The long-closed Bono's Deli, a fixture along Route 66 in Fontana, California, for decades, recently reopened as Bono's Italian Restaurant. And, yes, the Bono's Historic Orange still is there. Lynne Miller of the California Historic Route 66 Association wrote this on the route66 yahoogroup: It was always a dream of property owner Joe Bono to … Continue reading Long-closed Bono’s Deli in Fontana reopens as Bono’s Italian Restaurant
Category: History
Fire-ravaged Shirley’s Tavern in Carterville will reopen Friday
The century-old Shirley's Tavern in Carterville, Missouri, that was gutted by fire more than a year ago will reopen Friday under new ownership. According to the Joplin Globe, new owners Courtney and Brock Powell spent seven months reconstructing the tavern after the fire in December 2017. “I was pretty devastated after the fire because there … Continue reading Fire-ravaged Shirley’s Tavern in Carterville will reopen Friday
Hal Blaine, drummer on dozens of hit records, dies at 90
Hal Blaine, a member of the Los Angeles-based Wrecking Crew of studio musicians who played drums on thousands of songs during the 1960s and '70s, died Monday. He was 90. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member played on albums by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, the … Continue reading Hal Blaine, drummer on dozens of hit records, dies at 90
Public TV station profiles writer Michael Wallis
RSU Public TV, based at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma, recently completed this 25-minute profile in its "Perspective" series about author, actor and speaker Michael Wallis. Wallis remains best-known for two things -- writing the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road" that sparked the renaissance of the historic highway and providing the voice of … Continue reading Public TV station profiles writer Michael Wallis
Amarillo’s tallest building named to National Register of Historic Places
The tallest skyscraper in the Texas Panhandle, located in Amarillo, this week was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The FirstBank Southwest Tower at 600 S. Tyler St. in Amarillo, next to the Sixth Avenue alignment of Route 66 in downtown Amarillo, earned the designation Wednesday, according to an email Friday from the … Continue reading Amarillo’s tallest building named to National Register of Historic Places
Public floats ideas for Red Cedar Inn building
The city of Pacific, Missouri, has hired an architect to renovate the former Red Cedar Inn restaurant along old Route 66. What exactly the architect will do with it remains an open question. Patterhn Ives will be paid $33,690, plus reimbursable expenses up to $4,500, to draft a renovation design and provide a cost estimate. … Continue reading Public floats ideas for Red Cedar Inn building
Bob Lehman, co-owner of the Munger Moss Motel, dies
Bob Lehman, the longtime co-owner of the Route 66 landmark Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, died Thursday after a bout with cancer. He was 81. Bob and Ramona Lehman, who are Iowa natives, took possession of the Munger Moss Motel on June 1, 1971, after a fact-finding trip to Springfield, Missouri, to look for … Continue reading Bob Lehman, co-owner of the Munger Moss Motel, dies
See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
A new batch of Anthony Reichardt films from the 1990s shows Two Guns, Arizona; a long stretch of Route 66 in the California desert to Oatman, Arizona; and Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road." Below is Wallis in 1993 during a meeting of the California Historic Route 66 Association at … Continue reading See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
Route History store combines Route 66 souvenirs, local African-American history
The Route History store in Springfield, Illinois, held a soft opening Friday. It's a combination Route 66 souvenir store and a tribute to African-American history in the area. It sits at 737 E. Cook St. (map here) in the former Just Off Route 66 Sandwiches & Souvenirs building, about two blocks west of the Ninth … Continue reading Route History store combines Route 66 souvenirs, local African-American history
Smithsonian Channel’s “Green Book” documentary airs Monday
An hour-long documentary on the Smithsonian Channel, "The Green Book -- Guide to Freedom," will premiere at 8 p.m. Eastern on Monday. The film about the Negro Motorist Green Book, which was published during the Jim Crow segregation era from 1936 to 1966, also will air other times on the channel. Check your local listings. … Continue reading Smithsonian Channel’s “Green Book” documentary airs Monday