Barstow museum featured in Japanese documentary

Barstow Station and other stretches of Route 66 in Arizona and California will be featured in a documentary currently being shot by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, according to the Desert Dispatch in Barstow, Calif. Barstow Station serves as home to the Barstow Route 66 Mother Road Museum. Yoko Honda, the location and production manager for the … Continue reading Barstow museum featured in Japanese documentary

Savior of Chicken Boy honored by governor

A team that saved a gigantic Chicken Boy mascot that once graced a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles will be given the 2010 Governor’s Historic Preservation award, according to a report in Blogdowntown.com, a blog about downtown L.A. The 22-foot-tall fiberglass man-chicken on top of the Chicken Boy restaurant on Broadway between Fourth and Fifth streets … Continue reading Savior of Chicken Boy honored by governor

San Bernardino considers retro streetscaping

The Route 66 town of San Bernardino, Calif., is considering "Modern Retro" and "Classic Simplicity" streetscape designs that partially take inspiration from its Route 66 past, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. The former theme would be a throwback to Route 66 and the highway travelers who came West after World War II. The … Continue reading San Bernardino considers retro streetscaping

He’s near the end of the road

Some of you may remember John Radich, who started running on July 4 from the Santa Monica Pier eastward on Route 66 and then the Lincoln Highway toward Atlantic City, N.J. According to a report by The Evening Sun of Hanover, Pa., Radich made it to New Oxford, Pa., on Tuesday. That puts him fewer … Continue reading He’s near the end of the road

First Dairy Queen designated a landmark

The building that housed the first Dairy Queen restaurant, located along old Route 66 in Joliet, Ill., has been designated a local landmark by the city council, reported The Herald-News. The two-story brick storefront at 501 N. Chicago St. (map and Google Street View image here) now houses a local church, but is little-changed otherwise. … Continue reading First Dairy Queen designated a landmark

Route 66 Center in Webb City opens

The Route 66 Center, located in a renovated gas station in Webb City, Mo., opened during a ceremony on Tuesday morning. The Webb City Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting at the station, located near Main and Broadway in downtown. Here are a few photos of the building and the interior during the event: You … Continue reading Route 66 Center in Webb City opens

More details released for “Cars 2”

More details about the Disney-Pixar movie "Cars 2" were released today by Disney and picked up by a variety of media outlets. First, here at left is the official poster for the 2011 film. FirstShowing.net also posted an official photo from the movie. And, according to Collider.com, here is the official synopsis of the movie: … Continue reading More details released for “Cars 2”

Another mother of a road race

The final edition of the Mother Road 100 ultramarathon finished Sunday afternoon at Catoosa High School in Catoosa. Starting Saturday morning, the 100-mile footrace went on old Route 66 from the Kansas border town of Baxter Springs to Catoosa, Okla., just outside of Tulsa. Runners trudged for up to 30 hours without sleep; several aid … Continue reading Another mother of a road race

Promotional trailer for Coliseum documentary

Jim Marcacci and Bruce Logsdon of Sound & Image Videography are producing a documentary about the history of the colorful Coliseum music venue in Benld, Ill., which is on an older alignment of Route 66. Sound & Image has just released a 9-minute promotional video. You'll see a lot of good memorabilia and information. The breadth … Continue reading Promotional trailer for Coliseum documentary

So who had the first drive-thru restaurant?

This story from The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa., delves into the history of drive-throughs, which has squirreled its way into American life from drugstores to liquor stores to restaurants to banks to even funeral homes. As for drive-through restaurants, it's claimed that Red Chaney at the famous Red's Giant Hamburg on Route 66 in Springfield, … Continue reading So who had the first drive-thru restaurant?