Happy Sunday, Holbrook. Here is your week.
The Little Colorado came up higher this week than anything on the books for the Holbrook gauge, and there's a reel to prove it.
It's also homecoming week, and Friday night is going to be a big one.
☀️ This Week's Weather
It is a genuinely pleasant stretch of early October weather headed our way. Highs reach 82 degrees, lows dip to 51, and the sky is staying sunny and clear all week.
That warm sunny afternoon is going to feel just right for the soccer doubleheader on Tuesday, with the girls kicking off at 4pm and the boys following at 6pm. Good night to pull up a spot on the sideline.
Around Town This Week
The Holbrook Public Library hosts a free Strength Training class to help you build strength and stay active. Come move at your own pace in a friendly group setting. All levels welcome.
Holbrook High girls soccer hosts the Round Valley Elks at Holbrook High School. Kickoff is at 4pm. Come pack the sideline and cheer on the Roadrunners. Boys follow at 6pm against the same school, so you can make an evening of it.
Holbrook High boys soccer hosts the Round Valley Elks at Holbrook High School. Kickoff is at 6pm. Come pack the sideline and cheer on the Roadrunners. The girls play first at 4pm, so come early and stay for both.
Chair Yoga is a free, gentle class at the Holbrook Public Library that you can do right from a seat. Stretch, breathe, and loosen up at an easy pace. Good for all ability levels.
The Holbrook Roadrunner Booster Club throws its annual Homecoming Tailgate Party in the Roadrunner Stadium parking lot before the homecoming game kicks off. Food trucks, a DJ, the HHS Band and Cheer squad, class reunions, merch, and booths. A save-the-date for now, with more details to come.
A Mean Girls themed Friday night line dancing party at the Holbrook Elks Lodge. Wear pink if you feel like it, all levels welcome, and come have some fun on the floor. $10 at the door.
The Roadrunners close out the home schedule against Red Mesa at Roadrunner Stadium. One more Friday night to come out and cheer them on. Go Roadrunners.
For the Kids
Story Time at the Holbrook Public Library is a free program for little ones, with books, songs, and fun. A great way to spend the morning and get the kids reading.
The Roxy has a free family movie this week as well, see below.
Now Showing at the Roxy
Now Playing: Nothing on the marquee yet
The Roxy was closed this past weekend and hasn't posted a new movie schedule yet. The moment showtimes are back up, you'll find them here. One thing that is still on: the Route 66 documentary screening on Monday, October 12 at 6pm. Tickets are on sale now, and there are more details in Don't Miss This below.
Mark Your Calendar
Two worth getting on the calendar early.
The City of Holbrook is putting on a Scarecrow Contest this fall. Build a scarecrow, sign up at City Hall for $10 per entry, and set it up October 16 through 18. Your scarecrow goes on display at Hunt Park, and the public votes October 26 through 30. Prizes go to first, second, and third place. Details
The Petrified Mud Run is coming to Holbrook on Saturday, October 24. It's about two miles of hills, tires, water and mud with 20 obstacles, a soapy bubble slide into the wash, and one giant slide at the finish line. Run it solo for $25 or bring a team of up to 10 for $150. Details
The Navajo County Historical Society brings back its haunted house for a second year, and this time it has a name: the George Smiley Haunting. Step into the historic Navajo County Historic Courthouse on Halloween night for real history, real spirits, and real scares. Details
Petrified Mud RunDon't Miss This
Check out what's coming to Holbrook!
John Paget's feature documentary "Route 66: The Main Street of America" rolls into Holbrook as part of its Arizona Roadshow, a rolling premiere marking the Route 66 centennial.
Learn More →The Petrified Mud Run
Talk of the Town
If you crossed the Little Colorado this week, you saw it. The river came up fast on Tuesday, and by Wednesday afternoon it was out of its banks.The National Weather Service gauge at Holbrook crested at 16.28 feet on Wednesday, September 30, a little before 3pm, and it sat above minor flood stage for most of that day, from about 8am to 6:30pm. Minor flood stage here is 15.5 feet, which is the point where the water reaches the railroad bridge and spills over the south bank.That number is worth sitting with. The highest crest on NOAA's record list for this gauge was 15.36 feet in July 2010, and before that it was 15.20 feet in October 1972. Wednesday beat both.It was the second big rise in two weeks, too. The river hit 14.47 feet during fair week on September 18 and had settled back under 9 feet before this storm rolled through.By Sunday it was down around 11.7 feet and still dropping, with no watches or warnings in effect. If you want to keep an eye on it yourself, the Holbrook gauge is online here, with readings going back years.Hit play on the reel to see what it looked like up close.
The Little Colorado this week
Holbrook Lore
The night Holbrook burned to the ground, and why so much of downtown is brick and stone
On June 26, 1888, a warehouse full of wool caught fire in Holbrook. The town was only seven years old, and nearly every building in it was wood, so the fire didn't stay in the warehouse for long.
By the time it burned out, Holbrook was gone. The Navajo County Historical Society's own history puts it plainly: the town was totally destroyed, and the railroad depot burned with everything in it.
What happened next is the part worth remembering. As soon as the ashes cooled, people started building again, and this time they built with brick, stone and adobe instead of lumber. A new depot was one of the first buildings to go up.
That one decision still shapes the way downtown looks. The stone saloon on Bucket of Blood Street went up that same year, and when the county built the courthouse ten years later, it built it out of brick made right here in town.
So the next time you walk past the old sandstone row south of the tracks, remember it's there because of a fire. If you want the full story of the most famous building in that row, we just published it: The Real History of the Bucket of Blood Saloon.
The Hidden Hundred
Each week we run a Holbrook photo clue, a landmark, a statue, or a piece of local history, with a few letters shaded in the answer. Figure out the answer, write down the shaded letters, and keep collecting.
When the last clue runs, the bill goes into hiding, and your collected letters unscramble to spell exactly where it is. First to find it keeps it, and subscribers always get the clues first.
Solve the spot, then keep the shaded letters to yourself. 3 more sets are coming over the next few weeks, then the hunt goes live.
Why did the bicycle lie down?
It was two tired.
A joke that'll make us groan, a slice of Holbrook history, an event folks should know about, or a great photo you snapped?
Send it our way.
Share It With Us →That's the week, Holbrook. Enjoy your Sunday, and we'll see you out there on the Mother Road.
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