UPDATE: The Zipline began operation on Wednesday, June 12.
WILLIAMS—The Historic Route 66 Zipline across Grand Canyon Blvd appears near completion.
For fifteen twelve-dollars, one can now ride a seat up to the towers set up by the community stage. There they can travel the ten-seconds, or so, back down to the starting point.
The travel will give you the opportunity to take in the scenic view of Grand Canyon Blvd and the city dumpsters.
You might want to rethink parking in the city parking or the Visitor Center parking. If you do, remember that the car wash is only a couple of blocks down and on the left on Railroad Avenue.
WILLIAMS—It’s summer and rodeo season is here. The Arizona Cowpunchers rodeo returns to the Bob Dean Rodeo Grounds in Williams this month. The Cowpunchers rodeo features real working cowboys much like the first rodeo in Prescott in 1888. While it has grown over the years, most of the cowboys in this rodeo are from central and northern Arizona.
Make plans to see the performances at 1 p.m. starting Friday, June 21st through the 23rd. There is a barn dance Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
If you are visiting from anywhere, but especially from a foreign land, this is the rodeo you must see if you are interested in western culture.
WILLIAMS—Williams will have it’s first professional wrestling match tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Williams High School gym. The gym is located at 440 S. 7th street. It is just up the street from the Williams Medical Clinic.
The card includes:
1. Dexter Verity vs. Super Rich
2. Mercer vs. Parrallax
3. The Monstrous Mongo the Hobo vs. the Suburban Ninja
Intermission/Sell merchandise
4. Ram Rock vs. Alex Sage
5. R3 vs. Jay Garland
6. THE MAIN EVENT
Pete “the Heat” Petrocelli vs. Graves
These are the scheduled matches and there are other fun things planned in between matches to keep the crowd excited and wanting more.
The match is set up by former pro wrestler-turned-Pastor Andy McDaniel of the First Baptist Church of Williams. He has been offering pro wrestling training for the community for some time giving the youth another activity.
WILLIAMS—The Northern Arizona Gazette heard rumors of gunshots ringin’ out on Bill Williams street in downtown Williams Wednesday ’bout 7 in the eve. Of course that made us suspicious and we sent out our investigative reporter to find out what was goin’ on. He never returned, but we did find his Browning and extracted this photo confirming our fears. Those polecats of the Cataract Creek Gang have apparently returned from their winter hiatus in the Bahamas (Hey. They ain’t too bright, but they do got style!) to rob banks and argue over women.
Now you can’t ‘cuse these boys of being zactly a candle in the window. So we pretty much worked out where these polecats will be hanging out. If you want to give these boys a wide berth, remain clear of these areas at 7 p.m. through June.
‘Course we spect that you will ignore our warning and crowd around to see the show. None of us locals are brave ‘nough to file any reports to the Sheriff, so you folks is on yer own.
This video shows, starting at about 30-seconds, that some people just should not have a motorcycle license.
Seems an appropriate time to ask you to please be careful driving over the Memorial weekend. Watch for kids excited to be out of school. Try to avoid arguments over whose fault it was simply by watching out for the other driver. Slow DOWN. You will get there.
Visitors must be aware that the speed limit in downtown Williams is 15 miles per hour. Remember that it is a one-way traffic scheme downtown. As you come in traveling west from Flagstaff, stay to the right on Railroad avenue. If you are traveling east, again stay to the right. Route 66 is one way going from west to east. Railroad avenue is one way going from east to west.
If you need help finding activities in Williams, the Williams Visitor Center is located on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Second Street across the street from the Pine Country Restaurant. Visitor parking is located across the street from the Red Garter. We recommend that you use that parking and walk downtown, as much as possible.
Please have a safe Memorial weekend. Do not forget to thank veterans and active duty military. Memorial day was meant to remember the sacrifices of our military, not to mark the beginning of summer vacation.
Apparently, the new five-year mission of Star Trek is to sell Audi. That mission, though, is limited to two crew members—Well, one crew member. The older Spock against the newer Spock.
This mission taken on by Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy will probably much less than even the television series from the sixties. And, of course, the success of this mission depends on how many Trekkie stickers you see on new Audis. Wonder if the two Spock bobble-head dolls come with that?
The one thing that is apparent, however, is that experience has taught the old Spock something over the new Spock. How to cheat.
WILLIAMS—The carnival is back in Williams. Brown’s Amusements set up in the Visitor Center parking lot across the street from Circle K and next to the Recreation Center on Railroad Avenue. Advanced all day ride passes can be obtained through the Chamber of Commerce in the Williams Visitor Center for $18.
Tickets are $1 each and each ride takes 3 to 5 tickets. No cash is accepted at the rides or for the games. Wristbands are available, but only good on the rides. Wristbands are not valid if they have been removed. They are only good on the day of purchase.
There are no refunds for tickets or wristbands.
For safety reasons, no pregnant women or people with casts are allowed on the rides. All riders must be at least 36″ tall and some rides require the rider to be up to 52″ tall.
The conflict between law enforcement and armed military personnel in the community around Fort Hood, one of America’s largest military bases, has recently and repeatedly involved the issue of gun control — and the tension has been exacerbated in part by an Obama-supporting prosecutor described as a “bandleader” of anti-gun efforts in the heavily conservative community.
The conflict reached a fever pitch last month, when Texas police arrested an active-duty Army sergeant for “rudely displaying” a hunting rifle. The sergeant, C.J. Grisham, established an online legal defense fund after he was, in his words, “illegally arrested and disarmed” for carrying the firearm.
“While out hiking with my son through backcountry roads to help him earn his Eagle Scout rank, I was illegally arrested and disarmed without cause. I was thrown in jail and my lawfully owned weapons were confiscated without receipt or notice,” Grisham wrote on the website for the defense fund.
Video of the incident obtained by The Daily Caller shows officers defending their behavior to Grisham while restraining him.
“In this day and age, [people] are alarmed when they see someone with what you have,” one of the officers tells Grisham in the video. “They don’t care what the law is.”
WILLIAMS—The City of Williams has posted notice that the city council MAY be at the opening of the new Cataract Creek park on Saturday, April 13th at 11 p.m. This MAY present a quorum.
Two words, people. FREE FOOD! Where do you think the council members will be this weekend!
Of course, you can join them in the festivities. The celebration is open to all. You just might want to get there before the council if you want anything to eat.
WILLIAMS—At the City Council meeting March 28th, Mike Brown of Western Destinations proposed the instillation of a ride called Zip Line perhaps in the area of Cureton Park. The proposed cost of rides would be approximately $39 with a re-ride costing half of that. Williams residents would get a discounted price.
The ride, Mr. Brown indicated, could provide as many as forty jobs in Williams. Local residents would be trained to conduct the ride safely and the ride would be insured for $5 million.
Councilman Don Dent considered what affect such a ride would have on the Route 66 image that Williams has built up. Joplin Missouri and Branson Missouri have theme parks along, or in the area of, Route 66 both trading off on the Route 66 name. Knight’s Action Park operates in Springfield, Illinois along the Mother Road.
Blog BatesLine by Michael Bates of Tulsa Okalahoma asked: Wouldn’t it be cool to restore Crystal City on Historic Route 66 as an amusement park, right next to a restored Red Fork Main Street?
Dwayne the canoe guy commented:
This is great news. There is a small amusement ‘park’ on Route 66 in Joplin but it would be great to have a good sized park like Bell’s rockin & rollin on the Mother Road. Especially with a minigolf with 66 icons (wigwam motel, round barn, gemini giant, cadillac ranch)
Right here in Williams, Napolitano approved a special taxing district for a theme park in Williams that never developed. That action even caused the County Board of Supervisors to raise property taxes for a short time. So you now know what a “special taxing district” is.
Flagstaff operates a smaller version of the Zip Line ride at their Extreme Adventure Course near the fairgrounds as seen in the following video.
There are currently Zip Line rides in Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Hawaii. For the longest and fastest Zip Line in the world, you will need a ticket to South Africa.
Mr. Brown indicated that the ride would be “low impact” meaning that it could be easily removed leaving no marks if it did not do well. However, the engineering in the videos presented does not appear to bear that out. It appears that Williams would have to build a large tower to make the ride. It is also unclear how the project would impact softball and little league games at the park.
While the project does not seem appropriate in the indicated area, it could be an interesting compliment to the Bearizona drive through wildlife park. Another area of possible interest might be the Williams snow play area.
