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
Category: People
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
A magic night on 66
Tulsa blogger Michael Bates spent a rather eventful evening on Route 66 -- the same day as the road's 80th anniversary and his birthday. He encountered a few people who should be familiar to Route 66 fans, including a certain VW driver. Go read the whole thing. It's really good.
Happy ending for soldiers
After the Veterans Day list of U.S. soldiers from Route 66 towns who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's nice to have a story about soldiers with happy endings. In Gallup, N.M., members of the National Guard's 1116th Transportation Company were welcomed home with a parade on Route 66. No soldiers were killed or injured … Continue reading Happy ending for soldiers