Standin’ on a Corner Festival more than just a party

The Arizona Republic published an excellent preview about this weekend’s Standin’ on a Corner Festival in the Route 66 town of Winslow, Ariz.

Unless you’ve not heard pop radio in the past 30-some years, you know that Winslow’s claim to fame is being mentioned in the Eagles‘ hit song, “Take It Easy,” co-written by Jackson Browne.

The Republic’s article contains a few interesting tidbits:

  • Proceeds from the festival go into Standin’ on a Corner Foundation, which works to revitalize Winslow’s downtown. The foundation springboarded from the La Posada Foundation, which saved that town’s marvelous Harvey House.
  • After tense moments in recent years, the Standin’ on a Corner Park is open to tourists again. A building, on which a mural depicted a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look an easy-going drifter, was destroyed by fire in 2004. The mural survived the blaze, but city officials were concerned the wall could collapse. It’s been shored up now, and the site of the destroyed building will eventually be turned into a park.
  • The Eagles have never performed at the festival, but they have indeed visited the Standin’ on a Corner Park. They’ve come late at night, to avoid a big hubbub. Also, “when Jackson Browne played in Window Rock a few years ago, he mentioned stopping at the park at three in the morning to avoid the crowds.”

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