Many things make the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., distinctive. One of the big things is its neon lighting. Co-owner Kevin Mueller talks about the motel's neon in this new video from KC Keefer's "Genuine Route 66 Life" series. https://youtu.be/WqZeqixWA1Y (Night image of the Blue Swallow Motel's neon sign by Nancy L. Stockdale via … Continue reading The neon at the Blue Swallow Motel
Category: Signs
Oklahoma senator again criticizes Route 66 preservation program
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) again targets the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program with his "Wastebook," an annual publication released Tuesday that cites alleged government waste. In the publication, Coburn criticized the $81,224 the program awarded in cost-share grants to restore the roof of the historic DeCamp Junction near Staunton, Ill., the climate-control system of … Continue reading Oklahoma senator again criticizes Route 66 preservation program
Work day set for Nov. 16 at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch
Volunteers have scheduled a short work day on Nov. 16, to spruce up the area around the Stanley Cour-Tel signs at Henry's Rabbit Ranch on old Route 66 in Staunton, Ill. The Stanley Cour-Tel neon signs were salvaged from a Route 66 motel in west St. Louis. The signs were moved before the motel was razed … Continue reading Work day set for Nov. 16 at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch
Vic Suhling / Gas For Less sign glows again after 40-plus years
The restoration of the historic Vic Suhling / Gas For Less neon sign was unveiled Saturday evening next to the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center in Litchfield, Ill. According to a news release, up to 200 people attended the event, including two of Suhling's daughters Bonnie and Bernice, one who traveled from Portland, … Continue reading Vic Suhling / Gas For Less sign glows again after 40-plus years
McCook’s curiously familiar welcome sign
The village of McCook, Ill., recently erected a new welcome sign along its stretch of Route 66, next to the '50s-themed Steak N Egger restaurant that once was Snuffy's 24-Hour Grill. The sign does feature a Route 66 shield prominently, but the rest of its design strongly reminds one of the iconic "Welcome to Las … Continue reading McCook’s curiously familiar welcome sign
Carthage unveils new welcome sign
The City of Carthage, Mo., on Friday unveiled a new welcome sign that features a Route 66 shield and a symbol of the city, a maple leaf, according to a news release from the city. Local artist Rachel Wilson designed the sign, which is on the Carthage Memorial Hall lawn at 407 S. Garrison St. … Continue reading Carthage unveils new welcome sign
Vic Suhling sign will be relighted Oct. 26
The relighting of the soon-to-be-restored Vic Suhling / Gas for Less neon sign in Litchfield, Ill., will occur at dusk Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center, according to a release this week from the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. The new museum, at 334 … Continue reading Vic Suhling sign will be relighted Oct. 26
Williams is adding a second welcome gateway
The City of Williams, Ariz., is installing a second welcome gateway over the east end of Route 66, reported the Williams-Grand Canyon News. The current gateway stands over Grand Canyon Boulevard, near Interstate 40. This one will be up in October, and cost no taxpayer money. The (Arizona State Railroad Museum) donated two cantilevers, which BNSF … Continue reading Williams is adding a second welcome gateway
“Radio in Every Room” sign added to the Boots Motel
Check out the new blue-and-white sign that Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce and Ed Klein of Route 66 World installed Monday onto the Boots Motel's sign pole. It's a reproduction of the "Radio in Every Room" sign that once graced the motel during the 1940s, shortly after it was built on … Continue reading “Radio in Every Room” sign added to the Boots Motel
Vic Suhling sign in Litchfield taken down for restoration
On Thursday, the historic Vic Suhling / Gas for Less sign along Route 66 in Litchfield, Ill., was removed for the first time in decades so it can be restored and reinstalled next to the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center. A St. Louis shop is doing the work. Plans are for the refurbished … Continue reading Vic Suhling sign in Litchfield taken down for restoration