Some youngsters squeal and crawl behind the jail bars to grin at their snapshot shooting parents.
Others twirl lassoes at a mechanical steer from the saddle of a full-size stationary horse.
Some try their skill in the shooting gallery, where cowboys show them how to use a Colt .45, which shoots wax bullets.
Still others stick their heads over colorfully designed plywood silhouettes of cowboys and cowgirls – and parents and friends use cameras and cellphones to capture the image of an era gone by.
But at 6:30 p.m., the old-fashioned dinner bell rings. Guests exit the Old West Courtyard, which features an authentic western saloon, a shopping museum filled with everything from toys to 10-gallon hats, and other false-front buildings that are straight out of a John Wayne western.
They stomp down the wooden boardwalk toward the spacious barn for seats at rustic wooden tables and benches.
In a few minutes, they’ll line up to head to the chuck wagon at the rear of the barn. They’ll pick up tin plates filled with chicken, ribs, a baked potato, cowboy beans, homemade biscuits, and the signature “prickly pear coleslaw.”
Guests wash all those vittles down with complimentary lemonade, ice tea or coffee, or in some cases, with a beverage purchased at the saloon bar. They’ll also duck when a cowboy waiter tosses hot biscuits to those yelling for them.
At 7:30 p.m., entertainment begins.
Up front, on a stage surrounded with bales of hay and western gear, Emcee Bill Basset introduces Jim and Jeanne Martin and “Otis,” (actually Tom Jepperson). For an hour, the four will sing, yodel, pick guitars and banjos, tell really corny jokes and have the audience clapping and singing right along with them. The fast-moving finale will create a “hang onto your saddle” memory.
Where’s This Family Entertainment Happening?
Thousands of guests annually are discovering the Blazin’ M Ranch in west Cottonwood, just west of Dead Horse State Park on 1875 Mabery Ranch Road.
And those thousands are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Verde Valley where the Blazin’ M Ranch is just one of five “destination” attractions. (See sidebar for other four.)
Data from the Arizona Office of Tourism reveals that the Verde Valley is becoming more and more a destination for travelers not just from Arizona and the Southwest but also international tourists.
It is not just the Red Rock Country of Sedona and Village of Oak Creek or Flagstaff area that appeals.
Other attractions, in addition to the Blazin’ M Ranch, include Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, the “one of a kind” Copper Museum (also in Clarkdale), Out of Africa Wildlife Park three miles east of Camp Verde on Hwy 260; and Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde.
All these attractions “partner” with one another in marketing and promotion activities, creating an attitude of cooperation, not competition.
Dan and Lori Mabery, owners of the Blazin’ M, take pride in being part of growing Verde Valley appeal to visitors.
Dan Mabery, son of Chuck Mabery, who purchased in 1966 what was to become the Blazin’ M , explained how the place came to be.
“Originally, the ranch was a dairy and cattle operation. It then morphed into produce. But in 1993, a 100-year flood hit the Verde Valley and wiped out the irrigation system for the ranch,” Mabery said. “We were determined not to let that disaster shut the place down, so we talked to family members and decided to use our musical talents to start a unique entertainment venue in Cottonwood.”
It took just over a year to build the first facilities to open the western-themed stage show. It opened in October 1994 and has not closed since.
“We have more than 30 employees, four of whom are always full-time. That doesn’t include the professional entertainers. We’re really pleased that most our employees are high school students. We have no trouble recruiting them. It’s a good job for them. They come to work at 4 in the afternoon and they’re home by 10,” Mabery said.
He declined to give an exact amount of what the annual payroll was, but said, “It’s in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The professional entertainers have extensive award-winning performing backgrounds around the country. Bill Bassett has been inducted into the Swing Hall of Fame. Jim and Jeanne Martin have been honored by the Western Music Association six times as the Best Yodeling Duo. Tom Jepperson, who plays the role of “Otis,” handles comic relief. He was trained and performed in Hollywood for years.
Guests Come From Throughout World
“We get guests from everywhere. True, many are from Arizona, with Phoenix and Tucson sending a lot of people here, especially during summer months. But tour groups have discovered us, too, and we get thousands of visitors on tours from California and Nevada. Many are international tourists who come here when they visit Red Rock Country, Flagstaff, or head to the Grand Canyon,” Lori Mabery, group coordinator, said.
Canadians, especially snowbirds, visit the ranch. Japanese tourists (and others from Asia) especially like the “western” experience.
At a recent show, Terry Boekhaus from Richfield, Kansas, said, “It was unique – riding around the old ranch on a tractor-drawn sightseeing wagon. I really enjoyed the variety during the performance, and the chuck wagon food – quite filling.”
A couple from Arnold, California, Tom and Kathy McLellan, said, “We’ve made a point coming here every two or three years, especially because we can get a package deal with a hotel, the Verde Canyon Railroad and other attractions. It’s great food and entertainment in a family environment.”
As for guests, Mabery said, “We want them to feel as though they’ve been invited to a dinner in our home.”
She recalled a couple of recent tour groups that were “…quite unusual.”
One was a full house of Italian tourists, few of whom spoke English. “But they loved the old traditional country songs, like ‘Tumbling Tumbleweed’ or ‘Happy Trails.’”
She described another recent special audience – a deaf tour group of snowbirds. “We had experts in sign language from Yavapai College come sign the show for us. Let me just tell you, it was a long program that evening, but it was fantastic and the group just loved it.”
She said she cannot even begin to remember the number of weddings staged at the ranch.
The Blazin’ M is open 11 months of the year. It shuts down only in January. Shows usually are offered Wednesday through Saturdays, but exceptions are made for holiday seasons such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The full schedule admission fees are available online at www.BlazinM.com. Additional information can be found at Info@BlazinM.com or by calling toll-free 800-937-8643. QCBN
By Ray Newton, QCBN
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