Photos by Ron Williams
The weather could not have been better for the 37th Annual Acker Night in downtown Prescott. Thousands who came from all directions spent the evening moving about to enjoy the festivities that included all kinds of music, cookies, hot cocoa, cider, coffee, and of course Santa.
Upon our arrival, I went to secure a spot in line to see Santa, while the Bradshaw Mountain Singers opened things up. After the annual pics with Jolly Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus, he said, “This is one of the nicest things I have ever been able to do. You get to meet so many people and of course the children. What they ask for can be almost anything. If they come in kind of down, I hope to cheer them up. I just enjoy being out here.”
Local residents Ash and her son Caden were in line in front of me. Ash said, “I have been coming here for years and this is his eighth. We love it.” Caden said, “I like the lights and the cookies and the hot cocoa.” Asked what he was going to ask Santa, he replied, “A Nintendo switch and RC cars.”
As we worked our way to the south side of Montezuma, we took notice to a band playing at the former Colt’s Grill. 80 Proof was outside rocking the crowd away and inside something was cooking. A soft opening for Doc’s BBQ & Whiskey was letting the people get acquainted of what they can expect by providing free sliders, potato salad and banana pudding. It was fantastic and although I looked forward to the sugar high from all the cookies and hot cocoa, this hit the spot.
Part owner Aubrey Palguta said, “It is going good. People seem to be loving the food and the drinks. It is a lot busier than expected, but it is a good start.”
Richard from Ash Fork was attending his sixth Acker Night. “I like the music. I am curious to see how many people that I have not seen in awhile are here and to see how friendly people can be in an environment like this because they want to be.”
Kent Henry is visiting from St. Louis, and is getting married tomorrow to his fiancé, Carla Riehl. He was astonished by what he was seeing around Prescott. “I have never seen a city that had this many bands come in at the same time. It is really something, and to see up to ten thousand people all around enjoying themselves, is really special.”
Even after the event was over, there will still many around the square enjoying the atmosphere on such a beautiful evening.
You may wonder about James S. Acker. Let me share a little bit of history with you.
James S. Acker was born in near Birmingham, Alabama in August 1865. He was one of six children. His father, Dr. J.W. Acker, was a prominent doctor. His ancestors were natives of Holland and at an early age joined a Dutch colony that settled in South Carolina.
His father knew the importance of education and made sure young James was able to take full advantage of that. He graduated in the commercial department of Kentucky State University.
He went through life with the idea that debt is one of the curses of the world, and that a pleasantly clean cash business was best for the buyer as well as for the seller. Through that goods could be sold cheaper and the honest customer is not annoyed by the debt or the merchant by the credit. There would be no failures and no suicides as the result of financial embarrassment, and the real result would be a much healthier condition in business life.
In 1888 he went to California for rest and in order to see part of the country. After that he made his way to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he engaged in the produce business for a short time. Subsequently he became a traveling salesman, and learned much concerning the first cost of the goods and of the conditions of the retail trade.
Mr. Acker was married to Allie S. Smithson of Salt Lake City, Utah in 1893. They had a daughter Nydia Marie. In 1895 he opened his cash store on a corner lot in Mountain Home, Utah, where he kept a very carefully selected stock of general merchandise. He was a straight forward honest businessman which earned him great respect from his patrons. This result gained him a prominent place in commercial circles.
His name is on the membership rolls of the Odd Fellows society, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Woodmen of the World and the Home Forum.
He arrived in Prescott about 1902. He was known as a Prescott philanthropist who owned a bookstore, was active in civic life, and built a real estate business. He famously left land and funds to the city for parks and children’s music programs, leading to this event called Acker Night, which honors his legacy of supporting local arts and recreation.
He passed away on July 30, 1955 and is buried in Prescott. You pass through Acker Park to get to the cemetery.
1 thought on “37th Acker Night Showcases Prescott’s Musical Dedication – Ron Williams”
Thank you for the in depth article about the 37th Acker Showcase. As a long time volunteer for the Showcase in years 8 thru about 20th, I appreciated the added details about Mr. Acker you shared since so little seemed to be known about him other than his 2 stores downtown and having 3 photos of him found at the SHM archives. My conversations with Elisabeth Ruffner in the 1990’s shed a bit more additional light on Mr. Acker the person. Would love to know what your sources were! What would be nice to read in the future is mention of the origin story of the showcase in 1988 by LaVon Anderson the sprightly retired business women who founded the event at age 78. This annual huge event undertaking was pulled off with no more than a dozen dedicated volunteers each year. My connection to Mr. Acker goes even deeper having also been the long time president of the Friend of J.S. Acker park from 1996 to 2016 that realized an 80 acre open space recreational park on the lands he donated at his death in 1955 and surrounds the cemetery where he is buried. Our all volunteer group had to go to a citizen referendum for a vote that decided the fate of the land as a park in 1995 as Mr. Acker wished. The outgrowth and inspiration of Mr. Acker’s original bequest to help children and create parks for Prescott has generated and inspired some amazing outcomes that continue to make the community special today and into the future.
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