A bank building in Barstow, California, will unveil Saturday a new mural about the region's turquoise history, according to a report in the Desert Dispatch. Union Bank at 239 E. Main St. (aka Route 66) will unveil the mural at 10 a.m. Saturday. It was created by local artist Juliette Tison, who has painted 21 … Continue reading Barstow will dedicate new mural Saturday
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.
County clears plan for amusement park in Williams
Coconino County approved the creation of a theme park district that could lead to a half-billion-dollar amusement park on the north side of Williams, Arizona, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. The amusement park would be on 475 acres on the city's north side, plus 21 acres in downtown for a long-proposed, $20 million Arizona … Continue reading County clears plan for amusement park in Williams
Interview with “The 66 Kid” author
Artist and western historian Bob Boze Bell was interviewed for about 13 minutes by a PBS television station at Arizona State University about his new biography, “The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road," that deals primarily with his childhood in the Route 66 town of Kingman, Arizona. https://youtu.be/2OfK_nB1SFc?t=12m10s I've embedded the video so it … Continue reading Interview with “The 66 Kid” author
Two national Route 66 associations merge into one
The National Historic Route 66 Association and the Route 66 Alliance have merged into one group as the previously disbanded U.S. 66 Highway Association, according to a news release Monday afternoon. Here is the news release: Tulsa, OK, January 5, 2015 – Dormant since the 1970s, the original and most influential Route 66 organization, the … Continue reading Two national Route 66 associations merge into one
Aerial views of La Bajada Hill
This new video of a snow-dusted La Bajada Hill south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, uses a drone to film footage from the air. The video contains interesting and seldom-seen angles -- including a wrecked car in the beginning of the video. I've hiked La Bajada Hill three times and have never seen that car. … Continue reading Aerial views of La Bajada Hill
Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon
While poking around Grand Canyon National Park's website, I found this well-done 10-minute video about Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the canyon. The video went live only a few weeks ago. Not only is the footage breathtaking, but you'll find at least one indirect link to Route 66. Mary Colter, who designed Phantom Ranch, … Continue reading Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon
Bus hits Route 66 column in Albuquerque
A wayward vehicle apparently caused a city bus to veer out of control and strike a decorative Route 66 column Friday at Central Avenue (aka Route 66) and Unser Boulevard on Albuquerque's west side, reported the Albuquerque Journal. “This bus was driving southbound on Unser,” said Officer Simon Drobik, spokesman for APD. “From what witnesses … Continue reading Bus hits Route 66 column in Albuquerque
Fog fills the Grand Canyon
A few weeks ago, an unusual phenomenon occurred in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Temperature inversion caused the canyon to fill with fog -- no small feat, given the canyon's massive size and depth. The folks at Vox created an informative video explaining the phenomenon and compiled a few images from that day, … Continue reading Fog fills the Grand Canyon
Widow of Bill Shea dies
Helen Shea, the widow of Shea's Route 66 Museum owner Bill Shea Sr., died Monday at a hospice in Springfield, Illinois, according to an obituary from Butler Funeral Homes. She was 96. A Springfield native, she worked at Sangamo Electric and helped run Shea's gas-station museum in Springfield. Bill Shea converted a Marathon station on Route 66 into a museum … Continue reading Widow of Bill Shea dies
The top 10 icons of Route 66 are …
The readers have spoken. We now know the top 10 icons of Route 66. About a month ago, we launched an online poll via PollDaddy.com to find out from readers what they considered to be Route 66's top 10 icons. The criteria were the icon must be a specific place on or near Route 66 and be … Continue reading The top 10 icons of Route 66 are …