This is short notice, but I received word Thursday that boosters of the Official World's Largest Catsup Bottle in Collinsville, Ill., are holding a picnic after 11 a.m. Sunday, literally under the water tower that resembles a ketchup bottle. The event comes after the recent cancellation of the Catsup Bottle Summerfest because of infighting between … Continue reading Catsup Bottle party goes on
Category: Attractions
Paradise returns
The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader published an informative article about the recent reopening of the former Exotic Animal Paradise near Strafford, Mo., now the Animal Paradise Family Fun Park. The park reopened in April after it was sold at auction last year. It sounds like a lot of improvements have been made: [T]hey brought in new … Continue reading Paradise returns
Gunfight at Oatman
OK, not really. But every day at 1:30 p.m., Old West gunfighters do a show on Route 66 in Oatman, Ariz. As this video shows, it's all pretty tongue-in-cheek and done for entertainment instead of historical re-enactment. The sound quality of the video is erratic, but it's almost as good as being there if you … Continue reading Gunfight at Oatman
Lightning meets Mater
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe published a story about four women who are refurbishing a former gas station on Route 66 in nearby Galena, Kan., into a tourism center. On Thursday, a family from Texas with a 1995 Mustang Cobra decked out to resemble Lightning McQueen from the 2006 animated movie "Cars" stopped by to visit … Continue reading Lightning meets Mater
Illinois sees rise in tourism revenues
The state of Illinois broke records for tourism revenue during 2006, reports the Pontiac Daily Leader. Livingston County saw an 8.8 percent increase. The reason? "I think part of the increase in numbers for our county are related to the Route 66 phenomena," Ellie Alexander, Pontiac's tourism director, said about the Illinois figures. "The cooperation … Continue reading Illinois sees rise in tourism revenues
A talk with the Sheriff
The Daily Oklahoman concludes its week-long coverage of Route 66 and the National Route 66 Festival in Clinton, Okla., with an interview with Michael Wallis, author of "Route 66: The Mother Road" and the voice of the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars." The linked page includes an audio file of Wallis' distinctive … Continue reading A talk with the Sheriff
Slide show from western Arizona
Here is a YouTube video from the western Arizona towns of Oatman, Kingman and Seligman. Look out for the wild burros.
Pontiac set to add to Route 66 attractions
A report by the Pontiac (Ill.) Daily Leader about Monday's city council meeting had items of interest for Route 66ers: A mural is planned on the east side of the Diaz Sign Art building at 628 W. Lincoln Ave. that says "Enjoy Pontiac, Illinois on Route 66" with a 1950s-era car and a Route 66 … Continue reading Pontiac set to add to Route 66 attractions
Miami, Okla., jumps on Route 66 bandwagon
The Daily Oklahoman has a good overview about big changes in the offing for Miami, Okla., which once was tepid to Route 66 but now seems to have jumped onto the Mother Road bandwagon. The city has applied for a bunch of grants for streetscape improvements, shoring up historic properties and better signs to direct … Continue reading Miami, Okla., jumps on Route 66 bandwagon
Report from Meteor Crater
About once a month, I receive an e-newsletter from the fun folks at RoadsideAmerica.com. Reports from the site's editors and correspondents are always irreverent, but informative. The latest edition has a story about longtime Route 66 attraction Meteor Crater, which is east of Flagstaff, Ariz. And I learned several things about it that I didn't … Continue reading Report from Meteor Crater