Today, I was asked to attend the Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. The event was organized by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. I made my pitch for the ample online news archives of Route 66 News. But, as is typical of such gatherings, I heard a few pearls of … Continue reading Pearls of news items
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.
Mother Road matchmaker
News broke Friday afternoon that music legend Paul McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell are engaged to be married after a four-year courtship. You can read many of the particulars from the Daily Mail in London here, along with seeing a charming photo of the couple. And it's fairly likely a Route 66 trip that McCartney and … Continue reading Mother Road matchmaker
Fun Run attendance down about 15 percent
Participation in the Arizona Route 66 Fun Run was down about 15 percent this year -- from 841 participants signed in 2010 to about 700, reported the Kingman Daily Miner. The story cited higher gasoline prices as a possibility for the drop. Nearby Laughlin, Nev., holding its annual Laughlin River Run motorcycle event the same … Continue reading Fun Run attendance down about 15 percent
A blue tie affair
Tonight, I was volunteer for the Blue Tie Affair, a fundraising dinner for the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla. The event featured an outdoor dinner at the Blue Whale grounds, and was catered by the nearby Molly's Landing restaurant. The weather and atmosphere were perfect. It's not often that you see a string orchestra performing … Continue reading A blue tie affair
Historic theater in Lincoln will be honored
The city of Lincoln, Ill., and Main Street Lincoln soon will honor the historic Lincoln Theatre as a part of National Preservation Week, according to the Lincoln Daily News. The theater, now a four-screen movie house, sits just a couple of blocks from Route 66 in downtown Lincoln, at 215 S. Kickapoo St. It's been … Continue reading Historic theater in Lincoln will be honored
Fire damages historic building in Barstow
A blaze early Thursday heavily damaged a portion of the historic El Rancho Motel complex in downtown Barstow, Calif., along old Route 66, reported the Desert Dispatch. The newspaper said the fire destroyed the Cedar Restaurant and Travel Store — formerly known as El Rancho Restaurant — at the complex. A fire chief said the … Continue reading Fire damages historic building in Barstow
Frankoma Pottery, contents go on the auction block
Frankoma Pottery, which sits on old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., will be auctioned on May 18, effectively ending a business that operated in Oklahoma since 1933, reported KOTV in Tulsa. Frankoma had been closed for over a year, and had gone through a series of owners who tried to revive the flagging business. Mary … Continue reading Frankoma Pottery, contents go on the auction block
Lifelong resident of Route 66 dies
Gene Hodkin, who was born and married in the Route 66 town of Carthage, Mo., and also resided in the Mother Road town of Barstow, Calif., died at age 95 on April 25, according to the Desert Dispatch in Barstow. An excerpt in a 2009 story about Gene and Clara Hodkin's 70th wedding anniversary details his … Continue reading Lifelong resident of Route 66 dies
A word from our sponsor …
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Kingman releases tourism survey
A survey from around the Kingman, Ariz., area revealed that tourism accounted for $165 million in direct expenditures and 2,100 jobs to the local economy in 2010, according to a report in the Kingman Daily Miner. That impact grows dramatically to $268 million and 3,101 jobs for Mohave County when including indirect and induced expenditures: … Continue reading Kingman releases tourism survey