Standin’ On the Corner: Visitors take photos and selfies at Standin’ On the Corner Park in downtown Winslow, Ariz. The park came about after the Eagles band released the song ‘Take It Easy’ which mentions Winslow in the lyrics. An eagle was painted into the mural on the upper left window of the mural as a tribute to the band. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
The Corner: Visitors mingle at Standin’ On the Corner Park in Winslow, Ariz. The town has added the huge Route 66 shield in the intersection after the park was established. There is no building behind the mural wall because the J.C. Penney store that was located there burned in 2004. The park and mural survived but closed for a period of time after the fire. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
A spark of creativity has created a revival of popularity in a small town in Northern Arizona. The renewed interest has fueled the local economy for years and will continue to do so for years to come.
It all started when Glenn Frey (a member of the Eagles band) and Jackson Browne wrote a song entitled “Take It Easy” which was recorded by the Eagles in 1972. A catchy phrase/verse in the song’s second verse said, “Well, I’m standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, Such a fine site to see, It’s a girl, My Lord, in a flatbed Ford, Slowing down to take a look at me”.
“Take It Easy” was the Eagles first single. While it topped out at number 12 on the music chart, it has remained a very popular song for more than 50 years.
The turbulent 60s was still a source of uncertainty and anxiety in the early 1970s and “Take It Easy” became a new mindset and anthem with its more upbeat lyrics during the 70s. The smooth melody and the harmony of the Eagles encouraged everyone to “take it easy”.
The town of Winslow was suffering economically as the still new Interstate 40 was luring travelers to bypass small towns as they sped down the Interstate rather than traveling the old Route 66 which traveled through the middle of Winslow. However, following the popularity of “Take It Easy” town officials had noticed an increase in travelers stopping to take photos by the Winslow, Arizona welcome sign.
Following a spark of creativity in Winslow’s officials minds, they decided to build a park in downtown Winslow to commemorate the town’s “15 minutes of fame” to lure travelers off of the Interstate and back into town. The idea was carried out and in 1999 Standin’ On the Corner Park opened at the corner of 2nd Street and Kinsley Avenue in downtown Winslow.
The park features a large mural on a brick wall with windows reflecting a red flatbed Ford driven by a woman looking out the driver’s window which depicts the lyrics of the second verse of “Take It Easy”. The park also includes a life size sculpture of a drifter with a guitar leaning from his boots. The sculpture was intended to be an unidentified drifter but in reality it closely resembled Jackson Browne, one of the authors of “Take It Easy” and has become more known as the Jackson Browne sculpture.
In 2004, the town almost lost Standing On the Corner Park when fire broke out in the J.C. Penney store adjacent to the brick wall at the park where the mural was painted. The store was a total loss but the brick wall, the mural, and other park features survived. However, the park was closed for a long period of time to clean up debris from the fire and reconstruct support for the mural wall. Later, a sculpture of Glenn Frey was added following his death in 2016 as well as a 1960 red flatbed Ford truck which now sits parked by the park.
Today, more than 100,000 people a year visit the Standin’ On the Corner park in Winslow. Visitors can be seen taking photos and selfies at the park almost any time of day. Most of the businesses in the area now feature souvenirs and memorabilia honoring Winslow and the song “Take It Easy”. The town also celebrates the “standing on the corner” with an annual “Standin’ On the Corner Festival”.
With the renewed interest in Historic Route 66, Winslow now features that aspect of tourism to the downtown shops as well attracting thousands of Route 66 travelers.
In addition to Standin’ On the Corner Park and Historic Route 66 Winslow celebrates the native American culture and the town’s railroad history and other points of interest. La Posada Hotel is located a few blocks from downtown Winslow and is one of the premier former “Harvey House Hotels”. The hotel will be the feature of a future “Post From the Road” as it is a great example of preserving the past.
Indeed, the Eagle’s song “Take It Easy” and the Standin’ On the Corner Park has revitalized the economy of Winslow, Ariz. but this small town in remote Northern Arizona has acknowledged its history and has created a new Winslow of the 21st century based on pivotal events from its past.
Winslow is well worth exiting from the Interstate and exploring.
The photos shown in this post were taken on a previous visit to Arizona. I review photos from past trips when we visit a location multiple times. We will be leaving next week for a trip to New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California and will probably visit Winslow again.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Take It Easy: A view of a downtown sidewalk shows visitors enjoying the area and ‘taking it easy’. Many downtown Winslow businesses feature Historic Route 66 and Standin’ on the Corner merchandise and memorabilia as tourism has become a major economic factor in Winslow. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Downtown: A view of 2nd Street about a block away from Standin’ on the Corner Park shows an active downtown with many shops and restaurants. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Guitar: A large guitar sculpture is seen in downtown Winslow in honor of the song ‘Take It Easy’ by the Eagles. The song can be heard playing around downtown as one walks along the streets. The song really helped revitalize the Winslow economy. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Historic 66: Route 66 was the original tourist draw to Winslow as travelers passed through the town while traveling the famous highway. Since the renewed interest in Historic Route 66, many businesses throughout town feature the old highway in their advertising and signage. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com