We learned a few days ago that a mural in downtown Pontiac, Ill., will use a design by Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, who died of cancer in December 2009 before the mural was completed. Today, the Pontiac Daily Leader reports that the building's mural not only will include Waldmire's design, but also a likeness … Continue reading Pontiac mural will include likeness of Bob Waldmire
Category: People
One of the characters of the Mother Road
The fellows at Third Story Films pay a visit to Frank Kohlrus at The Old Station on old Route 66 in Williamsville, Ill. https://vimeo.com/19449706 More about the Game On road trips can be found here.
A history of bottle trees
I thought the dozens of bottle trees erected by Elmer Long along Route 66 in Oro Grande, Calif., were a one-of-a-kind. But apparently not, according to an article by Virginia Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Bottle trees are a long-standing Southern thing, embedded in the life tapestries of African Americans, especially in the Mississippi Delta. … Continue reading A history of bottle trees
Help paint Bob Waldmire’s mural
The city of Pontiac, Ill., will be dedicating the Red Carpet Corridor Festival in May to the memory of prominent Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. Festivities will include the public being invited to help paint a mural that Waldmire designed before his death from abdominal cancer in December 2009. The festival is set for May … Continue reading Help paint Bob Waldmire’s mural
Indie filmmakers claim they put piano in Miami bay
In the past few days, national media outlets have latched on to the story of a grand piano that mysteriously appeared on a sandbar in the middle of Miami's Biscayne Bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OmLGN-SiUs It appears independent filmmakers Billy and Anais Yeager, who spent time on Route 66 in Two Guns, Ariz., shooting footage for their upcoming film … Continue reading Indie filmmakers claim they put piano in Miami bay
Tattoo you
Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones of Bartlesville, Okla., isn't the only guy who's decorated his body in a Route 66 theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSxJMtUkH8 This is an early-stage tattoo done for Jim Bush of Chicago. The artist is Larry Brogan of Tattoo City Skin Art Studio in Lockport, Ill. You can see the finished product here in an … Continue reading Tattoo you
‘I have a dream …’
(This was originally posted four years ago. It's appropriate to repost it for the holiday.) This is the full version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. https://vimeo.com/14517748 So what does King have to do with Route 66? Well, there's this passage: There are those who are asking the … Continue reading ‘I have a dream …’
Giving folks a lift
American Profile magazine published a delightful article about Geraldine Bunn, who is the elevator attendant at the historic Jasper County Courthouse just off Route 66 in Carthage, Mo. The courthouse needs an elevator attendant because the open-cage, wrought-iron elevator was installed in 1916 and is not an automatic model. Bunn has to align the elevator just … Continue reading Giving folks a lift
The man behind the Cadillac Ranch
Here's a short video documentary by filmmaker Todd Kent about Amarillo tycoon Stanley Marsh 3, who led the creation of Cadillac Ranch and other whimsical art installations in the region. The film is a few years old, but it was just posted on YouTube today.
Co-owner of Sprague’s Super Service Station dies
William Sanders, 77, co-owner of the historic Sprague's Super Service gas station on Route 66 in Normal, Ill., with his wife Terri Ryburn, died Thursday in an area hospital, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. Sanders' death was announced Sunday by Cathie Stevanovich, president of the Illinois Route 66 Association. Stevanovich wrote: Terri and Bill were in … Continue reading Co-owner of Sprague’s Super Service Station dies