Nearly five months after its groundbreaking ceremony, Pops -- an unusual gas station that will lure tourists with a 66-foot-tall soda bottle lit with LEDs out front, a collection of 12,000 soda bottles inside, and an elaborate, futuristic canopy cantilevered over the gas pumps -- is beginning to rise from the red Oklahoma dirt in … Continue reading Popping up
Category: Businesses
A street is hoppin’ in Joplin
Joplin (Mo.) Globe columnist Mike Pound reports that Broadway in Joplin, which is part of an old alignment of Route 66, seems to be undergoing a traffic resurgence. The restaurants along the street are busier, and a promising lunch-only place called the Cobblestone Cafe has opened there. The cafe, which has been open for three … Continue reading A street is hoppin’ in Joplin
Grand Canyon Railway sold
The Grand Canyon Railway, which starts in the Route 66 town of Williams, Ariz., and takes tourists to the canyon's South Rim, has been sold to a Colorado firm that runs concessions in the canyon, reports the Phoenix Business Journal. Xanterra Parks and Resorts hopes to formally close the deal by next month. Max and … Continue reading Grand Canyon Railway sold
Sinclair dinosaur returns to gas station
In 1963, a Sinclair gas station opened on old Route 66 on 200 E. Baltimore in Wilmington, Ill., featuring the brand's green brontosaurus that overlooked the station and highway. Gary Geiss bought the station in 2001 and sought to put a dinosaur back on the building (there's no word on what happened to the old … Continue reading Sinclair dinosaur returns to gas station
Building boom near Route 66 Casino
The Pueblo of Laguna is set to break ground today on a new 150-room hotel next to the burgeoning Route 66 Casino west of Albuquerque, reports the Albuquerque Tribune. That includes the Isleta Pueblo that broke ground last month on a 201-room hotel. And a few months ago, Sandia Pueblo started construction on a 228-room … Continue reading Building boom near Route 66 Casino
Start your engines
Opening day of the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino was Thursday. The San Bernardino County Sun has a report. Also, the Sun will have extended coverage of the event at this site, which also contains video links and audio slideshows. The Sun also has this article about Route 66 businesses in the Mojave Desert … Continue reading Start your engines
So what’s going on with Amboy?
More than a year ago, Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain in Southern California, purchased the entire Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif. He was hoping to restore the cafe, gas station and perhaps the motel to some semblance of its former self. The Ontario (Calif.) Daily Bulletin has an update today … Continue reading So what’s going on with Amboy?
Art gallery opens in Red Fork
For roadies who are unfamiliar with Red Fork, it is an old, working-class neighborhood on Route 66 in southwest Tulsa. The downtown area of Red Fork is basically across Southwest Boulevard, aka Route 66, from Ollie's Station. There is an antique stove company and a smattering of other businesses in downtown Red Fork. But there … Continue reading Art gallery opens in Red Fork
Route 66 Corridor grants announced
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, run by the Nationa Park Service, has announced its annual recipients of cost-share grants totaling $117,102. The news release does a good job detailing the recipients and for what purpose, so I'm quoting it verbatim and adding links where applicable: 1) Atlanta, Illinois – Palms Grill Café. Grant … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor grants announced
Cleaning up old Route 66
This report from the Arizona Republic does a good job of why it's important the old, abandoned gas stations are being cleaned up along old Route 66, especially in a stretch between Holbrook and Winslow. The Department of Environmental Quality program is sparking new interest in development along the Mother Road. Before, no one was willing to … Continue reading Cleaning up old Route 66