This weekend will bring a celebration of life along the Mother Road with Holbrook’s Route 66 Festival, It Ain’t Your Mother’s Road. The event will be held on Saturday, June 13, at Gillespie Park, located at the intersection of Hopi Drive and Navajo Blvd.
The day will start off at 8 a.m. with a hot breakfast provided by the Miss Navajo County Scholarship Program, with donations welcome, followed by a 5K Route 66 Volkswalk at 9 a.m. to get everyone moving and ready for a day packed full of events.
There will be a lot to take part in, and it wouldn’t be a Route 66 Festival without a celebration of what made it great: the automobile. The Gearheads Car Club will be at Gillespie Park hosting a car and motorcycle show at 9 a.m. featuring classic cars from throughout the region. In addition, the Portenier Classic Car Museum on East Hopi Drive will be opening its doors to visitors for a rare glimpse of its classic cars from 11 to 3 p.m.
A free movie, The Grapes of Wrath, will be shown at the Historic Navajo County Courthouse across the street beginning at 9 a.m. Special guests Jim Hinckley, the author of several Route 66 books, and Mike Ward, who has a vast Route 66 postcard collection, will be there from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to offer discussions about their experiences.
Beginning at 5 p.m., a car caravan will be Makin’ a Lap along Route 66 starting at Gillespie Park, heading north to the end of Navajo Blvd. then back down to Heward Park at the west end of Hopi Drive. Once everyone is gathered at Heward Park, the ultimate burnout challenge will be taking place. The cost to participate is $10 per vehicle, with cash prizes to be awarded. Even if you won’t be competing in the burnout, come and watch the show.
There will be plenty more family fun throughout the day at Gillespie Park including the Tail Gate Toss competition starting at 11 a.m., the Kickin’ It Karaoke Contest at 12 noon, a box car race at 1 p.m. and a potato car race at 3 p.m. Parents are encouraged to help their kids make a box car at home to bring to the races. Potato cars can be made at home or at the event. There will also be free hot dogs for the family beginning at 12 noon.
The Get Your Pics scavenger hunt will be going on all day, with prizes awarded at 4 p.m. A dunk tank will be offered and live entertainment will be taking place throughout the day featuring local musicians, and performances by both Native and Mexican cultural dancers from 6 to 8 p.m.
Other live entertainment will include a performance by Cowhouse?, with a mix of classic rock, alternative rock and blues for audiences from 2 to 4 p.m.
Along with all this great entertainment will be vendors, food and Route 66 souvenirs.
For more information on any of these events, contact Kathleen Smith at 524-6225.
