Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma yesterday posted this video below about the 2013 edition of the Route 66 Marathon, held in Tulsa in November. Blue Cross / Blue Shield is a major sponsor of the marathon, but the video serves as an excellent overview of it regardless. In a relatively short time, the … Continue reading Overview of the 2013 Route 66 Marathon
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.
Fire destroys St. Clair museum
A fire Sunday night destroyed a century-old building in downtown St. Clair, Mo., that housed the St. Clair Historical Museum, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Washington Missourian. The museum at 280 Hibbard St. stood about two blocks south of Route 66, and it housed a Route 66 exhibit. The building previously was an … Continue reading Fire destroys St. Clair museum
“Route 66” on a cigar-box guitar
David Vidal shows what he can do with Bobby Troup's "Route 66" on a cigar-box guitar (with a resonator) and a harmonica. https://youtu.be/7uqZruHIKqc As I've long note, Troup's tune is endlessly malleable. (Video by Ace Jackalope)
The keeper of the Route 66 Trailhead Park’s grapevines
The grapevines growing at Route 66 Trailhead Park in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., serve an ornamental purpose, but they hold a historical aspect as well. Gino Filippi, a city counciler for nearby Upland, Calif., and the son of local vintner Joseph Filippi, volunteers to help prune and maintain the 36 fledgling Mission grapevines at the park, … Continue reading The keeper of the Route 66 Trailhead Park’s grapevines
Garavelli’s, R.I.P.
Garavelli's Cafeteria in south St. Louis on the Chippewa Street alignment of old Route 66 closed last June. It ended nearly a century of a Garavelli's restaurants operating in St. Louis. Norma Maret Bolin, author of the well-researched "Route 66 St. Louis," sent me photos Thursday of the building being demolished, including the one above. … Continue reading Garavelli’s, R.I.P.
Long-lost Kingman motel sign resurfaces
A long-lost neon sign from the defunct Brandin' Iron Motel on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., resurfaced on eBay this week. The seller, based in Mesa, Ariz., says the sign had been in storage in Kingman for 40 years. The 16-by-9-foot sign's tubing doesn't work but remains mostly intact. Starting price is $2,495, and the … Continue reading Long-lost Kingman motel sign resurfaces
Hello from Transylvania
Another music tune today. Here's band called Night Losers, based in the Transylvania section of Romania, that combine folk-rock with traditional music. https://youtu.be/sJST9wzheLs (Hat tip: Denny Gibson)
A blues player’s take on “Route 66”
Frank Kocevar of Historic Seligman Sundries passed along this version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" performed by blues musician Paul J. Miles. https://youtu.be/GUrET77DjuA Yes, he messed up one of the lyrics. But, as Kocevar did, I found Miles' enthusiasm infectious.
Hello from Japan
For more of a punk-rock feel of Bobby Troup's famous road song, here are The Virgins of Japan performing "Route 66." https://youtu.be/h9rn9oSCXa4 Sounds like they gobbled a fistful of trucker speed before going into the studio.
Nominate endangered Route 66 places to the National Trust list
If you think a Route 66 landmark faces imminent danger from the wrecking ball, you can do something that might make a difference. Kaisa Bartuli at the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is recommending that roadies make nominations to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2014. She explained … Continue reading Nominate endangered Route 66 places to the National Trust list