The San Bernardino County Sun has quite a feature about Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and owner/savior of the Route 66 hamlet of Amboy, Calif., and Roy's. This excerpt shows how driven he is: Today there are three dozen Juan Pollo restaurants throughout Southern California. Okura fully intends to conquer all … Continue reading A driven entrepreneur
Category: Preservation
Pitch made for Route 66 monument in Mojave
Jim Conkle of the fledgling Route 66 Alliance sent me some photos of him making a pitch to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), her staff and other officials near Amboy Crater, just off Route 66 near Amboy, Calif., to designate a Route 66 National Monument along 70 miles of Southern California's Mojave Desert. Conkle also wrote … Continue reading Pitch made for Route 66 monument in Mojave
And so it begins …
Workers from Claude Neon Federal began re-erecting the historic Meadow Gold neon sign at 11th Street and Quaker Avenue in Tulsa on Monday afternoon. The "Beatrice Foods Co." was the only part they had attached to the framework, and that was to only one side, as of about 2:30 p.m. The "Milk, Ice Cream" part … Continue reading And so it begins …
With a flick of the switch …
... Redforkhippie saw the distinctive neon sign at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., fire to life again many months after it was snuffed out by a fire in the restaurant. She saw the neon sign lit on Friday afternoon, thanks to David Burke, who is supervising the restoration of the historic Route 66 restaurant. … Continue reading With a flick of the switch …
President signs bill to reauthorize Route 66 program
About 2 p.m. CST today, President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill that contained a measure to reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years. The word came over in the past hour from wire services and an elated e-mail from Michael Romero Taylor, a longtime co-director of the Route 66 … Continue reading President signs bill to reauthorize Route 66 program
House passes bill that would renew Route 66 program
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday easily approved the Omnibus Lands Bill that contains a measure that would reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years. The House passed it by a 285-140 tally. The bill had been approved by the Senate 77-20 last week. The lands bill now goes to … Continue reading House passes bill that would renew Route 66 program
Blue Dome building will become trolley depot
The T-Town Trolley, a which is actually a nicely decorated bus that gives rides to various entertainment districts throughout Tulsa, is marking its first anniversary. KJRH-TV is reporting on a development with the trolleys that's even more significant to roadies: But Lund is more excited about the location that will serve as the depot for … Continue reading Blue Dome building will become trolley depot
Try, try again
The U.S. Senate approved the Omnibus Public Lands Bill, which contains a measure to renew the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years, by a 77-20 vote on Thursday. If that sounds familiar, it should. The Senate approved a similar measure a few weeks ago. But the House, under rules that required a … Continue reading Try, try again
Museum acquires Wishing Well Motel memorabilia
The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum has acquired memorabilia from the razed Wishing Well Motel in Countryside, Ill., including the wishing well itself, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. The motel, which was built in 1941, was owned and operated by father and son Charles and Emil Vidas and their wives. Charles’ wife, Zora … Continue reading Museum acquires Wishing Well Motel memorabilia
Updates from Kingman
Jim Hinckley, an author and roadie in Kingman, Ariz., recently sent me Route 66 updates regarding his town. Demolition has begun on a block of several moribund and closed businesses on Route 66, including the City Cafe, the Imperial Motel and a Texaco gas station that dated to the 1940s. A Walgreens drug store is … Continue reading Updates from Kingman