Animal Paradise Family Fun Park on old Route 66 near Strafford, Mo., is holding a grand opening -- or a grand re-opening, really -- this weekend, reports the Springfield News-Leader. The new owners of the former Exotic Animal Paradise have added new wrinkles to the operation, including a go-kart track called the Route 66 Speedway … Continue reading Grand opening set for animal park
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.
Time to check those bridges
In the wake of the horrific Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, nervous traffic officials across the country are fanning out to check bridges in an effort to ensure a similar tragedy doesn't occur. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that one of the structurally deficient bridges in Missouri is on Route 66: One of those … Continue reading Time to check those bridges
Picking with Les Paul
Jazz singer Sonya Hensley performs "Route 66" with Les Paul. That Les Paul. This video is from a regular Monday night gig that Hensley and Paul have at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. It sounds like Hensley is making up new lyrics on the spot. Watch Paul try to keep up with … Continue reading Picking with Les Paul
Sepia toned
Here's a video that's artificially "aged," with footage of Route 66 from Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. (No Kansas?) The music is "Route 66," as performed by the Nat King Cole Trio.
Exhibit features photos from Mother Road
The Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City has a photographic and film exhibit, titled "Easy Rider: Road Trips Through America," through Sept. 8. A number of photos are from Route 66. The work of several dozen artists will be on display, including Dorothea Lange, William Eggleston and Allen Ginsberg. As for the Route 66 … Continue reading Exhibit features photos from Mother Road
Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
A group of veterans is slated to bicycle down Route 66 in Illinois next week to protest the Iraq War and America's dependence on foreign oil, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. Ride for Peace will make varying stops along the route between the Vietnam Veterans Against the War annual convention in Chicago and the Veterans for … Continue reading Bicycle ride protests war, oil dependence
“Independent America” on Route 66
This is an excerpt from the excellent 2006 documentary, "Independent America," which tells about besieged independent businesses fighting against big-box retailers. The first half of the excerpt contains a visit to Seligman, Ariz., and its Sno-Cap Drive-In and Route 66 advocate Angel Delgadillo. The second half tells about Wal-Mart's offensive ad against Flagstaff's efforts to … Continue reading “Independent America” on Route 66
The freedom to be stupid
I never thought a restaurant would be this dumb to want to alienate potential customers. But here it is, straight from the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff: Over the last two weeks, Crazy Bill's Saloon and Steak House has put up two messages on its marquee facing Route 66 that have prompted some residents to … Continue reading The freedom to be stupid
Route 66 cuisine to be at Epcot Center
Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida will host the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival from Sept. 28 to Nov. 11, which will feature Oklahoma and Route 66 diner foods, according to the Journal Record, based in Oklahoma. The festival showcases no less than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions of regional specialty foods … Continue reading Route 66 cuisine to be at Epcot Center
Preservation video
KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City interviewed Emily Priddy of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association preservation committee and aired video from the Ray's Motel preservation project in Clinton, Okla., and the National Route 66 Festival in June. The interview was conducted live on the station's morning show a few weeks ago, and was recently posted on the … Continue reading Preservation video