James S. Acker ran a general store in Prescott, and he sold school and music supplies to the town's children. He died in 1955 and left part of his estate to the City of Prescott for parks and for the promotion of music, especially for children. Signals AZ retold that story this month ahead of the 38th annual Acker Night Musical Showcase on Friday, December 11.
Acker's name is on two separate music funds, and they work in different ways. One is a City trust that grew out of the will and is managed from City Hall. The other is a volunteer scholarship fund that is filled almost entirely on one December night, a dollar at a time. On December 11 you can see the second fund at work on Gurley Street, and you can add to it directly.
The will went to City Hall
The money from the will is called the Acker Trust, and the City of Prescott still awards it under the will's own wording. Each year the City invites nonprofits that promote "music and parks, especially for the children of Prescott" to apply. For Fiscal Year 2027, which runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, the application deadline was extended to April 3, 2026.
Applications are reviewed by the City's Civic Enhancement Committee, which took over the job of the former Acker Trust Board. This year's grants went through a full public process. The Committee heard from applicants in May and recommended three organizations. City Council approved two of them at its June 23, 2026 meeting and sent the third, Prescott Life School, back for more financial detail. The Committee reviewed the new information on July 2 and again recommended $4,500. That award went to Council on July 14, 2026, according to the Council's meeting packet.
The trust is small. The City's FY2027 budget shows $14,500 in Acker Trust investment income and $14,500 in projected spending, so the grants are paid from what the fund earns. Set against that $14,500, a single $4,500 grant is almost a third of the year's income. Acker's bequest still pays out every year, seven decades after his death, but in modest amounts.
The night went to the volunteers
Acker Night started three decades after the will, and it came from friends, not from City Hall. In 1988, Acker's friend LaVon Andersen came up with a way to bring children's music and the historic downtown together for the holidays. With support from Harold Wise of the Downtown Prescott Association, the first showcase put performers in just a handful of local shops.
Signals AZ reports that more than 100 downtown businesses now host hundreds of volunteer musicians and performers. The music runs from holiday classics to jazz, rock, bluegrass and dance. The event is run entirely by volunteers, and it is the main fundraiser for the J.S. Acker Music Park Association, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is separate from the City trust.
The money comes in through the "Tips for Scholarships" bags set in front of each performer. Depending on what is raised each year, the association has used the money for:
- Scholarships for private music lessons
- Music programs and instruments for local schools
- Repairs to school music department instruments
- Helping young musicians and groups compete and perform
- Local youth performing arts programs
The results are specific. Signals AZ reports that Acker Night recently funded 75 private music lesson scholarships. It also paid for grants to Liberty Traditional Elementary School and Bradshaw Mountain Middle School, six new instruments for Prescott High School, and annual donations to the Prescott, Bradshaw Mountain and Chino Valley high schools. That reach goes past Prescott city limits into Prescott Valley and Chino Valley schools, while the City trust is written around "the children of Prescott."
A scarf sold one night a year
The night's best-known fundraiser hangs in one shop. Fancy That! on Granite Street buys the Acker Scarves and sells them only on Acker Night. Each year has a new design, and all proceeds go to the J.S. Acker Scholarship Program. Signals AZ puts scarf sales over the past decade at nearly $100,000 for local music education, and it notes that the scarves tend to sell out.
Over ten years, that comes to roughly $10,000 a year from one Granite Street shop in one evening. That is in the same range as the $14,500 the City trust expects to earn for all of FY2027.
The two music funds side by side
| City of Prescott Acker Trust | J.S. Acker Music Park Association | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | James S. Acker's estate, left to the City at his death in 1955 | Acker Night, founded 1988 |
| Who decides | Civic Enhancement Committee, approved by City Council | Volunteer nonprofit |
| How money comes in | Investment income, $14,500 projected for FY2027 | Tip bags at each performer, Acker Scarf sales |
| Who receives it | Nonprofits promoting music and parks for Prescott children | Students, school music programs, youth performing arts |
| Recent example | $4,500 to Prescott Life School, to Council July 14, 2026 | 75 private lesson scholarships, per Signals AZ |
How December 11 works
The Acker Night website sets the 2026 schedule. The opening ceremony is at 5 p.m., performances run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and admission is free. According to Signals AZ, the ceremony takes place on Gurley Street. Downtown streets close to traffic, and participating businesses open their doors so visitors can walk from shop to shop.
A few details make the evening easier:
- Read the doors. Each participating business posts its performer's name on the door, so you can find a specific act without a printed map.
- Go to Fancy That! first if you want a scarf, before they sell out.
- Bring small bills. The tip bags in front of each performer are how the scholarship fund is filled.
- Dress for a December evening. Signals AZ suggests warm layers and comfortable walking shoes.
The association welcomes volunteers, including students, and accepts donations year-round through its site.
Where it falls in the season
The Acker Night website describes the event as falling on the first Friday after the Courthouse Lighting, so the two are planned around each other. The Prescott Chamber of Commerce lists the 44th annual Christmas Parade for Saturday, December 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. downtown. The 2026 theme is "Lights, Camera, Action!" and Findlay Auto Group is the presenting sponsor. The 72nd annual Courthouse Lighting & Fireworks follows that evening on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza, with music at 5 p.m. and the lighting and fireworks starting at 6 p.m.
Six days later, the same downtown blocks fill up for Acker Night. Before either weekend, the Gingerbread Village opens November 28 at the Prescott Resort & Conference Center, 1500 AZ-69, and stays up through January 1, 2027.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 28 – Jan. 1 | Gingerbread Village | Prescott Resort & Conference Center |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1–3 p.m. | 44th Christmas Parade | Downtown Prescott |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | 72nd Courthouse Lighting & Fireworks | Courthouse Plaza |
| Fri., Dec. 11, 5–8:30 p.m. | 38th Acker Night Musical Showcase | Gurley Street and downtown shops |
The parks half of the will
The will named parks as well as music, and Acker's name is also on about 80 acres of natural parkland near downtown. Acker Park has 3.24 miles of trails and an amphitheater with seating for more than 50. Access points are 421 S. Virginia St., Penn St./Eastwood, Autumn Breeze in the Foothills subdivision, and S. Washington. The S. Washington entrance has limited parking and works best for people walking in.
Its care has passed between volunteer groups, much like the music side. From 1996 to 2016, Friends of JS Acker Inc. adopted the park in partnership with the City. Since 2020, a neighborhood group called Friends of Acker Park has led the work with Prescott Recreational Services, supported by the Arizona Community Foundation. That support has its own fund in Acker's name, the Friends of JS Acker Memorial Park Fund at the Arizona Community Foundation, which the City links from its park page. Winter hours run 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November 1 through March 31, and parking is free.
Downtown Prescott's character comes from traditions like this one, which local people have kept going for decades. When it's time to present a home near Gurley Street or the Acker Park trails, Luxury Prescott can show buyers what daily life looks like in that part of town. If you're wondering where your own place stands this season, start with a free home valuation.
