Crown King Hosts the Phoenix Jaycees Comancheros on their ride to Prescott Rodeo
Thursday, July 3rd, Crown King welcomed the Pony Express to our town. The Trail Boss, Dan Cole, and his Comancheros were greeted with a cold beer at the Crown King Saloon. After cooling down from their long ride, Dan rode his horse, Wynona, to the General Store to pick up the mail. General Store Owner and CK’s Postmaster, Sandy Baker, served up the batch of commemorative letters to the Pony Express. From there it was off to bed down the horses and then to Bear Creek Cabins where Steve & Sheila Coleman hosted the annual Pony Express Pot Luck. All the riders enjoyed free food, good cheer & entertainment. The local community members in association with the Crown King Chamber of Commerce, set up a wonderful feast for the tired riders. This was by far the best pot luck ever. The riders commented that they loved stopping in Crown King and visiting with all the locals & cabin owners. This year was especially nice as the Chamber of Commerce provided live entertainment & silent auction. Cara Ripley helped the musicians keep their rhythm by playing her ‘spoons’. The weather was perfect & the food was incredible. Monte Atha did a fine job on the main dish while everyone else rounded out the meal with yummy sides and desserts.
As the afternoon progressed, the clouds began to build. The excitement grew as you could begin to smell rain. There had been no rain in CK for months and the crowd grew with anticipation. Then it began…… the most invigorating storm was upon us. While everyone rejoiced, no one was happier than bartender, Bev Kessler!! She celebrated by dancing in the rain. We all got a little soaked but no one complained!! Thankfully our forest has continued to receive measurable rainfall and the mountain is much safer from catastrophic fire.
Thanks to the Phoenix Jaycees and all the riders and staff that continue to support our town. We truly appreciate you and look forward to your annual visits. We hope you enjoyed your time in Crown King. See you all next year at the Bear Creek Cabins!
