Our History

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By 1970, the first planned residential development in the area, the  Village of Oak Creek, was already four years old. Families were moving  to Sedona and it wasn’t long before area businessmen began recognizing  the need for incorporation, schools, and arts venues. Their motivation  was a profound dedication to a new, evolving community with a lot of  need.

It was on the way to a Phoenix Suns’ basketball game in 1979 that  Bill Garland and Dave Blauert came up with the idea to form a group  modeled after the Phoenix 40, a group of Phoenix business leaders who,  over the course of nearly two decades, successfully pursued a variety of  community-building measures that have shaped Arizona.

Contributing Historians: Dave Blauert, Bruce Rogers, Ralph Roney, Mal Wienges, and Serge Wright

Initially a group determined to create a community that people who  lived here could enjoy, they worked informally for many years, with  members helping shepherd the process of making 89A a state highway,  laying the groundwork necessary to incorporate Sedona, leveraging their  experience and their connections to acquire a 1930’s homestead and  orchard and turn it into what is now Slide Rock State Park, and building the foundation for what would be Posse Grounds Park.

In 1982, after years of debate about what to call themselves, the  group finally settled on Sedona 30, and in March of 1986, Sedona 30 was  formally incorporated. Slide Rock State Park opened to the public in  October of 1987, and after nearly a decade of work, the City of Sedona  was finally incorporated in 1988.

Source Historians:Dave Blauert, Bruce Rogers, Ralph Roney, Mal Wienges, and Serge Wright

 In January of 1990, Sedona 30 was officially recognized by the IRS as a  501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The next year, the group awarded their  first scholarships to NAU and Yavapai College, and threw support behind  Sedona’s new medical center, the ASU Students Art Festival, the Sedona  Academy, and a new home for the Sedona Public Library, while members  worked diligently to create what was eventually incorporated as the  Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District. In 1996, Sedona 30 members  built the first Boys & Girls Club of Sedona at Posse Grounds Park  and dedicated it in memory of founding member Bill Garland. Sedona Red  Rock High School graduated its first class in 1997 and Sedona 30 was  there providing scholarships for those in need. In 1997, Sedona 30  members were instrumental in acquiring the land for and funding  development of the Jack Jamesen Memorial Park, the City’s first pocket park.

Photo: Friends of Jack Jamesen Memorial Park. Source historians: Dave  Blauert, Bruce Rogers, Ralph Roney, Mal Wienges, and Serge Wright

 The first decade of the 21st century was a busy one for Sedona 30, as they facilitated the addition  of a public swimming pool, baseball fields, teen facility, basketball  park, and skateboard arena at Posse Grounds Park. Sedona 30 leaders lent  support to the Sedona Arts Festival, the Sedona International Film  Festival and Verde Valley Sanctuary, as well as the 2002 Centennial  Party. They purchased Joker, the drug-sniffing dog that served the  Sedona Police Department from 2002 to 2010, and made a significant  investment into a feasibility study for the Performing Arts Center,  while continuing their support for the Sedona Public Library and  providing scholarships for Sedona Red Rock High School graduates. They  worked behind the scenes to build the foundation for the Sedona Cultural  Park, which opened in 2004.

Source historians: Dave Blauert, Bruce Rogers, Ralph Roney, Mal Wienges, and Serge Wright

The Sedona community continues to evolve,  and Sedona 30 is evolving alongside it. Our members continue to be  active in the community, in our parks, and in our schools.

Sedona 30 contributed $46,000 to initiate the STEM (Science,  Technology, Engineering, Math) program in Sedona schools, and provided  underwriting for LIVE at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, a series of  concerts that brought live touring, professional entertainment to  Sedona. Sedona 30 also granted $3,000 to Sedona Charter School, $2,500  to the Hummingbird Society for website construction, and $2,000 to the  Sedona Food Bank.

In 2013 alone, Sedona 30 provided 27 scholarships totaling $30,000 to  local students, and contributed $18,000 to Big Park Community Schools  for the music program, $18,000 for a physical education program at West  Sedona School, and $14,100 for counseling services at Red Rock High  School.

In 2018, Sedona 30 contributed $16,000 to Red Rock High School for  musical instruments and over $54,000 to the Sedona Performing Arts  Center for enhanced stage lighting and a handheld wireless microphone  system.

Our commitment to Sedona continues in our ongoing efforts to make it a place everyone can be proud to call home.

Source: Sedona 30 Meeting Minutes & Agendas