St. George Scoop - Week of May 4, 2026

May has arrived, and summer is knocking. This week brings the final performances of MAMMA MIA! in Hurricane, more Finding Nemo previews under the red rocks at Tuacahn, and the first Saturday of summer farmers market hours. Ragnar Trail Zion takes over the east side of the county Friday and Saturday, and the drought news out of Salt Lake is worth paying attention to locally. It's a transitional week in the best sense, with the last of spring's events wrapping up and the summer calendar starting to take shape.

Through Sat, May 9 | Hurricane City Fine Arts Center, 92 S 100 W, Hurricane Mon, Fri, Sat at 7 PM | Sat matinee at 2 PM Tickets $10-$20 | General admission seating

This is it for Hurricane Theatrical's run of MAMMA MIA! The show closes Saturday, May 9, with both a 2 PM matinee and a 7 PM evening show. If you've been meaning to go, don't sleep on this one. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime, and the cast meet-and-greet after every performance is a nice touch you don't always get at community theater. At $10-$20, it's one of the best entertainment values in the valley.

Fri, May 8 & Sat, May 9, 8:45 PM Tuacahn Amphitheatre, 1100 Tuacahn Dr, Ivins Preview tickets from $19-$62

Disney & Pixar's Finding Nemo: A 70-Minute Family Musical is in its second weekend of previews at Tuacahn. This is the regional premiere, with a score by the team behind Frozen (Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez) and a full professional cast. The 70-minute format was designed specifically for families with younger kids who want the Tuacahn experience without a late night. The show officially opens May 22 and runs through October, but preview tickets are typically the most affordable way in. Les Miserables joins the outdoor rotation starting May 15.

Fri-Sat, May 8-9 Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, Mt. Carmel

If you're not running it, you should at least know it's happening. Ragnar Trail Zion brings 1,000-5,000 runners to Zion Ponderosa Ranch for a two-day, one-night relay race on trails overlooking Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks, and Dixie National Forest. Teams of 4 or 8 cycle through trail loops that start and finish at Ragnar Village, running through the night under desert skies.

This is the trail relay that started the entire Ragnar Trail series, and it's one of the bigger events that draws runners from across the country to our corner of Utah. If you're driving the Mt. Carmel Highway or through the east side of Zion this weekend, expect extra traffic near Zion Ponderosa.

This Saturday (May 9) marks the first week on summer schedules. Set your alarms earlier.

Downtown Farmers Market at Vernon Worthen Park is now 8 AM - 12 PM on Saturdays. That's two hours earlier than the winter start. 50+ vendors, live music, local produce and goods. The earlier hours mean cooler temps and the best selection, but you'll need to actually get up.

Tuacahn Saturday Market shifts to 9 AM - 1 PM through September. The Tuacahn Cafe pancake breakfast is still served until noon.

Sun, May 10, 3 PM Lorraine Boccardo Theater, Center for the Arts at Kayenta, 881 Coyote Gulch Ct, Ivins

Part five of the Kayenta 100 Project series, "First Five Decades Part V: Kayenta Lifestyle & Arts, 2016-2026," wraps up the historical deep dive into the Kayenta community's development. If you've been following the series or are curious about how the art village came to be, this is the closing chapter.

Unbound: Art of the West On view through May 30 | St. George Museum of Art, 47 E 200 North, St. George Free admission

This exhibition enters its final month. Twenty-one artists reframing Western art in collaboration with Modern West Fine Art out of Salt Lake City. If you've been putting off a visit, May is the time. Pair it with the farmers market on a Saturday morning or a downtown lunch during the week.

This isn't an event, but it's the local story that matters most right now. Utah is facing one of its worst droughts in recorded history after the warmest winter on record produced almost no snowpack. Officials are calling it a "no-pack" year instead of a snowpack year, and Governor Cox has signaled an emergency declaration is coming, with fire warnings attached. For Washington County, this means water conversations will get louder, reservoir levels will drop faster, and fire restrictions will likely arrive earlier than usual.

We'll keep an eye on this and bring you local updates as they develop. If you're a gardener, a hiker, or someone who cares about where your water comes from, this is the story of the summer.

Here's a small case for getting up early this Saturday. The Downtown Farmers Market at Vernon Worthen Park at 8 AM on a May morning is a different experience than showing up at 11 in winter. The light is soft, the park is cool, the vendors are fresh and fully stocked, and you can grab coffee, browse, pick up produce, and be home before 10. It pairs well with a walk through the neighborhood or a quick stop at the Museum of Art around the corner. Summer hours aren't just a schedule change. They're an upgrade.

Early May warmth with a possible cooldown mid-week.

Good conditions all week. Thursday could push close to 90, which is a preview of what's coming. Evening temps at Tuacahn will still drop into the low 60s, so bring a layer for Finding Nemo on Friday or Saturday night.

If there's one thing to do this week, catch MAMMA MIA! before it closes Saturday. If there are two, add the farmers market at its new 8 AM summer start. And if you want to feel something about where you live, drive out to Snow Canyon at sunset on a clear night this week. The light right now is as good as it gets.

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See you out there, St. George.