I bet you didn't know the historic Round Barn of Arcadia, Okla., hosts bluegrass music from noon to 6 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. If you're there, you might hear music by the likes of Burlap Tuxedo. https://youtu.be/ONJzIhvJSqg The loft of the Round Barn makes it ideal for acoustic musicians. The round … Continue reading Music straight from the barn
Category: Attractions
A mountain will rise north of Galena
The landscape near old Route 66 north of Galena, Kan., probably will see a significant change by fall of 2013 -- a 40-foot-tall hill in the wake of the cleanup of a closed smelting plant. According to a plan by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment unveiled Aug. 3, the agency will clean up … Continue reading A mountain will rise north of Galena
Route 66 town adds charging station for electric cars
The small Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill., has added a charging station for electric vehicles just a half-block off old Route 66, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph. Bill Thomas, a director for the Atlanta Betterment Fund economic development group, compared the adding of a charging station to gas stations before the Route 66 era began … Continue reading Route 66 town adds charging station for electric cars
A gift that keeps giving
In an effort to boost tourism in Kingman, Ariz., roadie Jim Hinckley and several city officials assembled a Route 66-themed gift basket worth $600 to be given away through 66: The Mother Road, an Internet-only magazine. The Kingman Daily Miner reported: Contents include a two-night stay at the El Trovatore Motel, gift certificates to local … Continue reading A gift that keeps giving
The nights of New Mexico
Skylights - A Timelapse Film from Knate Myers on Vimeo. I, too, have witnessed nights such as the ones shown by photographer Knate Myers, mostly in the nearly deserted Route 66 hamlets of Cuervo, Montoya, and Glenrio. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)
Pontiac continues its tourism surge
The focus has been on the Route 66 town of Pontiac, Ill., in recent stories about the uncommonly strong tourism that Illinois saw in 2011. But this excerpt in a new story by the Pontiac Daily Leader got my attention: Locally, the city of Pontiac last year experienced a 40 percent increase in the number … Continue reading Pontiac continues its tourism surge
Radio series explores eastern Oklahoma’s Mother Road
In the few weeks, KRPS, a public radio station in Pittsburg, Kan., produced a series of short stories about Route 66 in eastern Oklahoma. You can hear them here. The Hogue House, a Sears home, in Chelsea, Okla. [audio https://www.krps.org/archive/r66-7.mp3] Afton Station in Afton, Okla. [audio https://www.krps.org/archive/r66-6.mp3] Totem Pole Park near Foyil, Okla. [audio https://www.krps.org/archive/r66-4.mp3] Hammett House restaurant … Continue reading Radio series explores eastern Oklahoma’s Mother Road
Several Scenic Byways grants go to Route 66
About 125 grants from the National Scenic Byways Program were announced Thursday, with several of them going to Route 66 projects. The following is a Route 66-related list of the grant award, where it's going, and a description from the Federal Highway Administration of its purpose: --- $267,038, Kingman, Ariz., Historic Route 66 Kingman Pedestrian Crossing … Continue reading Several Scenic Byways grants go to Route 66
Route 66 bolsters Illinois recovery in tourism
The state of Illinois announced that tourism returned to pre-recession levels in 2011, with Route 66 helping drive that recovery, reported the Chicago Tribune. The state reported hosting more than 93.3 million visitors, up 10.2 percent from 2010 and surpassing the previous record of 91 million in 2006. The increase outpaced a national average gain … Continue reading Route 66 bolsters Illinois recovery in tourism
Still tree-mendous
Longtime readers may remember a story from two years ago where Durelle Pritchard of Pontiac, Ill., decided to do something different about getting rid of a nuisance pine tree in his yard. Instead of chopping down the tree, he had a chain-saw artist whittle it into the shape of an old-fashioned gas pump. Pritchard's house sits … Continue reading Still tree-mendous