Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri, will reopen and resume partial tours today after a three-month closure because of cancer-causing fumes believed to have come from a Superfund site. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that the upper portions of the caves with ancient mineral formations no longer pose a health risk … Continue reading Meramec Caverns reopens today
Category: Businesses
Galena’s Bordello becomes an antiques store
Galena's Bordello in Galena, Kansas, recently was purchased by an English couple and has been converted into an antiques store. KSN-TV reports David and Vicky Horbury have changed the name to Bordello Antiques: They sell all antiques that are imported from their home country. They say they fell in love with the people and Route … Continue reading Galena’s Bordello becomes an antiques store
Los Angeles may preserve ‘Green Book’ properties
Los Angeles and the Getty Conservation Institute are exploring the possibility of rehabbing and protecting about 50 properties once listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book. A few of the properties may be designated as L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments, reported the Los Angeles Times. The Green Book was created by Victor H. Green, a postal service worker from Harlem, N.Y., … Continue reading Los Angeles may preserve ‘Green Book’ properties
City buys Sprague Super Service station
The city council of Normal, Illinois, on Monday night approved a deal for the purchase and maintenance of Terri Ryburn's Sprague Super Service station on Route 66. Ryburn posted on her Facebook account shortly after the vote: Well, it's official. The Town of Normal council voted tonight to buy my building; I will get to … Continue reading City buys Sprague Super Service station
City may buy Sprague Super Service station
The city of Normal, Illinois, will vote Monday on whether to buy and keep up Terri Ryburn's historic Sprague Super Service station on old Route 66. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported: The council will consider a $458,000 investment, including $229,000 to buy the property, $200,000 to improve the building and $172,000 to buy and renovate an … Continue reading City may buy Sprague Super Service station
National parks likely will offer naming rights
The Painted Desert in Arizona won't be renamed the Sherwin Williams Painted Desert anytime soon. But many other things will be up for grabs when the National Park Service begins to look for naming rights for many parts of its facilities. The Washington Post this week published a story about this development. Hard up for money because of flat funding from … Continue reading National parks likely will offer naming rights
Springfield, Missouri, sees boom in hotel business
Springfield, Missouri, is experiencing a boom in hotel business so far in 2016, and it appears one big reason for it is Route 66. According to the KY3 station in town: The Convention and Visitors bureau says the number of visitors so far...and the number of hotel rooms occupied, has surpassed last year. Tracy Kimberlin … Continue reading Springfield, Missouri, sees boom in hotel business
Who’s going to the European Route 66 Festival?
I have two questions for my American readers. Are you going to the first-ever European Route 66 Festival near Stuttgart, Germany, on July 15-17? If so, are you going under the auspices of a certain organization? If any of those are a "yes," please elaborate in the comments section. Those questions came to mind when I learned … Continue reading Who’s going to the European Route 66 Festival?
Use of shipping containers causes controversy in Kingman
One man's use of a shipping container as a colorful billboard to welcome tourists into Kingman, Arizona, before the 2014 International Route 66 Festival has blown up into a fight with city hall amid accusations of hypocrisy and selective enforcement. Pat McBrayer, a former city councilor, painted a Route 66-themed mural on a yellow container (pictured above) and … Continue reading Use of shipping containers causes controversy in Kingman
Grocery may move into Gold Dome in Oklahoma City
A Natural Grocers store likely will move into the historic Gold Dome building in Oklahoma City, reported The Oklahoman newspaper. The deal with the building's owner, Jonathan Russell, negotiated with the grocery chain and its developer to have it oversee the building's renovation, yet preserve its historical integrity. The deal must be approved by the … Continue reading Grocery may move into Gold Dome in Oklahoma City