WILLIAMS — 2nd Street between Bill Williams Avenue (Route 66) and Grant Street was closed by City of Williams Public Works department apparently in preparation for the annual arrival of the city Christmas tree. The section of 2nd street closed is between Colors of the West and the Grand Canyon Hotel.
Category Archives: Holiday
Producers of Christmas Pageant seeks equipment.
WILLIAMS — Producers of the Williams Christmas Nativity Pageant are seeking help from the community for the December 23 show.
The show is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. December 23 which is expected to be cold at the outside venue. Cosette Riggs is asking if anyone has outdoor patio heaters that they can contribute for the event. According to Facebook posts, the pageant seems to be coming together, but other contributions would be appreciated. The pageant could use safety observers, cocoa, cookies and other baked goods, ushers and so-forth.
If you have a patio heater with a full tank of fuel that they can borrow or can contribute in other ways, you can contact the organizers of the pageant at 602-818-6559 or by email jdmoede@aol.com.
‘Terrifying’ traffic can occur during afternoon commute on Halloween
PHOENIX — Halloween brings out more than ghosts and goblins. When the spooky celebration falls on a weekday – this year it’s on Monday – many commuters adjust their routines, leaving work early to get home for trick-or-treating and parties. The result is often a wicked commute.
Given the potential for a cursed commute, the Arizona Department of Transportation recommends the following:
- If possible, try to make an earlier start in the afternoon to avoid the scariest traffic. Freeway traffic builds between 4-6 p.m. in what has come to be known as the “witching hour.”
- Be patient and recognize that it may take longer to get home. Take your time.
- Don’t let down your guard when you’re nearing home. Remember: superheroes, princesses and too-old-to-be-trick-or-treating teenagers will be crossing streets in your neighborhood and might not be paying attention.
Beginning Saturday morning and lasting through Halloween, ADOT’s overhead message boards statewide will display this safety message:
MUMMY KNOWS BEST
WRAP YOURSELF
IN A SEAT BELT
Failure to wear a seat belt is one of the leading factors in traffic deaths on Arizona’s state highways, county roads and city streets. In 2015, 29 percent of the 895 people killed in vehicle crashes in Arizona weren’t wearing seat belts.
Will Haunt for Food
WILLIAMS — Spooky and fun Halloween events continue through the weekend to the big event on Monday. It is the final weekend for the events Bearizona and Grand Canyon Railway. A haunted house will spook up some food for the Williams Food Bank. Businesses and houses throughout the community are ready to distribute candies.
This weekend is the final chance to visit the Howly, Owly, Growly festival at Bearizona. It is also the final weekend for the Pumpkin Patch train at the Grand Canyon Railway. This special train this weekend features the steam engine.
Starting Friday the 29th and running through Halloween you can take a walk through The Tunnel of Doom. The fee is a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Williams Food Bank. The Tunnel of Doom is at 1066 Allston Way in Williams (MAP). We got to visit the “skeleton” of the Tunnel earlier and it looks to be a spooky experience.
Safe Halloween alternatives are planned by Churches on Monday. The Williams First Baptist Church and Family Harvest Church across the street from Safeway will hold their annual Fall Festival. The Methodist Church on 2nd Street will host their Trunk-or-Treat event. Kids can get candy from Halloween-mobiles and get a hotdog or hamburger at the bbq.
Of course the big day is Monday, the 31st. We urge all parents to trick-or-treat with their children or another responsible adult. There are safety tips available here and here. You should check to make sure the house has decorations outside indicating that they are welcoming visitors. Remind your children not to eat any treats until you check them out yourself.
On Saturday, you can drive around and check for houses appropriately decorated. Don’t forget that businesses downtown also may be handing out treats.
Have a SAFE Halloween.
Christmas Nativity pageant meeting held
Producer Kerry-Lynn Moede (sitting) and Cosette Riggs (standing) explain the vision of the upcoming Christmas Pageant.
Director Cosette Riggs said of the ambitious project, “This is an old-fashioned, nativity Christmas pageant. The pastors will be the narrators and the whole town can be shepherds, sheep, angels, and choir and band, and just helpers. We’re all together.
“We need angels, and shepherds and sheep. We need choir singers and we need any musicians that want to join in.
“We also need people that are just with us to be our eyes and our ears for the safety of our children, because we will have some heaters out here.
“Parents and other big people can also be angels and shepherds and it kind of helps kids and encourages them that they are not alone and they won’t be so shy.”
