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
Category: People
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
Video reports from the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival
The annual Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival from Joliet to Towanda was held over the weekend. While surfing around, I found this pair of videos, one 27 minutes and the other 35 minutes, from the Alban family, which took the entire festival route. It's a good overview of the festival. And the pin … Continue reading Video reports from the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival
Governor visits Funks Grove Maple Sirup during small-business tour
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently paid a visit to Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup as a part of a tour as part of National Small Business Week in Illinois. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported Rauner downed a shot of the company's signature maple sirup at the Route 66 landmark near Shirley, Illinois, then went back for seconds. … Continue reading Governor visits Funks Grove Maple Sirup during small-business tour