The long-planned Museum of Gilding Arts in downtown Pontiac, Illinois, opens to the public for the first time at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from Pontiac Tourism. The museum is at 217 N. Mill St. (map here) and will be near four other museums in Pontiac, including the Illinois Route 66 Hall of … Continue reading Another museum opens in Pontiac tomorrow
Category: Museums
Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center opens
The Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center, a prominent new part of the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington, Illinois, opened to more than 300 guests in just three hours during its debut Saturday, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. Spurred by the success of Pontiac, Illinois, playing up Route 66 tourism, Bloomington embarked on a major renovation … Continue reading Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center opens
Short film coming about Will Rogers, Route 66
In recent days, a film crew has been working with "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis and Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, great-granddaughter of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers, at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, and other locations for a project. Russ Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions in nearby Tulsa told me in an email what … Continue reading Short film coming about Will Rogers, Route 66
Vega museum collects memories as well
The Milburn-Price Culture Museum in Vega, Texas, contains your usual array of artifacts and memorabilia from bygone days in the Texas Panhandle. But the museum also is doing something else -- it's capturing the memories of old-timers for posterity. ABC-7 in nearby Amarillo had this recent report: https://youtu.be/Q8phbFAjDek A number of universities already are doing … Continue reading Vega museum collects memories as well
Route 66 advocate named to Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame
Sally Bourne Ferrell of Chandler, Oklahoma, an early leader in the creation of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and one of the champions in restoring a historic armory that became the Route 66 Interpretive Center, was announced as an inductee to the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame, according to a report in The Oklahoman newspaper. The induction … Continue reading Route 66 advocate named to Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame
What’s happening with Shea’s Route 66 Museum and Art’s Motel?
A story in the Springfield State Journal-Register gave status reports about three prominent Illinois Route 66 properties that closed and/or were for sale. One was about the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, which went up for sale in October for $1.2 million by the Adam family, remains on the market and is still operating. Another was … Continue reading What’s happening with Shea’s Route 66 Museum and Art’s Motel?
Cucamonga Service Station may reopen by July
The historic Cucamonga Service Station in Rancho Cucamonga, California, likely will reopen as an automotive memorabilia museum in July, reported The Press Enterprise. Volunteers of the Route 66 Inland Empire California Association have worked many months to restore the century-old station on Route 66, including unveiling a new paint job and Richfield gas sign in … Continue reading Cucamonga Service Station may reopen by July
Route 66 Alliance co-founder ‘optimistic’ about Tulsa museum
The Fox23 television station in Tulsa devoted about four minutes last week to a free-wheeling report about the Route 66 Alliance trying to raise money to build that long-planned Route 66 Experience museum near the banks of the Arkansas River in town. You'll see author Michael Wallis and Cyrus Avery II, the grandson of Cyrus … Continue reading Route 66 Alliance co-founder ‘optimistic’ about Tulsa museum
A visit to Vega
This three-minute segment about the Route 66 town of Vega, Texas, was produced by Larry Lemmons for KVII-TV's "Panhandle Spirit" series. https://youtu.be/uE0-tyAMKLQ Featured are Deborah Sue McDonald of the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce, Dot's Mini Museum, Sheriff David Medlin, Miles Bell of Bell Leather Shop, Karen and Greg Conn of the Milburn-Price Culture Museum. … Continue reading A visit to Vega
Pontiac lands another museum
The Route 66 town of Pontiac, Illinois, has gained another museum to its bulging portfolio -- one that's dedicated to basketball in the the Land of Lincoln that's scheduled to open by summer 2016. According to the Bloomington Pantagraph, the Basketball Museum of Illinois, run by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, will be built inside … Continue reading Pontiac lands another museum