Mix coffee and donuts with a community initiative called Book 66 and a cleaner Holbrook begins to emerge. Started by Levi and Tanryelle Tafoya, Book 66 is a grass roots, community effort to bring back the days when “Holbrook was a popping town”.

Since October of last year, one Saturday a month has been dedicated to cleaning up Holbrook one building, one street and one alley at a time. From cleaning graffiti to removing weeds and trash, no project is too small or too big for them to tackle.

The Tafoya’s moved their family back to Holbrook last summer after spending nearly eight years in the Glendale area. “I saw a huge decline in the appeal of Holbrook and I realized that I had never had a chance to experience this city in the days when it was a popping place,” said Levi.

By October of 2017, the Tafoya’s had established Book 66 as a way to help people, serve the community and clean up the city. The first cleanup was the vacant Plainsman Restaurant. Levi said about 20 people showed up to clean the graffiti off the building, remove trash, trim hedges and take out trees in the alley that were trying to grow into the foundation.

Levi said the name Book 66 is a combination of Route 66 and the Bible, which has 66 books and is the cornerstone of the Tafoya’s faith as Christians. Tanryella added, “Our motto is ‘love your neighbor’. We aren’t doing this for anything in return, we just want to see this city living and prospering. You don’t need big corporations to change a place; you just need people who care.”

In November, the group tackled cleaning up the vacant Mormon church building and cleared a nearby alley of weeds and trash. In December, only 15 people showed up, but they were still able to clean the trash along Navajo Blvd. from the I-40 overpass to the KOA Park.

In January, the Bucket of Blood Street was cleared of weeds and debris. “It was the best turn out yet,” Levi said. The February cleanup was canceled due to bad weather.

Book 66 already has a following of local donors including Arizona Public Service for trash bags and gloves; Safeway for donuts; Holbrook Chamber of Commerce for coffee and water and a free dumpster by the City of Holbrook.

The next cleanup is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. this Saturday, March 31, on Mission Lane near the Hilltop Cafe at the north end of the city. For more information, call (623) 522-0510 or check out Book 66 on Facebook.