The city of Kingman, Arizona, recently approved a contract for building the so-called Beale Street Gateway Arch that will be near Locomotive Park. The contract with YESCO, based in Salt Lake City, will cost $177,736 in motel taxes, reported the Kingman Daily Miner. The chamber of commerce also contributed $35,000 to the project. The newspaper reported: … Continue reading Kingman OKs archway near Locomotive Park
Category: Signs
New neon sign, lizard statue goes up in Kingman
Route 66 author and tour guide Jim Hinckley recently sent a long list of additions in Kingman, Arizona -- including a new neon sign along Route 66 and a statue of a big lizard. Based on those two things, it's safe to say Kingman no longer is a sleepy Route 66 town. Hinckley wrote: Improvements … Continue reading New neon sign, lizard statue goes up in Kingman
Wilder’s Steakhouse rooftop sign removed for restoration
The rooftop neon sign at Wilder's Steakhouse in Joplin, Missouri, was removed Friday for restoration. A relighting ceremony for the sign is scheduled for dusk April 14. According to a news release, the animated neon sign has not operated for least 25 years. The restaurant at 1216 Main St. landed a $24,000 cost-share grant from … Continue reading Wilder’s Steakhouse rooftop sign removed for restoration
Bob Boze Bell’s garage find
Bob Boze Bell, an author, artist and owner of True West magazine, wrote on his blog he recently had found some long-lost photographs from the 1950s -- many of them on Route 66 -- in a yellowed box in his garage. He wrote: Wish I would have had them when we were doing "The 66 … Continue reading Bob Boze Bell’s garage find
Fender’s River Road Resort launches neon-sign restoration campaign
Fender's River Road Resort in Needles, California, recently launched a fundraising campaign to restore the neon lighting of its classic sign. Fender's, which proclaims itself the only motel on the Colorado River and Route 66 in Needles, has set donation levels of $25, $100, $250 or $500. Prizes for a donation range from an old-style, … Continue reading Fender’s River Road Resort launches neon-sign restoration campaign
Kingman considers gateway arch designs; budget concerns remain
Kingman, Arizona, is considering five designs of a gateway arch that would welcome visitors to its downtown, but all the options would cost more than what's been budgeted. A report in the Kingman Daily Miner newspaper provided details behind the arch options: Across Andy Devine Avenue (aka Route 66) at Locomotive Park. Cost: $170,000. Several … Continue reading Kingman considers gateway arch designs; budget concerns remain
Another vintage Route 66 neon sign restored in Kingman
Another original neon sign from Route 66 in Kingman, Arizona, recently was restored, and the Desert Drugs sign now stands on the Mother Road many years after it was taken down. Jim Hinckley wrote a few days ago on Facebook: The Graves family (Elmer and Craig) have jumped on the Route 66 Association of Kingman … Continue reading Another vintage Route 66 neon sign restored in Kingman
Museum unveils restored Tucumcari Motel sign
The New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari on Monday officially unveiled the restored Tucumcari Motel neon sign. Here's a brief Facebook video of the unveiling: Eight Ball Engineering in Clovis, New Mexico, restored the sign’s paint. Wellborn Sign Company in Amarillo, Texas, restored the neon. To show you how far the sign has come, … Continue reading Museum unveils restored Tucumcari Motel sign
Group donates neon signs to Route 66 Neon Park
The Friends of the Mother Road nonprofit group this week donated neon signs from the Stanley Cour-Tel and Lin-Air Motel on Route 66 in St. Louis to the future Route 66 Neon Park in St. Robert, Missouri. According to a news release from Beth Wiles of Pulaski County Route 66 Preservation: Both properties were razed … Continue reading Group donates neon signs to Route 66 Neon Park
Fire damages Paradise Motel in Tucumcari
Fire heavily damaged the main office building and one room Friday afternoon at the long-closed Paradise Motel on the western edge of Tucumcari, New Mexico. The fire didn't damage the motel's distinctive neon sign, its garage or much of the rest of the complex. But the blaze doesn't portend well for the motel's already-grim future. … Continue reading Fire damages Paradise Motel in Tucumcari