New Engine arrives in Globe

The distinctive "Black Widow" design on the new 1953 passenger locomotive

A sleek new engine is pulling the Copper Spike this week. The new streamlined passenger engine was put into service this week. Built in 1953, the Arizona Eastern had the engine overhauled and painted with the “black widow” design which is the distinctive black,orange,red striping you see here.

The Copper Spike will continue to run Thursday – Sundays through May 2nd when the season ends (for the summer).

Local Gila County residents may take advantage of a program which allows those living in Gila county to ride the train for 1/2 off. This subsidy is good until the funds run out of this program….so grab the family and head on over to the Old Train Depot and ride the rails this spring! … Continue Reading

All hands on deck for Streetscape Project

By: Linda Gross

The streetscaping project taking place on the north end of Broad Street had a “Paver Party” this weekend. Over thirty volunteers showed up in the early, frosty hours of the morning to lay thousands of concrete pavers which will create a broad expanse of pedestrian-friendly space which the City will beable to use for community events and will help pull walking traffic from one end of Broad to the other. Volunteers included Globe’s Mayor, the City Manager, the Fire chief, Building Inspector, Public Works department and many local business people and residents showed up in jeans and knee pads to lay pavers over a 1/4 mile stretch of North Broad. Those who couldn’t ‘schelp’ pavers or help out, stopped by to bring tangerines, donuts, water and offer a “thumbs up” to those who were working. … Continue Reading

It’s a Paver Party for Broad street

Spreading gravel to complete streetscaping on Broadstreet

The Historic Downtown District of Globe and the City will be completing the final stages of a major streetscaping project on the north end of Broad street this month. The monies came through a $98,000 grant tagged specifically for this type of improvement which took 2 years to move through the approval process. It was awarded last Fall. The project has involved enhancements to a pedestrian walkway and the entrance off Hwy 60 to the Historic Downtown District.  The City has enlarged the pedestrian walk-way on the north end of Broad to include trees, lighting and benches. This time, plans were made to run underground electrical and water lines to the area which, among other benefits,  will allow for automatic watering for the trees (something which was not done years ago when trees were planted in central downtown and which now requires hand watering).

Still to come is signage to enhance the trestle entry-way and installing a walkway which will tie the east and west side of Broad street together and make it pedestrian-friendly.  The walk-way project will be happening this month, on the 20th.

New Street lighting at the North end of Broad will help to pull traffic into the Downtown area and light the pedestrian walkway which now extends the entire length of Broad street.

…. On Saturday, March 20th, the MOB (My Own Backyard), a group of business and civic leaders- we will be hosting a “Paver

Party” to lay the concrete pavers on the north end which will tie in the walk way between El Ranchito and Yuma street. They are asking for volunteers and encouraging anyone who would like to help out, or simply lend support to the workers to show up at 8am. For more information you can contact Pat Dodd at the Center for the Arts.  928-425-0884.

Trees get planted on Broad Street

It took men and machinery to plant several mature trees reaching 10-15ft each in the planters on N Broad Street . Photo By : Johnny Kay

Last week a variety of deciduous and non-deciduous trees were planted along the newly developed pedestrian-way on North Broad Street. The on going street enhancements are part of a collaborative project involving the City of Globe, Historic Globe Main Street Program, Cobre Valley Center for the Arts, the Globe Tree Committe and the group which calls themselves the MOB. The majority of funding for the improvements stem from a $98,000 grant which was awarded to the Downtown District this summer. … Continue Reading

Globe’s Main Street MOB is on the move

Story by: Darin Lowery

Note: The local committee, MOB (My Own Back Yard) was formed last February as one of many committees tasked with looking into ways to improve Globe’s Downtown district. Headed up by Mayor Fernando Shipley, it includes City Building Inspector Chris Collopy, City Manager Kane Graves, Local Downtown Merchants Ed Gardea of Ortega’s Shoes, Molly Cornwell of the White Porch and Tracy Quick of The Huddle, Builder Jim Ohl, Artists Nora & Frank Balaam, Chris Brusca with the Chamber , Darin Lowery with The Pickle Barrel and Kip Culver, Main Street Director.

While Globe's downtown has been noted for its friendly, walkable spaces, many drivers never make it into the Downtown area to discover the charms of "Main Street." Signage is key in letting visitors know where to go, and one element of MOB's plans for the area.

