GREAT WEEKENDS

great weekends Twinkling Lights, a Parade, and a Canyon Train Ride with Santa Make Williams Merry

At Christmastime, the town of Williams really puts on the dog, literally. And the vintage train that carries passengers to the Grand Canyon adds some holiday touches as well, with an appropriate Western flavor.

Williams, a town of 2,500 souls that bills itself as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” sits at 6,700 feet elevation in the pine country of northern Arizona. While many people know it as a summer getaway spot, One of the best times to visit here is during the Christmas season, when the town hosts the Mountain Village Holiday. The Parade of Lights, held on a Saturday night in mid-December, is one of the biggest events of the old-fashioned celebration. Starring in the procession down luminaria-lined Route 66 are half a dozen canines cloaked in cuddly little sweaters decorated with multicolored twinkling lights. Everything from stately Bernese mountain dogs to low-slung chihuahuas dutifully obey the commands of their owners, who are similarly illuminated. Behind the dogs roll the “Home School Is Cool” float, a Chrysler motorboat, a '58 Ford flatbed, Santa and an elf pedaling a tandem bicycle, a propane truck with eyes attached to the windshield and antlers to the cab, and a wagon drawn by a pair of handsome white Percherons. But the real showpiece of the parade, a massive dump truck with nearly every square inch of metal covered with shiny white lights, carries a special passenger. Santa rides front and center, and brightly wrapped gifts fill the truck's bed. The blaring wail of a fire engine brings up the rear, and the Parade of Lights ends for another year.

With a frosting of snow, the annual Mountain Village Holiday puts even the grumpiest grinch in Williams in a festive mood. Throughout December, the holiday here features a round of activities, including bake sales, church bazaars, a basketball tournament, arts and crafts shows, community concerts, and hayrides. Nearly every downtown business as well as houses lining the side streets joins the glowing spectacle.

“We're going for a million lights this year,” said Tom Kelley of the chamber of commerce. Whether they reached that goal is anyone's guess, but nobody's really counting.

As soon as the parade ends, my husband and I rush to nab a table at Pine Country Restaurant. On Grand Canyon Avenue, Pine Country is your basic small-town cafe - green-andwhite checked tablecloths and homey bric-a-brac on the walls - where you can order chicken-fried steak for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What the Pine Country is famous for, though, is its pies. Every morning at 4:30, owners Susie Page and daughter Dee Seehorn get up and roll out about 30 pies, monumental creations with fluted golden crusts cradling towering mounds of fruit and cream, pies to make a grown man cry. Like so many others here, Dee says she was born in Williams, left for a while, then returned. "We came home to do this," she adds.

Susie whisks us off for a personal tour of the day's selections in the glass-front display case. I pay close attention as she reels off the list: blueberry, apple, pumpkin, cherryapple-peach, cherry, pecan, banana cream, coconut cream, chocolate cream cheese, lemon meringue, and a "very runny custard don't know what happened to my custard," Susie laments. She could have stopped at lemon meringue because, to my taste, there's no better pie in the world.

Earlier in the day, we strolled up Railroad Avenue and down Route 66, enjoying the mix of 19th-century storefronts and 1950s ambiance. The De Berge Gallery of Fine Art and Saddle Shop on Route 66 drew us in. Large paintings of Southwestern scenes by local artists hang on the walls of the 1907 building. Smells of rich oiled leather waft from the back of the gal-lery, where Ray de Berge makes beautiful tooled saddles. Wooden saddle trees covered with bullhide line the wall. Each saddle, custom made to the rider and the horse, takes six months to finish.

A few more gift shops and galleries line Route 66, leaning toward Southwest kitsch and "Kountry Krafts." Born as a foot-loose and fancy-free railroad and logging town in 1882, Williams later became a stop for travelers on famed Route 66. In the 1980s, Interstate 40 passed it by, leaving this friendly, down-home town a little down-at-the-mouth. But Williams has revived with the success of the Grand Canyon Railway, which runs yearround up to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. At this time of year, the railroad gets into the spirit of the season, so we decide this is a must-do. On a foggy, 10° F. morning, passengers gather at the depot, two blocks north of Route 66, waiting for the train whistle to sing. A few sip steaming hot coffee from foam cups and huddle together as they watch the antics of Marshal John B. Goodmore and the wily members of the Cataract Creek Gang in a hilarious staged shoot-out. Once the train gets rolling, a special on-board guest appears: Cowboy Claus. A takeoff on the usual chubby guy in a red suit, he's dressed in blackand-white spotted chaps and a matching flouncy hat, supposedly cow-inspired but possibly Dalmatian. After Cowboy Claus belts out his ho, ho, hos, in strolls troubadour Tony Norris, the "Pavarotti of the Plains," as he calls himself. Tony strums his guitar, croons a rendition of "Back in the Saddle Again,"

