Memorial Week And The Mayer of Nothing

 September 22, 2023

   It has been quite a week of memorials for old friends. The Ed Mell memorial was Tuesday and a memorial was held last friday in Kingman for a genuine, soft-spoken cowboy I grew up with.

Bill Blake

(1947-2024)

   Yesterday, at Brophy chapel in the heart of old Phoenix, a Christmas themed memorial was held for Jana Bommersbach. Yes, she loved Christmas so much, several memorial goers dressed as if it was the holiday season in her honor.

Dewey Webb, Charlie Waters and Jana Bommersbach at New Times, circa 1979

    I took this photo when Charlie came down to Phoenix from Prescott where he was the publisher of the Prescott Courier. And I took him into work to show off my best friend. He was impressed with one of our reporters—Jana, and they hit it off immediately. Hard for me to believe, but all three are gone.

The Mayor of Nothing

   "If you are thinking of relocating, this is a place where goodness can be reclaimed and where all ideologies are welcome and nobody will judge you because of the news you watch. Yes, this is where profound cynicism goes to die. It's a place devoid of all petty human tendencies. Meditation is available to anyone on any street corner. A cosmic well-being is practiced by everyone who lives here and some say it contains the very best of America. There is no crime, only perfect love. Many have commented that there is a raw beauty in the surroundings, unspoiled by human hands. And if it is solitude you are seeking, then this is the place! You can live by your ideals that transcend ego and strife. So, if this sounds good, my advice to you is to start packing."

—The Current Mayor of Nothing

  The ghost town of Nothing, is on the edge of Mohave County, between Wickenburg and Wikiup, on Highway 93. It was founded in 1977 with a gas station and store, abandoned, then restarted and abandoned again. A town sign proclaimed:

"Thru the years these dedicated people had faith in nothing, hoped for nothing, worked at nothing, for nothing."

   It's all gone now, except for the sign clinging to sagging posts, but I always smile at the humor of the place every time I drive by on my way home to Kingman. At some point, it is my goal to live there full time, and if all these memorials I have been going to are any indication, that time is much closer than I think.

"Nothing ventured, El Ciudad de Nada gained."

—Old Vaquero Saying