Wyman P. "Bill" Deck, co-owner of the historic Deck's Drug Store in downtown Girard, Illinois, died Monday at age 91 at a hospital in nearby Springfield. A Girard native, Deck was a pharmacy technician at the store and formerly was a librarian at Auburn Public Schools in nearby Auburn, Illinois, according to an obituary in … Continue reading Bill Deck of Deck’s Drug Store in Girard dies
Category: People
Nursing-home residents go to Route 66 car museum
This is such a good idea, I'm surprised it hasn't caught on in a more widespread fashion. Residents of the Sunny Hill Nursing Home of Will County in Illinois recently visited the Midwest Classics on 66 Museum in Wilmington that Mike Bell of Perth, Australia, and Jeff Hubrich of the Joliet and Wilmington area opened in … Continue reading Nursing-home residents go to Route 66 car museum
Route 66 Road Ahead launches YouTube channel
The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership recently launched its own YouTube channel and uploaded its first on-the-road video filmed by three young guys in an eight-week campaign that seeks to attract younger generations to the historic highway. Here's the first video from the trio in Illinois, uploaded today: https://youtu.be/mJrOWGMre0Y According to a news release from … Continue reading Route 66 Road Ahead launches YouTube channel
Bill Geist 1991 segment on Route 66 finally goes online
Back in 1991, about the time the renaissance of Route 66 was starting, "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Bill Geist traveled a section of the Mother Road from Albuquerque westward for a nine-minute segment on the weekly program. Those nine minutes had never made it online -- until now. The occasion was prompted by Geist's retirement … Continue reading Bill Geist 1991 segment on Route 66 finally goes online
Woman worked for two Route 66 icons in Arizona
Here's an obituary you don't read every day -- an Arizona woman who died earlier this month worked not for one, but two bona fide Route 66 icons during her lifetime. Dorthy “Dottie” Ann Hatch Hansen, 83, of St. Johns, Arizona, died Oct. 19. She was born in Pinedale, Arizona, but spent most of her … Continue reading Woman worked for two Route 66 icons in Arizona
Nominees sought for Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
This summer, the governor signed the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission bill into law, and now the panel seeks three people to fill available seats, including one that will lead it. Unlike a lot of nominating rules, people in this instance can nominate themselves. Gov. Bruce Rauner has the last say over who gets the nod. … Continue reading Nominees sought for Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
“Almost Ghosts” Route 66 documentary premieres Wednesday in Spain
"Almost Ghosts," a documentary filmed by Ana Ramon Rubio in March along Route 66, will premiere at the Seminci Film Festival in Spain on Wednesday. Among those featured in the film are Harley Russell of the Sandhills Curiosity Shoppe in Erick, Oklahoma. Lowell Davis, an artist who re-created his hometown near Carthage, Missouri; and Angel Delgadillo, … Continue reading “Almost Ghosts” Route 66 documentary premieres Wednesday in Spain
“Outskirts: Route 66” film shows a group’s trip on Route 66 by bicycle
Brennen Matthews of ROUTE Magazine flagged this film, released on YouTube in July, on Facebook a few days ago. The full-length documentary is titled "Outskirts: Route 66," about a group of avid cyclists who try to tackle the full 2,400 miles of the Mother Road. Here's the movie: https://youtu.be/Dh25fH5diwQ The description of the film from … Continue reading “Outskirts: Route 66” film shows a group’s trip on Route 66 by bicycle
Longtime operator of Monterey Motel in Albuquerque dies
Norman Bugg, who operated the Monterey Motel along Route 66 in Albuquerque for 25 years, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 89. The Albuquerque Journal, which reported Bugg's death Monday, said he refurbished and remodeled an aging motel into Triple Diamond-rated lodging. Miroslaw and Boguslawa Elencwajg later acquired the motel and renamed it Monterey Non-Smokers … Continue reading Longtime operator of Monterey Motel in Albuquerque dies
New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era
Local and city officials in Bloomington, Illinois, this week dedicated a new marker that described the racial segregation that once took place in Miller Park's beaches. WJBC reports: At Miller Park, the historical marker acknowledges there were segregated beaches there during the first half of the 20th Century and beyond. The beach for people of … Continue reading New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era