Tag Archives: Route 66

Local talent produces great gospel CD

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It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with solemn sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. – Psalm 92:1-4

DanielAbbott-16-01-30-03WILLIAMS — I have been serenaded by karaoke nightly for some time. So when I hear a good voice in Williams, it comes as a shock to the senses. Such is the voice of Daniel Abbott. Daniel said that he comes from a musical family and he practices his art by singing at weddings and at his Church. He also donates his time to help Habitat for Humanity by singing at their annual Opry Night.

When I learned that Daniel worked at the Grand Canyon Railway, I thought he worked as one of the talented singers used to entertain during the summer. I was surprised to learn that he is the Risk Manager for Grand Canyon Railway. That in itself is not a mundane task taking on the responsibility to ensure the safety of guests and workers for the Railway.

daniel-abbot-hymnsHe took time from his work to travel to Nashville, Tennessee to produce the Hymns & Favorites Country Style CD through Daywind Recording Studios. He chose to start with a country gospel album because he likes to play music with a positive message. It is a mix of old time gospel and newer Christian gospel songs.

He had the advise of a music producer to refine his interpretation of the songs on this album. The CD contains old gospel favorites such as Just a Closer Walk with Thee, In the Sweet By and By and Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.

There are a few songs I have never heard before such as Long Black Train, a 2003 Christian song by Josh Turner. Daniel also performs If That Isn’t Love originally performed by Elvis Presley. Daniel retains the country gospel sound of these old hits. Anyone who enjoys country music should enjoy this CD.

The CD contains:

  1. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
  2. If That Isn’t Love
  3. Rise and Shine
  4. The Old Rugged Cross
  5. In the Sweet By and By
  6. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart
  7. When He Was On the Cross (I Was On His Mind)
  8. Are You Washed in the Blood/I’ll Fly Away
  9. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
  10. Long Black Train

Daniel started writing original songs about four years ago and has plans for a follow-up CD in March.

Hymns & Favorites is currently available at Buck’s Place and Williams Western Wear in the mall, Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe, The Outdoor Store and Pine Country

Bearizona remains open

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ZBearizona160113-01WILLIAMS — For over five-years Bearizona has entertained thousands of kids and adults. We visited the very first year when they allowed residents in free for a period of time. It was impressive, but not spectacular.
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Over the years we have watched Bearizona grow. They have built an expansive gift shop with a fantastic diorama and separate room for close up introduction to animals and other activities. For Christmas, this year, they introduced the Wild Wonderland. This amazing light and music display I found as impressive as the Zoolights at the Phoenix Zoo. We got to see both.
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This year—despite the most snow Williams has seen in some time—Bearizona even managed to stay open to the public. The snow even makes the animal displays more impressive just like the snow did for the Wild Wonderland display.

During the summer the animals tend to sleep during the heat of the day. With the cold weather, they are more active throughout the day. Especially the wolves and the bears. The same for the animals in the walk-through area. The otters are out and the bear cubs are playing in the snow.
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If you plan to come to Williams, you should plan to visit Bearizona and the Grand Canyon Deer Farm petting zoo. For about the same price as the entrance to the Grand Canyon, you can get up close and personal with various animals of north America. If you are on a planned tour to Williams, you should urge the driver to visit these Williams attractions.

City snow removal ordinances in effect

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Saturday Snow 2015-12-12 034WILLIAMS — With the recent snowfall and more expected in the coming months, it seems a good time to cover the snow removal plans and the ordnances pertaining to that plan.

The City of Williams adopted a snow removal plan structured to open most City streets within 7 hours after a major storm. The city workers have, in the past, done an excellent job in getting the street clear after a snow storm.

The city watches the weather report and when snow acumulations 3-inches or more are predicted, they activate the plan and snow ordnances go into effect.

