San Jacinto Christian Academy, a private school in Amarillo, Texas, wants to close adjacent streets, citing the safety of kids going to and from school, according to the Amarillo Globe-News (free registration required). The neighborhood is fighting the proposal, though. It fears the street closings will adversely affect businesses along the U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street … Continue reading Route 66 district fights street closure proposal
Category: Businesses
Route 66 business owner honored
I missed this somewhere, but this opinion piece in the Mountain View Telegraph reveals that Mike Anaya, owner of Mike's Friendly Store on old Route 66 in Moriarty, N.M., was inducted into the New Mexico Business Hall of Fame. Anaya is no absentee owner. He's easy to find at his supermarket and is not afraid … Continue reading Route 66 business owner honored
Historic service station in limbo
Here's an item from the Ontario (Calif.) Daily Bulletin that's a bit discouraging: RANCHO CUCAMONGA - The historic gas station on Foothill Boulevard west of Archibald Avenue, one of the last relics of the Route 66 days, has been fenced off for some time now but the city says no plans for the station have … Continue reading Historic service station in limbo
Two Route 66 towns to enroll in Main Street program
The Tulsa World reports today that the City Council is expected to allow part of southwest Tulsa, known as Red Fork, to participate in the Oklahoma Main Street revitalization and preservation program. It would last for three years and cost $150,000. It would recognize what is being called Red Fork Main Street, which encompasses two … Continue reading Two Route 66 towns to enroll in Main Street program
Raising the Pops bottle
Jim Ross sent us some photos he shot Monday of the raising of the 66-foot-tall giant pop bottle and drinking straw that will stand near the Pops convenience store and diner along Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla. Pops is the brainchild of Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon. Ross wrote: Here are some shots of the … Continue reading Raising the Pops bottle
Spirit of Aviatrix Ballroom revived
Carlton Scales, a former big-band leader, started the Aviatrix Ballroom on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, in 1939. The venue drew such performers as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Dorsey. Sadly, the Aviatrix closed in 1988 after business dwindled for years. Now the Amarillo Globe-News (free registration required) reports that Scales' daughter, Maggie, 49, … Continue reading Spirit of Aviatrix Ballroom revived
More SUV than the driver can handle
The combination of a traffic accident and the weight of ice and snow caused the collapse of the Carthage Route 66 Antique Mall at 1221 Oak St. in Carthage, Mo., earlier this week. The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported: The incident began when a car ran into the building and one of the supporting trusses on … Continue reading More SUV than the driver can handle
The realities of running a bed-and-breakfast
The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader has an interesting article about the other side of the idyllic existance that bed-and-breakfasts convey. Co-owner Michaelene Stevens of the Dickey House, which is in the Route 66 town in Marshfield, Mo., were candid enough to tell the newspaper that running such a lodging business is a lot of hard work. … Continue reading The realities of running a bed-and-breakfast
This is a church?
The Creek County (Okla.) Board of Adjustment rejected Charles Elliott's request for zoning exceptions so he can host a motorcycle rally on his property off Route 66 near Depew, according to the Sapulpa Daily Herald. Elliott hosted one rally last year, but a second was halted by a court injunction because it violated zoning rules. … Continue reading This is a church?
New Joplin business opens in historic building
Route 66 TV Online reports that a new business, Columbia Traders, has opened in the 114-year-old Columbia Building at 420 S. Main St. in downtown Joplin, Mo. The Deli and grocery serves local residents and Route 66 visitors breakfast and lunch from 6:30 am to 7 pm weekdays, 9 to 5 on Sat. and is … Continue reading New Joplin business opens in historic building