A couple of fellows who walk into the Iron Hog Restaurant and Saloon in Oro Grande, Calif., during a Route 66 trip bump into one of the tattoo artists of the stars: https://youtu.be/W5OLfA4L27k I've had enough of these incongruous encounters on the Mother Road, the above episode doesn't surprise me. The video is part of … Continue reading Drink and ink
Category: People
Historic Joplin pawnshop closes
A pawn shop in Joplin, Mo., closed for good. But it wasn't just any pawn shop. It was the Ben Milgrim Pawnshop, which had operated near the Mother Road for 78 years, acording to the Joplin Globe. The contents of the business were being auctioned today at Joplin's Jack Lawton Webb Convention Center. The auction company, … Continue reading Historic Joplin pawnshop closes
Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa
The Woody Guthrie Archives, based in New York, will move to his home state of Oklahoma and the Route 66 city of Tulsa by 2013, according a story late Tuesday by the New York Times. The Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation bought the musician's archives from the Guthrie family for about $3 million and will … Continue reading Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa
Dec. 30 will be declared Bill Shea Day in Springfield
Bill Shea, longtime proprietor of a gas station museum along Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., turns 90 years old on Dec. 30, and is also marking his 66th year as a business owner on the Mother Road. To mark the occasion, the City of Springfield is declaring Dec. 30 as Bill Shea Day, according to … Continue reading Dec. 30 will be declared Bill Shea Day in Springfield
New Operation Route 66 trailer
A new trailer for Operation Route 66, which will raise funds in May 2012 for U.S. veterans of the Middle East wars, was posted a few hours ago: https://vimeo.com/33673314 More about this charity road trip can be found here. I'm nearly 100 percent certain the narrator is "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis. It … Continue reading New Operation Route 66 trailer
Tribute to Bob Waldmire
This video popped up in my YouTube feed today, and it hit me like a ton of bricks, especially the last 30 seconds or so. https://youtu.be/IwY5GmoXUYE In case you're new to the site, here's more about Bob Waldmire. We're fast approaching the second anniversary of Waldmire's death from abdominal cancer on Dec. 16, 2009. The … Continue reading Tribute to Bob Waldmire
Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame seeks 2012 nominations
The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame Committee is seeking nominations of people, attractions, businesses, and events for its Class of 2012, according to a recent news release. The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame, based in Pontiac, will be accepting applications for the honors between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28. The release says: To … Continue reading Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame seeks 2012 nominations
Bottletree Ranch featured in L.A. Times
Elmer Long's Bottletree Ranch along Route 66 near Oro Grande, Calif., is so unusual, it seemed inevitable the Los Angeles Times would come calling. And it has. And an interesting admission by Long: By his own account, Long was once judgmental of people, easy to anger, a man who settled scores. But a decade of … Continue reading Bottletree Ranch featured in L.A. Times
Time to groom some heirs
Esley Hamilton, historian for St. Louis County and a longtime preservation advocate, likely will be forced to retire soon because of budget cuts to the county's parks department, according to a story Wednesday in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hamilton has been a tireless champion for historic structures in St. Louis, including at least one notable … Continue reading Time to groom some heirs
British celebrity couple is traveling Route 66
A celebrity couple from Great Britain is traveling on a portion of the Mother Road for three weeks, according to a story in The Daily Mirror of London. Jason Orange, a member of the UK-based pop band Take That, and British comedian Catherine Tate reportedly are dating, and decided to take some time together on … Continue reading British celebrity couple is traveling Route 66