The World's Largest Covered Wagon, aka the Railsplitter Covered Wagon, in Lincoln, Ill., has been repaired in time for tourism season after a severe windstorm damaged it in January. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported: "It was a challenge, and because it is in the Guinness Book of World Records, we had to make sure that we … Continue reading World’s Largest Covered Wagon repaired
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.
Cow Bop embarking on another summer Route 66 tour
Western swing and jazz band Cow Bop, along with several other guest artists and bands, will go on another Route 66 tour this summer, according to a news release from Cow Bop guitarist Bruce Forman. This time, the World's First Linear Music Festival on July 25 to Aug. 9 will be sponsored by Rifftime, a … Continue reading Cow Bop embarking on another summer Route 66 tour
More about that Diet Mountain Dew commercial
Longtime readers of this site probably have seen a muddy-looking but still-invigorating Diet Mountain Dew commercial featuring an altered version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" by John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. A high-quality version of the ad recently was uploaded by the AICP Show, which honors art and technique for those … Continue reading More about that Diet Mountain Dew commercial
La Posada owner wants to buy another historic Las Vegas hotel
Amid the hubbub of La Posada Hotel co-owner Alan Affeldt recently buying the historic Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, N.M., one thing that's been often overlooked is he wants to buy the historic Plaza Hotel in town, too. Following up on an editorial Sunday in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, I found this excerpt … Continue reading La Posada owner wants to buy another historic Las Vegas hotel
“The Grapes of Wrath” was published 75 years ago today
John Steinbeck's famous novel about the Great Depression and a family's Moses-like journey on Route 66, "The Grapes of Wrath," was published 75 years ago today. The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, Calif., is marking the anniversary all year, and I'll post a review of a new book about the writing of the novel when … Continue reading “The Grapes of Wrath” was published 75 years ago today
“Route 66” available on Hulu today
The first season of the critically acclaimed 1960s drama "Route 66" and part of the second season are free to watch today to the Hulu online platform. Shout! Factory, which acquired the rights to the series in late 2011, pledged to make the television show available for streaming online, in addition to releasing all four … Continue reading “Route 66” available on Hulu today
Fundraiser launched for proposed Route 66 television series
Steve Brown, host of PBS-TV's "The Real Desert, with Steve Brown" and longtime Route 66 enthusiast Jim Conkle in recent days launched an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign for a 13-part documentary about Route 66 for the network. Here's the video for the campaign: https://youtu.be/m7VGfD-DwtI Brown and Conkle hope to raise $66,000 by June 6. The price … Continue reading Fundraiser launched for proposed Route 66 television series
“4th of July”
This music video for Denmark singer-songwriter Esben Kronborg was shot in a variety of places in the United States last month, including Route 66. If you look closely, you'll see the historic railroad depot in Kingman, Ariz. https://youtu.be/lYXTQ0ozn9Y Kronborg may be Dutch, but the song he wrote is an American tale -- one you'd probably … Continue reading “4th of July”
Rehab of Devil’s Elbow Bridge progresses
The rehabilitation of the historic Devil's Elbow Bridge on old Route 66 in Devil's Elbow is proceeding smoothly and will reopen to traffic by August at the latest, according to a report in the Rolla Daily News. The newspaper included a photo of the work being done on the bridge. It added: According to the … Continue reading Rehab of Devil’s Elbow Bridge progresses
Route 66 added to Oklahoma’s endangered places list
Preservation Oklahoma unveiled its annual Endangered Places in Oklahoma list on Tuesday night, and Route 66 was included among them. David Pettyjohn, executive director for the group, explained why in an Enid News and Eagle report: “When we look at Route 66, it’s not just the road. It’s the structures along the road. It’s the … Continue reading Route 66 added to Oklahoma’s endangered places list