The Route 66 Co-op that saved the Painted Desert Trading Post site in eastern Arizona from imminent collapse is throwing a “rescue celebration” on July 22-24.
The Route 66 Painted Desert Trading Post group on Facebook announced the event Wednesday.
The group is asking for a $10 donation through PayPal to help defray the costs. Payments can be made via PayPal to flyboy1946(at)hotmail(dot)com and should include the name or names of the people attending.
The Saturday evening cookout will cost $15 per person, also through the same PayPal email, which will include a choice from a variety of two gourmet hot dogs, chips, chocolate chip cookie and cold bottled water. Gluten-free options are available. (A full menu is on the Facebook post.)
The event Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. at the site will include a meet-and-greet where attendees are advised to bring their own snacks.
The hot dog meal will be served from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday, plus a narrated slide show by Route 66 Co-op member Jim Ross of the “Rise and Fall and Rise” of the Painted Desert Trading Post at 7:30 p.m.
Co-op member Frank Maloney will guide a night “sky tour” of the constellations at 9 p.m.
A group photo will be taken at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, with attendees encouraged to wear their custom Painted Desert Trading Post T-shirts.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, drinking water, coolers, sunscreen and hats, and Porta-Johns will be available. No overnight camping will be allowed at the site. Pets should be leashed.
Volunteers in September completed the final stage of the face-lift and stabilization of the Painted Desert Trading Post.
It took about three years, hundreds of hours of labor and tens of thousands of dollars — including a $20,000 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program — to shore up the long-abandoned structure from near-collapse to an attraction that will last for many more years.
Dotch Windsor and his first wife, Alberta, opened the Painted Desert Trading Post along Route 66 during the early 1940s. Even along the Mother Road, it was a remote outpost with no electricity or telephone service. Gravity pumps dispensed fuel.
It closed by the late 1950s after being bypassed by a new alignment of Route 66. The Painted Desert Trading Post, several miles from Interstate 40, remains inaccessible except for a locked gate. Those who wish to visit the trading post via Pinta Road can use these new instructions to unlock the road’s main gate. The gate, however, will be open during the event.
(Image of the renovated Painted Desert Trading Post by Mike Ward via Facebook)
Many thanks to all involved in the rescue of this magnificent roadside attraction.
Also thanks to Jerry McClanahan for the wonderful lettering!
Fred from The Netherlands
I regret that I am unable to attend in person but am happy to donate ten dollars to a job well done. PayPal payment already submitted.
IF ANYONE needs a PDF sent to them of the Painted Desert Trading Post JULY 22-24Celebration Schedule, private message me on facebook or email. Thanks Y’all. Shellee Graham (Route 66 Co-Op member)
Thank you Ron Warnick and ROUTE 66 NEWS! Cheers from Old Highway 66. SG
Kudos to everyone involved in the saving of the trading post. That has long been one of my favorite places on the road. I am saddened I will never be able to see the restoration or attend the celebration. Back in the early ’90s I spent a couple of days with Joy Nevins at her home that was filed with rodeo memorabilia and her many stories about life at the trading post. We took a picnic lunch out to the trading post and spent a few hours enjoying the quiet and her memories.This restoration is so cool! Thank you to everyone involved.