While returning to Tulsa from a weekend outing in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico, we saw a slight but welcome change to the restoration of the closed Lucille's near Hydro, Okla. See it? Here's a hint: The little Lucille's sign has been restored. The sign had continued to fade after Lucille Hamons' death in … Continue reading Not fade away
Category: Businesses
Skywalk road update
Roadside America has an interesting update about the horrible, 14-mile Diamond Bar Road that leads to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is off Route 66. The developers of Skywalk spent millions of dollars on their horseshoe-shaped walkway, but apparently couldn't spent a million or two more to improve the primitive road leading to it. Complaints … Continue reading Skywalk road update
New paint job
We stayed at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., just a few months after owners Bill Kinder and Terri Johnson put a new, old coat of paint on the historic Route 66 motel. Kinder said he wanted to bring back the Blue Swallow to its original shades, circa 1939. Much of the complex was … Continue reading New paint job
A stroll through Seligman
Here's a video of the funky sights of the quintessential Route 66 town of Seligman, Ariz. You'll see a lot of the Sno-Cap Drive-In, Angel Delgadillo's barbershop and other businesses along the main drag.
More reports from Oklahoma 66 meetings
Required public hearings about designating Oklahoma's Route 66 a national scenic byway are working their way across the state, and reports from newspapers are coming with them. The Associated Press has an article. The Sapulpa Daily Herald has one. And the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City attended a hearing in Edmond: "More neon,” Marilyn Emde … Continue reading More reports from Oklahoma 66 meetings
Rental-car business opens in old gas station
The Journal Record reports that an old Phillips 66 cottage-style gas station at 602 S. Elgin in Tulsa recently opened in its new configuration -- as an Avis rental-car business. The station, built about 1932, was part of an older alignment of Route 66 through downtown. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. Local … Continue reading Rental-car business opens in old gas station
Green Parrot Tavern’s demise is imminent
Longtime readers Dan and Cyndy Imming, who are relocating from Las Vegas to Route 66 in Galena, Kan., have informed me that the Green Parrot Tavern in Galena will be torn down Thursday. The building, which is more than 100 years old, became structurally unsafe when a sinkhole unexpectedly opened up behind the property in … Continue reading Green Parrot Tavern’s demise is imminent
Route 66 preservation grants announced
On Friday, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service announced its cost-share grant awards for 2007. These grants cover 50 percent of the cost of historic properties' preservation efforts or programs about Route 66. John Osterman Gas Station, Peach Springs, Ariz., $28,000 grant. From 1929 until its recent closure, the station … Continue reading Route 66 preservation grants announced
POPS was a’poppin’ in its first month
POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla., was a big hit business-wise, according to a report in the Daily Oklahoman. Let us count the ways: POPS sold 45,000 specialty soft drinks, plus another 15,000 fountain drinks. That's equivalent to a dozen sold-out NBA games at Ford Center in nearby Oklahoma City. POPS' manager anticipated sales … Continue reading POPS was a’poppin’ in its first month
Just listed
The Bristow Firestone Service Station at 321 N. Main, aka Route 66, in Bristow, Okla., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 6. I was passing through town today, so I shot photos of it. As you can see, the sign pole is still standing, even if the sign is long … Continue reading Just listed