The Arizona Republic published a fascinating but ultimately sad story about family members' fight over the Gilbert Ortega Sr. estate. Ortega began his silver and turquoise empire as a Route 66 in Lupton, Ariz., by selling American Indian trinkets during the 1960s. That eventually grew to an estimated $40 million enterprise, with jewelry and Indian … Continue reading Family feud
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.
Meet the man behind The Mill’s restoration
The Lincoln Courier posted an article about John Sutton, project manager behind the restoration of The Mill restaurant on Route 66 in Lincoln, Ill. Sutton was just named the Courier's Citizen of the Month. He is currently devoting his time and efforts to restoring the inside of the historic Mill restaurant that was known for … Continue reading Meet the man behind The Mill’s restoration
Ohio man plans 2,500-mile bicycle ride
Jamey Mixson of South Euclid, Ohio, soon will start a bicycle ride across the country to raise awareness about illiteracy and childhood obesity, reported the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Mixson will start Saturday from Cleveland and will end his journey in Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach, Calif. He's planning on picking up Route 66 in St. … Continue reading Ohio man plans 2,500-mile bicycle ride
Looks like they’ll make it
The Associated Press caught up to the participants in the 2010 Route 66 Microcar Rally in Odell, Ill. Since Odell is less than 100 miles from the group's goal of making it to Chicago, from Santa Monica, it looks like those folks will get there. But not without some difficulty:
Obscure compared to what?
A report today from the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit group that advocates free-market solutions, recommended that the State of Illinois abolish its Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Heartland Institute says the deficit-wracked state would save millions of dollars by abolishing the agency (although the group doesn't specify how much savings would be generated … Continue reading Obscure compared to what?
Pop a top on Dublin Dr Pepper
American Profile magazine posted an effervescent story about the Dr Pepper plant in Dublin, Texas -- the only Dr Pepper bottler left that still uses Imperial cane sugar from the original 1885 recipe instead of the now-common corn syrup. It's called Dublin Dr Pepper, and folks drive from many miles around to get it because … Continue reading Pop a top on Dublin Dr Pepper
Book review: “Route 66 St. Louis”
In the preface to her new book, Norma Maret Bolin says the purpose of her previous work, "The Route 66 St. Louis Cookbook," was to raise funds for a more expansive historical recounting of Route 66 in the Gateway City. If you'll excuse the pun, Bolin really got cooking with her enormous new volume, "Route … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 St. Louis”
Epic cycling tour includes part of Route 66
Tour d'Afrique has announced it will add part of Route 66 to its itinerary for a 92-day, 5,000-mile bicycle ride in 2011 from San Francisco to St. John's, Newfoundland. Between stops in Wichita, Kan., and Detroit is this: Legendary Route 66 beckons in the states of Missouri and Illinois. Along it’s storied path we’ll stop in … Continue reading Epic cycling tour includes part of Route 66
More details on Cars Land released
The Los Angeles Times' Daily Travel & Deal Blog provided new detail about the 12-acre Cars Land theme park at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. The park, inspired by the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated movie "Cars," is a faithful re-creation of the Route 66 fictional town of Radiator Springs. The theme park is scheduled to open … Continue reading More details on Cars Land released
Route 66 gets its own font
Route 66 boasts plenty of products named after it. But this is the first I've seen where a typeface is named after the Mother Road. The "Route 66 Regular" font was created by Thomas Wilson. It's derived from Wilson's earlier "Swizzle Sticks" font, which is apparent when you see the Route 66 font in the … Continue reading Route 66 gets its own font