![]() The Parks Area Connection (PAC), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, working in the small town of Parks, Arizona to promote community activities and assist in emergency situations is proud of their Route 66 history. They were looking to increase community and visitor awareness of the historic nature of their town. Last year, PAC borrowed a stencil from the Winslow Chamber of Commerce to paint 3 Route 66 shields around town. Babs Felix, Chairperson of PAC, said, “ It became an emblem of town pride and an instant tourist attraction. We noted people stopping at the pavement markings to take photos, then picnic nearby.” The enthusiasm surrounding their new community addition prompted them to purchase their own stencil to keep pavement markings fresh in the coming years. PAC approached the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona to help pay for the custom stencil and supplies. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona was enthusiastic about supporting the project. Nikki Seegers, Director of Operations for the Association said, “our community grants were created for exact this purpose, we saw a need for Route 66 enhancements just like this.” The roads were freshly painted with their new shields the last weekend in April. Babs Felix, chairperson for PAC said, “We had a blast painting for the community.”
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The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona is developing a new art space in the Arizona Route 66 Museum at the Powerhouse Visitor Center in Kingman. The exhibit space will feature Route 66 art on an annual rotating basis. The first exhibit will feature the work of Bob Waldmire. As a former member of the Association, and previous owner of a Route 66 Arizona business, the Hackberry General Store, the Association was eager to honor Bob for his contributions to Route 66 Arizona by exhibiting his works in the inaugural show.
The space was previously a Reading Room housing the Association’s documents, photos, and poster collection from the past 30 years. Visitors and journalists were welcome to look through our history or use records for their articles or projects. Over the last two years the Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library collected all of the Association’s historical records and transported them to Flagstaff for archiving and safe keeping. The Reading room was empty and needed some repairs. The Association knew the space needed a new purpose. A rotating art exhibit that focused on Route 66, felt like a great addition to the Route 66 Museum’s current displays. It will add to the visitor experience and allow the Association to honor artists who are as passionate about Route 66 as we are. The Association donated $10,000 to the Mohave County Historical Society to cover repair and supply costs to repurpose the room. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona is excited to partner with the Mohave County Historical Society to advance our shared goals of preserving and promoting the history of Route 66 in the State of Arizona and Mohave County. The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, March 14th at 9 a.m. and run through January 2021. Entrance to the Route 66 Museum is $4 per person. The ticket is good for admission to two other Kingman attractions, the Mohave Museum and the Bonelli House. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona created a fifty-thousand-dollar endowment at Northern Arizona University (NAU) for the preservation and promotion of Arizona Route 66 history. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona’s mission is to preserve, promote, and protect Route 66 in Arizona, so it was a natural fit for the Association to create an endowment at NAU’s Cline Library to help preserve Route 66 history. Working together with archivists from the Cline Library, the Association donated their historical records to be archived in 2017. As the first Route 66 Association in the country, they wanted the documents, photos, posters, and records saved for everyone to research, access, and enjoy. In addition, the Delgadillo family contributed Angel’s personal collection to the Cline Library to archive. Angel Delgadillo played a strategic role in forming the Association and continues to contribute to its success 32 years later. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona Endowment will generate interest after the first year. The Cline Library will work off a portion of the endowment’s interest. This size gift will ensure the collections will be taken care of for many years
![]() The attractions along the road make Route 66 a road trip of a lifetime. You can stop at a giant green head, the largest dry cavern in the United States, and a meteor crater. These one of a kind stops make a Route 66 road trip exciting from start to finish. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona knows the value of the attractions on Route 66 in Arizona. They recognize preservation of icons like Standin’ on the Corner Park are vital to the continued success of the road. The Association was excited to donated to the Standin’ on the Corner Foundation. A $10,000 check was presented to the Foundation at the Annual Arizona Route 66 meeting held July 19th in Williams, Arizona. The Eagle’s 1972 song, Take It Easy, took on a physical form at the corner of Kinsley & E. 2nd St. in Winslow Arizona at the Standin’ on the Corner Park. The Foundation bearing the same name created the park for visitors to step into the song. The unique attraction is visited by an estimated 125,000 visitors annually. A 2004 fire in an adjacent building damaged the wall at the park as well as the mural. It necessitated the Foundation to secure the wall, rework the mural, and more securely attach the mounting boards to the wall. The Standin' on the Corner Foundation, a 501 (c)(3), has been working to bring the mural back to its former glory since the fire happened. The project has experienced it’s fair share of challenges. A specialist attempted to brighten the colors of the mural. It was then realized the mural would need to be completely redone. Once this decision was made, it was also decided to drill through the 18 inch concrete wall to secure the panels better. World renowned artist, John Pugh, completed the original mural at the Standin’ on the Corner Park in 1999. He was contracted to return to Winslow and recreate the mural. Mr. Pugh will be using a new mural method, by which he’s painting on a non-woven material that will adhere to an aluminum composite board when complete. The boards will then be attached to the wall at the park. The Foundation hopes that with the new mural method, along with securely attaching the panels, it will endure for a long time at this iconic stop. As of 2019 the Foundation has spent over $17,000 on the project. The Foundation hopes the mural project will be complete by their Annual Standin’ on the Corner Festival September 27th & 28th or by the end of the year. |
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