Lena Turner, who was married to Gay Parita Sinclair station owner Gary Turner for more than 50 years, died Monday at age 72 -- less than six months after her husband died. The Springfield News-Leader posted a full obituary a few days after her death: She married Gary G. Turner on December 31, 1961 and … Continue reading Wife of Gary Turner dies
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.
More Genuine Route 66 Lives
KC Keefer recently uploaded a few more videos as part of his Genunine Route 66 Life series. Here is Bob Russell, mayor of Pontiac, Illinois, who personally greets many Route 66 travelers as they arrive in downtown Pontiac. The clip prominently features the bus of late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. https://youtu.be/X6MmLMJ3RWQ Next is historian … Continue reading More Genuine Route 66 Lives
Pontiac looks at how to draw millennial tourists
The city of Pontiac, Illinois, is doing a great job attracting tourists from the baby-boom generation because of its Route 66 and other museums. But, according to the Pontiac Daily Leader, the city now is investigating how to draw tourists from the millennial era -- those born from 1981 to 1997. And it enlisted the … Continue reading Pontiac looks at how to draw millennial tourists
A closer look at the Route 66 Experience design
A few hours after I filed the story about the impending announcement Wednesday about the Route 66 Experience museum complex in Tulsa, I received architect renderings of the building that's set to open sometime in 2018. As you can see, it differs markedly from the artist rendering a decade ago (courtesy of Dana Dawson at … Continue reading A closer look at the Route 66 Experience design
Developer appeals city’s decision for De Anza project
A developer that finished second in bids to redevelop the historic De Anza Motor Lodge in Albuquerque is appealing the city's choice for the project, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Jerry Landgraf of De Anza Co., which proposed converting the long-closed Route 66 motor lodge into a 65-unit boutique motel, said the city's scoring system on … Continue reading Developer appeals city’s decision for De Anza project
Tulsa Route 66 museum’s opening finally has a date
The Route 66 Experience museum near the banks of the Arkansas River in Tulsa has been in the planning stages for more than a decade. Now, according to the Tulsa World, the city will announce plans later today to have what will be a $19.5 million project open by 2018, with a groundbreaking by summer 2016. The … Continue reading Tulsa Route 66 museum’s opening finally has a date
Odell Station to host commemoration for Lenore Weiss
Odell Station in Odell, Illinois, will host a commemoration Saturday to the late Lenore Weiss, who was one-half of the couple instrumental in getting the historic Route 66 gas station restored, according to the Pontiac Daily Leader. The event at from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the station will be a fundraiser for … Continue reading Odell Station to host commemoration for Lenore Weiss
Teaser film out about Will Rogers, Route 66
A few weeks ago, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, announced it was working with Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions in nearby Tulsa to produce a three-minute film about the link between Oklahoma movie star and humorist Will Rogers and Route 66. “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis and Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, great-granddaughter of … Continue reading Teaser film out about Will Rogers, Route 66
Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
For those who worried about the fate of the sputnik structure atop the doomed Bel-Air Motel in Springfield, Illinois, do not worry. Ace Sign Co. of Springfield removed the sputnik over the weekend and eventually will restore it for its neon museum that coincidentally opens today, according to the State Journal-Register. The fiberglass ball of … Continue reading Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
Remington Rand Building in St. Louis added to National Register
The midcentury modern Remington Rand Building in St. Louis' Central West End was added to the National Register of Historic Places, effective May 5, according to an email Friday from the National Park Service. The three-story building, designed by architect Gyo Obata with the HOK firm and built in 1957, is located at 4100 Lindell … Continue reading Remington Rand Building in St. Louis added to National Register