that helped tremendously. Other stores within the St. George area to find a RedBox is: Maverik, McDonalds, Harmons, Wal-Mart, Smiths.

You can’t beat $1.00 a night to rent the movies that are contained within the RedBox. It is very easy. You just press areas on the screen and follow directions to choose your movies. Then you swipe your credit card in a slot on the machine and the movie, which is contained within its own plastic case, comes out of another slot. Movies are then returned TO ANY REDBOX LOCATION by 9 pm the next night by way of the same slot on the machine. If you don’t return the movie by 9, your account will be charged another $1.00.

And so far, Monday is free movie day. A number code is taped to the front of the machine, you type in the code on the screen, and you receive a free movie. Can’t beat that !!!

How would you like to have these views from YOUR backyard?

New community center

Just recently, a huge and totally fun community center opened in Washington City…the neighboring town to St. George. If interested in more information, click on the following link:

http://washingtoncity.org/recreation/index.php?sub=CommunityCenter

Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

A 62,000-acre (20 miles wide and 6 miles deep) scenic wildlife reserve established in 1996, and set aside to federally protect the desert tortoise and other rare and sensitive plants and animals from human encroachment in Utah's rapidly growing Washington County.

The Reserve merges three ecosystems: the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau. The area is biologically rich with a variety of animals and plants that are rarely seen in one place. The Reserve contains the Mojave Desert Tortoise, Gila monster, sidewinder rattlesnake, and chuckwalla… reptiles typically associated with hotter and more southerly deserts, like the Mojave.

The Reserve protects a large, diverse, and functional expanse of habitat capable of sustaining wildlife populations threatened by rapid development and habitat loss across Washington County in the St. George area. Located immediately adjacent to several growing communities, the Reserve also protects the cities’ scenic red rock backdrop.

The Reserve is northerly of Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George and Washington City, south of Leeds, and westerly of Hurricane and LaVerkin. The Reserve is trisected by Highway 18 in the west and I-15 in the east. There are many access points and trails for recreational opportunities within the Reserve.

Jumpin and sliding your way to fun

A place called Jumpin Jacks has been in town a couple of months. It is like a small recreation center.

If you’re young and limber (which I am not), then you will really enjoy going to this place.

They have set up about a dozen large inflated jump and bounce houses, and two large inflated slides. Kids of course have tons of fun, but as I was watching everyone there...I think the adults were having MORE fun.

Click on the following link for more information.

http://www.jumpinjackskids.com/

Our latest "new store in town"

Well, am I excited about our newest store in St. George. I have never been to a Barnes and Noble bookstore before. I could not believe my eyes when I walked through the front door. This place is HUGE. Three of our regular bookstore would have fit into this store !!!

I took my time and wandered throughout the whole store to see what types of things the store contained. My goodness....what a different, wide-range of items they sell. Besides the most largest, most varied selection of books I have EVER seen in a bookstore, (it reminded me of a library), there were DVD movies, puzzles, maps, toys, gifts especially for readers, artist paper, bargain books, discount books, children’s books, comic book-type books, role playing games, etc, etc, etc. And sprinkled throughout the whole store were small “reading areas with 4 comfortable cushy chairs surrounding a small table in the middle. Oh yes, there is also a “Starbucks” section with yummy baked goods.

No kidding...a person could spend hours and hours in this Barnes and Noble bookstore. And IF you are an avid book lover/reader....you just might spend the whole day there, who knows !!!!

So do yourself a favor and have a fun time by visiting Barnes and Noble.

Annual Kite Festival

Every year around April, the Dixie Escalante Kite Festival is held. Many businesses in the community make the Festival possible through their financial sponsorship. It is a wholesome, uplifting, family-oriented event.

The purpose of the Kite Festival is to reward school students who have participated in a special Reading Program. Those who qualify earn a free, high-quality kite for their reading efforts, and they can participate in the kite flying festival.

Besides the open kite flying that is scheduled, there are also kite demonstrations, competitions and contests, such as the largest kite and a Rokkaku Fighter Kite War. Winning school teams earn the money for their school.

At the festival, there are also rides, games, entertainment and refreshments.

Scenic drive

A few weeks ago, when I went to the Pine Valley recreation area campgrounds (see the May 12 post), I took some scenic photos (from within our moving car) on the drive back to town.

Here they are:

Volcanoes in St. George

Cinder cone volcanoes within Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George

Volcanoes are created by internal forces within the Earth that cause heated, melted rock (magma) to rise to the surface. First collecting in magma chambers, some of the magma eventually pushes upward through cracks (vents) to the Earth's surface. As the magma reaches the surface, it loses some of its gases and turns into lava. Volcanoes are created by the release and build-up of lava and other materials. Volcanoes have varied shapes and sizes, but are divided into three main kinds depending on the type of material that reaches the surface and the type of eruption that ensues. One such kind is cinder cone.

A cinder cone is a volcanic cone built almost entirely of loose volcanic fragments, ash, and pumice. Cinder cones are the simplest and smallest type of volcano, built from particles and blobs of congealed lava ejected from a single vent. As the gas-charged lava is blown violently into the air (often hundreds of feet), it breaks into small fragments that solidify and fall as cinders (about ½ inch in diameter) that pile up around the volcano’s vent to form a circular or oval cone shape. The molten rock solidifies instantly, often preserving bubbles created by escaping gasses. If an eruption of this type continues long enough, fragments accumulate layer by layer to form a cinder cone. Cinder cones can grow up to 2,300 feet high, but most are between 100 and 1,000 feet. Most cinder cones have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit and rarely rise more than a thousand feet or so above their surroundings.

Cinder cone volcanoes are found in many places in Utah, and the city of St. George is located in a volcanic field. North of St. George is Snow Canyon State Park and within it’s boundaries are two cinder cones that are close to the road. The Cinder Cone Trail is a 1.5 mile path that climbs one of the extinct volcanoes. Despite its short length, this path is difficult as people must climb up and down steep slopes with volcanic rock that makes it hard for one to keep their footing. However, the views at the top of the volcano are well worth the effort. Besides, how often can one climb a volcano?

It's snowing COTTON ! ! !

For the last couple of weeks it has been snowing.....cotton....by our house....because two houses down from us we have a neighbor that has a gigantic cottonwood tree in their back yard. And when the breeze comes up, down comes the fluffy white cotton out of the tree and goes EVERYWHERE!! It even likes to come into our house when we open the door.

Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness....

Located 35 miles north of St. George, Utah, the area known as Pine Valley is surrounded by wilderness, pine trees, and wildlife of the Dixie National Forest. The small community of Pine Valley is a welcome summer retreat from the heat of St. George. At 6,630 feet (compared to 2,800 feet elevation in St. George), the cool evenings and shade from ponderosa pines seem like a little piece of heaven.

The Pine Valley Mountain, being a mountain island surrounded by desert, is more or less isolated from the Wasatch Mountain Range, which extends the entire length of the state. The mountains are a striking compliment to the area’s dramatic red rock scenery.
Because the St. George area is located between the Rocky Mountains and the desert southwest, it features the distinct landscapes of both. It has forested mountain ranges and high plateaus, along with rugged and starkly beautiful red rock desert.

The Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness preserves numerous lush meadows (up to 50 acres in size) and a beautiful forest of Engelmann spruce in the south, and spruce mixed with fir, pine, and large stands of aspen in the north. The Pine Valley Mountains rise through the entire center of the area and provide habitat for chipmunks, marmots, red squirrels, and a large herd of deer in summer.

The photos below were taken within the Pine Valley Recreation Area camp grounds.