Photo courtesy of Bobby Tyler The Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse is set to ride again next week. The riders will take an oath and be sworn in as mail carriers for this year’s ride at high noon on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the historic county courthouse in downtown Holbrook.
By Nolan Madden Hashknife Posse Pony Express Week is seven days away, and members of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Hashknife Posse have been busy workhorses since kicking off ramp-up for their events last month. “So, far they’ve collected over 500 pieces of mail since last month,” said Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Director Billie Anne Perkins. The posse also brought a touch of the Old West to the 45th annual National Bank of Arizona Fiesta Bowl Parade earlier this month, riding their horses through central Phoenix on Jan 2. The event was televised live on 3TV, and plans are in the works to arrange live Pony Express festivities coverage by the network here in Holbrook, Perkins said. On the morning of Jan. 26, the Hashknife Posse Parade begins at 11 o’clock at Eighth Avenue and West Hopi Drive, ending with a lineup of the floats on East Arizona Street for additional public viewing and photos. The posse riders’ official swearing-in ceremony will be held at high noon at the historic county courthouse. The chamber will keep spectators warm and cozy by serving posole at the ceremony. The latest news of the festivities is the addition of a new horseman slated to saddle up for this year’s ride: Holbrook Vice Mayor Wade Carlisle. “I was told it could be good for the city, but hopefully, I don’t die,” Carlisle joked about the ride last week. On the evening of Jan. 26, the annual pony express send-off dinner will be held at the Holbrook Elks Lodge, 714 Elkdom Ave. Social hour will begin at 6 p.m. and a pulled pork dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available for $10 per person at the door or in advance from the Chamber of Commerce. On the morning of Jan. 27, the public is also invited to breakfast with the posse at 6 a.m. at the Holbrook Senior Citizens Center, 216 E. Joy Nevin Ave. Meals will be served for $6 per person. The posse will then depart with the first bag of mail at 8 a.m. For parade entries, meal tickets or event information, contact Posse Captain Mark Reynolds at (928) 587-5742, posse member Tim Kelley at (928) 241-2438 or Billie Anne Perkins at 241-3311. You can view footage of last year’s posse ride online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_xq9HPakn8.
