The Southwest Tulsa Chamber of Commerce needs $26,000 by mid-August to pay for a 154-foot-tall oil derrick replica at a Route 66 Station park under construction on Southwest Boulevard, reports the Tulsa World. The newspaper reported that some pledged donations for the project have been pulled back because of the weak economy, hence the hastily … Continue reading Money needed, stat
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.
New Mexico woman earns prestigious preservation honor
Patty Guggino of Los Lunas, N.M., on Monday earned the prestigious Historic Preservation Medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is the first resident of New Mexico to win the honor, and only the 16th in the United States, according to a report in the Valencia County News-Bulletin. The DAR Historic Preservation Medal … Continue reading New Mexico woman earns prestigious preservation honor
Greatest American Road Side Trip
The third episode of NBC's reality series "The Great American Road Trip" turned out to be slightly better than its predecessor -- namely because it didn't have a repeat of the dreadful talent show in Branson. However, the show found other ways to dismay and irritate. Namely ... --- For all the ballyhoo about it … Continue reading Greatest American Road Side Trip
Marker near Rock Creek Bridge stolen
A historical marker that explains the origins of the Rock Creek Bridge that once carried old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., was stolen about a month ago, reports the Sapulpa Daily Herald. Fortunately, the marker that was pilfered is not the original. The original marker is at the Sapulpa Historical Society Museum. The bridge was … Continue reading Marker near Rock Creek Bridge stolen
County OKs pact for Route 66 bikeway
The McLean County Board in Illinois approved a $170,000 engineering contract in an effort to build a 3-mile bicycle path next to Route 66 from west Bloomington to Shirley, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph. The county hopes to eventually attract federal stimulus money to help pay for the $1.75 million project. Getting the bikeway "shovel ready" … Continue reading County OKs pact for Route 66 bikeway
Notes from the road
--- The bad news in Oklahoma is that the state's turnpike authority will raise toll-road prices an average of 16 percent. The good news is that this probably means more traffic on old Route 66 in the Sooner State. --- On Monday we briefly visited with Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, … Continue reading Notes from the road
Cadillac Ranch takes on unintended meaning
Mitch Potter of the Toronto Star talks to Stanley Marsh 3, the Amarillo tycoon who created the art landmark that is Cadillac Ranch just off Route 66 on the west side of town. But in the summer of 2009, this iconic row of classic Cadillacs jutting skyward from a farm field in the Texas Panhandle … Continue reading Cadillac Ranch takes on unintended meaning
Early heartbreaking
Here's an early clip of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing Bobby Troup's most famous song. This 1977 video predates the band's breakout "Damn the Torpedos" album.
A little too touchy-feely
Here’s another chapter of “Route 66: A Road Trip on the Bible,” this one covering the first book of Chronicles. King David should have invested in a pair of handcuffs and a large burlap sack.
A view from the passenger side
Los Angeles artist and photographer Jason Paul Bennett embarked on a Route 66 trip from Chicago to L.A. last year, and shot more than 5,400 images to document it. Bennett has a dedicated site, Passenger Side, to those photos. For a donation, yYou can download all 5,40o or so high-definition photos. You also can see … Continue reading A view from the passenger side