Standin' on the Corner Park

Standin' on the Corner Park

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Posted 2016-11-10 by Sightseeingsuzfollow
'I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see...'

Winslow is a small city around 50 minutes east of Flagstaff on I 40 and makes up part of Historic Route 66. I wasn't quite as interested in that as I was because the town is mentioned in the classic Eagles track, 'Take it Easy'.

I *love* The Eagles, and the chance to actually go to Winslow was too good an opportunity to pass up. The chance to go and stand on an actual corner in the town was almost more excitement than this little heart could take. I've been listening to The Eagles since I was a little girl and that was, well...quite a long time ago.

Anyway, just know that I am very fond of them and have had Winslow on my bucket list for no other reason than that I expect an Eagle (or 4) may once have visited. If it's good enough for Don Henley, it's good enough for me.

And so we departed Las Vegas and drove through the beautiful desert into Arizona. And then we drove some more. And then a little more. And before we knew it, 4 hours had passed and we were fast approaching Winslow and I was fast approaching having to breathe into a paper bag with simultaneous bouts of glee and panic. Please don't let it be crap...please don't let it be crap.



It could hardly have been better.

Entering the city, we spotted a brown tourist sign informing us that was literally...well, just round the corner, and so we started off, turned the bend and immediately spotted the iconic Flat Bed Ford from the song, shining brightly in the Arizona sun.

was set up specifically to commemorate the famous rock song and was opened in 1999. Back in the late seventies, a highway was built which led traffic away from the city and this hurt the area immensely, with new stores opening up along the route and shifting visitors from Winslow.



The wonderful idea to create Standin' on the Corner park was to bring visitors back to the city and build on the tourism they once enjoyed. With a resurgence in interest in Route 66 and the ever popular musical links, it was the perfect was to promote the beautiful downtown area.

When Disney Pixar released their massive animated hit 'Cars' more than a decade ago, it featured a hotel from the city, as well as a souvenir shop at the park, and this also helped to renew interest.

The Park has seen many developments over the year, including the commission of sculptures, a wonderful mural and the inclusion of a new bronze statue of Glen Frey, which was installed in September 2016 to commemorate the sad passing of founding Eagle, Glen Frey.



Today, it's petty much perfect. It's a compact area at the crossroads of two streets, with a couple of little diners, bars and souvenir stores happily selling keep sakes to the tourists and road trippers and blasting out Eagles music across the area.

As well as the individual features of the park, the pavement walkway at the front of the mural is full of memorial stones, dedicated to people who were either from the area, or had visited and fallen in love. It's a fantastic touch and I spent a bit of time reading through quotes and epitaphs from friends and loved ones.

When I visited the Parks' website, I saw an area where you can buy a brick to dedicate it to a loved one, or just memorialise the fact that you were standing there, and this helps to fund the continued revitalisation of the Winslow and the building of the Eagle Pavilion.



One of the finest things about the park is the two storey mural, created by artist John Pugh, which proudly depicts the name of the city, as well as detailing the scene from the song words from 'Take it Easy'. It's painted on the wall of the building to look like, well...the outside of a building. And it does it really well, including birds perched on window sills and beautiful orange brickwork.



As well as the popular visitor attraction, the park hosts many events throughout the calendar year. The park is location off Interstate 40, close to the border of New Mexico and Arizona.

It really is such a fine sight to see.

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79268 - 2023-06-11 05:12:05

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