I received an e-mail today from Jim Conkle of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation that says a preservation meeting concerning the endangered Rod's Grill in Arcadia, Calif., will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the restaurant at 41 W. Huntington Drive. Preservationists will be there to collect signatures on petitions. The city is … Continue reading Meeting set for Saturday on endangered Rod’s Grill
Category: Restaurants
Memories of Red’s Giant Hamburg
Sarah Overstreet of the Springfield News-Leader shares her memories of the now-defunct Red's Giant Hamburg, which was along old Route 66 in Springfield, Mo. Her writing paints a vivid picture of what the place was like in its heyday. Julia Chaney, former co-owner fo the restaurant, died a little over a week ago. The other … Continue reading Memories of Red’s Giant Hamburg
Three Route 66 properties in Illinois named to National Register
The Associated Press reported that nine properties were designated to the National Register of Historic Places, including three restaurants on Route 66. The Route 66 properties are: The Ariston Cafe, which opened in Carlinville in 1924 and moved to its present location on Route 66 in Litchfield in 1935. Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket near Hinsdale, … Continue reading Three Route 66 properties in Illinois named to National Register
Celebrity sighting on the Mother Road
A report from the Desert Dispatch in Barstow, Calif.: Country music duo Brooks & Dunn were sighted at the Route 66 Motel on West Main Street on Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after setting a record by bringing home their 20th and 21st trophies the previous night at the Academy of Country Music Awards … Continue reading Celebrity sighting on the Mother Road
Co-owner of Red’s Giant Hamburg dies
I received word tonight that Julia Chaney, former co-operator of the legendary Red's Giant Hamburg restaurant in Springfield, Mo., has died at age 91. The obituary is here in the Springfield News-Leader. Her husband, Sheldon "Red" Chaney, died in 1997. Red's Giant Hamburg's biggest fame, other than it being on Route 66, is that it … Continue reading Co-owner of Red’s Giant Hamburg dies
Coleman Theatre relights its neon
Ace Jackalope of The Lope blog alerted me to the fact the circa-1929 Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., recently refurbished its vintage neon sign and had it lit for the first time Friday. Ace happened to be driving through Miami on Sunday night and saw it. The photo above is his. A volunteer at … Continue reading Coleman Theatre relights its neon
Topless on Route 66
No, I'm not talking about driving a convertible. Thejab at Tiki Forum Central recently acquired a July 1966 issue of the girlie magazine Modern Man. In it was an article about the Tiki Kai restaurant along Route 66 in Albuquerque, N.M., where the waitresses served drinks and meals kinda sorta topless (I say kinda sorta … Continue reading Topless on Route 66
New Barney’s Beanery site opens this weekend
Pizza Marketing Quarterly reports that a third location of Barney's Beanery will open Memorial Day weekend at 99 E. Colorado Blvd. in the Old Town section of Pasadena, Calif. The newest Barney's Beanery is a near replica of the original West Hollywood Beanery's rowdy atmosphere – complete with road signs, hanging movie and music mementos, … Continue reading New Barney’s Beanery site opens this weekend
Scuttlebutt from the road
According to WTAX radio in Springfield, Ill., a British film crew is filming a segment about Route 66 in the Land of Lincoln. Also, Steven Spielberg will soon start shooting a film about Abraham Lincoln there. David Knudson of the National Historic Route 66 Federation reports that Joe Bono of the historic Bono's restaurant in … Continue reading Scuttlebutt from the road
A trip on U.S. 54
During a trip home in January to see the old homestead in Illinois, I decided to drive most of my way back to Tulsa on U.S. 54 and see what old motels, old neon and roadside kitsch I could find. U.S. 54 is about 1,200 miles. Its western terminus is at El Paso, Texas, and … Continue reading A trip on U.S. 54