I received word Monday that Betty Courtney, 79, one member of the team that helped form the much-praised 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., died Sunday. She, along with Melba Rigg, Judy Courtney and Renee Charles, helped lead the charge to take an abandoned gas station on Route 66 in Galena and transform … Continue reading Notes from the road
Category: People
Preview of the CNG cross-country tour
Mike Easterling, fresh off his Wallis Award a few days ago at the Will Rogers Awards Evening, filed an excellent story in Urban Tulsa about the two Alabama men who seek to drive a 1966 GTO the entire length of Route 66 -- powered solely by compressed natural gas. Mike McConville and Keith Barfield will … Continue reading Preview of the CNG cross-country tour
Her and Bobby McGee
KOTV in Tulsa aired a story Wednesday night about Emily Priddy's Honda Fit, which has been transformed into a tribute to the late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. Priddy's car is named Bobby McGee, after the psychedelic Porsche that singer Janis Joplin once drove. She's got colorful curtains in the windows, dashboard cartoons, lots of … Continue reading Her and Bobby McGee
Jerry McClanahan wins top honor at Will Rogers Awards
Longtime author and artist Jerry McClanahan won the prestigious Will Rogers Award during the Will Rogers Awards Evening on Saturday night during the Tri-State Route 66 International Festival at Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Okla. McClanahan, who has researched Route 66 since the early 1980s, has written several magazine articles about obscure Mother Road alignments … Continue reading Jerry McClanahan wins top honor at Will Rogers Awards
Johnnie’s Bar marks 50th year
Johnnie's Bar, a fixture on Route 66 in St. James, Mo., is marking its 50th year of business, according to the St. James Press. A bit of history ... Originally opened by John Bullock, Russ’ father, in the downtown plaza in 1952, the business moved to the corner of James Boulevard in 1960 where it … Continue reading Johnnie’s Bar marks 50th year
An amazing story
Do yourself a favor and read this story from the Kansas City Star about a TWA flight attendant who helped a grief-stricken husband find his missing infant son. The baby was thrown from the vehicle when the man's wife died in a car crash on Route 66 near Grants, N.M., in 1956. The woman who … Continue reading An amazing story
A closer look at a Hall of Fame inductee
The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., published a profile of the late Lewis "Zoo" Barrick, a Lincoln trucker who recently was elected to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame: Zoo Barrick started Barrick Transfer & Beverage Co. in 1935. The transfer company hauled freight such as meat and soda up and down Route 66. … Continue reading A closer look at a Hall of Fame inductee
Former Exotic World opens in Las Vegas
(Editor's note: Despite the somewhat risqué subject matter, all of the links are safe and contain no nudity.) The Burlesque Hall of Fame, formerly Exotic World Museum off Route 66 in Helendale, Calif., opened to the public in its new digs in downtown Las Vegas this week, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Exotic World became a treasured … Continue reading Former Exotic World opens in Las Vegas
Notes from the road
(Editor's note: This is my Catch Up from the Memorial Day Holiday Edition.) Actor and director Dennis Hopper died over the weekend after a long bout with prostate cancer. He was 74. A memorial service and burial was held Wednesday at a church in his beloved Taos, N.M., where he lived for years. Although a … Continue reading Notes from the road
Memorial Day tribute
Here is a list of military personnel from Route 66 towns who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve also added informative links to each of the fallen, wherever possible. ILLINOIS Chicago Staff Sgt. Oscar D. Vargas-Medina, died May 1, 2004 1st Sgt. Edward Smith, died April 5, 2003 Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps, died March … Continue reading Memorial Day tribute