Happy New Year! Let’s hope that 2021 is filled with health, happiness and adventure for us all. It almost has to be better than 2020.
Welcome to the newsletter of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. I’m Roger Naylor, Arizona author and travel writer, and it’s my privilege to pen these quarterly newsletters that we hope will inform and entertain.
Roar in the New Year
What better way to commemorate a brand new year than hanging up a calendar from Keepers of the Wild? You can snag a lovely 2021 calendar from their online gift shop. Or if you’re close by, stop in for a guided tour of the grounds. Tucked away in a rocky canyon in Valentine, Keepers of the Wild is a non-profit rescue sanctuary. It provides roomy habitats for more than 120 abused, neglected, and abandoned exotic animals. Tigers, lions, leopards, monkeys, and more relax in spacious enclosures spread across the rocky hillsides. It’s heartwarming to see these beautiful creatures treated with dignity and respect.
If you’re unable to visit, every calendar purchase supports the park and the crucial work they do. The 13-month calendars feature photos and stories of some of the resident animals. It will look good on your wall and feel good in your heart. Donations are most welcome, too. For more information, visit www.keepersofthewild.org.
Grants have Been Granted
The first cycle of grants from the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona have been awarded. The Association partnered with the Arizona Community Foundation to award grants to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and local, state, and tribal government agencies. The first recipients are:
The City of Williams received $19,733 for their Picnic Project. This will mean a sharp upgrade to the picnic area at the Visitor Center. Enhancements will include the installation of a stylish archway matching the Welcome arch that greets visitors to Williams. The outdoor kiosk will also be revamped creating a friendly setting for travelers to dine or just relax outdoors.
The Research Foundation of CUNY/Queens College received $15,000 for Arizona’s Route 66:Taking Lessons on the Road. This project has three goals—to produce classroom lessons for middle and high school students, to record an accompanying podcast (which would also be available to folks traveling Route 66), and educational outreach.
The Route 66 Arizona grant seeks applicants who support our mission to preserve, promote, or protect the Mother Road across the state. They will also consider projects that focus on planning, education and research projects. The Association receives revenue from the Arizona Route 66 license plate they launched in December 2016. They want those funds to go right back into the Route 66 community.
The next grant cycle will be March 1 – April 5, 2021. To view the grant application, visit the Arizona Community Foundation’s website at www.azfoundation.org/grants.
Legendary Museum Club Shuts Down
If things seemed to get a little quieter in Flagstaff on January 3, it’s because that’s when the rollicking Museum Club closed its doors. The cavernous honky-tonk, fashioned as a giant log cabin, has been a Route 66 mainstay since 1931 when it opened as a taxidermy shop and museum. It was later turned into a nightclub and nicknamed “The Zoo.” Some claim the moniker is due to the stuffed animals left from old taxidermist days that still peer at patrons with glassy eyes. But others say it was for the rowdy crowd the place attracted. As someone who was briefly a student at Northern Arizona University, I’m inclined to believe it was the latter.
Don Scott put the Museum Club on the map as a country music showcase when he bought it in 1963. Scott enticed many big name stars to perform. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Tanya Tucker were just of few of the pickers to wow crowds from the dark wooden stage.
Sadly, Scott’s ownership ended in tragedy. His wife Thorna tumbled down the stairs and died in 1973. Shattered by the loss, Scott took his own life in the saloon two years later. Their spirits are said to haunt the Museum Club.
While we hate to see any Route 66 business close, we’re hopeful this is not the end for the big roadhouse. The Museum Club has changed hands many times over the years. It has closed, reopened, and closed again. We’re optimistic for another comeback. We look forward to bending a casual elbow and scuffing up the dance floor once again in the near future.
Mead Me on the Mother Road
Route 66 travelers have a keen appreciation of nostalgia and that should bode well for Drinking Horn Meadery. One of downtown Flagstaff’s newest drinking establishments serves the world’s oldest alcoholic libation. That’s about as retro as it gets. Mead is made with honey and water then fermented with yeast and conjures up images of stony medieval castles and Viking halls lit by roaring fires.
Drinking Horn uses honey from local hives for their small batch brews. They first opened for business in 2017 but needed to expand and moved to their Route 66 location in late spring of 2020. Even during the pandemic, they’ve garnered a loyal following. They have a dozen flavors on tap in their Mead Hall. Seasonal favorites include Lime,Cranberry, Prickly Pear, and Blue-Tooth, named for a Danish king.
The Drinking Horn Mead Hall is located at 108 E. Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff. Or purchase products online at www.drinkinghornmeadery.com.
Fun Run Fever is Heating Up
It’s time to make your plans for the most eye-catching, nostalgia-filled event on the Mother Road! The rolling party of more than 800 classic cars, hot rods, street rods, jalopies, pickups, and motorcycles takes place from April 30 through May 2, 2021. The colorful caravan pulls out of Seligman and travels the longest intact stretch of Route 66, with festivities at every stop. All are welcome to ride along but for those that want to register for the car show, you can do so on the Association website. It’s only $55. Remember, this is a fundraising event with the proceeds going back into the Route 66 community. Sign up today. You’ll never have more fun spending $55 than on Fun Run!
https://www.historic66az.com/33-fun-run.html
Take a hike in Kingman
When you’re ready to get stretch your legs, you’ll find plenty of options in Kingman. As an avid hiker, I can say that Kingman trails are vastly underrated. Mild weather over the next few months makes this the perfect time to explore the desert landscape surrounding Route 66. Here are a just a few options:
The Camp Beale Loop makes a meandering climb of 3.2 miles through lean grasslands punctuated by cactus and stands of yucca to a mesa top with expansive vistas of surrounding mountains and broad basins. During the 1870s, Camp Beale Spring occupied the flat ground below providing protection for the nearby Fort Mohave and Prescott Toll Road, while serving as a supply station.
Even more impressive views can be found on the Badger Trail that winds its way up the slopes of the Cerbat Mountains. The trail gains more than 1,000 feet over its 3.2-miles but never feels grueling. It rises in a series of long languid switchbacks. This is a great spot to see the neon blooms of beavertail cactus and other wildflowers in late winter and early spring.
Of all the Kingman trails my favorite is the 7-mile Monolith Garden Trail, a tangled route through dramatic boulder fields and crumbling ramparts of volcanic ash. With multiple trailheads and additional forks, hikers can create a variety of routes. After passing a sharp canyon with scalloped rock walls, the trail continues through a rolling landscape of low slanted hills, past stacked rock towers and hunched ridgelines toothy with columns. It’s like a pint-sized version of Monument Valley.
Stop by the Kingman Visitor Center in the historic Powerhouse for maps and directions to these and other hiking and biking trails. Information is also available on the website here: www.gokingman.com.
Hope to see you soon
Well, that’s it for now. We hope that 2021 is the year everyone gets to travel Route 66 across Arizona again. Look for the next newsletter to arrive in you inbox in April.
If you have items of interest you’d like to share in an upcoming newsletter, you can email them to me, Roger Naylor, at [email protected], or to Nikki Seegers, Director of Operations at Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona at [email protected].
Thanks for being part of the Route 66 family. Happy motoring!