Remember Buddy Boren? He's the Texas cancer survivor who's made several cross-country cycling journeys for fundraisers. His most recent trek, pedaling across the length of Route 66, was his most difficult, according to WFAA.com: Mr. Boren took his licks on Route 66. He had bronchitis before he left Chicago on July 8. He hammered into … Continue reading Bicycle rider may not be through yet
Category: People
Producer of “Route 66” TV series dies
Herbert B. Leonard, a producer of television shows, including the acclaimed "Route 66," died at the age of 84 on Saturday. Here's an obituary from the Los Angeles Times. (No story from the Associated Press yet; the Times must have had a scoop.) The Times had this to say about Leonard and his "Route 66" … Continue reading Producer of “Route 66” TV series dies
“Popularity Contest” contestant is building a restaurant on Route 66
Last spring, you may have watched a reality show on CMT called "Popularity Contest." In it, 10 contestants from the big city were plopped down in the Route 66 town of Vega, Texas, to win over residents and vie for a $100,000 prize they would split with one Vega citizen. The Chicago baseball scout, Alex … Continue reading “Popularity Contest” contestant is building a restaurant on Route 66
“The Train” puts in another plug for Tulsa
Country singer Wayne "The Train" Hancock, who's out touring behind his just-released "Tulsa" album, was interviewed by the Raleigh-Durham News-Observer. The interviewer sounded skeptical of Hancock's love of Tulsa, but Hancock set him straight: Q: On the title track of your new album, you make Tulsa, Okla., sound like a mighty exotic place. Is Tulsa … Continue reading “The Train” puts in another plug for Tulsa
Ultra-Marathon Man
Dean Karnazes is more than just a marathon runner. He's what's described as an ultra marathon runner. His goal is to run 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. He's in Tulsa right now, running on the course that will be used for the Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 19. He's just finished the … Continue reading Ultra-Marathon Man
Meet Bob
Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire is painting a mural at the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac. For a report and a photo of his ongoing work, check out this report from the Bloomington Pantagraph.
A Road Scholar
Aart Hoogenboom is a big advocate of road trips. He started a tradition in 1968 of heading west during the summer with his family and has been doing it ever since. A number of those trips have been on Route 66, reports the New Times of Danbury, Conn. "You don't even have to travel across … Continue reading A Road Scholar
A trip down Gasoline Alley
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an excellent article about Bob Mullen and his humongous collection of filling-station memorabilia, dubbed Gasoline Alley, near Cuba, Mo. Although he is not sure when his interest in gasoline advertising began, Mullen says it may be related to his childhood spent on a nearby farm, which had a view of … Continue reading A trip down Gasoline Alley
A note of thanks
If the material on Route 66 News seems a bit sparse or somewhat disorganized in recent days, there's a good reason. I was out of town the entire weekend, and any use I had of a computer was sporadic. Projects that would have required more of my time were shoved to the back burner. The … Continue reading A note of thanks
A close encounter with Bonnie & Clyde
Columnist Hank Billings of the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader passed on the tale of a reader's chance meeting with outlaws Bonnie & Clyde on Route 66. It's a good story.