Winter Storms

by Tod Christensen

I stared out the window where all was drab and gray, the snowdrifts were as tall as mounds of summer hay

The radio crackled with all the closures and told us not to go outside I was a junior in high school and chock full of school pride

Winter storms were nothing new, but few were this severe and it took something special to cancel school and make the kids cheer

But after awhile reality set in, and my options were few This was before video games and laptops gave you something to do

So I listened to the hit songs as I watched the snow still slowly fall I thought about my life so far, the ups the downs and thought about it all For brief moments like this when I actually let myself slow I really could see myself years and decades later and some of the places I would go

I loved this small town and all the people it held, but it never limited me from all the wonders the world beheld And it always encouraged me to go further than I sometimes dared the people seemed common and ordinary then, but today they seem so very rare

So I drift back in my mind to the cold window and warm couch, and I stare out the window again with my teenage self

And I remember the smell of hot chocolate coming from the kitchen, and I am struck by how badly I would like to go back to those storms again

At Residence Inn, a suite is more than just a room – it’s a space for you to spread out, open up and be yourself. And with our convenient location right between Prescott and Prescott Valley, you’ll be close to everything. We’re operated by local people who live here and know the area. We’re part of the community and it shows! Enjoy your stay!

Western Heritage Banquet Recognizes Excellence

Almost 300 attendees from throughout Yavapai County recognized students, longtime residents and public organizations during the ninth annual Western Heritage Keeper awards banquet.

Four local students — Tierra McConnell, Kadence Dorman, Taylor Lewis Moore and Ketch Kelston — each received $2,000. All were praised as hard-working, talented and deserving students.

In addition, an individual Heritage Keeper Award went to 95-year-old Angel Delgadillo, founder and owner of the coffee shop-ice cream store on “Route 66,” which was the first transnational highway in the U.S. that crossed through the heart of

Arizona on what is now called Interstate 40. Delgadillo often called the “guardian angel of Route 66,” founded the Historic Route 66 Association in 1987.

Western Heritage Keeper also recognized the nationally known Orme School, a private college preparatory school housed in an old ranch house north of Mayer, operating since 1929. “Orme School has provided students from all over the globe with treatment as the nation’s finest western boarding students,” according to the citation.

WHK presented “volunteer of the year” awards to Drew Desmond, Barbara Nelson and Christa Hoffman. They were appreciatively praised by Dennis

Gallagher, Founder and CEO the Western Heritage Foundation, and Keeper President Bob Greninger applauded the three as exceptional volunteers who make impossible things happen.

In final recognition, the Western Heritage Foundation, the parent of all the programs, was cited as being the recipient of the nonprofit organization of the year by the Prescott Chamber of Commerce. Gallagher said he and his wife Mary Ann had never been more proud of any activity in their careers than being affiliated with the foundation.

The award ceremony was Nov. 5 at Prescott Resort.