The former Skylark Motel tower on old Route 66 in St. Clair, Missouri, shined with the glow of neon again after a ceremony Saturday night at the building, which now serves as the VFW Post 2482. According to a news release about the event, about 150 people attending cheered when the light switch was thrown … Continue reading Skylark Motel tower glows again
Month: November 2014
A glimpse at the future Billboard Museum
If you're a longtime traveler on Route 66 who wonders what happened to the old neon sign for the Rio Siesta Motel in Clinton, Oklahoma, we have an answer. It -- along with several dozen other signs and billboards -- are safely in a storage warehouse in the Oklahoma City area until the Billboard Museum … Continue reading A glimpse at the future Billboard Museum
Silica plant in Pacific plans major expansion
The U.S. Silica plant along old Route 66 near Pacific, Missouri, is planning an expansion that would double production there and add 117-foot-tall building, reported the Washington Missourian . The newspaper reported: U.S. Silica’s Pacific plant is a prime supplier of sand for the oil fracking industry due to availability of Union Pacific (UP) and … Continue reading Silica plant in Pacific plans major expansion
Sam Payne gets his kicks
Based on this performance with guitarist Brady Bills, you'd think Sam Payne is some sort of jazz artist. https://youtu.be/e5nV4LasR7E But you go to his website, and you hear country-folk music -- which indicates a musician with considerable chops. You may find yourself listening to the tunes the Utah native streams through there, as I did.
Rancho Cucamonga station may reopen by July
The historic Cucamonga Service Station along Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, California, may reopen next year as a museum -- perhaps by July, in time for its centennial, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The article details the work the nonprofit Route 66 IECA group has done since taking over the property in January: When … Continue reading Rancho Cucamonga station may reopen by July
A chat with Jerry McClanahan
KC Keefer adds to his "Genuine Route 66 Life" video series with a talk with Route 66 artist, author and researcher Jerry McClanahan at his studio in Chandler, Oklahoma. https://youtu.be/ISZLdWzTx2o McClanahan has been traveling regularly on Route 66 for more than 30 years, and his memories of the Mother Road date back even further. Novice … Continue reading A chat with Jerry McClanahan
“The Tattoo Man of Route 66”
We meant to post this on Veterans Day, the same day The Road Crew debuted a music video about Route 66 enthusiast and Vietnam combat veteran Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. But that was when Route 66 News' old hosting service quit working. We have a new hosting service, but this is a … Continue reading “The Tattoo Man of Route 66”
A “haunted” gas station on Route 66
James Cleveland takes his camera all over the Southwest. This video of an abandoned gas station at the ghost town of Glenrio at the Texas and New Mexico border may not be actually infested with spirits, but its desolation and the sounds of the ever-present howling wind might give you the willies. https://youtu.be/wZwhr9mAv5g The sounds … Continue reading A “haunted” gas station on Route 66
Neon relighting of former Skylark Motel is Saturday
The relighting of the former Skylark Motel's neon -- including its distinctive glass-block tower -- will occur about dusk Saturday at the site in St. Clair, Missouri, according to a news release from the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. The ceremony is scheduled to last about 20 minutes. According … Continue reading Neon relighting of former Skylark Motel is Saturday
Baxter Springs theater nominated to National Register
The Ritz Theater, a former movie house on Route 66 in Baxter Springs, Kansas, has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, according to a news release from the Kansas Historical Society. The building is at 1145 N. Military Ave. (aka Route 66). The theater's inclusion is all but assured, because the National … Continue reading Baxter Springs theater nominated to National Register