An award-winning author urged locals to help keep Route 66 alive as the historic highway approaches its 100th anniversary.

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Roger Naylor, an Arizona author and travel writer, spoke at a local art talk where he shared the history and cultural significance of the celebrated highway.

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Naylor said community members should help protect the “Mother Road” for future generations and keep small businesses running.

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As Route 66 approaches its 100th anniversary, preservation efforts are gaining renewed attention across Arizona and the seven other states it once crossed.

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“The most surprising fact about Route 66 is that it doesn’t exist,” Naylor said. “U.S. 66 was decertified in 1985.”​

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Williams was the last Arizona town still connected to the original highway, but the following year the federal government decommissioned the route entirely.

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After it was decommissioned, traffic moved away from many small communities that once relied on travelers for their success.

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Naylor credited Angel Delgadillo, a barber from Seligman, with reviving the road’s legacy. Delgadillo helped form the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in 1987.

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Delgadillo launched a preservation movement that later spread across all eight states the highway once crossed.

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Naylor said Delgadillo’s barbershop became the association’s headquarters, where visitors often received haircuts alongside history lessons.

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Naylor first became interested in Route 66 more than 20 years ago during a stop in Seligman, where he noticed international tourists gathering in the small town around the barbershop.

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That experience sparked Naylor’s curiosity to begin writing about the route and its communities. Since then, he has published several books focused on Arizona travel.

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Naylor’s most recent book, “Arizona Route 66 Road Trip,” serves as a practical guide for travelers exploring Route 66, offering town-by-town recommendations on where to eat, stay and visit.

 

The book highlights local restaurants, motels and roadside attractions that encourages travelers to stop in small communities that rely on tourism.

 

Naylor said the guide is designed to help visitors experience the highway beyond the interstate and support the businesses that keep its history alive.​ His goal is to encourage people to slow down, explore small towns and support local businesses.

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“I hope it just inspires them,” Naylor said. “Bygone days aren’t gone at all. They still live along Route 66.”

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Many Route 66 sites still stand because individuals chose to preserve them rather than tear them down. 

 

Audience members said the art talk reminded them why the highway continues to matter in Arizona.

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Laura Owen, a Goodyear resident, said she attended because she is a longtime fan of Naylor and has traveled parts of the route herself.

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“It’s nostalgic, and it gives us some roots and history,” Owen said. “A large part of it is here in Arizona, and even my grandkids enjoy traveling the route.”

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Norma Whitley, another Goodyear resident, said she and her husband came to learn more about Route 66 and hoped the art talk would bring back their interest in visiting it again.

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“It’s iconic,” Whitley said. “There’s a lot of history and people enjoy taking the route to see the different stops along the way.”​

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Naylor said he hopes his talks and books encourage people to take old-fashioned road trips and discover places they might otherwise pass by.

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“You just have to make the effort,” Naylor said. “Slow down, notice the little towns and the stories they hold. That’s the magic of Route 66.”