Joplin barbershop designated a historic landmark

Dale's Ole 66 Barber Shop, at Utica Street and Euclid Avenue in Joplin, Mo., was designated a historical landmark by the Joplin Historic Preservation Commission, reports the Joplin Globe. The city will put up a sign outside the shop denoting its status. Any further changes planned for the building must be approved by the commission. … Continue reading Joplin barbershop designated a historic landmark

Filling Station marks 25 years

The Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph recounts the history of The Filling Station, just off Route 66 in Lexington, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The restaurant has been a strong Route 66 supporter for years and has its legions of fans. The Filling Station also is listed in the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide, published … Continue reading Filling Station marks 25 years

Jealous over Joplin?

Hank Billings' column today in the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, often filled with interesting historical tidbits, struck me as a bit of unseemly whining. He makes the dubious claim that "Does Joplin have a better press agent than Springfield or what?" by citing just two examples: A "Beverly Hillbillies" television episode in which Granny and Jed … Continue reading Jealous over Joplin?

New “Cars” video game being produced

Author and Route 66 expert Michael Wallis, who portrayed the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the hit Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," provided some interesting news to me this week via e-mail: This week I spent several hours in studio recording a brand new CARS video game featuring the Sheriff, Mater, Lightning and many of the other … Continue reading New “Cars” video game being produced

Rally ’round Red Fork

Today, I was sent this link to a video produced by Webster High School students in Tulsa and broadcast on a local TV station. The film is about the Red Fork Main Street revitalization program, and Route 66 plays  a prominent part in those plans for Tulsa's west side. The fledgling program is giving Red … Continue reading Rally ’round Red Fork

Thinkin’ about Lincoln

The Lincoln (Ill.) Courier has a couple of good stories about tourism. One is about how towns close to Springfield want to cash in on the overwhelming success that is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The towns on Route 66 seem to be doing well, but they certainly want to take advantage. The other story … Continue reading Thinkin’ about Lincoln

Another story about Oatman

This is the second story about the Route 66 town of Oatman, Ariz., in about three days, and it's a good one. The story by Jerry Rice for InsideBayArea.com contains a lot of local color and history. It even has some stuff I was unaware of, including horseback riding through the mountains, and Burro Biscuit … Continue reading Another story about Oatman

History of Route 66 on the Voice of America

Ted Landphair has provided a report on the history and current days of Historic Route 66 for the Voice of America. The Mother Road report provides a lot of attention in Oklahoma, including author Michael Wallis and Seaba Station owner Sue Preston. This also gives me the opportunity to try out this new audio plug-in … Continue reading History of Route 66 on the Voice of America

A tourism train in the Mojave?

It certainly looks like a bunch of folks are considering it, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. And one of the stops would be historic Harvey House in Barstow, Calif., which now houses the Route 66 Mother Road Museum. Taking a page from the Grand Canyon Railway in Arizona, the tourism train would run … Continue reading A tourism train in the Mojave?

Kicks in Amarillo

This recent story in the entertainment section of the Amarillo Globe-News does a decent job of summing up the Route 66 attractions in the Texas Panhandle's largest city.