Since Roxbury/Infinity's release of "Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2" on DVD a few days ago, a number of complaints have erupted about its widescreen look. Apparently the widescreen format necessitates some cropping at the top and bottom of the picture, which has angered some viewers. I asked the company's publicist about this format and … Continue reading Statement released about new “Route 66” DVDs
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.
Victorville has a plan … sort of
This story in the Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press tells about the city's continuing purchases of Old Town properties in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood. However ... Nothing has yet been put to paper as to what the purchased properties will become. Metzler said they will be eliminating the existing plan for Old Town’s revitalization … Continue reading Victorville has a plan … sort of
Future of Wilmington hotel turns iffy again
The owner of the circa-1837 Eagle Hotel in downtown Wilmington, Ill., is asking for yet another extension on his city contract, reports the Joliet Herald News. Bill Scales, who owns the building, has asked for another 18 months after his current five-year pact expires. The Ottawa developer had agreed to purchase the building for $45,000 … Continue reading Future of Wilmington hotel turns iffy again
1,000,000
I probably won't be here at the computer when it happens because I have to run errands. But I reckon that by the time this post appears, Route 66 News will have logged its 1 millionth page view since its inception in October 2005. There's no prize to the person who hits the 1,000,000 mark, … Continue reading 1,000,000
Book review: “Bunion Derby”
From the When It Rains, It Pours Department: After years of very few volumes about the famed 1928 "Bunion Derby" footrace across America, two remarkably comprehensive books are released three months apart. The first was "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" by Geoff Williams. The second is "Bunion Derby" (256 pages, University of New Mexico Press, … Continue reading Book review: “Bunion Derby”
El Vado back before Landmarks commission
Here's an e-mail from Ed Boles, historic preservation planner for the City of Albuquerque, that was sent Friday: This coming Wednesday, the El Vado Motel owner's application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition will be heard again by the City of Albuquerque Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission. The application was remanded to the LUCC … Continue reading El Vado back before Landmarks commission
Route 66 bridge booster named Citizen of the Year
From the Waynesville (Mo.) Daily Guide: The woman who began the drive to place vintage lighting on the Historic Route 66 bridge over the Roubidoux Creek in Waynesville has been named Citizen of the Year by the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce. Charli Hartley, a lifelong resident of Waynesville, was nominated by All-American Security, a … Continue reading Route 66 bridge booster named Citizen of the Year
A look at the Gay Parita station
KOLR-TV in Springfield, Mo., has a story about Gary Turner's re-creation of the Gay Parita gas station on old Route 66 west of Springfield in a settlement called Paris Springs. Here are more photos of Gay Parita. There's a video link with the story. But buried in the story is this item that's not on … Continue reading A look at the Gay Parita station
Where memories live
April Wilkerson of the Shawnee (Okla.) News-Star paid a visit to the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler, Okla., which is in the town's historic armory building. Check it out. And check out the interpretive center's Web site, too. It's been overhauled in a major way.
Saratoga Lanes named to National Register
Barely a block south of the Manchester Avenue alignment of Route 66 in the St. Louis area is Saratoga Lanes, an upstairs, eight-lane bowling alley that's been there since 1916. Yep, it predates the Mother Road. On Jan. 29, the Saratoga Lanes building was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Saratoga Lanes is … Continue reading Saratoga Lanes named to National Register