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This week Amber & Cooper go over some notable events in the valley this week including Taylor Swift, The Ostrich Festival, and St. Patrick's Day. They also discuss the Phoenix Lights anniversary which was on March 13, and do another segment of Exchange-O-Gram with the hashtag #arizonavacation.
Greetings folks and welcome to the WOA Show episode #4 of season 2. In case you are just joining us here on the WOA Show, WOA stands for World of Arizona. We’re pretty excited to talk more about this week in Arizona. We’ve got, Saint Patty’s Day, the first day of spring, Phoenix Flea, Taylor Swift, Ostriches, Festivals, Boots in the Park and let’s not forget, the Phoenix Lights anniversary. Bring us in Amber
Weekly WOA in 48
We’d like to introduce a new section we’re calling “Weekly World of Arizona in 48 Seconds”. This is where we’ll do a little summary or recap if you will about the happenings for the week in the World of Arizona, aka, the great state 48.
- WOA Marketplace is launched and ready for more AZ vendors and products. Check it out at woamarketplace.com.
- Last week’s episode of the WOA Show premiered on Youtube Premiers, where Cooper and Amber chatted with fans while eating popcorn and watching on their perspective big smart screen TV’s.
- The Phoenix Suns – Don’t even get Cooper started on this one. In case you missed it, the Suns’ newest superstar Kevin Durant is out probably for the rest of the regular season due to an ankle sprain. Should be interesting to see if the fellas can make a playoff run without some key pieces to their line up.
- The Cactus League’s spring training is in full “swing” in the Valley of the Sun. I actually spoke to a Milwakee Brewers fan the other day, who was attending his first spring training game. They drove down in treacherous blizzard conditions all the way from Wisconsin but made it safely to enjoy the warm AZ weather and America’s favorite pastime. I should also disclose that several games had to be canceled due to rain.
- Speaking of baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks. I have a feeling we will be talking more about the D-backs in future episodes when the regular season starts. But one of the notable mentions this week is the Diamondbacks just extended the contract of their center fielder Corbin Carroll.
- One more baseball mention, Chase Field in downtown Phoenix hosted the World Baseball Classic featuring teams from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Great Britain.
- One last note, a fan approached us to let us know we missed someone from last week’s list of famous musicians from Arizona. Marty Robbins, born in Glendale in 1925, was one of the most popular country singers for nearly four decades from the 1940s to the early 1980s before his death in 1982. Robbins actually served in the Navy during World War II, was also a songwriter, actor, played multiple instruments and was a NASCAR racing driver. His songs have been covered by famous artists such as Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley.
Phoenix Lights
Ok, let’s set the stage. March 13, 1997…approximately 8:15pm, mysterious lights in the sky near Henderson, Nevada were first reported. Observers there and in northern Arizona (the Prescott area) reported a large group of amber-colored lights moving together in a V-shaped formation. Later that evening, around 10 p.m. local time, thousands of witnesses in the Phoenix valley reported seeing a cluster of lights hovering silently overhead in a wide arc, moving slowly, and occasionally disappearing and reappearing.
Speculation about UFOs, as well as allegations of conspiracy theories and hoaxes, grew around the event, spawning investigations, websites, books and documentaries. To be clear, money was made, and is still being made.
Amazingly, there were very few videos of this event, considering how many people claimed to see it. I have to believe that if something like this happened today, the footage would be undeniable, considering the high res cameras we all have in our pockets.
There was an online local news outlet that posted a story on this back in 2014 that you will likely find with a quick google search. It was your typical dubunking that always seems to accompany mysterious events like this one. The article focused on Mitch Stanley (witness in Phoenix) and what he saw through his backyard telescope on that evening. Stanley said he saw planes flying in formation, and didn’t really think much of it until the next day when the media took hold. To be clear, there were multiple events reported that night occurring hours apart.
So what were the Phoenix Lights? Stay tuned cause this week’s list breaks down some popular potential explanations…or you can also just click on the chapter below called “The List”….and skip all the good stuff in between….not cool.
Featured Article | Ostrich Festival
This week’s featured article on World Of Arizona is all about the Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Arizona. Tumbleweed Park in Chandler is the home of this popular event that is centered around ostriches.
Events In The Valley
- The Ostrich Festival: Happening this Thursday through Sunday at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler, Arizona. Learn more at The Ostrich Festival Website.
- Taylor Swift: I’m pretty sure everyone is aware of this next event, whether your a non-Swiftie or hard core Swifties, the time has come. Taylor Swift is kicking off her “Eras” Tour this Friday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. T Swift is performing not one but two shows this weekend on Friday and Saturday. The city of Glendale is super excited, to say the least, to welcome the international mega superstar pop icon. So much so, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weirers temporarily changed Glendales name to Swift City in honor of Miss Swift’s arrival.
- Phoenix Flea: Phoenix Flea is back at Heritage Square for the spring market.
St. Patrick’s Day | Celebration in AZ
We would probably be remis if we didn’t talk about the holiday that has inspired our studio decor full of the glorious color green. Yes, we are goin’ there and tell you the meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day. Here are some fun facts and ways to celebrate the infamous holiday in March.
The List | Phoenix Lights Explanations
- It’s A Hoax: In 2008, a Phoenix resident apparently tied flares to helium balloons to recreate some local buzz around the event. Is what really happened in 1997 as well? Doesn’t seem likely…but who knows.
- Fleet of Aircraft: A couple different witnesses claimed to see aircrafts with square-shaped wings and Cessnas flying in formation through telescopes. This also seems unlikely considering the Class B airspace they would travel through, and obvious engine sounds that would have been heard.
- Military: Is it possible a black-ops military aircraft was performing tests on both public reaction as well as test flights? Maybe, but to this day there is no evidence of a similar design described by witnesses. I guess they could have scrapped it, and focused on flying cars….like they should anyway.
- Warthogs: There were reports that a unit of A-10s had been active in the area and dropped some flares. They did have square wings and a boxy profile that matched some witnesses descriptions. This is likely the flare story peddled by the military.
- Extraterrestrial: The V-shaped formation reported by so many that night, from Hendersen NV to Phoenix, have similarities to many other sightings in the world throughout history. It’s hard to beleive that so many people, who had their lives changed that night, were just completely and utterly deceived by what they saw. From police officers to pilots, to air traffic controllers. Even Kurt Russell, (the famous actor, freakin’ Wyatt Earp) who was flying with his son that evening, reported the sighting to authorities. To me, this is also considered to be unlikely. What advanced species would be so disconnected from the planet their visiting, to make themselves so blatantly obvious. I would say “probably not”, but what the hell do I know.
So where does this leave us? The same place we were when we started. Absolutely nowhere. Nobody that’s willing to talk really knows what happened on March 13, 1997. Even though lots of people will continue to try and make a buck off telling the story. Afterall, that’s ultimately what keeps a good story going isn’t it?
If you want to know more about the Phoenix Lights story, sign up today for just $19.95/mo and you’ll gain access to the world’s largest library of never before seen footage and interviews…….sorry…..i couldn’t even finish.
- KTAR News: https://ktar.com/story/1490163/more-than-20-years-later-mystery-of-phoenix-lights-still-fascinates-people/
- Plane & Pilot: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/news/pilot-talk/2022/09/20/the-phoenix-lights/
- The History Channel: YouTube Video
- ABC15 Arizona: YouTube Video
- Fox 10 Arizona: Video
