The landmark Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, today is beginning a one-week effort by the city to clean, repaint and make repairs to the whale itself. The city's project begins today and will last through Friday, Oct. 1, according to a news release from the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. During that time period, the Blue … Continue reading Blue Whale of Catoosa is undergoing a weeklong effort of repairs and cleaning
Category: History
Susan Croce Kelly to be inducted into Missouri Writers Hall of Fame
Susan Croce Kelly, an author of two notable books about Route 66, will be inducted Sept. 30 into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame during a special online edition of the organization’s annual Quill Gala. The award will be presented during a virtual ceremony that will feature a live roundtable discussion with Kelly. Kelly is … Continue reading Susan Croce Kelly to be inducted into Missouri Writers Hall of Fame
Volunteers complete final stage of work on Painted Desert Trading Post building
Volunteers, including members of the Route 66 Co-op, this week finished the final stage of preserving the long-closed Painted Desert Trading Post in eastern Arizona. This week primarily concentrated on small repairs, installing interpretative panels inside the trading post that explains its history, and re-creating the lettering on the outside to resemble what it looked … Continue reading Volunteers complete final stage of work on Painted Desert Trading Post building
Century-old passenger rail car will be converted into a diner on Route 66
A 110-year-old passenger rail car is being moved to Bloomington, Illinois, so it can be converted into a diner on Route 66. The decaying Illinois Terminal rail car once sat for more than 30 years at a former depot in Harristown, Illinois, west of Decatur. David Parker of Bloomington was forced to cut the rail … Continue reading Century-old passenger rail car will be converted into a diner on Route 66
Owner of Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que dies of COVID-19 complications
Dennis Meiser, the longtime owner of the landmark Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que restaurant along Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri, died Friday after being hospitalized for several weeks due to coronavirus complications. He was 65. Mizell Funeral Home in Cuba is handling the arrangements. The visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral … Continue reading Owner of Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que dies of COVID-19 complications
Big Texan in Amarillo marks its 10,000th 72-ounce steak challenge
The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo earlier this month celebrated its 10,000th contestant attempting to consume its famous 72-ounce steak dinner. The 10,000th dinner was eaten on Sept. 1 by John Lamons, who accomplished the feat just seconds short of the 60-minute deadline to get it for free. The challenge requires one to eat … Continue reading Big Texan in Amarillo marks its 10,000th 72-ounce steak challenge
9/11 memorial garden in Winslow features beams from the fallen Twin Towers
On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks on the United States, it's good to remember a 9/11 memorial garden in Winslow, Arizona, that includes two large beams from the destroyed Twin Towers of New York City. According to a feature by KPNX-TV in Phoenix, retired Winslow Councilwoman Dee Rodriguez was tasked … Continue reading 9/11 memorial garden in Winslow features beams from the fallen Twin Towers
U-Drop Inn’s restaurant officially reopens for the first time in decades
The restaurant inside the historic U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, officially opened for business Wednesday after about a one-week trial run. It's the first time a restaurant has operated in the Route 66 landmark in more than 25 years. The U-Drop Inn Cafe will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday … Continue reading U-Drop Inn’s restaurant officially reopens for the first time in decades
More details emerge about this weekend’s Red Oak II Festival
Saturday's long-planned festival at Red Oak II complex near Carthage, Missouri, not only will pay tribute to its recently deceased creator, Lowell Davis, and also to those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Davis' widow, Rose, told the Joplin Globe a tribute or memorial didn't happen immediately after his … Continue reading More details emerge about this weekend’s Red Oak II Festival
Neon sign just outside Lexington marks its 75th anniversary
Many times, I've driven by the neon "Lexington" sign that stands along Route 66 in Lexington, Illinois, and thought: "I wonder how long that sign has been there?" That question was answered this week during the "How Time Flies" featurette in The Pantagraph in nearby Bloomington: Aug. 31, 1946: Lexington has a new neon sign along … Continue reading Neon sign just outside Lexington marks its 75th anniversary