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Judges decide on Williams for conference
National Judges Association yearly event expected to bring close to 100 participants

Ryan Williams/WGCN<br>
The National Judges Association Foundation auction will be held at the Sultana Theater June 22.

Ryan Williams/WGCN<br> The National Judges Association Foundation auction will be held at the Sultana Theater June 22.

WILLIAMS - The verdict is in. The 2010 National Judges Association Conference will be held in Williams this summer.

The yearly conference will take place June 20-24. Judges from across the United States will travel to Williams for continuing education classes as well as entertainment at various locations throughout town.

Event Chairman Bill Sutton said 65 judges are currently registered for the event. Sutton estimates the final number in attendance to be around 100.

"Most of the judges will be here basically for the week," Sutton said. "It's an education conference where we have judicial education. We get what is called certified education. We have the Supreme Court certify our education block for us."

Judges are required to complete a specified number of education hours per year with the amount differing from state to state. The upcoming conference will provide between 12 and 15 hours of judicial education.

The state of Arizona requires 16 hours of continuing education per year.

"You can get the majority of your hours done at the conference," Sutton said. "We have quite a few judges from Arizona registered."

The educational portion of the conference will take place at Doc Holliday's Steakhouse.

"They're going to transform the restaurant into a classroom," Sutton said.

The event's opening night reception will be held at the Wild West Junction and feature the music of Jay Redfeather and 44 Rimfire along with a gun fighting show presented by the Cataract Creek Gang.

On Monday evening, dinner will be served at Elephant Rocks Golf Course.

"We're going to rent the deep pit from the American Legion and Judge Kennedy from Mayer is going to cook the deep pit barbecue," Sutton said.

A benefit auction will be held Tuesday night with proceeds going to the National Judges Association Foundation. The auction will take place at the Sultana Theater and will be catered by Laurie Kimball.

"People bring stuff from their various states and then we auction them off. We usually raise a few thousand dollars for the foundation," he said.

On Wednesday, the judges will get a break from class and a chance to ride the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon.

Sutton said activities outside of the classroom setting provide networking opportunities for the judges.

"The education is extensive but you know, we do get a lot of relaxing time and a chance to confer and talk to each other," he said.

Education continues during the day on Thursday before the end of conference banquet at Doc Holliday's that evening.

Sutton has organized horse drawn wagons to get people into downtown Williams throughout the conference

"We're going to have quite an influx of people into town, that's for sure," Sutton said. "It's going to be great for the town. It's a really great bunch of people that go to these. They're going to really enjoy their time in Williams. The ones that haven't been here are going to be pleasantly surprised what we have in northern Arizona for them"

The conference was last held in Arizona in 1992 in the Page/Lake Powell area. Last year's event was held in Vermont.


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