John Weeks, features editor of the Redlands (Calif.) Daily Facts, talks about the very first Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino in 1990: On Sunday, the actual day of the Rendezvous, additional show cars showed up, and by the time spectators started to arrive there were about 300 gleaming pre-1967 automobiles on hand, most of … Continue reading Rendezvous turns 21
Category: History
Using video to promote print
We've been seeing this a lot more in recent years, and it will continue to grow more popular -- using video to promote books. In this case, it's Cheryl Eichar Jett for her upcoming books from Arcadia Publishing, "Route 66 in Springfield" and "Route 66 in Madison County." Both books will be in stores on … Continue reading Using video to promote print
City, historical society fight over building
The City of Claremore, Okla., and the Rogers County Historical Society are in a spat over the use of a recently vacated building, reported the Claremore Daily Progress. The city wants the former Fire Administration Building at 121 N. Weenonah Ave. to be used as the new space for Department of Public Safety driver's licensing … Continue reading City, historical society fight over building
Book review: “Route 66 St. Louis”
In the preface to her new book, Norma Maret Bolin says the purpose of her previous work, "The Route 66 St. Louis Cookbook," was to raise funds for a more expansive historical recounting of Route 66 in the Gateway City. If you'll excuse the pun, Bolin really got cooking with her enormous new volume, "Route … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 St. Louis”
Springfield applies for grant for Bel-Aire Motel rehab
The City of Springfield, Ill., is applying for a grant to repair the long-declining Bel-Aire Motel and eventually convert it into a Route 66 museum, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register. The grant sought for the Bel-Aire is $1 million from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. The city plans to cover the other $600,000 for the … Continue reading Springfield applies for grant for Bel-Aire Motel rehab
County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges
The Desert Dispatch reports that San Bernardino County in California is seeking a federal grant to restore old bridges on the National Old Trails Road -- an early alignment of Route 66. The county applied for a $52 million stimulus grant to replace 130 bridges that were built between 1929 and 1931 on the old … Continue reading County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges
Oatman gets kicks from its burros
Chris Epting of AOL News has a dynamite headline that accompanies his story about the Route 66 town of Oatman, Ariz. -- "Oatman: A Town That Rose from its Asses." Although the town boasts re-enacted gunfights, keeps an Old West flavor, and preserved the hotel where Carole Lombard and Clark Gable honeymooned in 1939, Epting … Continue reading Oatman gets kicks from its burros
Filmmakers plan documentary on Benld’s Coliseum
Former schoolteachers Jim Marcacci and Bruce Logsdon have started planning a documentary about the history of the colorful Coliseum music venue in Benld, Ill., according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. The Coliseum, which sits on an early alignment of Route 66 and predates the road, now exists as a sprawling antiques mall. But vestiges of … Continue reading Filmmakers plan documentary on Benld’s Coliseum
An obscure alignment of Route 66 in Flagstaff
The Arizona Daily Sun today posted an article about the Mike's Pike street in Flagstaff, Ariz. -- a neighborhood which can boast itself of carrying an original alignment of the Mother Road. The Sun reports: It goes largely unnoticed by the thousands of motorists traveling along Milton Road, yet its history is hardly without lore. … Continue reading An obscure alignment of Route 66 in Flagstaff
A cruise through Hooker Cut
Here's something you don't see on YouTube all that often -- the 1940s Hooker Cut alignment of Route 66 near Devil's Elbow, Mo. The videographer says this four-lane alignment of Route 66 is "abandoned," although that's not true. It's still used by local motorists, although it certainly isn't seeing the traffic volume it saw 50 … Continue reading A cruise through Hooker Cut