The Soul City Gastropub & Music House along the 11th Street alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa soon will close after six years and later resurface in the suburb of Jenks, Oklahoma. Owners Kevin and Amy Smith announced the impending closure Friday morning on Facebook and the booking of final shows, including a grand finale … Continue reading Soul City restaurant and club closing in Tulsa, moving to suburb
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.
Santa Monica library hosting Historic Route 66 Information Fair next weekend
If you happen to be checking out the western terminus of Route 66 in Santa Monica, you've got another reason to hang around an hour or so next weekend -- a Historic Route 66 Information Fair. The Santa Monica Public Library will host the event from 11 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. And the … Continue reading Santa Monica library hosting Historic Route 66 Information Fair next weekend
Illinois Tourism honors Taylor’s Mexican Chili Parlor of Carlinville
The Illinois Office of Tourism and the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau this week honored Taylor's Mexican Chili Parlor in Carlinville as an “Illinois Maker” for emphasizing a visitor experience and inspiring travel. Taylor's beat 18 other contenders for the title this year, reported the Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat. A total of 146 businesses are … Continue reading Illinois Tourism honors Taylor’s Mexican Chili Parlor of Carlinville
Caretakers of Road Runner’s Retreat organizing another work session Oct. 18-20
The caretakers for the long-closed Road Runner's Retreat restaurant near Chambless, California, have organized another work session Oct. 18-20 and are offering commemorative T-shirts to fund it. The T-shirts designed by Minnesota-based graphic artist Gina Hoelscher, who has lent her skills to other Route 66 events and preservation projects, can be yours by donating $30 … Continue reading Caretakers of Road Runner’s Retreat organizing another work session Oct. 18-20
Drive-through demolished at Gold Dome of Oklahoma City
Work crews this week razed the drive-through portion of the historic Gold Dome in Oklahoma City, but the situation is not as grave as you might think. Several media outlets reported the drive-through part of the former bank along Route 66 is not historic and actually was hampering efforts to secure and market the property. … Continue reading Drive-through demolished at Gold Dome of Oklahoma City
One episode of “Hairy Bikers Route 66” lands online
Folks in Europe the United Kingdom have been watching this six-part series at it aired, but we yanks didn't get a look at the BBC2's "Hairy Bikers Route 66" until one kind soul uploaded the second episode a few days ago. The episode begins in mid-Missouri and goes west to Tulsa and Cherokee Nation country … Continue reading One episode of “Hairy Bikers Route 66” lands online
Book review: “Drive-Ins of Route 66: Yesterday and Today”
It's hard to believe now, but more than 100 drive-in theaters once existed on or near Route 66. The number now is seven. That factoid and many more are found in Michael Kilgore's well-researched and brisk-reading "Drive-Ins of Route 66: Yesterday and Today" (Neon Jukebox, 176 pages, illustrated, e-book available). Kilgore is the big kahuna … Continue reading Book review: “Drive-Ins of Route 66: Yesterday and Today”
Route 66 Restaurant in Santa Rosa closes
The stalwart Route 66 Restaurant along that historic highway in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, closed Sept. 14, according to the local newspaper. The Sept. 19 print edition of The Communicator showed a photograph of the restaurant on an inside page with this caption: An empty building along Historic Route 66 now stands after the old … Continue reading Route 66 Restaurant in Santa Rosa closes
Another Route 66 sign disappears from Grants
I received word Friday from a reader that another sign from a long-defunct Route 66 motel was taken down and hauled away. Here's the email I received from Keith Kofford: Grants lost another Route 66 sign last week (9-10-19) when the Los Alamitos Motel sign was taken. A crew with large equipment was spotted by … Continue reading Another Route 66 sign disappears from Grants
Replica of toll building proposed for Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis
One of several redevelopment proposals for the west side of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis contains a replica of the long-gone toll house that stood on that site. The Great Rivers Greenway, which controls the bridge as a vital link over the Mississippi River to a series of pedestrian and cycling … Continue reading Replica of toll building proposed for Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis