Dot Leavitt, owner of Dot's Mini Museum in Vega, Texas, passed away this morning, reports Linda Drake, manager of the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce. Linda describes Dot as "a dear, sweet lady that loved Route 66 and all the people that traveled the road." Dot -- pictured above with Jim Conkle during a visit … Continue reading Saying goodbye to a friend
Category: People
Sheriff on patrol
Randy Chevrier, owner of Paintmaster Collision and a prominent member of the Route 66 Business League of Tulsa, sent me this photo of Michael Wallis driving riding along in what looks like an old patrol cruiser in this past weekend's PSO Christmas Parade of Lights in downtown Tulsa. Wallis portrays the Sheriff of Radiator Springs … Continue reading Sheriff on patrol
Part 2 of Melissa McClelland podcast is online
Melissa McClelland, the Canadian singer-songwriter who traveled Route 66 this summer with a film crew, has posted the second part of her podcast. "Guardian Angel of Route 66" Angel Delgadillo and longtime Pig Hip restaurant owner Ernie Edwards get a lot of time in the eight-minute segment. McClelland performs "Solitary Life" behind the historic Wagon … Continue reading Part 2 of Melissa McClelland podcast is online
More Harley and Annabelle
Here's a short clip on YouTube of Harley and Annabelle Russell, aka the Mediocre Music Makers, performing "Route 66" at their Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla. The person who posted the video listed them as the "Singing Hill Billy's." Doggone it, they're not hillbillies, they're rednecks. They do live in the "Redneck Capital of … Continue reading More Harley and Annabelle
Another man is going to walk Route 66
Jay Link, lead singer for the Los Angeles rock band Death and Taxes, weighed as much as 550 pounds just five years ago. He's lost 200 pounds with diet and exercise, and wants to lose 200 more in the next two years. Link recently wrote me to announce that in March, he would start walking … Continue reading Another man is going to walk Route 66
Cancer rider update
The Quay County Sun in Tucumcari, N.M., caught up with Michelle Thompson, the woman who is cycling solo on Route 66. She's doing it in tribute to her brother, who is battling oral cancer, and to raise awareness of oral cancer. It sounds like she's had quite a gratifying adventure so far: “So many people … Continue reading Cancer rider update
Miss Route 66 travels her namesake
Kara Knudsen, 18, of Norco, Calif., was crowned Miss Route 66 for 2006-07 at a pageant in Barstow a while back. To her credit, she's been traveling the road that provides her title, according to the Winslow (Ariz.) Mail: She and her grandfather, Robert Knudsen, 75, have been travelling their favorite road eastbound for some … Continue reading Miss Route 66 travels her namesake
Wilmington honors a Route 66 booster
The Route 66 town of Wilmington, Ill., honored Angelo Aggelopoulos as the grand marshal of the town's Christmas parade and led the countdown to light the Christmas tree, reported the Kankakee Daily Journal. As far as I'm concerned, the honors are warranted because of this: Tour buses visiting stops along the famous U.S. Route 66 … Continue reading Wilmington honors a Route 66 booster
Route 66 photographer profiled
Melissa Lea, a jewelry designer and Route 66 photographer, earns an extended feature article about her life and times (so far) from her hometown newspaper, the Bedford (Ind.) Times-Mail. If you want to see her work, Melissa's Web site is here.
Joplin museum director honored by governor
Brad Belk, executive director of the Joplin (Mo.) Museum Complex, was given the 2006 Governor's Humanities Community Heritage Award. According to a news release: This award recognizes a special contribution to a community’s understanding of its heritage. Here's a rundown of Belk's accomplishments. In addition to helping a prominent Route 66 town, he's also served … Continue reading Joplin museum director honored by governor