Sunday again, Holbrook. Good to have you.
Holbrook has a birthday this week, and the story of how this town got its name is stranger than you'd think.
There's something new at the dog parks, and you're looking at it up top.
Friday night lights are happening on a Monday this time around, and Clue No. 3 in the hunt for the hidden $100 is waiting for you down below.
☀️ This Week's Weather
A mix of sun and storms is headed our way this week, which sounds about right for September in the high desert. Highs reach 79 and lows dip to 57, so you'll want a layer handy once the sun goes down.
Monsoon season isn't quite done with us yet, so take a look at the afternoon sky before you make outdoor plans, and keep a jacket in the truck for the evenings.
Around Town This Week
The Navajo County Fair wraps up with free admission all day Sunday and one last afternoon of carnival rides from 1 to 4 pm. A great low-cost way to close out fair week with the family.
Holbrook High boys soccer hosts the Payson Longhorns at Holbrook High School. Kickoff is at 4pm. Come pack the sideline and cheer on the Roadrunners.
Colleen opens up the floor to dancers of every skill level at the Holbrook Elks Lodge for her line dancing class. Whether you were born to boot scoot or you have two left feet, you will find beginner friendly steps and a fun crowd waiting for you. Come as you are, and bring $10 a class.
Pedal the Petrified 2026Pack the stands at Roadrunner Stadium and cheer on the Roadrunners as they take on Wickenburg under the lights at home. Go Roadrunners.
Holbrook High girls volleyball hosts the Monument Valley Mustangs at Holbrook High School. First serve is at 4:30pm. Come fill the gym and cheer on the Roadrunners.
Fishers of Men for Veterans holds a Veterans Outreach on the fourth Friday of every month at the First Baptist Church of Holbrook. If you are a veteran in Navajo County, this one is for you.
Friday night line dancing at the Holbrook Elks Lodge with a Dolly Parton theme. All levels welcome, come dance to a little country and celebrate the queen of it. $10 at the door.
Pedal the Petrified is back. NPC Friends & Family hosts this non-competitive cycling tour through Petrified Forest National Park to raise money for Northland Pioneer College student scholarships.
Pedal the Petrified 2026Local vendors gather at 113 E Hopi Drive on the last Saturday of the month for the Route 66 monthly market. Soaps, crafts, food, new and used finds, and handmade goods are all part of the spread. Bring your own local treasures to sell, or simply come and browse.
Holbrook High girls volleyball hosts the Seton Catholic Prep Sentinels at Holbrook High School. First serve is at 2pm. Come fill the gym and cheer on the Roadrunners.
Local author Linda McGee is in Holbrook this week with her memoir Secrets of the Canyon, a daughter's tribute to the vanishing era of the trading posts, and you've got three chances to meet her. She'll be at the Wayside Drive In on Wednesday from 2pm to 4pm to share the stories behind the book and sign copies, at 66 Sips on Saturday from 10am to 11am for coffee and a book signing, and in the Rt. 66 Room at the Courthouse Museum on Saturday from 2pm to 4pm for a deeper conversation about the book and a Q&A. All three are free. Details
At The Bijou
The Bijou on Hopi Drive has free classes all week, and on Friday night it closes out September with its Fall Festival. Click any class for the details.
Now Showing at the Roxy
Now Playing: Practical Magic 2
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as a family of witches who've been cursed to be unlucky in love for centuries, and this time they're confronting some dark family secrets to finally break the spell. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return too, with Susanne Bier directing. It's showing through Thursday, so this is your last week to catch it on the big screen. Showtimes are Sunday at 3pm, Monday at 7pm, and Thursday at 7pm.
Mark Your Calendar
Two worth getting on the calendar early.
In Motion Physical Therapy's community run series for National Physical Therapy Month, with a 2 mile, a 5k, and a 10k. It is built for walkers, beginners, and seasoned runners, and all ages and fitness levels are welcome. Come move with the community and support healthy living. Sign up at the link. Details
The Petrified Mud Run is coming to Holbrook on Saturday, October 24. Think hills, tires, a big slide, and a whole lot of mud, with a separate loop for the little ones. Registration and the full details are coming soon. For now, save the date and start talking your friends into it. Details
Don't Miss This
Check out what's coming to Holbrook!
John Paget's feature documentary "Route 66: The Main Street of America" rolls into Holbrook as part of its Arizona Roadshow, a rolling premiere marking the Route 66 centennial.
Learn More →New in Town
The teens in the Bijou's podcast club have been recording and producing their own show, and the first episode is out now. It's called Small Town Big Voices, and it opens with a question just about everybody around here has an opinion on, which is whether the stereotypes about small towns are actually true.
Episode 1 runs about twenty minutes and kicks things off right here in Holbrook with two conversations, one with someone who grew up in a small town and later moved away, and one with a teen who recently moved to Holbrook from Casa Grande and is still getting used to it. After that, the hosts try to guess which Holbrook fast-food spots a lineup of french fries came from, and you can play along at home.
It's free to watch on YouTube, and a view and a subscribe would mean a lot to the kids who made it. If your teen wants in on the next one, the podcast club meets Wednesdays at 4pm at the Bijou.
Talk of the Town
If your dog has been waiting for a reason to get their picture taken, here it is. Two new Route 66 signs have gone up at Holbrook's dog parks, and they're built for pups to pose with.Each one is a big Route 66 shield with Holbrook painted across the middle, and the opening underneath is just about the right size for a dog to stand in. The artwork has the Wigwam Motel on one side and the Painted Desert and petrified logs on the other, along with a few very good dogs, including one who clearly isn't giving that tennis ball back.So next time you head to the park, bring your phone and a treat to get them to hold still. Little dogs, big dogs, muddy dogs and dogs who refuse to look at the camera are all welcome.When you get a good one, post it and tag @discoverholbrook so we can show off Holbrook's pups on the Mother Road. You can also just hit reply and send it our way.
Holbrook Lore
Holbrook turns 145 on Thursday, and it got its name secondhand
This Thursday, September 24, is Holbrook's birthday. On that date in 1881 the rails of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad reached this spot and a town was founded around them, which makes Holbrook 145 years old this week.
The funny part is that the name got here before the town did. As the railroad built west out of New Mexico, a temporary station went up about two miles east of here at Horsehead Crossing, and grading contractor John W. Young named it Holbrook after the railroad's chief engineer, Henry Randolph Holbrook.
Horsehead Crossing already had some history by then. By most accounts Juan Padilla built a store and saloon at the river crossing and put a man named Berrado Freyde in charge of it, and Berrado is said to have been there from 1872 on, which is nine years before the first train. By 1876 it was a stagecoach stop with a general store, a saloon, a stage station and corrals, all sitting in a grove of old cottonwoods.
Then the railroad moved on. The settlement at the crossing was abandoned for the present townsite, but the name stuck and came west with the tracks. The depot went up here in 1882, and the town grew up around it.
If you want to see it in writing, there's a marker at the Holbrook Municipal Building, on the corner of 1st Avenue and Delaware, with Henry R. Holbrook's name and the date on it. Thursday would be a good day to walk by and wish the old place a happy birthday.
The Hidden Hundred
Each week we run a Holbrook photo clue, a landmark, a statue, or a piece of local history, with a few letters shaded in the answer. Figure out the answer, write down the shaded letters, and keep collecting.
When the last clue runs, the bill goes into hiding, and your collected letters unscramble to spell exactly where it is. First to find it keeps it, and subscribers always get the clues first.
Solve the spot, then keep the shaded letters to yourself. One more set is coming next Sunday, and then the hunt goes live.
What did one cactus say to the other?
Looking sharp.
A joke that'll make us groan, a slice of Holbrook history, an event folks should know about, or a great photo you snapped?
Send it our way.
Share It With Us →That's all from us this week. Have a good one, Holbrook.
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