Dave Bakke of the Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register has a great feature about The Old Station in the Route 66 town of Williamsville, Ill. The owner is Frank Kohlrus, and it sounds like he's quite a character: He sells Route 66 memorabilia at his unique Williamsville shop, The Old Station. He also drove a tow truck … Continue reading ‘A little bit of everything’
Category: Businesses
Prime the pumps
The gas pumps at Roy's in Amboy, Calif., began working again in earnest on Thursday, reports the Inland Press-Enterprise. Hundreds of travelers, including motorcyclists on the annual Laughlin River Run, stopped in to cool off with sodas and water and to fuel their vehicles. Even before Okura formally reopened the restored gas station at 11:30 … Continue reading Prime the pumps
Nightclub on wheels
The Route 66 Casino Hotel near Albuquerque is constantly trying promotional gimmicks to draw customers. This one, I admit, is unique. It's a miniature replica of the casino's KXX nightclub -- complete with dancers, a bar, a dance floor, lounge chairs and disco lighting -- in a self-contained, street-legal truck. The party truck recently cruised … Continue reading Nightclub on wheels
“Abe on 66” bookstore opens tomorrow
Remember the announcement about an "Abe on 66" bookstore in Bloomington, Ill., which specializes in items from Route 66, Abraham Lincoln and "The Wizard of Oz"? It opens Friday. It's at 402 1/2 N. Main St. (map here). However, this excerpt from the Bloomington Pantagraph's story troubled me: Initial store hours at Abe on 66 … Continue reading “Abe on 66” bookstore opens tomorrow
Ghost town
Here's an atmospheric film about the nearly deserted Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif. Fortunately, Roy's (which is featured in the footage) is on an upswing. That's thanks to Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura, who is slowly but surely bringing the business back to life. UPDATE: I just found out from California Route … Continue reading Ghost town
Route 66 artist setting up shop near Mother Road
Route 66 artist, researcher and author Jerry McClanahan announced he is moving from north Texas to the Mother Road community of Chandler, Okla. McClanahan holds considerable stature with roadies. In addition to being an accomplished painter of scenes from the Mother Road, he wrote the indispensable "Route 66: EZ Guide for Travelers" guidebook that combines … Continue reading Route 66 artist setting up shop near Mother Road
From dirt into art
KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City did a story about Bradley's Pottery in Chandler, Oka., which is on Route 66. It turns out that Julie Bradley uses Oklahoma's red clay right in her back yard for her creations. "This red clay is equivalent to stoneware," she says. "So you can bake with it. You can microwave with … Continue reading From dirt into art
Arizona agency expands Route 66 redevelopment program
The first two paragraphs in a story in the Kingman (Ariz.) Daily Miner contains a subtle, but important, difference, with my emphasis in bold: KINGMAN - Kingman will host a conference to explore economic redevelopment opportunities for contaminated properties in all northern Arizona communities along historic Route 66. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the … Continue reading Arizona agency expands Route 66 redevelopment program
World’s largest rocking chair set up in Missouri
First off, this is not an April Fools' Day joke. Today, a rocking chair that's 46 feet tall was set up on old Route 66 four miles west of Cuba, Mo. It's next to the Fanning U.S. 66 Outpost & General Store in the tiny settlement of Fanning. According to the news release, the big … Continue reading World’s largest rocking chair set up in Missouri
Second thoughts
According to the information with the video, this is a student film shot at Dry Creek Station on old Route 66 east of Barstow, Calif. It's not an earth-shattering story, but it serves to show the value of slowing down and thinking about things -- a Mother Road attribute if there ever was one. Incidentally, … Continue reading Second thoughts