The clearing of streets is based on the following schedule of priorities:


    All emergency routes to include:

  1. hospital, ambulance service, fire stations, and police department. This includes main thoroughfares through town.
  2. Downtown streets, side streets located in the main part of town, residential streets and school bus routes.
  3. Outlying areas to include such places as Echo Canyon, Country Club Drive, South Road and other major collector streets.
  4. Airport Facilities

The ordinances in effect for snow removal are as follows:

SNOW & ICE REMOVAL FROM SIDEWALKS:

Article 8-7.02 0 Every person in charge of any building or lot of land fronting or abutting on a paved sidewalk shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed and cleared away, snow and ice from a path of at least 36″ in width. Snow and ice shall be removed from sidewalks in all business districts in the City within 24 hours after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain. Snow and ice shall be so removed from all other sidewalks within the same day of the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain within the first 6 hours of daylight after the cessation of any such fall, whichever period is longer. If snow and ice on sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be
removed. without damaging the sidewalk, sand or other abrasive must be put on the sidewalk to make travel possible. As soon as possible a path must be cleared.

PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Per the City of Williams Ordinance 626, the public is responsible for the following during snow storms:

PARKING:

Article 8-7.07 No person shall park or be permitted to park any vehicle on any public street, boulevard or alley during snow removal.

FAILURE TO PERFORM:

Article 8-7.08 If a vehicle is parked in violation of this code the Police Department is authorize to remove the vehicle, or cause it to be removed at the expense of the person owning or
controlling such vehicle.

Article 8-7.06 In the event of the failure of any person to perform the requirements stated above, the Public Works Director may cause such work to be done by the City and the responsible person shall be charged the cost of the work plus a 10% charge.

Route 66 is really slick

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Ice is present along Route 66

Ice is present along Route 66

PARKS — If you are planning to travel Route 66 after a snow, please take care. While traveling the Mother Road is always slick, ice patches make it extremely slick.
Portion of Route 66 a mile east of Parks General Store.

Portion of Route 66 a mile east of Parks General Store.

The snow cover makes Route 66 very photogenic. A mile east of Parks you can stop and see the old portions of the road that were bypassed when Route 66 was realigned. There are several places to stop along the way, but one is missing.

The historic rest stop on the south side (left if you are traveling from Flagstaff) has been closed. You can still get in there, but the toilet facilities are gone. So are the tables, in fact.

You do not have to hold it until Williams, though. The Parks General Store is open daily in Parks along with the gas station.

Oak Hill Snow Play area is open and snowy. Restroom facilities available.

Oak Hill Snow Play area is open and snowy. Restroom facilities available.

About three miles past Parks on the south side is the Oak Hill Snow Play area. The nice thing about the Oak Hill Snow Play area after a snow is that there is… Well… Snow. Our slope report is that there is still a light covering of snow on the hill. Probably enough to get a few good runs.

Across Route 66 from the snow play area is the trail to Keyhole Sink. It is still open, but the trail, of course, has patches of snow and mud where it has melted. The Keyhole Sink trail is about a mile long to the Keyhole Sink.

First piece of historic Route 66 pie sold today

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Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe photo.

Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe photo.

WILLIAMS — Anna’s Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe has a $66 piece of apple pie which benefits the Route 66 Association to assist in preservation projects for the historic highway. The first piece was sold today to Michael Rioux who is currently moving to Virginia.

Michael said that he wanted to help the community in someway. So he purchased the first piece of pie.

Pie-15-11-19-02He has, however, done much more for the community. Michael is a veteran of Afghanistan and served as the Service officer of the Matthew J. Broehm VFW post in Williams. In that capacity he has assisted veterans and their families in getting paperwork and benefits due them. He has assisted a number of homeless veterans.

His concern for the homeless does not extend to just veterans. He founded Hope For The World ministries in the mall in downtown Williams. He, and his German Shepard Bear, took in donations of food and clothing to hand out to those in need.

Spoiled Rotten has new stock in for winter

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640-15-11-11-03WILLIAMS — Williams has already been hit with a cold blast and it isn’t winter yet. Spoiled Rotten Pet Boutique at 516 East Route 66 (near Goldies Route 66 Diner and I-40 Fleet Services) has stocked up on some winter wear for the pets. Until December 1 all non-food items are 30% off. They also just received a new line of crates. Along with the toys, winter wear and backpacks you are sure find something for the pet.
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Backpacks also available.

Backpacks also available.


Science Diet foods and treats also available. Food items are NOT 30% off.

Science Diet foods and treats also available. Food items are NOT 30% off.

Tourism Cares visits Williams

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640tourism-cares-01WILLIAMS — As you wandered around Williams the past couple of days you might have noticed the “sprucing up” of City Hall and the Williams Visitor Center. Steve Dudley of Williams sent us this report.

