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Rich Clabaugh |
A rock 'n' roll revival in Winslow, Arizona
The town is capitalizing on its mention in a classic Eagles song, making it a quirky vacation spot.
By James Michael Dorsey | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the August 22, 2007 edition
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Winslow, Ariz. - Those who remember the Eagles can reconnect with the rock band's music in a surprising place. No, not in some Hotel California, but in the tiny town of Winslow, Ariz., about 100 miles from the Grand Canyon.
On the surface, it would appear there isn't much to do in Winslow. But look again – it's one of those little gems that rewards the traveler who takes time to stop and explore. This is especially true for fans of 1970s music and those who like to discover quirky places.
Basically, Winslow is a collection of small desert-style houses and some gas stations for those traveling through.
The La Posada Hotel, built in 1929, used to be the main tourist attraction.
Because Winslow sits on historic Route 66, it once reaped the benefits of countless tourists traveling that highway made famous by the popular television series of the same name, which ran from 1960 to 1964. But when Interstate 40 opened to the north in the late 1970s, it took the cars, tourists, and much of the area's revenue with it.
Before long, Winslow was on the verge of becoming a ghost town. So in 1997, the city decided to capitalize on the hit song "Take It Easy," written by Jackson Brown and Glen Frey and recorded by the Eagles.
One verse of the song goes, "Well, I'm standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me."
"Take It Easy" was a long-lasting hit and continues to be played constantly on classic rock radio stations, and the residents of Winslow saw it as a way to breathe new life into their town.
So a local foundation formed a committee to come up with ideas and request proposals from artists and sculptors. In 1999 "Standin' on the Corner Park" opened to national acclaim.
When travelers get about 20 miles from Winslow in either direction, they see highway signs suggesting that they tune their radios to a local station for town information. When they do, they hear about the site, get directions to the park, and are invited to have their photos taken with the girl in the Ford truck.
Now, that's not an invitation that comes the vacationer's way every day!
In the center of town, the first thing you notice is a large trompe l'oeil mural covering the western wall of an aging brick building that shows what appears to be the reflection in a window of the girl in the flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at a bronze statue of a young man – wearing jeans, shirt, boots, and vest – on the corner with his guitar.
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