Ryan O'Flanagan, known as the Overly Excited Tourist for Funny or Die, recently visited the Route 66 town of Victorville, California, and produced a video of his misadventures. As you'll find, the Overly Excited Tourist not only is excitable, but astonishingly ignorant. Note: It would be PG-rated for language. https://youtu.be/7yUN-Jik5Jk O'Flanagan briefly visited Mother Road … Continue reading Funny or Die’s Overly Excited Tourist visits Victorville
Category: People
Spaceship to land at The Mill for its 88th birthday
I never thought I'd write that headline. A spaceship made by the same man who crafted the World's Largest Covered Wagon in Lincoln, Illinois, will make a special appearance Tuesday at The Mill museum for the Route 66 landmark's 88th birthday. The Mill opened as The Blue Mill sandwich stand July 25, 1929, along U.S. … Continue reading Spaceship to land at The Mill for its 88th birthday
A film portrait of Harley Russell
I doubt you'll find a more candid or heartbreaking film about Harley Russell, one-half of the Mediocre Music Makers in Erick, Oklahoma, than this one. A description of the film: Despite living in the small town of Erick, Oklahoma and bordering on the edge of insanity, a self-proclaimed ‘mediocre music maker’ attracts visitors from around … Continue reading A film portrait of Harley Russell
Prominent New Mexico Route 66 historian dies
New Mexico historian David Kammer, who documented landmarks and buildings on Route 66 for decades, died Thursday after a five-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. Kammer's death was reported at the end of a profile in the Albuquerque Journal, written before he died. He recently received the New Mexico Preservation Division’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts. … Continue reading Prominent New Mexico Route 66 historian dies
New owner takes over Motel Safari in Tucumcari
Larry Smith, formerly of Knoxville, Tennessee, this week took over ownership of Motel Safari in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Motel Safari posted this Thursday on its Facebook page of now-former owners Richard and Gail Talley, right, doing the ceremonial turning over the motel keys to Smith: The Talleys officially announced the motel was for sale earlier … Continue reading New owner takes over Motel Safari in Tucumcari
Seeing Route 66 from a covered wagon
Ray Hascall of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, dreamed for decades of riding horseback hundreds of miles to visit the area where he grew up in southwestern Missouri. But when the time finally came to do so, Hascall, now 72, compromised a bit and made the round-trip journey of more than 700 miles by horse-drawn covered wagon -- … Continue reading Seeing Route 66 from a covered wagon
More about the reopening of Wrinks Market in Lebanon
KY3 in Springfield, Missouri, recently produced a story about the reopening of the long-closed Wrinks Market along Route 66 in Lebanon, Missouri. The general store closed in 2005 after the death of its founder, Glenn "Wrink" Wrinkle, at age 83. His son, Terry, reopened it for about two years in 2007, but it shuttered again … Continue reading More about the reopening of Wrinks Market in Lebanon
Randomland Adventures videos on Route 66 are a treat
I've watched only a few of these, mainly because there's so many of them. But based on the clips I've seen, I would subscribe to Justin Scarred's YouTube channel for Randomland Adventures, and pronto. And if you've got a few hours to spare, I would watch all the videos he's posting during his current Route 66 trip. … Continue reading Randomland Adventures videos on Route 66 are a treat
University gets grant for Women of Route 66 project
Missouri State University received a grant to help gather oral histories for "The Women on the Mother Road in Missouri” project. According to a news release from the university, the $2,500 grant will be used in conjunction with a similar project: Anne Baker, interim head of special collections and archives at MSU, will work with … Continue reading University gets grant for Women of Route 66 project
Inside The Donut Man shop in Glendora
NBC News this week posted a terrific article about The Donut Man, which is marking 45 years this year on Route 66 in Glendora, California. Here's the video about the shop and its owner, Jim Nakano: The written part of the story contains a lot of interesting nuggets, too: The shop's strawberry doughnut started when … Continue reading Inside The Donut Man shop in Glendora