Route 66 Association of Arizona helps Parks pay for Route 66 stencil, supplies

The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona recently helped a nonprofit organization in Parks, Arizona, pay for a new Route 66 shield stencil and supplies so its residents could continue to show travelers the way on the Mother Road for years to come.

Parks Area Connection, a federally recognized nonprofit in Parks that promotes community activities and assists in emergency situations, received the $560 grant from the association.

A news release from Nikki Seegers, director of operations at the association, explained how the grant to the Parks group came to be:

Last year, PAC borrowed a stencil from the Winslow Chamber of Commerce to paint 3 Route 66 shields around town. Babs Felix, chairperson of PAC, said, “It became an emblem of town pride and an instant tourist attraction. We noted people stopping at the pavement markings to take photos, then picnic nearby.”
The enthusiasm surrounding their new community addition prompted them to purchase their own stencil to keep pavement markings fresh in the coming years. PAC approached the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona to help pay for the custom stencil and supplies.
The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona was enthusiastic about supporting the project. Nikki Seegers, Director of Operations for the Association said, “Our community grants were created for exactly this purpose, we saw a need for Route 66 enhancements just like this.”
The roads were freshly painted with their new shields the last weekend in April. Babs Felix said, “We had a blast painting for the community.”

Flush with $231,000 in revenue from the first year of a state specialty license-plate program, the association last year gave a $10,000 to help restore the wall at the Standin’ on a Corner Park in Winslow and a $50,000 endowment to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff to preserve and digitize Route 66 documents and photographs in the university’s collection.

(Image of one of the Route 66 markers being painted in Parks, Arizona, courtesy of Nikki Seegers)