recites cowboy poetry, and takes requests from passengers. When he finds out a California couple is celebrating the man's birthday, everyone joins in the "Happy Birthday" singalong. Another couple observing their anniversary gets treated to one of Tony's sweet love songs. On the two-and-a-half hour trip to the Canyon, the train winds slowly through evergreen forest and frosted grasslands. For many on board, the day holds two memorable experiences, the first time on a train and the first time at the Grand Canyon. From the turnof Tony's sweet love songs. On the two-and-a-half hour trip to the Canyon, the train winds slowly through evergreen forest and frosted grasslands. For many on board, the day holds two memorable experiences, the first time on a train and the first time at the Grand Canyon. From the turnof-the-century log depot at the Canyon, some people head for a hotel for an overnight stay, while others hop on a bus for a tour of the Rim. During the three-hour layover, we choose

their six-shooters and command the passengers to turn over all their valuables. Marshal John B. Goodmore (“the B stands for be good or be gone,” he says) follows in hot pursuit and recognizes the rangy perpetrators: Gabby and Annie, members of the gang in the morning shootout at the depot. The robbery ends peacefully, thanks to the quick action of the marshal.

We step off the train in icy twilight and walk across the courtyard to check in at the Fray Marcos Hotel for the night. The lobby welcomes us with a crackling blaze in the magnificent flagstone fireplace and big red velvet bows tied festively to the chandelier. On this chilly night, the idea of eating in appeals to us, so we choose Spenser's, just off the hotel lobby, for a supper of soup, salad, and pizza. The pub's ornate oak backbar was imported from England; on the facing wall hangs a beautiful painting by Kenneth McKenna. The 23-and-a-half-foot-long work, titled “The Trip,” depicts the Grand Canyon train steaming across the landscape of northern Arizona.

The end of a weekend filled with snowflakes, a warm fire, twinkling lights, and the sight of one of the world's greatest wonders. All of a sudden, it was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

To walk along the Rim path, reveling in the splendor of the Canyon's serene winter silence. Nature does the Christmas decorations: mistletoe in the piñons, blue berries on the junipers, clouds like angel hair clinging to the rocky Rim. And when the clouds part, we receive the greatest gift of all, a dazzling glimpse of the remarkable wonder that attracts close to 5 million visitors a year. As the clouds close in again, it's time for lunch. We opt for a bowl of soup and hot chocolate at the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant. For gourmet Southwest cuisine, try the dining room in the El Tovar Hotel, one of the fine old hotels of the national park system. Festive poinsettias deck its spacious lobby, and waiters stand poised to serve salads, complete with chilled forks.Waiting for the 3 P.M. departure of the train, I browse in the stone-walled Hopi House Gift Shop and Gallery and then next door at Verkamp's Gift Shop, hoping to find a Christmas present or two.

Back on board in a cozy coach, we nestle in and get a little drowsy on the return trip. Near Williams, the train slows, then stops. “Holdup!” somebody yells. Striding through the coaches, masked bandits wave

WHEN YOU GO

LOCATION: 170 miles north of Phoenix.

WEATHER: Average temperature in December: high, 46° F.; low, 23° F.

PHONE NUMBERS: All are in area code (520) unless otherwise noted; 800 series numbers are toll-free.

LODGING: Fray Marcos Hotel, 235 N. Grand Canyon Blvd.; (800) THE-TRAIN. For advance reservations at the Grand Canyon National Park's Bright Angel Lodge or El Tovar Hotel, call AMFAC Parks and Resorts at (303) 297-2757.

RESTAURANTS: Pine Country Restaurant, 107 N. Grand Canyon Blvd.; 635-9718. Spenser's at Fray Marcos Hotel, 235 N. Grand Canyon Blvd.; 635-4010. Bright Angel Lodge restaurant and El Tovar Dining Room, Grand Canyon Village; 638-2631.

ATTRACTIONS: Grand Canyon Railway departs daily (except December 24 and 25) from Williams for the Grand Canyon. From December 2 through February 28, the railway offers the “Good Neighbor” special - Arizona residents travel for half-price fare in coach-class; adults, $24.97 round-trip; children 16 and under, $12.47. For train reservations, call (800) THE-TRAIN.

De Berge Gallery of Fine Art and Saddle Shop, 133 W. Route 66; 635-2960. Ho Hopi House Gift Shop and Gallery, Grand Canyon Village; 638-6383. Verkamp's Gift Shop, Grand Canyon Village; 638-2242.

EVENTS: Mountain Village Holiday events, including the Parade of Lights, begin the day after Thanksgiving; for a schedule, call the Williams and Forest Visitor Center, 635-4061. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Williams and Forest Visitor Center, 200 W. Railroad Ave., 635-4061; Grand Canyon National Park, general information, 638-7888, or www.thegrandcanyon.com. online.