Until the 1960's, Winslow was the largest town in northern Arizona. The town enjoyed a prominent location on Route 66. Yet this prominence faded and nearly disappeared when I-40, a trans-continental highway, by-passed the community in the late 1970's. Tourism based businesses felt the crunch and downtown business closed their doors. For the next twenty years, downtown Winslow was frozen in time.
But no more. Commencing in 1994, the Standin' On The Corner Foundation (formerly La Posada Foundation), a non-profit corporation dedicated to the rebirth and restoration of historic downtown Winslow, provided leadership in locating funding for the acquisition of La Posada, a former Fred Harvey Hotel and Restaurant, designed by famed architect Mary E. J. Colter, which first opened for business in May 1930. With the recent renovation and reopening of La Posada Hotel by private investors, downtown Winslow has reawakened.
Building on that success, The Foundation recognized the importance of creating a park in the heart of downtown Winslow. It tapped fourteen business men and women who volunteered to put together a design concept and construction plans. That was on May 29, 1997. The unpaid and energetic volunteers, now identified as the Standin' On The Corner in Winslow, Arizona Park Committee determined the Park would focus on the song "Take It Easy." If it wasn't in the song, it wouldn't be in the Park.
The 13th annual "Standing on the Corner" festival is on in September 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment