Dixie Evans, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike who co-founded Exotic World (later the Burlesque Hall of Fame) on a former goat farm near Route 66 near Helendale, Calif., died this past weekend, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and other media outlets on Monday. She was 86. The newspaper said Evans had been in an assisted-care … Continue reading Exotic World co-founder Dixie Evans dies
Category: People
Please take a survey about Route 66
Nick Gerlich, a marketing professor at West Texas A&M University, has turned into a Route 66 enthusiast in recent years and has explored even the most obscure alignments of the Mother Road. Here's a new video about him and his hobby: https://youtu.be/tl4VgVgJkD4 As he mentioned in the clip, Gerlich and several other professors are taking a … Continue reading Please take a survey about Route 66
Tee Pee Curios gets new owners
The historic Tee Pee Curios souvenir shop, made famous by its tepee-shaped entrance and elaborate neon sign, reportedly will gain its first new owners in decades. Gar and Heidi Engman of Fort Dodge, Iowa, reportedly are signing the papers this morning to take over the Tucumcari, N.M., business on Route 66. According to their Facebook … Continue reading Tee Pee Curios gets new owners
Three minutes with Bob Waldmire
Bob Hall, who worked at KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City, has been uploading some of his old reports to YouTube this week. Here's a well-produced one from 1989 about Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. https://youtu.be/IDKDMWZ76WY Waldmire died in 2009 at age 64 from abdominal cancer. However, his legendary 1972 Volkswagen minibus still can be seen at … Continue reading Three minutes with Bob Waldmire
A look back at Lucille Hamons
Bob Hall, who used to work at KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City, posted this report from 1988 about Lucille Hamons, owner of Lucille's service station on Route 66 in Hydro, Okla. This is interesting to watch, mostly because it was before Michael Wallis' best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road" was published, kick-starting Route 66's renaissance. https://youtu.be/8Gr8KrSRYn4 … Continue reading A look back at Lucille Hamons
World Peace Monument apparently is back on track
Here's one of the oddest videos you'll see on this website. We'll let John Clanton, a Tulsa World photographer who made the clip, explain in an accompanying story: By his count, King Richard LéRoy has 1,613 used bowling balls. That’s 6,823 short of his goal. His real name is Richard Branaman, but he prefers to … Continue reading World Peace Monument apparently is back on track
Ted Drewes offers college money to its employees
I've been to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard dozens of times in St. Louis and I never knew it did this -- offers generous amounts of money for college to its employees. KTVI-TV in St. Louis has the story if you want to watch the video. The Route 66 landmark provides $2,000 each semester to employees … Continue reading Ted Drewes offers college money to its employees
Boots Motel sign’s benefactor revealed
Friday night marked an official relighting ceremony of the Boots Motel's refurbished neon sign in Carthage, Mo. The event also revealed who made a donation of $2,500 months ago to restore the sign. That person was Ron Jones of Bartlesville, Okla. Jones is better known as "Tattoo Man" due to his more than 100 tattoos of … Continue reading Boots Motel sign’s benefactor revealed
Our Lady of the Highways caretaker dies
Lee William Marten, 64, a co-caretaker of The Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways on Route 66 near Raymond, Ill., died at his home Saturday after a bout with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, according to an obituary in the The Journal-News in Hillsboro, Ill. Lee and his younger brother … Continue reading Our Lady of the Highways caretaker dies
Birthday wishes, 2013
For the second straight year, here are Independence Day well-wishes to the United States from well-traveled customers at the Historic Seligman Sundries coffeehouse on Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz. https://youtu.be/bXRwbePnMN8 Seligman Sundries co-owner Frank Kocevar says the footage was shot during a one-week period. It’s another example of how much Route 66 fascinates foreign travelers.