Roof blown off historic Needles Theatre

An apparent dust devil Saturday blew off the remnants of a metal roof off the historic but long-closed Needles Theatre in downtown Needles, California. The wreckage of the roof blocked the westbound lanes of Broadway (aka Route 66) in Needles. The Needles Desert Star reported: Needles resident Michael Wright was on the second floor of … Continue reading Roof blown off historic Needles Theatre

Interactive map sorts 1935-1945 photos

Starting in 1935, photographers with the New Deal’s Farm Security Administration began documenting life in the United States during the Great Depression and, later, World War II. More than 170,000 photos were taken, and a few of them became famous, including Dorothea Lange’s now-iconic image of a migrant mother. Although the vast majority of images … Continue reading Interactive map sorts 1935-1945 photos

Jazz group will tour Mother Road

It looks like another band is touring Route 66 in a few days. Joel Clemons and the Lemons, a jazz-fusion group based out of the Los Angeles area, will be undertaking its Route 66 Music Tour (site best seen in Internet Explorer) in a matter of days. From the Web site: ROUTE 66 MUSIC TOUR, … Continue reading Jazz group will tour Mother Road

Pixar’s “Cars” postcard

I acquired this really cool thing from Michael Wallis last week — a postcard from the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs in the upcoming “Cars” movie by Pixar Animation Studios. As you can see, it recalls a common postcard style from the 1940s and ’50s, with local attractions shown in each letter. Wallis, … Continue reading Pixar’s “Cars” postcard

A Route 66 guide to the “Cars” movie

Updated June 17, 2018 If you just saw the “Cars” movie and want to find more information about Route 66, welcome. First, the Radiator Springs shown in “Cars” is a fictional town. Historic Route 66 exists. On the real Route 66, there is a Baxter Springs in Kansas and a Peach Springs in Arizona. But … Continue reading A Route 66 guide to the “Cars” movie