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Senator John McCain called small town of Cornville home

Posted at 7:41 PM, Aug 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-29 12:07:59-04

Cornville, Arizona is now in the national spotlight following the passing of U.S. Senator John McCain. It was a place McCain called home. His family owned a ranch there. They would also often frequent Up Creek Bistro Wine Bar. 

Co-owner of the restaurant Mario Aguilar-Aello says the first time he ever met McCain, he blended right in. 

"He was wearing the baseball cap and a t-shirt," he said. "I couldn't tell it was him." 

He said McCain would often sit at the same table, right by the piano. 

"Some Enchanted Evenings is the only song he ever really requested," Co-owner Jim O'Meally said. 

The restaurant is also where Meghan McCain had her wedding rehearsal dinner. 

"It felt like one of those things you see on TV where they're giving out awards," Aguilar-Aello said. 

But Aguilar-Aello said McCain wasn't your typical politician. 

"He often found it easy to talk to the people that just walked right up to him," he said. "There was no politics at the bar and he liked that." 

He says the last time the McCain family ever visited, it was a powerful moment. 

"They gave him a standing ovation as he walked out the door," Aguilar-Aello said. "I looked back and everyone's clapping and there's tears in people's eyes." 

So why did the McCain's choose to call Cornville home? McCain probably describes it best. 

On NPR, he reads this excerpt out loud:

"Then I'd like to go back to the Valley and see the creek run after the rain, and hear the cottonwoods whisper in the wind. I want to smell the rose-scented breeze and feel the sun on my shoulders. I want to watch the hawks hunt from the sycamore, and then take my leave bound for a place near my old friend Chuck Larson, in the cemetery on the Severn (River), back where it began."