Today, about 150 volunteers of Tourism Cares blew into Williams and spent the day painting the town. From City Hall and the Visitor Center to National Forest signs, the all volunteer group fanned out across the city and gave everything a fresh coat of paint. Tourism Cares’ mission is to preserve the travel experience for future generations. They protect the heart of travel by uniting the travel and tourism industry to tackle shared priorities with our collective might! Tourism Cares is the charitable arm of the travel and tourism industry. After a full day of hard work and a job well done the group had dinner at Wild West Junction.

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Our thanks to the group for making us look even better.

Halloween in Williams

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800-15-10-24 008WILLIAMS — Halloween events have already started around Williams with the decorations. That, however, is not the end of it. You still have a chance to go to one of the businesses in Williams and pick up a contest form. Go to each business on the list and check out their scarecrow. While you are there, get a signature. Turn the form into the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce for a chance to win the Grand Prize.

There are many other events that occur that visitors might want to know about. On Halloween, most of the businesses along Route 66 hand out candy.

On October 28 at 6:30 p.m., the Young Life Lost Canyon camp will host a bonfire, hot dog roast and movies for High School youth and middle school youth (6th – 8th Grade). You can call Bob 928-380-4346 or the First Baptist Church office 635-4692.

Speaking of the First Baptist Church, they will be hosting their annual Fall Festival on Halloween night. There are games and prizes and, of course, candy. This is a safe alternative to trick-or-treat. Across the street at the Family Harvest Church they also hold a Fall Festival.

Another great alternative is the Trunk-or-Treat at the United Methodist Church on South Second Street. Church members park their cars and hand out candy. There are also games and food for the adults.

Most of these events begin around 6:30 p.m.

Of course all of our restaurants will be open for those adults without kids. They probably would not mind if you dress up. Some may even offer a Fall fare to try out. For example the Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe in the Red Garter Inn, which just happens to be open until 9 p.m. on Saturday, offers an Autumn Breakfast Sandwich. It consists of sausage and eggs in between two pumpkin spice pancakes.

300-PetBoutique15-10-20-005If you have not had a chance to get a costume, the Pet Boutique on the east end of Route 66 has pug masks, t-shirts and t-shirts you might enjoy. Plus some costume for your pets. If you are on a budget, you can check out the thrift stores at the Williams Senior Center by Safeway or the Camp Civitan Thrift store on Route 66. Of course they have other new and used products you can purchase. You will also be helping out a great cause.

Don’t be afraid to check out the fun and decorations at the Grand Canyon Railway and Bearizona just east of Williams. You might want to check out the Deer Farm petting zoo on Deer Farm Road. You can get directions to all of the events at the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce in the visitor center.

The key is to make Halloween a safe time for kids and parents. We have not had any reported incidents in Williams as far as candy and cookies that are handed out. However there is a lot of traffic. So make sure you carry a flashlight. You can purchase glow-lites and necklaces at Safeway, Family Dollar and Dollar General to light up your kids.

Another early morning pedestrian fatality in Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF — On October 20, 2015 at approximately 00:23 hrs., Officers were called to the area of the underpass, and Route 66 in regards to an intoxicated man walking in the middle of the roadway in the east bound lanes. While Officers were on their way to the area, another call came into dispatch indicating a collision had occurred with a driver and the same pedestrian at Leroux and Route 66.

When Officers arrived they located a subject wearing a gray sweater lying face up in the roadway, unresponsive. The pedestrian was approximately 15-20 feet behind the vehicle which struck him.

Several witnesses contacted at the scene described the pedestrian as walking in the east bound lanes, with his hands up from his sides. One witness stated he had been driving in the westbound lanes, and flashed his lights at the pedestrian and honked his horn at him, prior to the collision.

The driver of the vehicle indicated he never saw the pedestrian until he was directly in front of him. The driver of the vehicle cooperated completely with the investigation and no indications of impairment were noted at the time of contact. The Flagstaff Police Departments collision reconstruction team was called to the scene, to continue the investigation.

This investigation is pending identification and next of kin notification. Further information regarding the pedestrian’s identity will be forthcoming, as he did not have any ID on him and appears to be approximately 30 years old.