Cosette said that they are going to appoint a costume designer who will organize the help to create the costumes. She said they could use help to dress the participants at the pageant.
Producer Kerry-lynn Moede, operator of the Historic Yellow House, explained that the rehearsal process will be modular. Each group—eg. choir, musicians, actors—will have to rehearse on their own. The participants will then come together one or two times before the event to rehearse together.
Old Trail’s True Value Hardware has committed to building a nativity set. Other businesses are welcome to donate cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts or other similar food items and coffee, cocoa, hot cider or other drinks.
The pageant will be on December 23 at 6:30 p.m., so Cosette recommends that participants plan on warm clothing underneath the costumes. Of course people planning to come and see the show should heed the same advice.
Anyone desiring to participate in any fashion can contact producer Kerry-Lynn Moede at 602-818-6559 or by email jdmoede@aol.com.
Kaibab National Forest to offer Christmas tree permits starting November 16
WILLIAMS —The Kaibab National Forest will sell over-the-counter and through-the-mail Christmas tree tags on a first-come, first-served basis for each of its three ranger districts beginning Nov. 16 and continuing until they are sold out.
The $15 permit will allow the holder to cut a tree of a particular species that is not more than 10 feet in height within a designated area on the Kaibab National Forest from Nov. 16 through Dec. 24. The tag is only good for a tree on the ranger district from which it was purchased and can’t be used to cut a tree on a different district unless specifically noted. No refunds will be made, even if weather conditions prevent access to cutting areas.
Individuals who purchase tags will be provided with a map showing their designated cutting area along with additional tree cutting instructions. The number of available tags and tree species, locations and hours for purchasing the permits, and contact information for each ranger district are as follows:
| # of Permits Available and Tree Species | Location of Designated Cutting Area | Contact Information | Open Days and Hours |
| 800
Any Species |
North Kaibab Ranger District
Note: The Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 11 for tag sales. The visitor center is located at the intersection of highways 89 and 67 in Jacob Lake and can be reached at (928) 643-7298.
|
Physical address: 430 S. Main St., Fredonia, AZ 86022
Mailing address: P.O. Box 248, Fredonia, AZ 86022 (928) 643-7395 |
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The office will also be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on two Saturdays, Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, for tag sales. |
| 500
Pinon or Juniper |
Tusayan Ranger District | Physical address: 176 Lincoln Log Loop, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
Mailing address: P.O. Box 3088, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (928) 638-2443 |
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. |
| 500
Pinon or Juniper
|
Williams Ranger District
Note: The Williams Ranger District office will also have 100 tags available for the Tusayan Ranger District.
|
Physical and mailing address: 742 S. Clover Rd., Williams, AZ 86046
(928) 635-5600 |
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. |
Individuals can also purchase a Christmas tree tag through the mail by sending information to the mailing address of the ranger district they plan to visit. It is strongly advised to call the desired ranger district office in advance to ensure tags are still available and check on estimated postage or other requirements. Individuals desiring to purchase a Christmas tree tag through the mail should provide ample time for it to arrive. Expect a turnaround time of about 10 business days. Please include the following with any request for a Christmas tree tag through the mail:
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage to cover tag, map and cutting instructions; it is strongly advised to call the desired ranger district in advance for estimated postage or other requirements.
- A contact phone number
- A check payable to USDA Forest Service
The Kaibab National Forest is also pleased to announce that all fourth graders are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit, while supplies last, through the Every Kid in a Park initiative. Every Kid in a Park is a nationwide call to action to build the next generation of conservationists.
All fourth graders are eligible to receive a fourth grade pass that allows free access to federal lands and waters across the country for a full year. In support of this initiative, the Forest Service is making available a free Christmas tree permit to every interested fourth grader with a fourth grade pass or paper voucher.
For additional information about the initiative and how to obtain a pass, visit www.everykidinapark.gov. To be eligible for a free Christmas tree permit from the Kaibab National Forest, all fourth graders must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and present their fourth grade pass or paper voucher.
Autumn is a great time of year to visit
WILLIAMS — In the winter there are plenty of places to play in the snow. Oak Hill snow play area is about six-miles east of Williams and people line south road to find their favorite slide place. The spring melts the snow to create the creeks running through Williams bringing life-giving water. This leads to spring flowers and a summer of fishing, hiking and camping.
