Category Archives: Non-Profit

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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Three fundraising events this weekend

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WILLIAMS – This weekend a fashion show will be held at the Sultana Theater beginning at 6pm on Saturday. Habitat for Humanity and KZBX radio will be holding fundraisers.

On Friday October 10, Amanda’s Beauty Box and 66 Boutique will host a Runway Fashion Show at the Sultana Theater on Route 66. The show starts at 6pm and the cost is $10. The show includes appetizers and champagne and fun things to try. There will be a raffle for prizes. A DJ will provide music after the show. The proceeds benefit Williams Meant to Rescue. You may obtain tickets by contacting Amanda 635-3092, Jill 480-241-6958, or Robynn 635-4726.

From 6:30 to 9 p.m., Williams Habitat for Humanity will hold its annual Fall Opry Night Friday night. Music will be provided by the Williams Opry Band at the rodeo barn located across from the hardware store at the corner of Rodeo and Airport roads. The cost for the event is $6 for adults and $3 for seniors and children. The event includes a cake walk, door prizes, raffles, and valuable auction items.

On Saturday October 11, KZBX 92.1 will be holding a yard sale to help finance the operation of the not-for-profit station. The sale will be held at the First Baptist Church parking lot at 629 W. Grant Avenue across the street from the Safeway parking lot. The event will run from 8am to 3pm. Donations for the event may be dropped off on Friday October 10 from noon to 5pm.

Two big events on Wednesday

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supermoonWILLIAMS – This Wednesday, October 8 two events happen in Williams.

Sky and Telescope reports:

We’re approaching the second of four total lunar eclipses that come at half-year intervals in 2014 and 2015: a lunar-eclipse tetrad. All four can be seen from at least parts of North America.

You can wake up at about 1:15 a.m. to witness the total lunar eclipse. The penumbral eclipse begins about 1:17. During this phase, you will dark shadow move across the moon. The total eclipse, in which the moon changes color, begins about 2:18 with the maximum eclipse occurring at 3:55.
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At 7 p.m. the Community United Methodist Church on Sherman Avenue and Second Street in Williams will sponsor an inspirational concert by The Steel Magnolias of San Marcos, Texas.

Coconino Astronomical Society star party tomorrow

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You will not see this.WILLIAMS – The monthly Star Party sponsored by the Coconino Astronomical Society will be held tomorrow. The star gazing event will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the natural area across the street from Rod’s Steak House and the Laundry. Telescopes will be set up for everyone to enjoy, but you are welcome to bring your own and/or binoculars. They recommend a folding chair or blanket, as well.

Rotary selling tickets for Western Auction drawing

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rotary-04WILLIAMS – The Williams Rotary Club has begun selling raffle tickets for cash prizes to be drawn at their Western Auction in October. The Rotary Club holds this annual event to support youth scholarships.

Tickets for the raffle are $20 each and only 1000 will be sold. The prizes are as follows:

  1. $5000 main prize
  2. $1000 second prize
  3. $500 third prize

In addition five $100 prizes will be awarded. The drawing will be held at the Rotary Western Auction on October 25. Tickets can be purchased from any Rotary member.

Camp Civitan holds guessing game

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gumballs-01You could receive a $25 gift certificate if you can guess the number of gum balls in this jar. The Camp Civitan Thrift Trading Company is holding the competition at their store at 129 W. Route 66 in Williams. The store is next door to the Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe. The entry fee is only $1.

You might also check out the new and gently used products available at the store which helps fund Camp Civitan which provides camping opportunities and activities for special needs people.

 

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.

Massachusetts police claim exemption from accountablity because they are a private organization.

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15c6042cda9b852935c1d4959afe5ba5MASSACHUSETTS – Police militarization has reached an all-time low in Massachusetts. Not only are they armored and armed as well as any military unit in Afghanistan, they apparently now are not held accountable for their actions. The ACLU of Massachusetts claims a weakness in the Massachusetts public record laws.

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Recent tweet by ALCUM

According to articles from the Boston Globe and Washington Post, various police forces are combining into groups called law enforcement councils, or LECs.

According to Boston.Com, the ACLU requested certain records concerning the police organizations:

As part of an effort to document regional policing operations, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Massachusetts (“ACLUM”) requested documents concerning NEMLEC’s SWAT Team and RRT in July 2012. The request sought NEMLEC’s training materials, incident reports, deployment statistics, guidelines, procurement records, budgets, agreements with other agencies and documents relating to the structure of the SWAT team and RRT.

The North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, or NEMLEC, refused on the grounds that they are a private, non-profit 501(c)3 group that is not required to produce records for the public.

The Washington Post article stated:

Let’s be clear. These agencies oversee police activities. They employ cops who carry guns, wear badges, collect paychecks provided by taxpayers and have the power to detain, arrest, injure and kill. They operate SWAT teams, which conduct raids on private residences. And yet they say that because they’ve incorporated, they’re immune to Massachusetts open records laws. The state’s residents aren’t permitted to know how often the SWAT teams are used, what they’re used for, what sort of training they get or who they’re primarily used against.

In the 2005 ruling of Gonzales v. Castle Rock, the Supreme Court ruled that police are not Constitutionally obligated to protect you even to enforce a restraining order.

A follow-up tweet by the ACLUM concerning the militarization of Mass. police.

A follow-up tweet by the ACLUM concerning the militarization of Mass. police.


SEE ALSO: Our Homes are Not Battlefields

Save Meant-to-Rescue shelter sited.

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SMTR-140517WILLIAMS – The Save Meant-to-Rescue organization (Facebook) has been working to build a holding shelter and is closer to its goal. A site on Frank Way has been selected for the new shelter.

SMTR will lease the property from the city. The facility will hold rescued and found animals until the animals receive a home. The shelter will only release animals to homes with well-fenced in yards after the animals are spade or neutered. They may add chipping at a future date.

Robynn Eckel said that the shelter building is stalled currently due to the water restrictions. They also lack about 1/8 of the funds required so donations are still being gratefully accepted. Donations can be made at various locations in Williams such as Addicted to Route 66 Deals and the Camp Civitan Thrift Store. Donations can also be made through their web site.

eight-dogs-playing-cardsYou can help add their required piece of eight this Friday. You can change your luck and the life of a dog on Friday the 13th by attending the annual Casino Night fundraiser at the Sultana from 7 pm to 10 pm.

Entry is $20. For the cost of entry you receive $500 worth of chips to play black jack, craps, Texas Hold ‘Em and more. There will be live country entertainment by Half Hitch. You can participate in a silent auction for prizes such as jewelry and a helicopter ride for two over the Grand Canyon. At the end of the night you can buy raffle tickets with your chips for other prizes.

Save Meant-to-Rescue is a non-profit organization and, as such, will continue to need donations after the shelter is built. You will be able to participate in fund raising activities throughout the year, such as their golf tournament.

Memorial Day services in Williams

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WILLIAMS – The flags at the Williams Own Veterans memorial hung at half-staff as they held a Memorial Day service at the cemetery with ceremonial-songs and testimony and a 21-gun salute.

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Perico Avila, Williams American Legion Cordova Post #13.

The ceremony was conducted by Perico Avila, Chaplain of the American Legion Cordova Post #13. Father Kilian of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church conducted a prayer service.

Army veteran Mike Rioux gave a speech detailing his return to active duty at age 49 and combat service in Afghanistan. Debbie, Pamelia and Beverly sang in honor of those who lost their lives in battle.

The ceremony ended with the honor guard giving the traditional a 21-gun salute and Lu Carle played taps.

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