A television station in Las Vegas shows how an artist with the Neon Museum has brought old neon signs seemingly to life, using what he calls "augmented restoration." The technology holds huge implications for the scores of inoperative neon signs along Route 66. Here's the report from KTNV: https://youtu.be/OX-9GL5y0qg The report explains how reviving old … Continue reading Artist shows how he brings dead neon signs to life with ‘augmented restoration’
Category: Preservation
Tulsa Route 66 group offering facade grants for businesses
The Tulsa Route 66 Main Street organization is offering grants of up to $1,000 for businesses for facade upgrades. According to KJRH-TV in Tulsa, just two of the grants are left, and the deadline to apply is Dec. 31. “It could be replacement of windows. It could be planter boxes," Christine Hamner, Route 66 Main … Continue reading Tulsa Route 66 group offering facade grants for businesses
Doc’s Soda Fountain in Girard lands new owners
The 130-year-old Doc's Soda Fountain site in downtown Girard, Illinois, has landed new owners, and one of them has ties to the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. Steve and Casey Claypool of nearby Chatham, Illinois, closed on the purchase Friday. They plan to reopen it sometime in April after some interior renovations. Casey also is … Continue reading Doc’s Soda Fountain in Girard lands new owners
Corvair Museum in Glenarm to close next month, seeks new location on Route 66
The Corvair Museum along Route 66 in Glenarm, Illinois, will close sometime in January and is seeking another location along Route 66, stated the museum's curator. Mike Hall, the curator of the museum and president of the nonprofit Corvair Preservation Foundation that operates it, posted this message that was forwarded to the Corvair Society of … Continue reading Corvair Museum in Glenarm to close next month, seeks new location on Route 66
Renovations begin at Hotel Brunswick in Kingman
A major renovation project began a few days ago at the century-old Hotel Brunswick along Route 66 in downtown Kingman, Arizona, according to several social media posts. The Bee, a media outlet in the region, posted a photo on Facebook of the renovations being done on the back of the property and stated: The project … Continue reading Renovations begin at Hotel Brunswick in Kingman
Tee Pee Drive-In in Sapulpa offers a preview of its forthcoming neon sign
The Sapulpa Crossroads group offered a sneak peek of a 25-foot-tall neon sign that will be installed at the reopening of the Tee Pee Drive-In theater on the west side of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The organization also stated in a Facebook post the theater will reopen in April. In an ironic twist, a prospective operator of … Continue reading Tee Pee Drive-In in Sapulpa offers a preview of its forthcoming neon sign
A closer look inside The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa
Popular travel vlogger Adam the Woo over the weekend paid a visit to The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa, which is a house used in "The Outsiders" film from 1983 that's been restored and is devoted to showing props and memorabilia from the movie. I'd heard a lot about what's in the museum, but this … Continue reading A closer look inside The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa
Giving Tuesday money can be given to Painted Desert Trading Post for upkeep
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, where people can give funds to nonprofit organizations worldwide. The Route 66 Co-op that owns and maintains the Painted Desert Trading Post in northeast Arizona is among those. Mike Ward, one of the co-op's members, made the appeal on Facebook to give money to the organization even though the final stage … Continue reading Giving Tuesday money can be given to Painted Desert Trading Post for upkeep
Shamrock Court relighting set for March 19; motel likely will reopen in 2023
A few days ago, "Roamin' Rich" Dinkela texted me to announce an official relighting ceremony for a neon sign of the Shamrock Court motel in Sullivan, Missouri, that will occur on March 19, which is St. Patrick's Day weekend. Dinkela added this text: "Btw, I'm going to make an attempt to run the motel." Dinkela, … Continue reading Shamrock Court relighting set for March 19; motel likely will reopen in 2023
La Fonda in Santa Fe will mark its centennial in January
The landmark La Fonda on the Plaza hotel in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, will mark its centennial in January, though records indicate a lodging establishment was there several centuries before that. La Fonda will host a "Party of the Century" on Jan. 22 "as we honor our storied past and look to the future … Continue reading La Fonda in Santa Fe will mark its centennial in January