In July, Sweet Pea, an 8-foot-tall mummy-like mascot that stood in front of the Cigars & Stripes restaurant and lounge for years on Route 66 in Berwyn, Ill., was spirited away. This brief clip shows what ol' Sweet Pea looked like: Sweet Pea from Jay Hagstrom on Vimeo. It turns out Sweet Pea wasn't stolen. … Continue reading Building a better beast
Category: Restaurants
Good cookin’ at Cookin’ from Scratch
Watching this video made me mighty hungry. It's a clip produced by Rural Missouri magazine about Cookin' from Scratch, a restaurant off Route 66 in Doolittle, Mo. (Sometimes the restaurant is listed as being near Newburg, Mo.) https://youtu.be/K2fyneFSiEE Rural Missouri is a statewide publication from the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Its YouTube channel contains other … Continue reading Good cookin’ at Cookin’ from Scratch
A descendant of The Mill
This past weekend, Hallie's on The Square, owned by Brian and Cheri Huffman, marked its 10th anniversary in downtown Lincoln, Ill. This ordinarily wouldn't be terribly notable, but the eatery's lineage makes it of interest to Route 66ers. We'll let the Lincoln Daily News explain: Huffman is the great-grandson of the infamous, if not notorious, … Continue reading A descendant of The Mill
“Mater and the Ghost Light” commentary
This is fascinating. John Lasseter and Dan Scanlon provide director's commentary audio about the Pixar animated short, "Mater and the Ghost Light," which came out during the DVD release of the 2006 Disney-Pixar film "Cars." They prominently mention Eisler Bros. Store (aka Old Riverton Store) in Riverton, Kan., on Route 66, and "Route 66: The … Continue reading “Mater and the Ghost Light” commentary
A video about Russell’s Travel Center
I stumbled onto this clip made by Russell's Truck & Travel Center, just a few miles west of Glenrio in New Mexico. And it's right on an alignment of Route 66. https://youtu.be/Shr-X4dNewM I wrote about Russell's shortly after it opened in 2010. We usually stop there during cross-country trips.
A long-ago visit to Joe & Aggie’s
Take a look at this 1998 promotional spot by John Fugelsang for the Showtime channel's Free Weekend. Fugelsang visited Joe & Aggie's, a historic Route 66 restaurant in Holbrook, Ariz. Stan's barbershop is behind the restaurant. Showtime Route 66 Free Weekend with John Fugelsang from 99Tigers on Vimeo.
A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
In recent days, Mark Rivera, a reporter for WAND-TV in Decatur, Ill., has posted on YouTube a few of his Route 66-related stories from central Illinois. They're all pretty good. The first is Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield: https://youtu.be/kLpM0m43tnw Next is the Palms Grill in Atlanta, Ill.: https://youtu.be/7gYG8BvP0w8 And finally is Funks Grove … Continue reading A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
Coney Island restaurant moves into Springfield’s Sonrise Donuts building
The historic Coney Island restaurant in Springfield, Ill., has reopened in the equally historic Sonrise Donuts building, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. Both restaurants boasted long tenures on Route 66. Emilio and Rosa Lomeli reopened The New Coney Island this month at Sonrise Donut at 1101 S. Ninth St. (aka Route 66). It is … Continue reading Coney Island restaurant moves into Springfield’s Sonrise Donuts building
Edmond softball complex will take on Route 66 and Pops theme
A new softball complex being built on the east edge of Edmond, Okla., will feature a Mother Road theme, reported The Oklahoman newspaper. The $5.7 million project for four softball diamonds broke ground Wednesday. The complex entrance will be four miles east of Interstate 35 on Second Street. The concessions and restrooms will have a … Continue reading Edmond softball complex will take on Route 66 and Pops theme
A chat with the Bagdad Cafe’s owner
A host for an Irish travel site, Travelbiz.ie, sat down for an interview with Andrea Pruett, owner of the Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs, Calif. https://youtu.be/tgD_BKHYvP8 The Route 66 restaurant enjoyed the extreme good fortune of being the setting for the 1987 German film "Bagdad Cafe." Since then, it's been a destination for many European … Continue reading A chat with the Bagdad Cafe’s owner