A visit to Cool Springs

Yahoo! has just posted this video about the Cool Springs on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, Ariz. It's a former gas station that was restored a few years ago. It doesn't show the outside of Cool Springs very well, but it does bring some publicity to the Mother Road.

Volunteers to brighten abandoned gas stations in Tucumcari

Volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., want to brighten up the town's Route 66 corridor by repainting several abandoned gas stations, including one that will look like a Whiting Brothers station when finished, according to an article in the Quay County Sun. Chamber executive director Bob Beaulieu said the idea was hatched on Saturday morning when a … Continue reading Volunteers to brighten abandoned gas stations in Tucumcari

Webb City readies new tourism center

The new Route 66 Center in downtown Webb City, Mo., isn't set to open until Oct. 1, but it's already received visitors, reported the Joplin Globe. It even had its first official visitors this week — tourists from London who were traveling the famous highway from Los Angeles to Chicago, said Chuck Surface, director of … Continue reading Webb City readies new tourism center

Agency will honor restoration of two Illinois Route 66 landmarks

The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program soon will honor groups' work to two historic landmarks along Route 66 in Illinois, according to news releases from the agency. The landmarks are Soulsby Station in Mount Olive and Sprague's Super Service station in Normal. The ceremony for Soulsby Station Society will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. … Continue reading Agency will honor restoration of two Illinois Route 66 landmarks

A refreshing stop at Russell’s

During trips this past year to eastern New Mexico, we noticed the construction of a massive truck stop and travel center at the Endee exit, off Interstate 40. A few weeks ago, Russell's Truck & Travel Center opened. We stopped there during a recent journey to Tucumcari, and we were pleasantly surprised by what we … Continue reading A refreshing stop at Russell’s

Route 66 cost-share grants announced

The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program on Friday announced in its quarterly newsletter its annual cost-share grants for historic Route 66 businesses and landmarks. Most of the information comes from the newsletter or news release, except where I added links and other information. The recipients are: Historic Seligman Sundries, Seligman, Ariz. -- With its distinct false front, … Continue reading Route 66 cost-share grants announced

Obscure compared to what?

A report today from the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit group that advocates free-market solutions, recommended that the State of Illinois abolish its Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Heartland Institute says the deficit-wracked state would save millions of dollars by abolishing the agency (although the group doesn't specify how much savings would be generated … Continue reading Obscure compared to what?

Pop a top on Dublin Dr Pepper

American Profile magazine posted an effervescent story about the Dr Pepper plant in Dublin, Texas -- the only Dr Pepper bottler left that still uses Imperial cane sugar from the original 1885 recipe instead of the now-common corn syrup. It's called Dublin Dr Pepper, and folks drive from many miles around to get it because … Continue reading Pop a top on Dublin Dr Pepper

Notes from the road

The documentary "Route 66: Ten Years Later" will have its debut at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Portage Theater in Chicago. Writer Tim Steil and photographer Jim Luning collaborated on their "Route 66" book during a Mother Road trip in 1999. A decade later, they decided to revisit the places they saw and see … Continue reading Notes from the road

Santa Rosa scoops

I always enjoy the print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based out of Santa Rosa, N.M., when it arrives in my mailbox each week. It's a lively newspaper owned by a former Rocky Mountain News reporter, and the fact it's on Route 66 is  bonus. This week, the Communicator contained these items of interest … Continue reading Santa Rosa scoops