Totem Pole Park near Foyil lands new directors, $20,000 grant

The landmark Totem Pole Park near Foyil, Oklahoma, recently received new directors, plus a $20,000 grant to restore its Fiddle House. The Claremore Daily Progress reports Wes and Jennifer Cantwell are the park's new overseers, replacing the retiring David and Patsy Anderson after 14 years. The Cantwells grew up just a few miles from the … Continue reading Totem Pole Park near Foyil lands new directors, $20,000 grant

Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month

Ed Galloway's fabled Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, will be the center of a lecture series and workshops in August. Artist Erin Turner is designing the "Totem as Monument and Archive" programming to offer a historical and contemporary context for the park, which is three miles off Route 66 on Highway 28A. Totem Pole … Continue reading Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month

Discover Oklahoma features Route 66 Neon Sign Park in Tulsa

The Discover Oklahoma channel, which is part of the state's tourism department, recently produced a segment about Route 66 Neon Sign Park in Tulsa. The signs and park were officially dedicated in September. The park is on Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) near West 17th Street in southwest Tulsa. The three signs represent east Tulsa, … Continue reading Discover Oklahoma features Route 66 Neon Sign Park in Tulsa

Latest RoadTripOK video concentrates on sites in and near Claremore

The latest RoadTripOK video this week features a restaurant and museum in Claremore and a unique park in nearby rural Foyil. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/MgNAkg_WBkw Here are the three places the video covers: Will Rogers Memorial MuseumHammett House restaurantEd Galloway's Totem Pole Park Oklahoma Tourism and Broken Arrow-based Retrospec Films announced last fall they … Continue reading Latest RoadTripOK video concentrates on sites in and near Claremore

Celebration set for Saturday for completion of Totem Pole Park restoration

After five years of work, restoration is complete of the main, 90-foot-tall totem pole at Ed Galloway's historic Totem Pole Park near Foyil, Oklahoma. To celebrate, the park will host a free bluegrass-music jam from 2 p.m. until dusk Saturday. Refreshments and food trucks will be there. Face masks will be suggested, and organizers say … Continue reading Celebration set for Saturday for completion of Totem Pole Park restoration

Improvements coming to Andy Payne Park in Foyil

The town of Foyil, Oklahoma, soon will embark on improvements to Andy Payne Park -- best-known for its statue of Payne running -- off old Route 66 in the village. According to the Claremore Daily Progress newspaper in nearby Claremore: The improvements, budgeted at $11,000, will include three new picnic tables covered by a large … Continue reading Improvements coming to Andy Payne Park in Foyil

Restoration of Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park near Foyil should be done by fall 2020

A years-long restoration of Ed Galloway's historic Totem Pole Park near Foyil, Oklahoma, should be completed by fall 2020 and last a quarter-century or more. Park Director David Anderson and artist Erin Turner described the project that began in 2015 during a Claremore Collective panel discussion last week, reported the Claremore Daily Progress newspaper. Route … Continue reading Restoration of Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park near Foyil should be done by fall 2020

An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil

When we'd last heard almost three years ago, a local man bought a 1920s Texaco station along old Route 66 in Foyil, Oklahoma, and shortly had it added to the National Register of Historic Places. The station's owner, Kean Isaacs, pledged to restore it to as close as its original look as possible. Last week, … Continue reading An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil

Claremore museum plans new statue of Andy Payne

The Claremore Museum of History in Claremore, Oklahoma, plans to place a life-size statue of local athlete Andy Payne at Lynn Riggs Park, also known as Gazebo Park, a few blocks east of Route 66. The Claremore Daily Progress reported a new exhibit, "The Andy Payne Family Collection," donated by Payne’s daughter, will be shown in the … Continue reading Claremore museum plans new statue of Andy Payne

Oklahoma marks 90th anniversary of Bunion Derby

The Oklahoma Route 66 Association last weekend marked the 90th anniversary of the transcontinental Bunion Derby footrace, with several descendants of winner Andy Payne at the commemoration. The association marked the 1928 footrace that traversed Los Angeles to New York City, including a fledgling U.S. 66, by carrying a commemorative plaque during a motorized relay … Continue reading Oklahoma marks 90th anniversary of Bunion Derby