Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum along Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., is now open by appointment with help from the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau after being closed for much of the late winter and spring. The increasingly frail Shea, 91, was admitted to a nursing home in December. His son, Bill Jr., closed the … Continue reading Bill Shea Gas Station Museum now open by appointment
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.
The story of Tulsa’s El Rancho Grande restaurant
Mark Brown at This Land Press wrote a long piece about the history and amazing consistency of Tulsa's first Mexican restaurant, El Rancho Grande, which still serves customers on 11th Street (aka Route 66) more than 60 years after it opened. The whole thing is worth reading, but here are a few nuggets from it: … Continue reading The story of Tulsa’s El Rancho Grande restaurant
Let’s lobby for Route 66 half-dollar coins
A writer for Numismatic News, a magazine about coin collecting, is lobbying Congress for a series of Route 66 commemorative half-dollar coins that would be minted in 2016 -- the 90th anniversary of the Mother Road -- and is advocating others to lobby for them as well. Mike Olson, who is a member of the Citizens … Continue reading Let’s lobby for Route 66 half-dollar coins
“Yukon’s Best Flour” sign is restored
The iconic "Yukon's Best Flour" sign on top of the flour mill on Route 66 in Yukon, Okla., was glowing again Friday night during a relighting ceremony, according to KFOR-TV in nearby Oklahoma City. The 42-by-55-foot sign reportedly is seen better than ever, because the lighting used is LED. Not only do LED bulbs last … Continue reading “Yukon’s Best Flour” sign is restored
Footage from the Bunion Derby
Here's rare footage of runners participating in C.C. Pyle's International Transcontinental Foot Race, aka the Bunion Derby, in 1928. Two-thirds of the Los Angeles-to-New York race took place on a fledgling Route 66. The footage is an excerpt from the Solomon Sir Jones Collection at Yale University. Jones was an African-American preacher who took his … Continue reading Footage from the Bunion Derby
New Route 66 mural being installed in Galena
Installation of a Route 66 tile mural began this week at Seventh and Main streets in downtown Galena, Kan., and should be finished by the weekend, reported the Joplin (Mo.) Globe. From the newspaper: The mural, designed by Chris Auckerman and Jon White of Images in Tile, is composed of 416 15-inch tiles. A concrete … Continue reading New Route 66 mural being installed in Galena
Santa Fe motel reopens as special-needs apartments
The historic Stage Coach Motor Inn in Santa Fe, N.M., reopened Tuesday as apartments for low-income or special needs residents, reported KOB-TV in Albuquerque. The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper also had some details about the Route 66 motel's adaptive reuse: The Housing Trust of Santa Fe purchased the land where the old motel sat … Continue reading Santa Fe motel reopens as special-needs apartments
66 Drive-In will host screening of “Cars”
https://youtu.be/WGByijP0Leo The 66 Drive-In Theatre in Carthage, Mo., will host a special screening of the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated film "Cars" on Aug. 1, as part of festivities for the International Route 66 Festival in nearby Joplin. Pixar Animated Studios will provide a life-size replicas of the film's stars, Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, at the … Continue reading 66 Drive-In will host screening of “Cars”
George Benson’s tribute to Nat King Cole
I've read a lot of warm reviews in recent weeks for jazz artist George Benson's latest album, "Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole." Naturally, if you're going to record a tribute to Cole, you have to record "Route 66," written by Bobby Troup. It was one of Cole's early hits, back in 1946. This … Continue reading George Benson’s tribute to Nat King Cole
Watch the Route 66 edition of “What Would You Do?”
The Route 66 edition of ABC News' reality program "What Would You Do?" aired Friday night. But if you missed it, you can watch it on Hulu here: The network also provided some online outtakes from the Route 66 trip, including the film crew's pit stops: Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. And the … Continue reading Watch the Route 66 edition of “What Would You Do?”