John Yates, who opened an arcade museum in downtown McLean, Ill., has opened another in downtown Atlanta, Ill., called the Route 66 Arcade Museum. As this video will show, everything is at least 30 years old. No arcade game is newer than 1981. https://youtu.be/vTt6cOi1B-4 The Atlanta museum is located at Arch and Race streets.
Category: Museums
Take a look at History Museum on the Square’s relighted sign
The rooftop neon sign at the History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield, Mo., was relighted Thursday night, as you can see from the photo above. Here's a video of the relighting, courtesy of the City of Springfield: And KY3 television provided some valuable context about the history of the sign. The sign was … Continue reading Take a look at History Museum on the Square’s relighted sign
History Museum on the Square’s sign is going up
Yesterday, we told you about the neon relighting ceremony that would occur tonight at the History Museum on the Square in Springfield, Mo. On Wednesday, workers were installing the refabricated sign on the museum's roof, which used to be Barth's department store: According to KOLR-TV: The iconic sign had been part of the square since … Continue reading History Museum on the Square’s sign is going up
Springfield museum relights its neon sign Thursday
The History Museum on the Square in Springfield, Mo., is hosting a "Moon Over the Mother Road" ceremony Thursday night to mark the relighting of Barth's Department Store neon sign on the roof of the museum. It's a private fundraiser, but enough side streets will be open during the ceremony that most people will see … Continue reading Springfield museum relights its neon sign Thursday
Cost-share grants announced from Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced six cost-share grants for 2013, totaling about $81,000. Since the program started in 2001, 114 projects have been awarded $1.6 million, with a $2.7 million in cost-share money from the recipient, totaling $4.3 million in public-private investment toward the preservation and revitalization of properties along historic Route 66 … Continue reading Cost-share grants announced from Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Exotic World co-founder Dixie Evans dies
Dixie Evans, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike who co-founded Exotic World (later the Burlesque Hall of Fame) on a former goat farm near Route 66 near Helendale, Calif., died this past weekend, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and other media outlets on Monday. She was 86. The newspaper said Evans had been in an assisted-care … Continue reading Exotic World co-founder Dixie Evans dies
A tour of the Litchfield Route 66 museum
This 28-minute video from "Illinois Stories," produced by PBS affiliate WSEC-TV in Springfield, takes you inside the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center in Litchfield, Ill. https://youtu.be/Ho5G74b75ws If you're a little short on time, you can skip ahead to the six-minute mark and let Ariston Cafe owner Nick Adam guide you and the host … Continue reading A tour of the Litchfield Route 66 museum
New miniature of the Bagdad Cafe
Take a close look at the above photos. Can you tell the real Bagdad Cafe near Newberry Springs, Calif., and the miniature replica? The second photo is the real McCoy. Willem Bor of the Netherlands has made amazingly detailed miniatures of Route 66 landmarks. The latest was the Bagdad Cafe, made famous by the European … Continue reading New miniature of the Bagdad Cafe
Broadway stage manager provides face-lift to Baxter Springs museum
An alum of Baxter Springs High School in southeastern Kansas is using his talents as a stage manager on Broadway to make long-needed improvements to the Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum. According to the Joplin Globe, Brian Rardin has been working on the project for more than a year from his New York City … Continue reading Broadway stage manager provides face-lift to Baxter Springs museum
Route 66 touring exhibit being developed
A company based in Washington state is developing a touring show, "America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66," that will launch in early 2014. It is seeking artifacts or objects it can borrow to help tell the Mother Road's story. Seth Leary of NRG! Exhibits is based in Kirkland, Wash., but grew up in the Route … Continue reading Route 66 touring exhibit being developed