The Little America Hotel near Route 66 in Flagstaff, Ariz., is planning a humongous expansion and redevelopment of its grounds, including a second hotel, reported the Arizona Daily Sun. The proposal includes more than 1,400 residential units, 400,000 square feet of commercial space, an 18-hole golf course and a new 200-room hotel, located alongside the … Continue reading Little America Hotel in Flagstaff plans huge expansion
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.
Big Texan restaurant will be subject of documentary
The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, and its colorful history will be the subject of a documentary by a Tennessee-based filmmaker, reported the Amarillo Globe-News. Audrey Kalivoda of Mesquite 90 Productions has been gathering footage at the 53-year-old restaurant the past several weeks. Co-owner Bobby Lee hired Kalivoda to make the film, which promises … Continue reading Big Texan restaurant will be subject of documentary
Kingman already making plans for 2014 festival
The Route 66 Alliance announced Friday that Kingman, Ariz., would be the host city for the 2014 International Route 66 Festival. The Aug. 13-17 festival is more than a year away. But based on a Sunday report in the Kingman Daily Miner newspaper, the town already is preparing for it. It will include events at … Continue reading Kingman already making plans for 2014 festival
Exotic World co-founder Dixie Evans dies
Dixie Evans, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike who co-founded Exotic World (later the Burlesque Hall of Fame) on a former goat farm near Route 66 near Helendale, Calif., died this past weekend, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and other media outlets on Monday. She was 86. The newspaper said Evans had been in an assisted-care … Continue reading Exotic World co-founder Dixie Evans dies
Notes from the Route 66 festival
This post will be a placekeeper of tidbits and news from the just-completed International Route 66 Festival in Joplin, Mo. First off, here's an unedited video from the Friday part of the festival weekend that includes Gary Turner at Gay Parita station and the Boots Motel: https://youtu.be/OrQ2crgmiWY Longtime roadie Jennifer Bremer posted about 130 photos … Continue reading Notes from the Route 66 festival
A concert between two Packards
Here's The Road Crew, performing Bobby Troup's best-known song between two Packards at Afton Station in Afton, Okla. This was during the International Route 66 Festival weekend in nearby Joplin, Mo. https://youtu.be/FYTqfmMnoTQ
Please take a survey about Route 66
Nick Gerlich, a marketing professor at West Texas A&M University, has turned into a Route 66 enthusiast in recent years and has explored even the most obscure alignments of the Mother Road. Here's a new video about him and his hobby: https://youtu.be/tl4VgVgJkD4 As he mentioned in the clip, Gerlich and several other professors are taking a … Continue reading Please take a survey about Route 66
George Benson’s new version of “Route 66”
We'd previously mentioned jazz artist George Benson's new tribute album to Nat King Cole. Here's his version of "Route 66" from that LP. https://youtu.be/5r1wIFlPVxs You can download it for $1.29 here from Amazon.
Casting director for “Route 66” featured in HBO film
Marion Dougherty, a casting director for the "Route 66" television drama of the early 1960s, will be featured in the documentary "Casting By" on Monday night on the HBO cable network, according to the Los Angeles Times. Dougherty also led the casting for television's "Naked City" and the films "The Sting," "Midnight Cowboy," "The Paper Chase," … Continue reading Casting director for “Route 66” featured in HBO film
Bono’s Restaurant gets approval to move — if he wants it
The long-closed Bono's Restaurant and Deli in Fontana, Calif., received approval Friday from the California Historical Resources Commission to move the landmark about 20 feet from Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66) so the road can be widened. Whether the owner, Joe Bono, wants to move is another matter. According to an earlier story in the … Continue reading Bono’s Restaurant gets approval to move — if he wants it