On Friday, right when the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival was kicking off, the city of Springfield, Missouri, showed off its new Route 66-themed welcome sign and a replica of the long-gone Red's Giant Hamburg restaurant sign at the newly christened Route 66 Roadside Park. The Springfield News-Leader had some details about the park: Plans … Continue reading Springfield erects new welcome sign, Red’s Giant Hamburg replica
Category: Signs
Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2014 grants
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program on Thursday announced five cost-share grants totaling $77,000 for 2014, including one for an endangered bridge in Oklahoma. Here are the recipients: Rock Creek Bridge, Sapulpa, Oklahoma ($5,013 National Park Service grant, $5,013 match by recipient)– The bridge carried traffic on Route 66 from 1926 until 1952. The bridge, on the … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2014 grants
Cowboy sign returns to Big Texan after one-month hiatus
The 90-foot-tall landmark cowboy sign at the Big Texan Steak Ranch returned Friday after being removed for about a month when a wind storm damaged it, reported the Amarillo Globe-News. The newspaper reported about the saga of Bull, the name of the cowboy figure on the sign: Strong winds in late June damaged the sign to the … Continue reading Cowboy sign returns to Big Texan after one-month hiatus
New Goodwill store in Tulsa doubles as a Route 66 souvenir shop
The new Goodwill Industries of Tulsa store on Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) in southwest Tulsa last week. The opening was a few weeks later than anticipated because of weather-related construction delays. As we previously reported, the Goodwill store's design takes a page from Route 66 and Tulsa history with a retro-looking sign in the … Continue reading New Goodwill store in Tulsa doubles as a Route 66 souvenir shop
2014 inductees to Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame announced
Three inductees -- including a previously announced historic bar in Edwardsville -- were announced to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame during the Illinois Route 66 Association's Motor Tour last month. Detail on the inductees may be read here. Here's a brief overview of each: Hi-Way Cafe and Tavern, Edwardsville -- Sicilian immigrants Frank and … Continue reading 2014 inductees to Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame announced
Neon restored on historic theater in downtown Los Angeles
The marquee of the historic Globe Theatre in downtown Los Angeles was relighted during a ceremony Tuesday night. It reportedly was the first time in 30 years that the marquee has glowed. The theater is on 740 S. Broadway in downtown L.A., which served as the western terminus of Route 66 until it was stretched … Continue reading Neon restored on historic theater in downtown Los Angeles
Photographer wants to document America’s neon signs
San Diego photographer Stefanie Poteet is traveling all over the United States the next four months so she can artistically document vintage neon signs, including on Route 66. Here's the video that comes with her Kickstarter fundraiser: Poteet writes about her quest: These signs and the places they were built for are an integral part … Continue reading Photographer wants to document America’s neon signs
Boots Motel adds new supplementary sign
The historic Boots Motel in Carthage, Missouri, added a new "Air Conditioned" supplementary sign that's a faithful re-creation of one that hung from the main sign decades ago, along with the "Radio in Every Room" sign installed last year. I failed to notice the "Air Conditioned" sign in old postcards of the 1939 motel, which … Continue reading Boots Motel adds new supplementary sign
Illinois county taking next steps for establishing Route 66 corridor
Will County, Illinois, near Chicago, is about to take the next steps in transforming Illinois Highway 53 into more of an attraction for Route 66 tourists, reported Shaw Media. The 20-mile stretch of Illinois 53 runs from about Interstate 80 in Joliet to Braidwood. Larazza said more than 30 businesses and other stakeholders involved in … Continue reading Illinois county taking next steps for establishing Route 66 corridor
Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign
The last Whiting Brothers gas station still in operation on Route 66 had hoped to relight the neon for its refurbished signs during a ceremony last weekend. However, a family of owls recently took up residence in one of the signs, delaying the neon installation at the station in Moriarty, New Mexico. Roger Holden at RETRO … Continue reading Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign