Category Archives: Route 66

Williams prepares for Mountain Village Holiday

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640-141029-18WILLIAMS – The trees are starting to look bare as the beautiful fall colors are starting to give way to the coming winter. The long range forecast shows a possibility of snow on Sunday. The city is stringing lights. The Pumpkin Patch train ended and the Grand Canyon Railway Haunted Train has given way to Christmas lights in preparation for Mountain Village Holiday. The annual Mountain Village Holiday begins Thanksgiving weekend and runs through the new year.

The Grand Canyon Railway is also preparing the Polar Express which starts November 7 and runs through the new year.

The City of Williams has sent applications for the annual lighting contest and they may also be picked up at the City Hall on First Street.

300-MVH-1Mountain Village Holiday kicks off with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree on Second Street and a Parade of Lights. During this period the Young Life camp hosts a Thanksgiving dinner and the Kiwanis Club hosts a community dinner.

There is still plenty of Halloween, of course. The scarecrows still adorn Route 66. Bearizona ends their Howly Growly Owly Festival tomorrow. Their new cave display of small creatures of the west—such as mice, scorpions and Ringtail Cats—will remain.

The First Baptist and Family Harvest Churches, across from Safeway on Grant, will hold safe activities for the kids.

Of course trick-or-treating of the houses and businesses on Route 66 will still be available.

Just after Halloween, the weather forecast shows a chance of rain on Saturday with a low of 37. Sunday there is a 30% chance of snow with accumulations of less than a half-inch. A high of 47 is possible during the day dropping to 23-degrees overnight. Fair weather returns Monday with highs around 50-degrees during the day dropping to the mid-20s at night.

View the skies Friday Night

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WILLIAMS – The long range forecast shows mostly clear for the Friday night. So the star gazing sponsored by the Coconino County Astronomical Society should be good. The viewing will be held at the field on Route 66 across from Rod’s Steak House from 7 to 9 pm. Everyone is welcome to bring their own telescope or use their equipment for the viewing. You can even bring binoculars and the Society will show you how you can use them for some good viewing.

Bearizona Howly Growly Owly festival weekends

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Howly-6970WILLIAMS – Howly Halloween, Batman! Bearizona is hosting Howly Growly Owly Festival weekends in October. Visitors are encouraged to dress up in costume and those that do will get a “beary” special treat.

Don’t forget to judge their scary bear scarecrow for the scarecrow contest being sponsored by the Williams Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce. Pick up an entry form at any participating merchant and judge at least nine scarecrows. You must get a sticker from the merchant. Drop off your entry at the Chamber of Commerce in the Williams-Kaibab National Forest Visitor Center by October 28th and you could win a gift basket.

Festivities Include:

Howl-O-Ween Express: Hop on the windowless bus that takes visitors through the drive-through animal exhibits. This is about as close as you are going to get to our animals, so you don’t want to miss out. Patrons can howl with the wolves in the Alaskan Tundra & Arctic Wolf enclosure and watch the bison interact with a special Howl-O-Ween enrichment treat. Bus rides depart from the Fort Bearizona parking lot at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in October.

Howly-012Growly Bear Cave: Those who dare can walk through our super scary Haunted Mine Shaft (PG-13 Rated)

Raptor Show: Guests should plan to catch an Owly Raptor Show at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m., after visiting Fort Bearizona’s baby and smaller animals.

Howly-4293Wandering Entertainers: Every Saturday and Sunday between 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. members from Circus Bacchus are here to entertain guests with juggling performances, balloon twisting and more.

Photo Ops: Several areas of the park are decorated in different themes so visitors can take photos with their families.

Bearizona’s mission is to promote conservation through memorable and educational encounters with North American wildlife in a natural environment.

Paving to occur at Route 66 and Switzer Canyon intersection in Flagstaff

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Travelers heading east- and westbound through Flagstaff on Route 66 (Milton Ave.) can expect delays Monday and Tuesday Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., including work Tuesday night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. while maintenance crews mill and pave the intersection following repairs to the water main. Traffic northbound on Switzer Canyon Road will also experience restrictions during the repair and paving activity. Travel lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction at the intersection while construction is underway. Please exercise caution while driving in and around the construction zone.

Williams Vikings come home

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home141016-01WILLIAMS – The Williams Vikings once again took to Route 66 to celebrate their homecoming. The parade theme this year was superheros. The parade included Batman and Officer Anderson of the Williams Police Department. They even had John D. Bandit behind bars.

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Williams dresses up for Halloween

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tarantulaWILLIAMS – It must be October in Williams. The trees are turning and the turantulas are out and running about. Williams residents and businesses are dressing up for the Halloween. You also have the chance to win a fall basket through the Williams Chamber of Commerce.

On the weekends you have the chance to ride Pumpkin Patch Train. The train runs Saturday and Sunday at 11am, 1 & 3pm. The cost is only $20 per adult and $15 for children.

Bearizona Photo

Bearizona Photo

The other big event is the Bearizona Howly Growly Owly fall festival. The event is included in the price of admission. Do not get so wrapped up in the event, however, that you forget to drive through the park to see the animals.

Of course if you want to do something a little less scary, the weather is still great for a Marvelous Marv Grand Canyon Tour.

A really scary decoration.

