New ‘UMA’ sign unveiled, visitors asked to leave their mark by being the’Y’

Members of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area created a concept that went above and beyond their expectations

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) -Started with a brainstorming session between members of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. The question was simple "how to get Yuma on the map?"

So, according to communications specialist Sarah Halligan, they got the idea from the State of Indiana. Halligan says that Indiana has a sign missing the 'I,' and visitors are asked to be the 'I' in Indiana.

So, they reached out to a renowned welder Shanen Aranmor owner and operator of Weld Like A Girl, who took on the project. Then, COVID hit, and the plan was placed on the back-burner.

Later, Aranmor was approached by the staff at Aztec High School regarding the creation of a welding program. The idea of creating a new welding program with AHS sparked interest in a project long since put on hold.

Aranmor reached out to YCNHA and pitched the idea to have the students build the sculpture. As a result, on May 26, 2021, members from the Heritage Area, Aztec students, their families, and school staff joined together at the Colorado River State Park.

Behind a tarp stood the city's newest welcome mat. Members of the Aztec Welding class pulled the tarp back and unveiled a metal sculpture that read "uma" (Spell-check isn't needed).

The sign is meant to draw visitors to the park and have them be the 'Y' in Yuma. The sign also holds a time capsule and is geocached.

Once the geocache is added to the registry, geocachers around the world will have yet another site to explore. After, they visit the signs will prompt them to upload their photos to the BEYOUMA website and asked to use the hashtag #YOUMA.