Arizona Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

by Sam Lowe

Overview

Saguaro cacti, desert landscapes, and the Grand Canyon may stand out as prominent Arizona features, but this scorching state is also home to bizarre places, personalities, events, and phenomena.  These unique and quirky aspects are humorously displayed in Arizona Curiosities, a cross between a wacky news gazette, an almanac, and a humorous travel guide. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762769605
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/06/2012
Series:	Curiosities Series
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	350
Sales rank:	604,608
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sam Lowe was born on the plains of North Dakota, where he began his newspaper career as a delivery boy for the Kensal Times. He migrated to "warm and snowless" Arizona in 1969, where he has written for a variety of newspapers, establishing "The Lowe Road" series, featuring unusual people, places, and things across Arizona. Compilations of his work have appeared in book form. Named Humor Columnist of the Year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Lowe continues "The Lowe Road" for the Arizona Republic, as well as contributing stories to Arizona Highways, Arizona Highroads, and other state publications. He is also the author of GPP's You Know You're in Arizona. Sam Lowe lives in Phoenix.

Read an Excerpt

Hi Yo Wormie
Alpine

It's not quite Olympic Games caliber, but worm races are one of the major summer events in this White Mountain community. They're run on the second Saturday of July and are preceded by a short (naturally) worm parade.
The races are held behind Ye Olde Tavern on a piece of plywood painted with rings. It's not head-to-head competition, however. Each worm is placed in the center ring and given two minutes to crawl. Worm breeders can urge their steeds on by misting them with water or by yelling encouragement like, "Win or you'll be sleeping with the fishes!"
According to local legend, the first races also featured the coronation of The Robin, who ate the losing worms between shots of tequila. The practice has been discontinued, allegedly because it gave the tequila a bad taste.
Worm fans and handicappers interested in more information may call 928-339-4330.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     x
Northeast Arizona     1
Northwest Arizona     53
Southeast Arizona     111
Southwest Arizona     187
Valley of the Sun     233
Index     289
About the Author     299

Editorial Reviews

You've never experienced life in its full vibrancy until you have witnessed Alpine, Arizona's, annual Worm Race. According to author Sam Lowe, this avidly watched summer competition is just one of the events that proves that Arizona is not your average state. He notes, for example, that Arizona is the only state in the Union with its very own official state neckwear (the bola tie) and the only jurisdiction on earth to have prosecuted a man for murder by Gila monster. Veteran journalist and longtime Arizona resident Lowe has compiled a delightful assemblage of snippets about all that is most strange in the Grand Canyon State.