The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is sponsoring a clean-up day on Saturday, April 17, at the old Ozark Trail section of Route 66 west of Sapulpa.
This project is in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful programs. Work will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. The association wants to clean up as much of this 4-mile section as possible.
Volunteers will be provided trash bags and safety vests, and are asked to bring along work gloves and, if possible, a weed trimmer.
The Ozark Trail section served as Route 66 from 1926 to 1952, according to Jim Ross’ book “Oklahoma Route 66.” It is notable for containing the historic Rock Creek Bridge.
A map of the old Ozark Trail near Sapulpa can be found here.
— Roger Kramer Cycling has a good roundup of bicycle-related Route 66 events this year.
— The World’s Largest Rocker at Fanning 66 Outpost near Cuba, Mo., recently marked its second birthday. For the record, the chair’s dimensions are 42 feet, 1 inch in height, 20 feet, 3 inches wide, and it weighs 27,000 pounds.
— According to a newsletter from Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Ariz., members of the Czech Route 66 Association will shoot a high-def documentary film about Route 66 starting later this month. The crew will be on the road for 17 days. It would be the first Czech film about Route 66, and will eventually make its way to DVD.
— The century-old Colors of the West store in Williams, Ariz., has completed the building rewiring. It was partially paid for with a grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, according to a program newsletter.
— The St. Louis Post-Dispatch tries to clear up the confusion about the pronunciation of Gravois Avenue, which carries a portion of Route 66 through town.
— Dennis Kinch, the man who walked Route 66 in 2005-06 despite a debilitating bone disease, can no longer work because of his condition, according to his daughter Kayla. She says he might enjoy a note or postcard from roadies. Send them to her at 933 Portland Place Apt 4, Boulder, CO 80304, and she’ll make sure he gets them.