Historic preservation is something we are passionate about. We recognize the importance of ensuring younger generations share those same values, so we jumped at the chance to participate in the annual Preserve America Youth Summit. Since 2007, the group has been taking young people into the field to learn about history, archaeology, heritage tourism, and preservation. The theme for this year was Route 66 in Arizona. Fifty young participants, aged 13 to 18, explored several towns along Route 66, including Winslow.
Participants will tackle real-world preservation and conservation challenges while exploring interpretive opportunities for historic properties. The program emphasizes developing actionable ideas for Route 66’s upcoming centennial celebration, with particular attention to how these historic places can inspire and educate future generations.
Preserve America Youth Summit
Winslow Scavenger Hunt
The Winslow portion of the trip began at the visitor’s center located in the old Hubbell Trading post, with presentations from Winslow descendant and historic preservationist Nick Vann of the Soo Hoo family, speaking about the Chinese American history in Winslow and Old Trails Museum director Ann-Mary Lutzick, who welcomed the group and gave a brief history of our community.
The attendees then participated in a scavenger hunt put together by Nick and Ann-Mary, to find key elements in Winslow’s Historic Downtown. This challenge helped them explore the town’s rich history and cultural landmarks in an engaging way that they all said they truly enjoyed.
Touring La Posada & AMM
The group then made their way to La Posada for a tour of the hotel and museum to learn about adaptive reuse and the importance of preserving historic structures.
Special Projects Manager Dan Lutzick led the group from the gardens and into the hotel, providing insights about La Posada history and how he–along with Allan Affeldt, and Tina Mion–worked to bring the hotel back from the risk of demolition.
Creative Director Lori Bentley Law guided them through the museum, highlighting the significance of Mary Colter and the woven masterpiece, the Hubbell-Joe Rug.
Town Hall
At the end of the four day summit, the young people presented their thoughts on how we can appeal to younger visitors and keep Route 66 (and La Posada Hotel) thriving for years to come. Lori was a panelist, and learned a lot from their well-thought-out responses, and about how much La Posada, Mary Colter, and especially the spectacular rug impacted them.
We look forward implementing some of their ideas to ensure small towns like Winslow continue to thrive for generations to come.
You can help too!
To learn more about how to help keep the summit going, click the button below!
