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?
Category: Gas stations
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
Notes from the road
A few weeks ago, while geocaching near Route 66 in Riverton, Kan., we found out about the strange story of May D. Knotts. According to a geocaching site, May D. Knotts was said to have been hanged from an old oak tree in 1904 after it was discovered that she was a witch. Knotts, who … Continue reading Notes from the road
Found: the Texola monument
A few days ago, Corkey Mayberry of Park Hills, Mo., wondered what happened to a Texas-shaped monument that greeted Route 66 travelers in the border town of Texola, Okla. Mayberry and his wife had their picture taken at the monument in 1955. On a Route 66 trip a few weeks ago, Mayberry tried to find … Continue reading Found: the Texola monument
CNG GTO update
The Daily Oklahoman filed a story today about Mark McConville and his 1966 GTO that's been outfitted to run on compressed natural gas. McConville's Drive to Inspire on Route 66 began last weekend from Santa Monica, Calif., in an effort to boost CNG as an alternative to gasoline and the infrastructure it will need. That's … Continue reading CNG GTO update
Jerry McClanahan wins top honor at Will Rogers Awards
Longtime author and artist Jerry McClanahan won the prestigious Will Rogers Award during the Will Rogers Awards Evening on Saturday night during the Tri-State Route 66 International Festival at Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Okla. McClanahan, who has researched Route 66 since the early 1980s, has written several magazine articles about obscure Mother Road alignments … Continue reading Jerry McClanahan wins top honor at Will Rogers Awards
Webb City works on visitors center
Here's the work being done on the interior of the future Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Webb City, Mo., that's going in an old gas station on Route 66. The building is on Main and Broadway. The old gas station also will be home to the city's chamber of commerce. (Photos courtesy of Ron … Continue reading Webb City works on visitors center
Notes from the road
(Editor's note: This is my Catch Up from the Memorial Day Holiday Edition.) Actor and director Dennis Hopper died over the weekend after a long bout with prostate cancer. He was 74. A memorial service and burial was held Wednesday at a church in his beloved Taos, N.M., where he lived for years. Although a … Continue reading Notes from the road