The 50th St. George Marathon, the Battle for the Ax, and First Friday in Kayenta

This week starts wet and ends hot. A couple of rainy days give way to sunshine and low-90s heat just in time for the biggest Saturday of the fall: the 50th running of the St. George Marathon in the morning and the Utah Tech vs. SUU rivalry game that night.

In between, Kayenta throws its monthly First Friday, Tuacahn heads into its final weeks of the summer Broadway season, and the pumpkin patches are open. Here's what's worth your time.

Date: Saturday, October 3 (5K on Friday, October 2)
Time: Marathon starts 7 a.m.; 5K starts 5:30 p.m. Friday
Location: Finish line at Vernon Worthen Park, 300 S. 400 East
Price: Free to watch; registration is closed

This is the one. The golden anniversary of the city's signature race sold out with a record 10,800 participants, according to St. George News. That includes about 6,500 full marathoners, 3,200 half marathoners and 1,000 runners in Friday's 5K. City organizers say to expect special 50th-anniversary medals and a redesigned finish line.

If you want to cheer, get downtown early. The city's own advice is to leave plenty of time to park and walk in, and the finish area at Vernon Worthen gets packed fast once the elite runners start arriving. The free St. George Marathon app offers live runner tracking, which helps if you're waiting on a specific friend.

If you just need to get somewhere Saturday morning, plan around it. Most of the course from Central down SR-18 into downtown closes early Saturday, and downtown streets around the finish stay restricted into the early afternoon. The marathon finish line officially closes at 2:15 p.m. Check the city's marathon page for the closure map before you head out.

The runner expo runs Friday at the Dixie Convention Center, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's mostly for packet pickup, but vendors and the general race-weekend energy make it a fun stop even if you're not running.

[IMAGE: Runners crossing the finish line at Vernon Worthen Park]

Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Greater Zion Stadium, Utah Tech University
Price: Tickets through Utah Tech Athletics

The in-state rivalry comes to St. George this year, and it's Utah Tech's first Battle for the Ax as a Big Sky Conference member. The Trailblazers are 0-5 in a tough debut season, so a win over the Thunderbirds would mean a lot to this team and its fans.

It's a busy day downtown, so give yourself extra time if you're coming straight from marathon festivities. Kickoff is after sunset, which should take the edge off a forecast high in the 90s. Can't make it? The game streams on ESPN+ and airs on The Fan 99.5 FM.

Date: Friday, October 2
Time: First Friday 4-8 p.m.; film at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Kayenta Art Village and the Center for the Arts at Kayenta, 881 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins
Price: First Friday is free; film tickets are $12

Kayenta's monthly First Friday brings a pop-up market curated by the Southern Utah Market, open galleries and studios, live music and food trucks to the art village. It's one of the easiest free evenings out in the county, and the red rock light around sunset does a lot of the work.

Stay for the 7:30 p.m. DOCUTAH screening of "Being Adolph Gasser," a documentary about a San Francisco camera repairman, inventor and WWII veteran who counted Ansel Adams as a best friend. Director John C. Aliano and members of the film team will stay for a post-film discussion. Tickets are available on Kayenta Arts' website.

Dates: Showing nightly Monday-Saturday through October 24
Time: 8 p.m. through Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. starting Thursday, October 1
Location: Tuacahn Amphitheatre, 1100 Tuacahn Drive, Ivins
Price: Starting at $36

The summer season is winding down. "Grease" closes October 22, "Les Misérables" on October 23 and "Finding Nemo" on October 24, so this is a good week to catch one before they're gone. Here's this week's lineup:

Note the earlier 7:30 curtain starting Thursday. "Les Mis" runs close to three hours with intermission and is recommended for ages 12 and up, while "Finding Nemo" is a short, easy pick for families with little kids. Tickets are on Tuacahn's calendar. Keep an eye on the rain for Monday and Tuesday shows.

Dates: Thursday-Saturday, October 1-3 (runs through October 10)
Time: 7:30 p.m., plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, October 3
Location: The Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle St.
Price: $19-$25

The Stage Door's production of the Tony-winning musical is in its second week downtown. It follows an isolated high schooler who gets swept up in a growing lie after a classmate's death, and it deals directly with teen mental health and suicide. It's a moving show, but it's a better fit for teens and adults than younger kids.

If you're going to the Saturday matinee, remember that downtown streets will still be busy from the marathon. Details are in this SU Independent preview.

Dates: Open Monday-Saturday through October 31 (closed Sundays)
Time: Corn maze and pumpkin patch 5-9:30 p.m. Mon-Thu, noon-9:30 p.m. Fri-Sat; Field of Screams 7-10 p.m. Thu, 7-11 p.m. Fri-Sat
Location: 3400 S. Washington Fields Road, Washington City
Price: Varies by attraction; Field of Screams runs $29.99-$39.99

The corn maze, pumpkin patch and farm animals are back in Washington Fields for the season. Weekday visits don't start until 5 p.m. because the farm hosts field trips during the day, so weekends are your best bet for a daytime trip.

For older kids and adults, the Field of Screams haunted corn maze runs Thursday through Saturday nights. Check Staheli Family Farm's hours page before you go, especially after early-week rain.

[IMAGE: Pumpkin patch at Staheli Family Farm with red cliffs in the background]

Marathon Saturday shakes up the usual market routine, so plan ahead.

The St. George Museum of Art is showing two solo exhibitions this fall, both the first museum solo shows for their artists. "45th State of Mind" features Ben Steele, a Dixie High graduate now based in Helper, whose work runs Utah imagery through vintage souvenir and commercial graphics. One piece turns Zion National Park into a giant retro crayon box.

Next door, "Fear Alchemy" presents a new, site-specific body of work by Aziza Abdieva. Both shows are free and run through December 23. Details are on the museum's page.

Digger is a 9-year-old, 21-pound red merle heeler who hasn't gotten the memo about slowing down. The shelter describes him as spry, sweet and potty trained, and he's happiest trailing his person from room to room.

He'd do best as the only dog in a calm home with an adult who wants a loyal little shadow. His history with cats is unknown. The adoption fee is $60 and includes vaccines, microchip and neuter. Call the St. George Animal Shelter at 435-627-4350 to set up a visit, or see Digger and his shelter-mates on the shelter's Petfinder page.

Watching 10,000-plus runners pour down SR-18 on Saturday, it's hard to picture how small this race started. Johnathan Miller, whose father Sherman Miller founded the marathon while serving as the city's first parks and recreation director, ran it as a 9-year-old when only about 320 runners showed up.

Back then, nobody closed the highway. Cars just slowed down and kept to one side of SR-18 while runners went by. Spectators built bonfires in galvanized tin drums along the course to stay warm in the pre-dawn cold.

Miller has since written a history of running in St. George, "From Marathon to Main Street," with results from every St. George Marathon. He plans to have a booth at Friday's expo. If you like local history, it's worth a stop.

Split week: stormy and cool, then classic October.

Evening lows around 60. Skip slot canyons and washes during the early-week storms. Tuacahn's curtain moves to 7:30 p.m. starting Thursday, and it cools off fast after dark in the canyon, so bring a layer.

Saturday is the day to circle: cheer the 50th St. George Marathon in the morning, then head to Greater Zion Stadium for the Battle for the Ax at 6. Friday night belongs to Kayenta's First Friday, and if you've been meaning to see a Tuacahn show this summer, you're down to the final few weeks. Just check those road closures before you drive Saturday morning.

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See you out there, St. George.