In a time when Route 66 advocates are discussing the disappearance of historic neon signs, an Albuquerque artist has taken note of that issue and is doing her own small bit of preservation -- painting images of those signs in case they vanish. KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports about self-proclaimed "painter of history" Cheryl Godin: “My … Continue reading Artist does her own form of preserving Route 66 neon signs by painting them
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.
Much chatter about not much with Budville story
A lot of people got excited on social media the other day with a story about the possibility of the long-closed Budville Trading Co. in New Mexico reopening. However, a closer look at the story itself reveals nothing new or noteworthy. It makes one wonder why Albuquerque TV station KRQE did anything at all. Here's … Continue reading Much chatter about not much with Budville story
What happened to musician Jim Sullivan near Santa Rosa nearly 45 years ago?
It sounds like something from an enigmatic novel -- a praised but obscure singer-songwriter who sang about UFOs vanishes without a trace near the Route 66 town of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, leading to speculation he was picked up by one of those flying saucers he mentioned. Decades after his disappearance, a record company reissues … Continue reading What happened to musician Jim Sullivan near Santa Rosa nearly 45 years ago?
“Wildorado” documentary film to screen online next month
"Wildorado," a documentary about a high-school agriculture class in the Route 66 town of Wildorado, Texas, that establishes its own cattle company, will screen next month on television and online. Here's a trailer for the intriguing film: https://youtu.be/F2gy7MlSai4 The company the students established is the Wildorado Cattle Co. More about the company's origins can be … Continue reading “Wildorado” documentary film to screen online next month
Part of Maplewood Historic Commercial District added to National Register
Several blocks of the Maplewood Historic Commercial District in Maplewood, Missouri, recently were added to the National Register of Historic Places. The district includes portions of the 7100 and 7200 blocks of Manchester Road, which is the earliest alignment of Route 66 through that part of the St. Louis region. It also includes a portion … Continue reading Part of Maplewood Historic Commercial District added to National Register
Tulsa radio station looks at Route 66’s past, future
KRMG, a prominent radio station in Tulsa, recently produced a special about that city's extensive link to Route 66 and its role in the historic highway's future. The three-part segment, which totals less than eight minutes, includes interviews with Michael Wallis, author of the seminal "Route 66: The Mother Road"; Ken Busby of the Route … Continue reading Tulsa radio station looks at Route 66’s past, future
Roy’s sign in Amboy glows again for the first time in 30 years
The iconic Roy's Motel & Cafe neon sign in Amboy, California, glowed for the first time in at least 30 years during a relighting ceremony Saturday night. The event coincided with the Great Amboy Fly-In, Part 2, where private planes use Amboy's nearby airstrip. Here a video of the countdown to the relighting at twilight … Continue reading Roy’s sign in Amboy glows again for the first time in 30 years
Construction begins on Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66
Construction has started on the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 in downtown Joliet, and a Chicago-area radio station showed artist's renderings of what the museum will look like, inside and out. Earlier in the year, the museum's organizers bought a 1920s three-story building at 9 W. Cass St. in Joliet. The structure … Continue reading Construction begins on Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66
End of an era: Final Dust Bowl Festival held at Weedpatch Camp
Weedpatch Camp, immortalized by John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath," recently held its 30th and last Dust Bowl Festival on the outskirts of Bakersfield, California. Simply put, the festival is being shut down because the survivors of that calamity have gotten too old to run it. A local television station did a preview about … Continue reading End of an era: Final Dust Bowl Festival held at Weedpatch Camp
Marketing study requested for planned Route 66 Visitor Center in Albuquerque
A Bernalillo County commissioner asked for a marketing study for the proposed Route 66 Visitor Center planned for Albuquerque's west side before it breaks ground. According to the Albuquerque Journal: County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley recently introduced a resolution requiring that a third party consultant evaluate the “proposed uses for the Route 66 Visitors Center and … Continue reading Marketing study requested for planned Route 66 Visitor Center in Albuquerque