The Old Trails Museum will kick off Route 66 centennial celebrations in Winslow this Saturday with the opening of a new exhibit highlighting the city’s connection to the historic highway, as communities across northern Arizona prepare to mark 100 years since Route 66 was certified in 1926.
The exhibit, 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow, will open at 3 p.m. on Saturday, at the Winslow Chamber of Commerce/Visitors Center. The free public event will include refreshments and a Route 66 storytelling presentation by Lara Helmling. The opening marks the first official centennial event in Winslow and reflects years of preparation underway throughout the region ahead of the 2026 anniversary.
Certified on Nov. 11, 1926, Route 66 quickly became one of the most iconic highways in American history. Stretching across eight states, the two-lane road carried families, workers and dreamers across the country and helped shape the towns that lined its path. Motels, diners, service stations and roadside attractions grew alongside the highway, embedding Route 66 into the economic and cultural identity of communities that depended on travelers passing through.
In cities like Winslow, Holbrook and Joseph City, Route 66 has influenced nearly every chapter of history, from periods of growth and decline to its current role as a driver of tourism and revitalization. The new exhibit focuses on the people, businesses and sites that defined Winslow’s stretch of the Mother Road, placing local stories within the broader history of Route 66 and its lasting legacy.
The exhibit opening comes as preparations continue across the Route 66 communities for the centennial, which began as early as 2024. In Holbrook, the Navajo County Historical Society completed a major renovation of the Route 66 Auditorium in the Historic Navajo County Courthouse, creating new displays that highlight the town’s connection to the highway. Among the artifacts is a World War II-era Route 66 sign produced using wood and reflective tape during wartime metal shortages.
The Holbrook City Council has also recently approved funding for a Route 66 drive-thru sign planned for installation at West End Park.
Infrastructure and public art projects are also underway in anticipation of increased tourism. Earlier this year the Arizona Department of Transportation completed projects on I-40 and Route 66 in and around Holbrook in anticipation of more traffic in 2026. Northland Pioneer College and Holbrook High School are painting murals on benches along Navajo Blvd., with designs ranging from Route 66 history to cultural and geographic themes.
In Winslow, preparations include a mix of infrastructure projects and cultural events. City and chamber leaders have participated in multi-state meetings with other Route 66 communities to coordinate centennial activities. Local projects include the musical road on Third Street playing the familiar that plays an excerpt from the song Take It Easy, those under development include public art at the Route 66 Plaza, a Route 66 scavenger hunt, a kayak race that will take place right on the mother road and other events designed to highlight Winslow’s place in the highway’s history.
With the centennial now on the horizon, the Old Trails Museum exhibit signals the moment when years of planning begin turning into public celebration in Winslow. Almost 100 years after Route 66 was first laid out, the highway still pulls travelers from around the globe, giving Winslow, Holbrook and Joseph City a rare chance to tell their own stories and reflect on how deeply the Mother Road is woven into the past and present.
