Alfred Summers, the lone survivor of a collapse in 1978 of a large motel along Route 66 in Joplin, Mo., died Friday at age 64, according to the Joplin Globe. Summers, part of demolition crew, was trapped in the rubble for more than three days before he was extricated. Two co-workers died in the unexpected … Continue reading Survivor of Joplin hotel collapse dies
Category: People
The heap behind Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
The Disney Parks Blog took a behind-the-scenes look at Larry the Cable Guy, aka Mater from the 2006 Disney-Pixar film "Cars," recording a voice-over. Disney needed Larry's pipes for Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, one of the rides featured in Cars Land at Disney's California Adventure: https://youtu.be/_dzY9K_0nuM Cars Land is based on the fictional Route 66 town of … Continue reading The heap behind Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
A good example to those along the Mother Road
Paul Chassey, a volunteer for the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, Calif., wrote an interesting piece in the Victorville Daily Press about a fellow volunteer's experience with a Chinese couple. Go here to read it first. Read it? If so, here are my observations about the article: Although the volunteer's behavior was exemplary, such … Continue reading A good example to those along the Mother Road
This is good to see
Something I wasn't sure we'd see again ... Harley and Annabelle Russell recently performing in their home base of Erick, Okla. (Warning: the video contains Harley's typically bawdy humor ... another good sign, actually). https://youtu.be/VB2Jmk0CIvo For those new to Route 66 News, Annabelle was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about a year ago. She endured major … Continue reading This is good to see
Boot Hill restaurant put up for sale
The owner of the Boot Hill Saloon & Grill in Vega, Texas, has put the restaurant up for sale. However, Boot Hill will continue operating until it finds a buyer. Boot Hill chef and owner Rory Schepisi, known for her reality television roles in CMT's "Popularity Contest" and "The Next Food Network Star," has an … Continue reading Boot Hill restaurant put up for sale
A visit to Bottletree Ranch
Here's a good new video of one of the must-stops on Route 66 -- Elmer Long's Bottletree Ranch near Oro Grande, Calif. https://youtu.be/gh0wWifh5wQ There's nothing quite like it in the world, much less the Mother Road.
Rock Cafe owner appears in Chickasaw Nation spot
A few months ago, Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe on historic Route 66 in Stroud, Okla., said she'd been interviewed for a commercial spot by the Chickasaw Nation. Here it is: UPDATE: I forgot about this blog spot, in which Dawn talks about her Native American lineage. (Hat tip: Kathy Anderson)
Interview with Michael Wallis
KTUL-TV in Tulsa conducted an interview with "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis before his recent a href="https://tulsatownhall.com">Tulsa Town Hall speech. The station deserves credit for this wide-ranging and surpringingly long (seven minutes) segment. Refresh the page or head to the KTUL link above if the video embedding doesn't work.
The story behind 66-to-Cali
Owner Dan Rice explains the genesis of his 66-to-Cali shop on the Santa Monica Pier and his mission. https://youtu.be/qhl5tAAbIlw The clip was produced by CanadaOne.com, a business channel on the Internet.
How Michael Wallis ended up in Oklahoma
Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling and Pulitzer-nominated "Route 66: The Mother Road," gave a presentation Friday during Tulsa Town Hall. His speech covered a lot of ground on Oklahoma history, including mentions of Woody Guthrie and the infamous Tulsa Race Riot. But this part of the exemplary Tulsa World article is worth excerpting: His first real … Continue reading How Michael Wallis ended up in Oklahoma