The Examiner.com has posted an article about the Thomas P. Stafford Air & Space Museum on Route 66 in Weatherford, Okla. The museum pays tribute to Weatherford native Stafford, who logged six NASA missions and more than 500 hours in space, including the first manned flight to the moon. The museum is a complete air … Continue reading Space cowboy
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.
Book review: “Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond”
"Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond" by Shellee Graham and Jim Ross (64 pages, Ghost Town Press, $10.95) isn't strictly a book as much as a bound collection of their vibrant travel photographs in postcard form. The 30 postcards are detachable from the binding so you can mail them to friends and family. However, "Roadside … Continue reading Book review: “Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond”
Skippy’s restaurant keeps making improvements
Skippy's Route 66 Restaurant, near the Mother Road in Leasburg, Mo., has a new sign to beckon travelers and will open its Gravel Bar patio for the season next month. Skippy's is a story of a proprietor learning on the job and making continual improvements. From a news release: The Gravel Bar boasts its own … Continue reading Skippy’s restaurant keeps making improvements
A visit to Amboy Crater
This article by Examiner.com about Amboy Crater near the Route 66 hamlet of Amboy, Calif., is worth checking out for the photographs of wildflowers around the cinder cone.
Route 66 national monument proposed in Mojave
The fledgling national Route 66 Alliance is proposing making a national monument out of an area of Mojave Desert in Southern California to protect 70 miles of Route 66, reports the Press-Enterprise. According to the newspaper, the proposal would: -- Designate "Mother Road National Monument," which could be twice as big as Joshua Tree National … Continue reading Route 66 national monument proposed in Mojave
Business is booming
Not content with owning the world's largest rocking chair, the Fanning 66 Outpost and General Store on Route 66 in Fanning, Mo., has added at least one more unusual attraction to its arsenal. Jim Viehman, a reporter for KSDK-TV in St. Louis, interviewed store owners Dan and Carolyn Sanazaro a few days ago about the … Continue reading Business is booming
Lake Overholser Bridge to be repaired
The historic Lake Overholser Bridge, on an old alignment of Route 66 in the western edge of Oklahoma City, will eventually be rehabilitated without affecting its appearance. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association informed me that the bridge had been recently closed to traffic because it had deteriorated too much. However, a letter from David Wrights … Continue reading Lake Overholser Bridge to be repaired
Bridge near Vinita named to National Register
A 1926 bridge on Route 66 east of Vinita, Okla., was named to the National Register of Historic Places, effective March 4, according to a release sent today by the National Park Service. The bridge is over the Little Cabin Creek on what is also U.S. 60/69 east of town. I don't have a photo … Continue reading Bridge near Vinita named to National Register
End of an era in Afton
The Miami (Okla.) News Record has a story about the imminent closing of Bassett's Grocery on Route 66 in nearby Afton, Okla. After 89 years, Tommy Bassett says it’s time to close the doors. "With the population being half of what it used to be and being no jobs to support the town, the business … Continue reading End of an era in Afton
Pontiac’s prison is saved
The city of Pontiac, Ill., which had been under the imminent threat of the closure of its prison for months, learned Thursday that the nearly 140-year-old facility will remain open. The decision preserves nearly 600 jobs and an estimated $54 million in revenue. The announcement to keep Pontiac Correction Center open was made by new … Continue reading Pontiac’s prison is saved