Tourist season is just around the corner and thousands of tourists will be descending upon the region each week, stopping at landmarks, grabbing lunch at a diner that has remained unchanged for 60 years, and snapping selfies next to dinosaurs, wigwams and a “girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford.”
The charm of Route 66 is that it’s not a polished, well-kept tourist attraction. Travel along the route remains as it always has been: gritty, nostalgic and unpredictable with a sense of mystery. Although the Mother Road runs in bits and pieces from Los Angeles to Chicago, some of the more well known features are in Arizona and many favorites are right here in Navajo County.
Route 66 News, an online site that promotes news and events about historic Route 66, recently conducted a poll to determine what its readers considered the top 10 icons of Route 66.
More than 28,000 votes were cast, Taking the number one spot in the poll was the Standin’ On The Corner Park, followed by La Posada Hotel, both in Winslow. Taking seventh place was Holbrook’s Wigwam Motel, followed by the Petrified Forest at No. 14 and Jackrabbit Trading Post filling the No. 20 slot.
The winner bested such well known icons as Angel Delgadillo’s barbershop in Seligman and the Santa Monica Pier in California. But Standin’ On The Corner Park didn’t just take first place, it took the top spot by 250 votes, making it by far the most popular place for Route 66 visitors, according to the poll.
Greg Hackler, a founding member of the Standin’ On The Corner Foundation, attributes the success of the corner to baby boomers who are retiring and taking to the road. “I believe the corner has become iconic due to the popularity of the song. The baby boomers know the Eagles’ song and you can bet everyone that’s heard that song wants to go to that corner,” he said.
Hackler joked that he wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of votes in the poll came from Winslow residents. If that’s true, it somehow gives the results even more value. “The corner is a wonderful display in town pride. Even the people here love to bring their friends and family to stand on the corner and take photos,” he noted.
According to Hackler, it’s estimated that more than 100,000 people visited the corner last year to stand next to Easy, the statue of the young troubadour who stands looking for a ride at the corner of Second Street and Kinsley Avenue.
Word of the corner has reached around the globe, with groups of tourists coming from places such as Germany, Norway and Japan. “We don’t know the true impact on our economy, but we know that it brings people who wouldn’t have stopped here otherwise,” stated Hackler.
The corner has a unique distinction in that it wasn’t even in existence when Route 66 was the primary road that took travelers from coast to coast. The corner was developed fewer than 20 years ago after a group of residents decided to capitalize on a song that had one line with the name of the town in it.
“The town bought into the idea right away. We set up at La Posada selling bricks for $50 to $100 each to begin the park and it took off,” stated Hackler.
To celebrate the opening of the park, Hackler explained that they had a few bands show up and a couple of local vendors. “After the party everyone had so much fun and were saying that we should have a party like that every year. We did and last year we had our 16th year of the Standin’ On The Corner Festival,” he said.
Because of the public support of the festival, that event has developed into a weekend celebration featuring bands and vendors from throughout the state, resulting in the creation of Eagle Pavilion, an outdoor theater featuring a large stage, and a grass field for visitors with sidewalks for vendors to set up along.
Thanks to a song, the people of Winslow have come together to create not just a park, but something of value that brings them together, just like Route 66 has always done.
