Dan Rice, owner of the 66-to-Cali souvenir booth on the Santa Monica Pier, will start a book-publicity tour next week for his new biography, "End of the Trail." "End of the Trail" (The Way Things Are Publications, 242 pages, $24.95 retail) tells of Rice's eight-year ordeal to recover from traumatic brain injury incurred during an … Continue reading 66-to-Cali owner going on a book publicity tour
Category: People
Mystery solved on the Texola monument
Longtime readers may remember Corkey Mayberry of Park Hills, Mo., and his search for a Texas-shaped monument that greeted westbound Route 66 travelers in Texola, Okla., right on the Texas border. Mayberry and his wife had their photo taken at the monument in 1955, seen above. On a Route 66 trip in 2010, Mayberry tried … Continue reading Mystery solved on the Texola monument
The show will go on for Mediocre Music Makers
Harley and Annabell Russell, aka the Mediocre Music Makers, will still try to perform shows this summer at their Sandhills Curiosity Shop off Route 66 in Erick, Okla., despite Annabelle's recent cancer surgery and imminent chemotherapy treatments. If you're unaware of Harley and Annabelle's irreverent show, here's a sample. Harley does most of the singing … Continue reading The show will go on for Mediocre Music Makers
Blowin’ in the wind
Here's a video from Route 66 in Dwight, Ill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJilLAjG-1o It reminds me of an early scene in the Pixar-Disney movie "Cars," where a bored Guido watches the wind blow a small hinged sign at Casa Dilla Tires in the Route 66 town Radiator Springs. The person who shot the video, Frank Romeo, sports an … Continue reading Blowin’ in the wind
A visit with the Route 66 Museum and Landrunner
Here's a clip from Australia's "Classic Restos" television show that features the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton and Ken "Landrunner" Turmel and his PostmarkArt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWmtyLyqJoM
Injured endurance athlete closes a chapter
Six month after nearly dying in an accident on Route 66 in Arizona, endurance athlete James Cracknell participated in an ultramarathon in Yukon Territory of Canada during severely cold temperatures, according to an excellent article by Chris Harvey for The Telegraph in London. The Yukon adventure closed a chapter for Cracknell, who is still dealing … Continue reading Injured endurance athlete closes a chapter
The Marx Brothers’ connection to Route 66
I'll bet you didn't know the vaudeville and future movie stars once owned a farm in a location that eventually would be Route 66 in Countryside, Ill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlh9CMglLWU According to the video description, the Marx Brothers' "Chicagoland" farm lay four miles west of Chicago, on the northeast corner of South LaGrange Road and Joliet Road (aka … Continue reading The Marx Brothers’ connection to Route 66
A permanent spot on the pier
Dan Rice, proprietor of the Cali-to-66 souvenir shack that sits on near the end of the Santa Monica Pier, said in an e-mail over the weekend that he would move into a permanent kiosk on the pier this spring. [...T]he City is giving us our permanent spot to further establish us. They understand that this will help … Continue reading A permanent spot on the pier
“Get Your Tricks on Route 66”
I found this documentary video about skateboarders who live in the Route 66 town of Glendora, Calif. The interviews aren't much, but the slow-motion footage of their skateboard tricks is worth viewing. https://vimeo.com/20541672
Shake-up at the Route 66 Festival
A committee that oversees the June 9-12 International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo, Texas, recently took the responsibility for organizing the festival and its awards night away from longtime Route 66 enthusiast Jim Conkle. In the wake of that move, Conkle has vowed to hold another Route 66 festival in Joplin, Mo., the following weekend. Conkle says … Continue reading Shake-up at the Route 66 Festival