The Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, aka OKPOP, attained its $18 million fundraising goal a few days ago, activating $18 million in matching funds from the state government so the Tulsa facility can finish interior exhibits and construction. The museum has now set a goal for a grand opening celebration for the spring of 2028. … Continue reading OKPOP museum in Tulsa hits fundraising goal, gets state matching funds to finish project
Category: Books
Norman Rockwell exhibit debuts today at the J.M. Davis Museum in Claremore
The J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum along Route 66 in Claremore, Oklahoma, today is opening its newest exhibit, "Norman Rockwell: In Search of America." Rockwell, a painter and illustrator for about 60 years, was beloved during his lifetime for his sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious look at American life. According to the Oklahoma Route 66 … Continue reading Norman Rockwell exhibit debuts today at the J.M. Davis Museum in Claremore
Book review: “Route 66 Roadscapes: Stories Through the Lens”
In a lot of ways, you can describe this book as "the road less traveled." Nashville-based photographer Jay Farrell's "Route 66 Roadscapes: Stores Through the Lens" (224 pages, hardback, color images), generally avoids the nostalgia that permeates much of old U.S. 66, although a few familiar landmarks occasionally appear. Instead, many of the images in … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 Roadscapes: Stories Through the Lens”
Flagstaff art center hosting Route 66 photo work of Edward Keating, Wes Pope
The Cononino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona, is hosting through late September the Route 66-related works of pinhole cameraman Wes Pope and late Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Edward Keating. The "Route 66: Alternative Perspectives" exhibition displays "a decidedly non-nostalgic and creatively interpretive photo-documentary of life along the Mother Road," the center stated. The Main … Continue reading Flagstaff art center hosting Route 66 photo work of Edward Keating, Wes Pope
Book review: “Route 66: The First 100 Years”
As Route 66's centennial next year approaches, the first book that takes a retrospective look at the highway and looks ahead at its next century has entered the market. That book is the sumptuously illustrated "Route 66: The First 100 Years" (Amazon affiliate link) by the husband-and-wife team of Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, both … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66: The First 100 Years”
Gravesite of Grandpa Joad added to west side of Pony Bridge
I'm a bit surprised no one has done this before, but someone recently added a grave marker for Grandpa Joad from "The Grapes of Wrath" film at the west end of Route 66's landmark Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma. Jonathan Dobbs alerted the Historic Route 66 group on Facebook about the wooden grave marker, simply … Continue reading Gravesite of Grandpa Joad added to west side of Pony Bridge
Friends of the Orphan Signs in Albuquerque wins $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant
Friends of the Orphan Signs, a nonprofit organization that repurposes abandoned signs into art along Route 66 in Albuquerque, recently received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, which reported on the award, said it was one of 19 organizations in New Mexico that received the … Continue reading Friends of the Orphan Signs in Albuquerque wins $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant
West End Service Station in Edwardsville hosting a display on local Black history
The West End Service Station on Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, is hosting a display on local Black history -- including a bit of the city's own -- through the end of this month. The former gas station at 620 St. Louis St. (aka Route 66), converted into a visitor's center in 2023, presents Black … Continue reading West End Service Station in Edwardsville hosting a display on local Black history
Circle Cinema in Tulsa to host free screening of “Route 66: An American Odyssey” on Nov. 11
The historic Circle Cinema in Tulsa will host a rare and free screening of John Paget's film "Route 66: An American Odyssey" with a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker and the film's narrator and host, Michael Wallis. A reception will be held in the venue's lobby at 6 p.m. Nov. 11, with the screening at … Continue reading Circle Cinema in Tulsa to host free screening of “Route 66: An American Odyssey” on Nov. 11
“BLVD” Cafe sign moved from closed Barstow museum to Duarte Historical Museum
The "BLVD" Cafe sign is back in the town where it once stood. The sign was on loan from the Duarte Historical Society in Duarte, California, to the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow, California, for about 30 years. But after the museum closed earlier this year, Duarte historian Alan Heller recalled the sign was … Continue reading “BLVD” Cafe sign moved from closed Barstow museum to Duarte Historical Museum