A chat with a Texola business owner

KC Keefer, as part of his ongoing "Genuine Route 66 Life" series, talks to Masel Zimmerman of the Tumbleweeds Grill and Country Store in the Route 66 ghost town of Texola, Okla. https://youtu.be/S6KJ-9yQReU About a year ago, Zimmerman took a 1930s building, Water Hole #2, and converted it into a personal art gallery, plus a … Continue reading A chat with a Texola business owner

Joplin dedicates Route 66 Mural Park

Most of it has been up for months, but Joplin, Mo., dedicated its Route 66 Mural Park on Thursday night with a ribbon-cutting and other downtown events. The park near at Seventh and Main — where two alignments of Route 66 intersect — features one-half of a 1964 Corvette embedded in a wall as a … Continue reading Joplin dedicates Route 66 Mural Park

Old-time photo studio opens across from Blue Swallow Motel

An old-time-style photography studio has opened across the road from the landmark Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M. The couple that opened those businesses also plan to eventually open a Route 66 wedding chapel in that space. Here is one of the sets Mother Road Old Time Photos uses: According to a story in the Tucumcari-based … Continue reading Old-time photo studio opens across from Blue Swallow Motel

Illinois county gets $2 million grant for Route 66 Bike Trail

McLean County, Ill., has received $2 million in state funds to build a five-mile segment of the Route 66 Bike Trail from the north side of Normal to Towanda, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. The newspaper said: County Engineer Eric Schmitt said a stretch from Towanda Avenue in north Normal to County Highway 29 in … Continue reading Illinois county gets $2 million grant for Route 66 Bike Trail

It’s official: There will be a third “Cars” film

Disney-Pixar plans a second sequel to the animated "Cars" movie, according to Variety and many other media outlets, although we'd long reported it would happen. Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger made the announcement during the annual Walt Disney Co. shareholders meeting Tuesday in Portland, Ore. However, author Michael Wallis, a Route 66 consultant to … Continue reading It’s official: There will be a third “Cars” film

Southwest Missouri station puts Route 66 segments online

Years ago, KY3-TV reporter Ed Fillmer, a native of the Route 66 town of Marshfield, Mo., shot segments about Route 66 in Missouri. Yesterday, the Springfield, Mo., station put those segments online. The video cannot be embedded, but I've provided direct links and descriptions of them. Some of these videos date to the 1970s. I recommend … Continue reading Southwest Missouri station puts Route 66 segments online

Where are the surviving Green Book businesses?

A historian with the National Park Service is searching for surviving buildings once listed in the "Negro Motorist Green Book" travel directory from 1936 to 1964, and he's asking for roadies' help in finding them along Route 66. The Negro Motorist Green Book was an annual guidebook for black drivers during the Jim Crow era. … Continue reading Where are the surviving Green Book businesses?

Ribbon-cutting set for El Garces on May 3

The long rehabilitation of El Garces in Needles, Calif., will be capped with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 3, reported the Needles Desert Star. According to the newspaper, the city manager said renovations will finish by the end of this month, and the city will receive the keys to the property April 1. El Garces will … Continue reading Ribbon-cutting set for El Garces on May 3

A word from our sponsor

Here's a 1961 television spot -- nearly two minutes long -- for Chevrolet. https://youtu.be/Mrf-pWfEyd8 Have you seen the USA -- or Route 66 -- in your Chevrolet? And the folks who made that ad somehow wondered years later where psychedelia came from. UPDATE: Apparently the link I had was taken down. However, I found a … Continue reading A word from our sponsor

Joplin will dedicate Route 66 Mural Park on Thursday

The Joplin, Mo., Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting to dedicate the Route 66 Mural Park at 6:05 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the chamber. The park near at Seventh and Main -- where two alignments of Route 66 intersect -- features one-half of a 1964 Corvette embedded in a wall … Continue reading Joplin will dedicate Route 66 Mural Park on Thursday