Phoenix, Arizona / Saturday, December 24, 2005
Founded AD 1968 / $10.00 Avenue Weather: Partly cloudy with possible late afternoon showers. High 78 / Low 50 Westown Park restrooms razed Long standing neighborhood landmark falls to progress (BP) – A
Westown Park landmark for over forty years recently vanished forever when
the City of Phoenix made the decision to finally The city announced in October that the Westown restrooms needed to be replaced due primarily to the advanced age of the plumbing in the structure, but there had also been a long standing problem with vandalism, drug activity, and other assorted questionable behaviors associated with the building that dated back to the ‘60s. The structure is being replaced with a new state-of-the-art restroom facility that will offer a new generation of Westown youngsters ample opportunities to pursue their own legacy of vandalism, drug activity, and other assorted questionable behaviors. The Westown Park restroom facility was built in 1960, the same year the park and adjoining Sahuaro Elementary School first opened. The sturdy wood and brick structure proved to be extremely durable and withstood innumerable incidences of arson and other various random acts of destruction over the years. Shortly after being informed of the news, former Joan De Arc resident and Crusader CEO John Bueker read from a prepared statement: “I am saddened by the City of Phoenix’s decision to tear down the old Westown restrooms. I grew up with that building, saw my first graffiti in there – it was something to the effect of “Mr. Snader is a fag” or some such. I get a little emotional even thinking about it, really. It’s a sad day in Westown today.” The new restroom facilities at Westown Park are nearing completion and should be ready for public use in January.
Legend City originally planned for west side
By J. Beaver Legend City amusement park founder Louis Crandall recently revealed that his bygone “Disneyland in the desert” experiment was originally planned to be built in the area of Bell Road and the I-17 freeway, a mere three miles from Joan De Arc Avenue. Only a last minute zoning difficulty prevented Legend City from being built on the nearby site. Instead, the park was erected across the Valley on the Phoenix-Tempe border at Washington St. and 56th Ave., near the Phoenix Zoo. Joan De Arc historians are split on the question of whether the park would have fared any better or worse than it did in its ultimate location on the east side, but one consequence of this “might have been” scenario is very clear indeed – kids on Joan De Arc Avenue would have had quick and easy access to the theme park. In the present day and age of Phoenix, with the ubiquitous freeway system, it is easy to forget that the trip from Surrey Heights to Tempe in the 1960s was a relatively arduous ordeal that most parents preferred to avoid. JDA historians agree unanimously however that the west side location would have made no difference in the case of the Bueker family. The issue for Carl Bueker was apparently not the travel, but instead the monetary expenses incurred in treating four children to a day at the local theme park. As Bueker son Charles recently observed, “They could have built it next door to our house and we still would have only gone twice.” Legend City closed for good in 1983, and Phoenix still remains devoid of a major amusement park. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________JDA
Crusader raises price Due to skyrocketing heating oil costs, the Joan De Arc Crusader has been forced to raise the newsstand price for a copy of the paper. Henceforth, the price will be $10.00 per copy. We urge the public to bear in mind that the Crusader contributes a substantial portion of its profits to deserving charities. Thank you for your understanding. Happy holidays! - The Mgt. __________________________________________________________________________________
On the INSIDE: Editorials A2 / Nostalgia A3 / Crossword A4
Moon Phases: |
replace the old, original
restroom structure at the east end of the park.
New: 
Full: 
Last Quarter : 
