A film crew in the San Francisco Bay area, in association with RoadsideAmerica.com, is raising money for a movie about Muffler Men -- the giant fiberglass figures. The crew is trying to raise $30,000 in donations by Sept. 1 through a Kickstarter project so it can start shooting the documentary this fall. As of Thursday evening, … Continue reading Filmmakers plan Muffler Men documentary
Category: History
A visit with Lucille Hamons
Here's a video that popped up on YouTube -- a television reporter interviews Lucille Hamons, owner of Lucille's on Route 66 in Hydro, Okla.: https://youtu.be/WgqEkU5xywk Lucille operated the gas station from 1941 until her death in 2000. However, the station was built in 1927. With the reporter mentioning that it celebrated its 69th birthday, that … Continue reading A visit with Lucille Hamons
Williams may get a railroad museum next year
Tucked into this Arizona Republic story about a railroad buff is this intriguing excerpt: For years, Al Richmond has been collecting - schedules, pamphlets, photos, even locomotives - things that would tell railroad's story as it unfolded in Arizona. [...] To appreciate what happened as the rails made their way across Arizona in the late … Continue reading Williams may get a railroad museum next year
Webb City restaurant may resurrect mural
Bradbury-Bishop Deli, a business which sat just north of Route 66 in Webb City, Mo., for decades, may re-create a large mural that once graced the side of its building. The co-owner of the business, Carol Dudash, recently found in the building's attic a 1940s photograph of what then was the Bradbury-Bishop Drug Co. The … Continue reading Webb City restaurant may resurrect mural
No friend of Route 66 — again
You have to admit, at least Sen. Tom Coburn is consistent. The Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma has targeted the National Park Service's Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program in his newly published "Oklahoma Waste Report" (pdf document) -- his latest salvo against the much-praised Mother Road program. In one chapter of the report, "Get Your Federal … Continue reading No friend of Route 66 — again
2011 cost-share grant awards announced
Today, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced the awarding of 10 cost-share grants to Route 66 property owners for the 2011 fiscal year. Here's the listing, straight from the agency: Route 66 Motel sign and roof rehabilitation, Kingman, Ariz. ($10,319 federal grant, $10,319 match by owner) -- The Route 66 Motel has been a welcoming … Continue reading 2011 cost-share grant awards announced
A new wrinkle on Wrink’s Market
For an all-too-brief period, Terry Wrinkle resurrected Wrink's Market, the longtime Route 66 business in Lebanon, Mo., owned and operated by his late father Glenn Wrinkle. When Terry shut down the business in 2009, the future of the building looked cloudy. However, in recent weeks, the old Wrink's Market has found new life with D.C. … Continue reading A new wrinkle on Wrink’s Market
Two-steppin’ back in time
Someone posted a newscast video from circa 1987 by the now-defunct KTSP-TV in Phoenix about Bert's Country Dancin', a place that held dances only on Saturday nights on old Route 66 between Hackberry and Valentine, Ariz. https://youtu.be/ukXZbnB5gPQ This site had a bit more information about Bert's: That was when Bert Denton, a retired cowboy and sometimes … Continue reading Two-steppin’ back in time
Book review: “The Big Roads”
Many Route 66 fans loathe to give much thought to interstate highways. However, to understand the history of the Mother Road, one must also understand the history of the superslabs. That's where Earl Swift's new book, "The Big Roads" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 376 pages, $27, e-book available), comes in. Subtitled "The Untold Story of the Engineers, … Continue reading Book review: “The Big Roads”
Star Cash grocery in Commerce closes
Star Cash Grocery, which operated on old Route 66 in Commerce, Okla., since 1938, closed its doors last week, reported the Tulsa World today. "The economy and Walmart has forced the store to close down," Trease said. Large chain stores like Walmart and Dollar General are within a few of miles of Star Cash and … Continue reading Star Cash grocery in Commerce closes