‘Standin’ on the Corner’ in Winslow, Arizona
“Take it Easy” was the first hit song for the country-rock band Eagles in the mid-1970s.
The Jackson Browne-Glenn Frey penned song became the inspiration for a tourism idea in the small town of Winslow, Arizona.
A line in the song mentions Winslow: “Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me Come on, baby, don’t say maybe I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me. We may lose and we may win though we will never be here again so open up, I’m climbin’ in, so take it easy.”
That line about Winslow led town leaders to create a tourist stop along the old Route 66 highway. Route 66 used to run through downtown Winslow when it was THE main for drivers heading west. Interstate develop nearly killed the town, based on area information. 
“Standin’ on the Corner” park was developed on a corner along the main street downtown. Thousands of people flock to the site annually. While my daughter and I were there, we saw probably close to a dozen people in less than 30 minutes. Older people, along with their teen-aged children, or in my case, a 20-something kid.
The attraction features a statue of a man dressed in ‘70s garb, leaning against a pole with a guitar sitting atop his boot. In the background is normally a painting of a girl in a Ford flat bed, checking him out. Unfortunately, during our stop, that part of the painting had been removed for some touching up. The Standin’ on a Corner festival is scheduled later this month.
Instead, an actual Ford flat bed truck was parked just short of the corner.
In the middle of the intersection is a huge Route 66 sign painted on the pavement.
Across the street from the park is a “Standin’ on the Corner” souvenir shop. Eagles music plays daily. I started to ask the shop keepers if that ever gets annoying, but I’m sure I know the answer. They said it actually becomes white noise. 
The attraction has been in place since 1999, according to the website, www.standinonthecorner.com.
As I mentioned earlier, the town has a festival around the park annually. It’s the last weekend in September. It features country-rock bands and Eagles tribute bands.
If you are driving along Interstate 40, take a few minutes and pull off into town to see the attraction…especially if you are an Eagles fan. You won’t regret it.
