For the second straight year, the Lift to the Rocker event at the Fanning 66 Outpost on Route 66 near Cuba, Mo., raised funds for the Cuba Volunteer Fire Department. For $5, participants could get the rare opportunity to be lifted by a fire department bucket truck to the seat of the store's 42-foot-tall World's … Continue reading How about a lift?
Category: Businesses
Old Matt is not that old
A mile or two east of Kellyville, Okla., on Route 66 is a new place called Old Matt's General Store. Here's the kicker: According to an article in the Sapulpa Daily Herald, owner Matthew Morris graduated in May and opened his store in mid-July. That's graduated from high school, not college. He has it figured … Continue reading Old Matt is not that old
Wrink’s Market closes
Buffeted by a poor economy and other economic factors, Terry Wrinkle pulled the plug on his resurrected Wrink's Market off old Route 66 in Lebanon, Mo., and closed it in mid-June. Wrinkle reopened Wrink's Market in June 2007 after his father and the store's longtime owner, Glenn "Wrink" Wrinkle, died in 2005 at age 82. … Continue reading Wrink’s Market closes
Notes from the road
--- The bad news in Oklahoma is that the state's turnpike authority will raise toll-road prices an average of 16 percent. The good news is that this probably means more traffic on old Route 66 in the Sooner State. --- On Monday we briefly visited with Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, … Continue reading Notes from the road
Great American Road Tripe
Following a premiere episode that showed potential, the second episode of NBC's "The Great American Road Trip" nosedived sharply in quality on Monday and probably will be this summer's television version of "Dead Man Walking" -- if it doesn't get canceled first. The first installment of the reality series that takes place on Route 66 … Continue reading Great American Road Tripe
Not in my Valle Vista
I recently received e-mails from a group, Concerned Citizens of Valle Vista & Surrounding Areas, that is opposing a proposed biodiesel plant near the subdivision of Valle Vista, about 15 miles northeast of Kingman, Ariz. The group said the plant would "potentially degrade a nice stretch of historic Route 66," and advocated relocating it "more … Continue reading Not in my Valle Vista
State budget woes may doom some rest stops
At least one cash-strapped state in which Route 66 traverses is considering shutting down its rest stops along the interstate highways, according to the Wall Street Journal. According to the article, Arizona is considering shutting down at least some of its rest stops as a cost-cutting move. An interesting excerpt: One hurdle for defenders of … Continue reading State budget woes may doom some rest stops
A last of the breed
In my first Route 66 trips, I noticed on dozens of businesses and billboards in eastern New Mexico the signs of a distinctive lettering by a sign painter. The signs were notable because of their lettering -- often a thick, squat, easily read style that I'd seen nowhere else. Some of the letters were shadowed … Continue reading A last of the breed
Students take a closer look at Route 66
The Prairie, a student-run newspaper at West Texas A&M University, has published a special issue that takes a closer look at historic Route 66, particularly in the Amarillo area. There's an overview of the road's history and a closer look at a number of businesses, including the Texas Ivy antique store, the Golden Light Cafe, … Continue reading Students take a closer look at Route 66
Popping a top on POPS beer
This flew under my radar, but POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla., introduced its own line of beer last year. That's in addition to the 500 types of sodas it sells. It offers POPS Hops Premium Select, Lager and Pilsner, all brewed by Huebert Brewing in Oklahoma City. Jennifer Eve, a spokeswoman for POPS, … Continue reading Popping a top on POPS beer