A print story hasn't been posted yet, but The Oklahoman newspaper posted this video yesterday about an idea for a Route 66 billboard museum in Bethany, Okla.: Longtime Oklahoma roadie Kathy Anderson came up with the idea. And, as you can tell by the video, the idea is that neon signs and porcelain signs will … Continue reading Route 66 billboard museum planned in Bethany, Okla.
Category: Museums
Turning a VW into a hippie bus
The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton shows in a time-lapse video how volunteers gave a new paint job to a 1969 Volkswagen minibus during the museum's renovations last year. https://youtu.be/vEFhI_UxPhY The minibus was christened with a brief road trip before going back into the museum: Though she was on a flat bed trailer as … Continue reading Turning a VW into a hippie bus
Tourism in Pontiac rises 25 percent in 2012
The Route 66 town of Pontiac, Ill., saw a 25 percent rise in the number of visitors from 2011 to 2012, according to a news release Monday from Pontiac Tourism. Pontiac Tourism director Ellie Alexander said almost 23,000 tourists signed the guestbook at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in the year that … Continue reading Tourism in Pontiac rises 25 percent in 2012
Litchfield Route 66 museum soon will accept artifacts
The fledgling Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center Association in Litchfield, Ill., soon will begin accepting artifacts for its facility, reported The Journal-News. The newspaper said: The policy for the museum will be to accept objects, documents, photos, etc., that are directly related to the history of Litchfield and its relationship to Montgomery County. Also … Continue reading Litchfield Route 66 museum soon will accept artifacts
City will help fund Litchfield museum after all
Reversing an earlier decision, the City Council of Litchfield, Ill., has agreed to use money from motel taxes for the Litchfield Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center, said the Springfield State Journal-Register. The newspaper reported: The council agreed in principle earlier this month to increase the tax from 3 percent to 4 percent beginning in … Continue reading City will help fund Litchfield museum after all
Anonymous benefactor eases Santa Rosa’s fiscal crisis
An anonymous donor has given payments totaling more than $600,000 to ease the unexpected financial crisis that beset the Route 66 town of Santa Rosa, N.M., according to the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator. Earlier this summer, an unidentified business was awarded a $1.4 million refund of its gross receipts tax funds. … Continue reading Anonymous benefactor eases Santa Rosa’s fiscal crisis
New Mexico Route 66 Museum sets opening for June
The Tucumcari City Commission last week unanimously approved the lease at its convention center for the New Mexico Route 66 Museum. With that, organizers have set a grand opening during the Wheels on 66 event in Tucumcari on June 6-9, according to a news release today. [T]he museum has begun work on its website and … Continue reading New Mexico Route 66 Museum sets opening for June
Litchfield council fails to approve money to Route 66 museum
The Litchfield (Ill.) City Council failed Tuesday to approve an appropriation of $20,000 in motel-tax funds for the new Litchfield Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register. The council voted 4-4, and the mayor abstained from casting a tiebreaking vote, sinking the proposal. The museum would use the money for display cases and … Continue reading Litchfield council fails to approve money to Route 66 museum
A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
In recent days, Mark Rivera, a reporter for WAND-TV in Decatur, Ill., has posted on YouTube a few of his Route 66-related stories from central Illinois. They're all pretty good. The first is Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield: https://youtu.be/kLpM0m43tnw Next is the Palms Grill in Atlanta, Ill.: https://youtu.be/7gYG8BvP0w8 And finally is Funks Grove … Continue reading A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
Chuck Surface, a Route 66 booster in Carthage and Webb City, dies
Chuck Surface, a former Missouri state lawmaker and an economic development director for Webb City, died Wednesday of cancer at age 68, according to the Joplin Globe. Surface was instrumental in converting a long-closed gas station on Route 66 in Webb City into a visitors center. He also sought to put a roadside park dedicated … Continue reading Chuck Surface, a Route 66 booster in Carthage and Webb City, dies