A few weeks ago, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, announced it was working with Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions in nearby Tulsa to produce a three-minute film about the link between Oklahoma movie star and humorist Will Rogers and Route 66. “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis and Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, great-granddaughter of … Continue reading Teaser film out about Will Rogers, Route 66
Category: Museums
Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
For those who worried about the fate of the sputnik structure atop the doomed Bel-Air Motel in Springfield, Illinois, do not worry. Ace Sign Co. of Springfield removed the sputnik over the weekend and eventually will restore it for its neon museum that coincidentally opens today, according to the State Journal-Register. The fiberglass ball of … Continue reading Bel-Aire sputnik will be restored for sign company’s museum
A stop at the Waite Phillips gas station
The Sapulpa Historical Society in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, spent a lot of time and fundraising to restore the Waite Phillips gas station, located a block off Route 66. Discover Oklahoma produced this segment about the station: https://youtu.be/BJRLpeh3HKI Waite Phillips was one of the biggest oil men in Oklahoma. Phillips has been dead for more than 50 … Continue reading A stop at the Waite Phillips gas station
New Bloomington center already makes big impact
The new Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Bloomington, Illinois, has been open less than two weeks, but the local convention and visitors bureau says it's already made a big effect on the local economy. According to a report by WJBC radio, the center has drawn 885 visitors in 12 days and has generated $150,000 … Continue reading New Bloomington center already makes big impact
Another museum opens in Pontiac tomorrow
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
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?