In autumn, however, the changing leaves of the aspens, oaks and other trees bring an incomparable beauty. There are still good places to hike and get photographs. There are still deer and elk running about, so caution while driving the roads is highly recommended.
Bill Williams Mountain road is a popular drive this time of year.
Although the Aspens are bare along Dogtown road, the oaks and other trees still provide a nice drive.
The sad part is that the aspens did not fill out this year as they have in years past even with the heavy monsoon season. There are still some nice examples along Bill Williams Mountain road. There are still even some flowers blooming along the way.
The entrance to Bill Williams Mountain Road—officially FR 111—is located about four-miles out Perskinsville Road which runs past Santa Fe dam. 
Along FR-111 you can stop off at Finger Rock for some good photographs from the trail.
Speaking of Santa Fe dam, you can stop there and walk the trail along the reservoir. Two-miles down Perkinsville Road is the turn off for Dogtown road. On the opposite side is Benham Trail. The trail runs all the way to Bill Williams Mountain road. This is a beautiful, somewhat strenuous, hike.
The view from Bill Williams Mountain Road shows the immensity of the Kaibab National Forest.
The Aspens and Buckskinner Park usually make a nice photograph, but they did not fill out as usual. At the park area, the Buckskinner trail head lead to a number of trails which make for great hiking and photographic opportunities.
About six-miles east of Williams is the Oak Hill Snow Play area. Across Route 66 from there is a mile trail to the Keyhole Sink where you can enjoy the autumn hike to see the petroglyphs. This is an easier hike than most. Most family members should be able to make it with relative ease.
This season is, indeed, a beautiful time of the year. The trees in and around Williams are showing their fall colors. The weather is still warm enough to take to the trails for hiking and camping is still open. One should remember that, while wildlife is available for photographs, the hunting season is starting. You should keep your animals reigned in.
The 13 Colonies Special Event Gets Under Way tomorrow
The Amateur Radio Relay League announces a special Independence week event. The event consists of contacting stations in all of the original thirteen colonies. This is a great way to spend Independence Day and a great way to introduce your friends to amateur radio.
The eighth annual 13 Colonies Special Event takes place from 1300 UTC on July 1 until 0400 UTC on July 7. Stations working the special event station in at least one of the original 13 states — or all 15 participating stations — will be eligible for a certificate. A Liberty Bell endorsement will be attached for stations contacting sister special event station WM3PEN, in Philadelphia, where independence was declared. Back this year, is a second sister station GB13COL in Durham, England.
Stations will be on the air from each of the original 13 colonies — Connecticut (K2D), Delaware (K2E), Georgia (K2G), Massachusetts (K2H), Maryland (K2F), North Carolina (K2J), New Hampshire (K2K), New Jersey (K2I), New York (K2A), Pennsylvania (K2M), Rhode Island (K2C), South Carolina (K2L), and Virginia (K2B). All HF bands and all modes will be in play, with the exception of 60 meters. Operation on 2 and 6 meter simplex is encouraged.
Happy Flag Day
Happy Flag Day! This is the day that Americans across the country post the United States flag. Streets are lined with old Glory. Americans started celebrating Flag Week on Sunday.
I forgot. In this day of political correct common core, they probably don’t teach this in school. Title 36 of the United States Code (PDF) covers all Patriotic Observances. Flag Day is covered in Section 110 of the code. The observance commemorates the adoption of the first United States flag on June 14, 1777. National Flag Week is covered under Section 122, of Title 36, and is the week in which June 14 occurs.
There is more. There is Honor America Days. This is covered in Section 112 of Title 36. Honor America Days is the 21-days from Flag Day until July 4 in which,
Congress declares that there be public gatherings and activities during that period at which the people of the United States can celebrate and honor their country in an appropriate way.
I can only find one city that has events celebrating Honor America Days, though they conduct their celebration a couple of weeks after. Rome, New York (Facebook) has an Honor America Days parade on July 30. Although they do have a Patriotic 5/10K run during the 21-day period.
Another little know fact is that Independence was declared on July 2, not July 4. The declaration was issued to the public two-days after the vote taken by Congress to be read and declared publicly. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3,
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
Thunderstorms possible through Friday
WILLIAMS — There is about a 20% chance of thunderstorms tonight and through Friday. It is expected to clear up Saturday morning remaining sunny through Memorial Day. Monday night partly cloudy skies return. Winds will be from 9- to 17-mph tonight and tomorrow with gusts as high as 24-mph. Williams Memorial Day weather has returned.