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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.
from the August 22, 2007 edition
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A street sign reads "Standin' on the Corner," and the lyrics from "Take It Easy" play from several loudspeakers. Looking down on all this is an eagle perched on a second-story window. It is the song brought to life.
On any given day, even when the heat is oppressive, anyone wanting to stand on the corner to have a photo taken must first stand in line, as there is a steady stream of tourists waiting to become part of this piece of Americana.
Aging hippies stand shoulder to shoulder with Japanese tourists, mothers from Kansas with small children, and hipsters from New York, who all wait their turn with cameras in hand. To stand on the corner in Winslow is to re-enter the 1970s.
Naturally, businesses in town have capitalized on Winslow's bit of fame: Shops sell everything from reproductions of Route 66 highway signs and newly mastered DVDs of the old television series to Eagles CDs, hats, key chains, shoulder bags, and refrigerator magnets, as well as prints of the mural. Every store in town sells "Standin' on the Corner" post cards. Business is once again booming in Winslow.
And never more so than each September, when, for the past eight years, the annual Standin' on the Corner Festival has brought thousands of tourists to town. This year's festival will take place Sept. 28 and 29 and features the tribute band "Hotel California, a Salute to the Eagles."
Thanks to all this activity, the earlier situation has been reversed – many people now choose to bypass the Interstate highway and drive along old Route 66 through the Southwest to take in attractions such as the Winslow park. It has become part of a grass-roots movement to revitalize the old highway as an important piece of American history.
Sometimes song lyrics become catch phrases, making their way into the daily lexicon of the American language. But in the case of "Take It Easy," they have given new life to a desert town that seemed on its way to vanishing.
Also in the area: a 50,000-year-old crater, an elegant old hotel, and 13th-century pueblos
Meteor Crater is a must-see for anyone in the area. Located 20 miles west of Winslow, just a couple miles off Interstate 40 at exit 233, this crater is the result of a small meteor striking the earth about 50,000 years ago. The crater is 550 feet deep and 2.4 miles in circumference. It was a training site for Apollo astronauts, and there is a nice museum and hands-on displays for visitors.
Web: www.meteorcrater.com
Phone: 800-289-5898
La Posada Hotel in downtown Winslow was the brainchild of Fred Harvey, an entrepreneur who designed eateries for passengers of the Santa Fe railroad wherever the trains stopped. He commissioned the most prominent architect of the early 1900s, Mary Colter, to design this state-of-the-art hotel as a resting place for all the Santa Fe trains running east from Los Angeles. Any train on its way to Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, or New York stopped at the Posada Hotel. It was built in 1929 and has been beautifully restored to its original condition. It is an operating hotel and restaurant and has a minimuseum of the railroad.
Web: www.laposada.org
Phone: (928) 289-4366
Homolovi Ruins State Park is a little-known gem of a park. Located five miles north of Winslow on Highway 87, it contains the remains of three separate pueblo complexes built by the ancestors of the Hopi people in the 13th and 14th centuries. The site lies on a beautiful river, and there are many old pottery shards and arrowheads lying about.
Web: www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/homolovi.html
Phone: (928) 289-4106
For more information, visit the websites www.standinonthecorner.com and http://ci.winslow.az.us. Although a building next to the park was damaged by fire, the statue and the mural are fine. Repairs to the park – a small part of the tourist attraction – are expected to be finished in time for this year's festival.1 | Page 2
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