Route 66 Festival notes

The National Route 66 Festival is coming up in a few weeks in Clinton, Okla., on June 21-24, and here are a few items related to that event: -- The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is sponsoring a hands-on historic preservation project at the former Ray's Motel at 720 S. Eighth St. in Clinton from 11 … Continue reading Route 66 Festival notes

Not just a “morgue”

Here's a story from The Oklahoman about the Saturday opening of the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler, Okla. Choice excerpt: Anthony McDermid, principal designer at Tap Architecture of Oklahoma City, said they didn't want the center to be a morgue for old memorabilia. It was designed to complement other Route 66 stops, but be … Continue reading Not just a “morgue”

Riding for charity

Mark Schultz is a platinum-selling and Dove Award-winning Christian musician. Right now, he is undertaking a bicycle tour across America -- part of it on Route 66 -- to raise money for the James Fund to help orphans and widows. The Gallup (N.M.) Independent caught up with him over the weekend. Apparently the bicycle trip … Continue reading Riding for charity

Pedal power

The publicity machine is gearing up for the Route 66 Trail-Breaking along the Route 66 bicycle trail in Illinois on June 2. Here's a story from the Edwardsville Intelligencer about the event. Edwardsville is one of the six gathering points along the route. Here's another one from the Pontiac Daily Leader. Pontiac also is a … Continue reading Pedal power

37 Miles of Smiles

That's that the organizer is calling the garage sale along Route 66 in Logan County, Ill., reports the Lincoln Courier. The event will be on June 9-10. Just look for the "Route 66 Garage Sale" signs along various alignments of the route. The towns participating are Atlanta, Lawndale, Lincoln, Broadwell and Elkhart. Vendors spaces are … Continue reading 37 Miles of Smiles

Red Carpet treatment

Matt A. drove down Route 66 in Illinois during the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor weekend. Here's his blog about it, with plenty of photos.

A sneak peek of the Route 66 Interpretive Center

The new Route 66 Interpretive Center in the old Armory building in Chandler, Okla., doesn't open to the public until 11 a.m. Saturday, and I'll be out of town because of a prior engagement. However, Howard Dickman, chairman of the Old Armory Restorers group, showed me around the building a couple of days ago. The … Continue reading A sneak peek of the Route 66 Interpretive Center

Trail blazing

The Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat has a story about the "trail-breaking" on June 2 of the new Route 66 Trail from Chicago to St. Louis that was fashioned specifically for bicyclists. Six towns along the Mother Road are hosts for segments of the trail. The segments range from 17 to 50 miles, although riders can go … Continue reading Trail blazing

Dust Bowl aria

"The Grapes of Wrath" was an acclaimed novel by John Steinbeck. Then it became an acclaimed movie, starring a young Henry Fonda. It later became an acclaimed, Tony-winning play on Broadway. Now, "The Grapes of Wrath" as an opera? It's appears so. The Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City reports that the story of … Continue reading Dust Bowl aria

Today is Mother’s Day …

... have you been nice to your Mother Road lately? Meanwhile, the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune had this item in its Moments of Motherhood: 1926: U.S. Route 66, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, is formally opened. While novelist John Steinbeck would call it the "Mother Road" in his 1939 "The Grapes of Wrath," actress wannabes … Continue reading Today is Mother’s Day …