Author: Ron Warnick

I'm the editor and publisher of Route 66 News, a clearinghouse of events, information, and entertainment pertaining to historic U.S. 66, the Mother Road.

Another man is going to walk Route 66

Jay Link, lead singer for the Los Angeles rock band Death and Taxes, weighed as much as 550 pounds just five years ago. He's lost 200 pounds with diet and exercise, and wants to lose 200 more in the next two years. Link recently wrote me to announce that in March, he would start walking … Continue reading Another man is going to walk Route 66

Cancer rider update

Michelle Thompson, the bicycle rider who's trying to raise awareness of oral cancer because of her brother's serious health struggles, has made it on her cross-country Route 66 trip to Albuquerque. A local TV station, KRQE, interviewed her there. You can view it here. Thompson's Web site is here.

Fabulous Freddie’s

We decided to check out a new eating spot on the 11th Street alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa, even though the restaurant itself isn't new. Freddie's Hamburgers has been a favorite of Tulsans since 1954. It has spent most of its years at 802 S. Lewis Ave. But in May, it opened another location … Continue reading Fabulous Freddie’s

“Cars” soundtrack gets Grammy nods

John Mayer's performance of "Route 66" from the "Cars" movie soundtrack was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance of the Grammy Awards, which will be Feb. 11 on CBS. For a complete list of Grammys, go here. UPDATE: Sheesh. I missed two other nominations. "Our Town," written by Randy Newman, was nominated for Best … Continue reading “Cars” soundtrack gets Grammy nods

Spirit of Aviatrix Ballroom revived

Carlton Scales, a former big-band leader, started the Aviatrix Ballroom on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, in 1939. The venue drew such performers as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Dorsey. Sadly, the Aviatrix closed in 1988 after business dwindled for years. Now the Amarillo Globe-News (free registration required) reports that Scales' daughter, Maggie, 49, … Continue reading Spirit of Aviatrix Ballroom revived

Route 66 blog roundup

Alina Chau of Ice Cream Monster Toon Cafe is an animator. She recently took a train trip and posted sketches from the Route 66 towns of Williams, Ariz., and Los Angeles. It's worth surfing the rest of her site for her sketches, too. Kipling West of The Seven Deadly Sinners lives in Canada, but sometimes … Continue reading Route 66 blog roundup

A taste of Buffalo out west

The next time you're hankering for Buffalo wings, go to the Monte Vista Fire Station in Albuquerque. Yes, Albuquerque. According to Duke City Fix, a native New Yorker raves about the wings there: The New Yorker (who has eaten many times at the primordial source of Buffalo wings: the Anchor Bar), likes that the Fire … Continue reading A taste of Buffalo out west

More SUV than the driver can handle

The combination of a traffic accident and the weight of ice and snow caused the collapse of the Carthage Route 66 Antique Mall at 1221 Oak St. in Carthage, Mo., earlier this week. The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported: The incident began when a car ran into the building and one of the supporting trusses on … Continue reading More SUV than the driver can handle