On Friday, right when the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival was kicking off, the city of Springfield, Missouri, showed off its new Route 66-themed welcome sign and a replica of the long-gone Red's Giant Hamburg restaurant sign at the newly christened Route 66 Roadside Park. The Springfield News-Leader had some details about the park: Plans … Continue reading Springfield erects new welcome sign, Red’s Giant Hamburg replica
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.
Voice of America’s report on the Autry Museum’s Route 66 exhibit
The Voice of America posted this well-done report about the "Route 66: The Road and the Romance" exhibit at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. https://youtu.be/ZMjMZ3n_ZFg The exhibit at the museum runs through Jan. 4. (Image courtesy of the Autry National Center)
“The Mother Road”
Country-music singer Jess McEntire, who's spent the last few years using his music to promote Route 66, apparently has produced a new video for one of his songs, "The Mother Road." https://youtu.be/hTU_o3og4G4 McEntire will be at the International Route 66 Festival in Kingman, Arizona, on Aug. 14-16. Later this year, he's also selling raffle tickets for … Continue reading “The Mother Road”
Route 66 expert worries about traffic congestion in Chicago suburbs
A prominent Route 66 expert wrote a letter to a village, expressing his concern that truck traffic will negatively impact tourism on the Mother Road in Will County, Illinois, reported Suburban Life Publications. John Weiss, who won the prestigious Steinbeck Award for historic preservation with his late wife Lenore in 2002 and has written several books … Continue reading Route 66 expert worries about traffic congestion in Chicago suburbs
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A few years ago, Julian Audic of France took a Route 66 trip to produce a documentary for French television. His efforts to get the film broadcast are ongoing. If television doesn't work out, Audic says he'll make the documentary available via video-on-demand on the Internet. In the meantime, Audic was able to use a … Continue reading A message from our sponsor …
A visit with Rich Henry
KC Keefer continues his "Genuine Route 66 Life" video series with an interview of Rich Henry, owner of Henry's Rabbit Ranch on a stretch of old Route 66 in Staunton, Illinois. https://youtu.be/nCSM7wyOGoU It's good to see Henry breaking in a new bunny to greet tourists. He has to do that every few years because their life … Continue reading A visit with Rich Henry
Tulsa reviewing proposal for Route 66 museum
The city of Tulsa is reviewing the lone proposal for a long-planned Route 66 museum and commercial complex at Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) and Riverside Drive, reported the Tulsa World. Mayor Dewey Bartlett, during a splashy news conference at another Route 66 site in the city, announced in October the city would request proposals … Continue reading Tulsa reviewing proposal for Route 66 museum
The man behind Waylan’s Ku-Ku
The Joplin Globe published a profile on Gene Waylan, the longtime owner and grill operator of the Waylan's Ku-Ku Burger restaurant along Route 66 in Miami, Oklahoma. What many people don't know is the Ku-Ku is the last one of a chain that once boasted 200 restaurants across the Midwest during the 1960s. And the primary … Continue reading The man behind Waylan’s Ku-Ku
A promotional video for Kansas Route 66
Check out this well-made, three-minute video for Kansas Route 66, made for Kansas Byways. Route 66 MASTER from Gizmo Pictures on Vimeo. The segment was produced by Gizmo Pictures, a film and video production company in Topeka, Kansas. (A scene from downtown Baxter Springs, Kansas, by Aaron Sumner via Flickr)
Summit Inn reopens after four-month hiatus
The Summit Inn restaurant, a historic landmark on Route 66 at the top of Cajon Pass in Southern California, reopened July 25 following a suspected drunken-driving crash that extensively damaged the building in March. According to the Victorville Daily Press, the crash of a reportedly stolen minivan on March 27 by Jayson E. Johnson, 37, of … Continue reading Summit Inn reopens after four-month hiatus