A first-time marathon runner captured the overall title and a 50-year-old won the women's division in the second annual Route 66 Marathon on Sunday in Tulsa, Okla., reported the Tulsa World. Scott Downard, 24, of Norman, Okla., was a cross-country runner in high school and the University of Oklahoma. Sunday was his first marathon, and … Continue reading First-timer wins Route 66 Marathon
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.
Images from the McKinley Bridge dedication
Longtime roadie Kip Welborn of St. Louis went to Saturday's dedication ceremony of the rehabbed McKinley Bridge, which connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis. It's open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic now, and vehicular traffic will be allowed by sometime in December. The McKinley Bridge was built in 1910, and carried Route 66 from 1926 … Continue reading Images from the McKinley Bridge dedication
McKinley Bridge reopens — to pedestrians
Illinois officials held a dedication ceremony Saturday for the rehabbed McKinley Bridge, but the historic Mississippi River span won't be ready for traffic until as late as mid-December, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The McKinley Bridge, which once carried an alignment of Route 66 from Venice, Ill., to St. Louis, was closed in 2001 because … Continue reading McKinley Bridge reopens — to pedestrians
Closings that are actually welcomed
The Daily Oklahoman is reporting that the Oklahoma National Guard is closing nearly 60 of its armories around the state as a way to consolidate its training. Normally, this would spark the proverbial weeping and gnashing of teeth. However, many of those armory buildings are being offered to municipalities, which can reuse them in other … Continue reading Closings that are actually welcomed
Back to drawing board for Wishing Well site
The imminent demolition of the Wishing Well Motel in Countryside, Ill., continues, but plans for the property remain up in the air after Mayor Robert Conrad rejected a retail and townhouse proposal, reports Chicago Suburban News. “We just felt that it was a little too dense there,” Conrad said. “It’s not that anyone has a … Continue reading Back to drawing board for Wishing Well site
Casino coming on Route 66 in Oklahoma
Buried in the text of this conference call about third-quarter earnings for Lakes Entertainment is this: Now I will discuss our projects with the Iowa tribe of Oklahoma. Lakes has signed a consulting and management agreement with the Iowa tribe to assist in the development, construction, and management of two gaming facilities. [...] The second … Continue reading Casino coming on Route 66 in Oklahoma
More about El Vado hearing
The Albuquerque Journal had a story about the city's Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission's decision Wednesday to recommend El Vado Motel be designated a City Landmark, thus protecting it from redevelopment. (Note: I would have posted the story Thursday, except the Journal has the most difficult-to-navigate newspaper Web site I've seen, so I missed it.) … Continue reading More about El Vado hearing
Unanimous decision in favor of El Vado Motel
I don't have many of the details. However, William Dodge, vice chairman of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission at the City of Albuquerque, confirmed to me this morning that the panel voted 7-0 Wednesday night to again designate El Vado Motel as a City Landmark. Dodge told me the hearing lasted five hours, and … Continue reading Unanimous decision in favor of El Vado Motel
That California trip
TrickyNic and a male companion of the United Kingdom traveled Route 66, and put together a collage of still photos and video in three parts. Part 1 goes from Chicago to Amarillo, Texas. It's funny to watch him tentatively eat the calf fries, then think: "Hey! These aren't half-bad!" Part 2 goes from Amarillo to … Continue reading That California trip
“The Grapes of Wrath” online
Holy cow. The Academy Award-winning film "The Grapes of Wrath" has been posted in its entirety at Google Video. You can see the Route 66 footage in the film for yourself, including the Beckham County Courthouse in Sayre, Okla., in the background as the Okies drive west on "the road of flight." (Hat tip: Tim … Continue reading “The Grapes of Wrath” online