Rick Gaffney, owner of the J & R Mini Mart Cafe along Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz., has been reported missing since June 19 when he failed to meet a friend that day in Flagstaff, reported the Arizona Republic and other media outlets. Gaffney's business partner in Prescott told authorities that he found Gaffney's car … Continue reading Business owner in Seligman reported missing
Category: People
Book review: “Life on Route 66”
The wife-and-husband team of Claudia and Alan Heller bring enthusiasm and knowledge to their new book "Life on Route 66: Personal Accounts along the Mother Road to California" (History Press, 158 pages, paperback, e-book available). But it's the people who experienced Route 66 during its heyday -- and their stories -- who make "Life on … Continue reading Book review: “Life on Route 66”
Pontiac and Route 66 booster Betty Estes dies
Betty Estes, the first tourism director for Pontiac, Ill., and a longtime booster of her town and Route 66, died Wednesday at age 81, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph and Pontiac Daily Leader. She served as Pontiac's treasurer, then its tourism director from 1999 to 2005. Among her key accomplishments were developing the Illinois Route 66 Red … Continue reading Pontiac and Route 66 booster Betty Estes dies
Route 66 restaurant co-owner bitten by poisonous snake
Buffy Price, co-owner of The Boundary on 66 barbecue restaurant between Luther and Arcadia, Okla., recently was bitten by a poisonous snake while taking out trash at the eatery and hospitalized, reported KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. Excerpts from the report: She looked down saw blood on her foot and a snake scurry away through the … Continue reading Route 66 restaurant co-owner bitten by poisonous snake
Munger Moss Motel put up for sale
The Munger Moss Motel, a Route 66 landmark in Lebanon, Mo. since 1946, has been put up for sale by longtime owners Bob and Ramona Lehman. The Lehmans, who are retiring, will continue to run the motel at 1336 East Route 66& until it is sold. "We're not leaving until someone gets it lock, stock, … Continue reading Munger Moss Motel put up for sale
How “Cars” changed the life of the Midpoint Cafe’s owner
The 2006 Disney-Pixar film "Cars" profoundly changed the life of the Midpoint Cafe's former owner, the Orange County Register said in a report about the Cars Land theme park opening this week. The first few paragraphs: Fran Houser will never forget the day when the Cadillacs with the steer horns attached to their hoods pulled up … Continue reading How “Cars” changed the life of the Midpoint Cafe’s owner
A visit with Bill Shea and his gas-station museum
A few films about Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield, Ill., have made it to the Internet over the years. But this one by Josh Hester is the best I've seen: Shea's Route 66 Gas Station Museum from Josh Hester on Vimeo. The thing that makes this film different is it concentrates more on … Continue reading A visit with Bill Shea and his gas-station museum
A quilt four years in the making
Joyree of Oklahoma started work on a Route 66 quilt in June 2008. Yesterday, she finished it. The quilt is huge, and it's fairly elaborate. She explains: https://youtu.be/rhHP_3oxK7M Joyree is enthusiastic about getting it done; her effervescence makes this long-ish video a lot more entertaining that you'd expect. Verlinda Magby at Oklahoma Quiltworks designed it. … Continue reading A quilt four years in the making
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch among Illinois Hall of Fame inductees
https://youtu.be/lh_uI2hDmZA Henry's Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, Ill., is among the inductees into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame for 2012, according to a story today in the Bloomington Pantagraph. The other honorees are Elmo and Eula Quinn of Quinn's Shell station in Bloomington, gas station owner Samuel Reichert Sr. of Plainfield, and Roger Gray of Gray’s … Continue reading Henry’s Rabbit Ranch among Illinois Hall of Fame inductees
Route 66 stories from Betty Estes
Here's the latest in a series of videos created for Illinois Route 66. This one's an interview with Betty Estes, who was instrumental in landing the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum in Pontiac and has been honored for her hospitality to Route 66 tourists. https://youtu.be/AqpgZTqjumY