Williams holds annual Christmas pageant

WILLIAMS – People crowded around heaters to watch the Williams annual Christmas pagent tonight. Before the pagent there was some excitement as a light appeared in the sky.

It was not the Star of Bethlehem, however. It appeared in the west. That light was a Space X Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

This pageant represents the second annual presentation of the nativity with scripture readings from the Holy Bible by various pastors of the churches of Williams. Between train interruptions, there were songs and some surprisingly good presentations by the kids of Williams.

The pageant could

Coconino County offices closed for winter holidays

FLAGSTAFF — All Coconino County administrative offices will be closed Monday, December 25, 2017 and Monday, January 1, 2018 for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

While the administrative offices at the Sheriff’s Office will be closed, Dispatch, Patrol, and Detention will be open. Records will be closed on Monday, December 25 and open Monday, January 1, 2018 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with limited staffing. Please dial 9-1-1 for emergencies. For non-emergencies, dial 928-774-4523 to connect with the non-emergency Dispatch number or to leave a message for one of the administrative offices.

In the event of a snow storm or other hazardous weather during the holiday, County Public Works crews will be deployed to keep County roadways open and passable.

Coconino County’s parks and natural areas will remain open during the holiday, but administrative offices at Fort Tuthill will be closed and limited staff or services will be available. The Fort Tuthill Bike Park is open. Drinking water has been turned off at all parks, but bathrooms are still available at Raymond, Peaks View and Sawmill County Parks. Water and bathrooms are available at Louise Yellowman County Park located in Tuba City.

Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) Animal Management will have an officer working on Monday, December 25 and Monday, January 1, 2018 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Contact the CCPHSD Animal Management office at 928-679-8756, leave a message and an officer will respond. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies.

North Kaibab Ranger District to host Holiday Open House

FREDONIA – The North Kaibab Ranger District will soon host a Holiday Open House at the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center at Jacob Lake on Saturday, November 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be holiday music, cider and treats available for all ages, ornament decorating activity for families, and of course tree permits for sale.

As a reminder, the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center will be open for Christmas tree tag sales from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 18 to 19 and November 25 to 26.

Christmas tree tags may also be purchased at the district office in Fredonia from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. In addition to the normal district office hours, Christmas tree tags may also be purchased from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on two Saturdays, November 25 and December 2. Please bring cash or check for North Kaibab Ranger District Christmas tree tag purchases.

For more information, call (928) 643-7395.

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 November 16 and continuing until they are sold out.

The $15 permit will allow the holder to cut a tree of any 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 Nov. 26 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. 25 and Dec. 2, for tag sales.

Note: Please bring cash or check for North Kaibab Ranger District Christmas tree tag purchases.

500

Any Species

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

8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
500

Any Species

 

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 desiring to purchase Christmas tree tags through the mail should contact the appropriate ranger district office for information on the required process. Turnaround time for arrival of tags through the mail is often 10 business days, so individuals desiring these tags should call well in advance to ensure adequate time for their permits to arrive.

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 connect kids to nature. 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.

Costume meeting for Christmas Nativity Thursday

WILLIAMS — The costume meeting for the Community Christmas Nativity Pageant will be Thursday, November 17th at 1pm. The meeting will be held at Williams Wear, 117 W. Route 66 in the mall. It is the first suite to the right as you enter from the front. The mall is next to Old Smokey’s Restaurant.

Kerry-Lynn asks that you notify her to let her know if you can make it to the meeting or not.

Tree street closed in Williams

800-2nd-002WILLIAMS — 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.

Producers of Christmas Pageant seeks equipment.

300-pageant16-10-18-13WILLIAMS — 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.

Christmas Nativity pageant meeting held

Producer Kerry-Lynn Moede (sitting) and Cosette Riggs (standing) explain the vision of the upcoming Christmas Pageant.

Producer Kerry-Lynn Moede (sitting) and Cosette Riggs (standing) explain the vision of the upcoming Christmas Pageant.

WILLIAMS — Organizers for the proposed Christmas Nativity pageant on December 23 held their first meeting with members of the community tonight. The meeting was held at the Babbit-Polson Community Stage where the event will be held.

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.
pageant16-10-18-2
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:

  1. 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.
  2. A contact phone number
  3. 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.

Light snow fall for waking Williams

SantaFe15-12-25-1WILLIAMS — Williams woke up to a light coat of snow which did not prevent the fire department from making the rounds with Santa. The sun burnt off much of the snow before noon and the day remained mostly sunny.
Dogtown15-12-24-01
At Benham trail, youth took advantage of the day off to make some sled runs. On Dogtown road there is still a good pack of snow, but it melts and freezes overnight leaving interesting patches.
Dogtown15-12-24-02Santa Fe is a rare mix of water and a thin coat of ice which captured the morning snow. Some even took time to create some artwork in the snow.SantaFe15-12-25-2All-in-all it was a beautiful day in Williams. That may change overnight, however, as there is a 40% chance of snow today with 20% in the morning and into Saturday night. High winds are predicted with wind chill values of -14-degrees.

Sun is predicted Sunday with snow returning Monday through Tuesday. Currently the weather is predicted to return to sunny Wednesday and beyond.