The group looked into ways they could effect positive design changes downtown and while they kept an eye on what could realistically be accomplished with the meager resources they had, they none-the-less identified several projects all along the 8-block area of the Historic District which would help direct traffic into the downtown area and other landmark locations such as Besh Ba Gowah, as well as improve the pedestrian walkways and visual amenities of the downtown area

Thanks to a huge stroke of “planned luck,” a large grant for $98,000 pegged for streetscaping the Historic District actually came through earlier this year. Begun over two years ago, the grant was applied for by Main Street Director, Kip Culver with the support of then Congressman Rick Renzi. It entered its final approval stages after the economy had already started it’s melt down and long after the Congressman had stepped down, so it is easy to see why Culver hardly thought the grant had a chance of materializing. Yet materialize it did and the group found themselves in the fortunate position of having much of the planning well underway when the funds for the improvements fell into their laps.

The  grant money is the funding source for all the improvements you are beginning to see Downtown and I asked Darin to outline the progress so far.

MOB Targets Globe

by Darin Lowery

There’s a new gang in town and it’s called the M.O.B. (‘My Own Backyard’). Made up of roughly twelve members (and open to more!), the group is led by Mayor Shipley. MOB meets roughly every two weeks- we started out as an offshoot of a community meeting at City Hall in February, which looked at ways to improve the look and feel of our Historic Downtown. … Continue Reading

Hollis Cinemas install Marquee

The much anticipated re-opening of the Globe Theater has arrived!  Since the theater was destroyed in the Pioneer Fire (July 2005) the community has sorely missed their local theater. The Hollis family vowed to come back and re-build an even bigger and better theater and they have delivered on that promise.

Construction on the new complex began in January of this year and progress was noted through their blog each month. The project remained on schedule and last night the finishing touches were completed as the marquee was re-installed.

The new Globe Theater Marquee blends elements of the original marque, along with modern digital technology and signals a return to hometown entertainment at its best.  The night sky was illuminated with the neon lights just past 6pm to a small audience who cheered as the lights came on. Tonight the crowds are expected to be in the hundreds as the theater opens for business again in downtown Globe,Az. See: HOLLIS CINEMAS.

,

Muleskinners Kidnap Mayor Shipley

This last weekend was the Grand Opening of Season 2 for the Copper Spike Excursion Railroad and Main Street Director, Kip Culver invited the Mohave Muleskinners to kick off the season in style. The Muleskinners, who were here last year for Home Tour, are a big hit in Globe. Their members dress in period clothing from the 1800′s and carry  authentic reproduction firearms. They use real gun power and crowds love talking to members, getting photo ops with the various characters and watching the Old West skits.

The one shown below involved the kidnapping of Mayor Fernando Shipley. The local contingent of the Copper Bells arrived on the scene shouting “Save our Mayor” and offered to exchange a muleskinner – toting an iron ball for the safety of the Mayor. The exchange was made, but just when the “bad” guys thought they were getting away – the women Muleskinners arrived with loaded shotguns (with gun powder of course!) and stopped them in their tracks.

KipCulver: Caring for the Downtown District

By: Linda Gross

Cities outgrew them long ago and towns have over looked them in a rush to attract box stores and strip malls. Yet memories of a time when the main streets of our childhood literally held the lifeblood in the community is one reason why nearly 30 years ago the National Trust for Historic Preservation developed a program to put the emphasis back on Main Street. The Program was designed to retain that elusive quality lost in Suburbia; community character, and to bring back an economic framework which would reinstate Main Street as a valuable player in a community’s future.

Globe’s own Main Street program began in 1986 when it’s eight-block commercial district was designated a Historic District. Today, it is one of just 15 Main Street communities in the State and 12,000 in the country. The success of these programs can be seen in the numbers; Since 1980 there have been 199,519 buildings rehabilitated, 82,909 businesses added to aging downtown districts, and over 40 Billion dollars invested in physical improvements through private and public sources.

Caring for Main Street

In the last four years, Globe’s Main Street Program has begun to rack up so many small successes that even to the uninitiated the Big Picture is taking shape and making itself felt by locals and visitors. The force behind many of these improvements is Main Street Director, Kip Culver who took over the position in 2005, and today heads up both Main Street and the Center for the Arts. … Continue Reading