A really scary decoration.

On Halloween the First Baptist Church and Family Harvest Church are hosting family friendly, safe events. Both churches are located across the street from Safeway along Grant street.

The Tainted Angel LLC will host a Zombie Prom at the Sultana Theater to benefit SAVE Meant to Rescue. The $10 per person event will include a brain eating contest, Cash Bar, photo booth, 80’s theme dance, contest and prizes and more.

The Williams Chamber of Commerce is currently running a scarecrow contest as part of their Alpine Harvest Festival. Several of the businesses have put up scarecrows and you could win a fall gift basket simply by judging the entries.

You can obtain a form from the Williams Visitor Center or any of the participating businesses. Judge a minimum of nine of the scarecrows and rate them each from 1 to 5. Make sure you obtain a sticker from the participating business. Drop off your entry at the Williams Visitor Center by October 29 in order to win the gift basket. You need not be present to win.

Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe "El Muerto." Don't forget to try the pumpkin pancakes and latte during October.

Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe “El Muerto.” Don’t forget to try the pumpkin pancakes and latte during October.

Participating businesses are Bearizona Wildlife Park, Camp Civitan Thrift Store, Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe, National Bank of Arizona, Pizza Factory, Old Glory Gifts, the Williams Depot, Pine Country Restaurant, Williams Veterinary Clinic, The Station 66 Italian Bistro, Elephant Rocks Golf Course, Williams Wear, The Gallery in Williams, Sultana Theater and Boutique 66.

"Night Rider" at Camp Civitan Thrift Store. The thrift store benefits Camp Civitan for special needs people.

“Night Rider” at Camp Civitan Thrift Store. The thrift store benefits Camp Civitan for special needs people.

"The Scared Crow" sits beside the GMO Corn crow at Williams Wear in the mall.

“The Scared Crow” sits beside the GMO Corn crow at Williams Wear in the mall.

Old Glory Gifts has "The Mother Road & the Kicks." Old Glory Gifts sells only American made products.

Old Glory Gifts has “The Mother Road & the Kicks.” Old Glory Gifts sells only American made products.

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Brown’s Amusements returns for Fall

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Brown's Amusement set up for Fall Carnival

Brown’s Amusement set up for Fall Carnival

WILLIAMS – Brown’s Amusements has returned to Williams and will open tomorrow and Friday from 5 pm to 11 pm. They will be open Saturday from 1 pm to 11 pm.

The annual Fall Carnival will feature the Zero Gravity, the Sizzler, Carousel, Tilt-a-Whirl, the Himalaya, a Kiddie land for the tots, and more!

The Carnival is located at Glassburn Park across from Wild West Junction. You can call the Williams Recreation Center 928-635-1496 or the Williams and Forest Service Visitors Center 800-863-0546 for more information.

Visit www.ExperienceWilliams.com for information on other events.

Labor day weekend ends with the annual Mountain Man Run

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Runners complete the annual 10- and 5-K Mountain Man Run

Runners complete the annual 10- and 5-K Mountain Man Run

WILLIAMS – The Labor Day weekend in Williams ends in the annual Route 66 Mountain Man Run to benefit the charities of the Williams Lions Club. As of this writing, officials have not yet canvased the results to declare any winners. There were still times yet to be counted.
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A sign at the Williams Aquatic Center declared the sad news that the center is closed for the season. One thing that will remain after the Labor Day weekend is the Kiwanis Route 66 Street Market on the west end of town across from Williams Memorial Park.
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The Street Market, which benefits scholarships for kids in Williams, runs generally into early October depending on how much it is used. Over the summer, the number of vendors has grown considerably and it appears to be worth taking a look.

Who needs a car show?

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1956 Chevrolet Bel Air visits Williams.

1956 Chevrolet Bel Air visits Williams.

800px-140827-10WILLIAMS – One thing about having the “Mother road” as your main street is that sooner or later you see one classic or another passing through. This evening we had a visit by an Idaho resident with the popular 1956 Bel Air model by Chevrolet. Last week we had a road show of Corvettes.

With or without a car show, you are bound to see some cool cars along Route 66 in Williams.

Friends of Williams Aquatic Center hold party

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Mike shows off his incredible snow cone making capability.

Mike shows off his incredible snow cone making capability.

WILLIAMS – The action this weekend was not limited to the activities on Route 66. The Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center hosted a Back-to-school free swim with free pizza and snow cones.

The pool will now only operate on Friday and Saturday until the end of the season on August 30. On that day, the Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center will host one last bash. They will accept any volunteer help from the community.

Their next big event after that is a two-person scramble Golf Tournament at the Elephant Rocks Golf Course September 13. The cost is $80 per player. Hole sponsorships are available at three levels.

  • Bronze – $100 includes Bronze level signage at a hole and recognition on their sponsor board
  • Silver – $300 includes Silver level signage at a hole and recognition on sponsor board and two golf registrations
  • Gold – $500 includes Gold level signage at a hole and recognition on the sponsor board plus 4 free golf registrations.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the activities of the Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center, an Arizona 501(c)3 public charity organization.
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(Here is a secret saving tip that only we and anyone who read the flier knows about. Register before September 1 and receive $5 off per registration)

You can contact Kris Vasquez to register at 938-863-2467.