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.
Category: Events
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 …
Ummm … wrong
I found this news item tonight from the Inland Press-Enterprise about the San Bernardino County Fair, which is right off Route 66 in Victorville, Calif. But the article goes awry here: Serafini boasts that it is the last remaining county fair on the historic transcontinental highway [my emphasis]. Its closest contender is a fair in … Continue reading Ummm … wrong
El Reno Burger Day a big success
The El Reno Tribune reports that attendance at the 19th annual El Reno Burger Day in El Reno, Okla., was at least its second-biggest ever, with 25,000 roaming the festival area on Saturday. Look out for next year, though: “Next year is the 20th anniversary, so we are going to do that even bigger,” she … Continue reading El Reno Burger Day a big success
Fun Run breaks record
So much for the high cost of gasoline. According to the Kingman Daily Miner, the Arizona Route 66 Association's annual Fun Run boasted 815 entrants, beating last year's record of 800. That's a lot of classic cars in one place. 🙂
Behind the wheel
Members of the Joliet Region Model A Restorers' Club participated in the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor weekend from Joliet to Pontiac. The one who shot this video was driving a 1931 Ford Model A pickup. Great-looking vehicle, but, as you'll see in the footage, the payload isn't much.
Mother Road notebook
A few brief news items from Route 66: Reviews of Grand Canyon Skywalk have become so bad, its operators have hired a lawyer to send letters that threaten legal action against critics, reports East Valley Living. A prominent First Amendment attorney has scoffed at Skywalk's alleged intimidation efforts. Money quote from a nearby landowner: "We … Continue reading Mother Road notebook