66 Bowl auction delayed

The auction of the contents for the 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City scheduled for Tuesday has been delayed to Oct. 1, reported the Daily Oklahoman. Auctioneer Louis Dakil said people can go the bowling alley at 10 a.m. Tuesday as planned and register and place advance bids. But because the closing of the bowling alley … Continue reading 66 Bowl auction delayed

And they call the thing rodeo

Though I've lived in Oklahoma more than six years, for the first time I attended the annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo in Vinita. Will Rogers, who grew up near Vinita and attended college there, promised townsfolk in 1934 he would return to Vinita if they put together a rodeo. Just weeks before the rodeo would … Continue reading And they call the thing rodeo

Auction set for Tuesday of 66 Bowl’s contents

A big auction to sell off the contents of the historic 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City has been set for Tuesday, according to KWTV. The list of items on the block will include the bowling alley's iconic neon sign. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at 66 Bowl, and will include online bidding … Continue reading Auction set for Tuesday of 66 Bowl’s contents

Bushyhead rodeo event moving away from Route 66

The Bushyhead Pasture Roping and Barrel Race, long presided over by rodeo legend Clem McSpadden, is moving away from the Route 66 hamlet of Bushyhead, Okla., to Bristow, Okla., and away from the Mother Road, reported the Pryor (Okla.) Daily Times. The longtime event on Route 66 between Chelsea and Claremore, Okla., went on a … Continue reading Bushyhead rodeo event moving away from Route 66

Sooners football owes a debt to John Steinbeck

A report by J. Robert Byrom at Bleacher Report makes a fairly compelling case of why John Steinbeck's famous Depression-era novel "The Grapes of Wrath" paved the way to the University of Oklahoma becoming a college football powerhouse, even to this day. The story is too long and multifaceted to summarize briefly here. Just go … Continue reading Sooners football owes a debt to John Steinbeck

66 Bowl will get a big twist-off

The 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City will be sold to an India grocer in a matter of days. To give the historic bowling alley a proper farewell party, it will host the annual Okie Twist-Off hot rod and music festival next weekend. According to the Daily Oklahoman: The annual event has drawn some of the … Continue reading 66 Bowl will get a big twist-off

Endurance athlete suffers serious injury on Route 66

James Cracknell, the British Olympic gold-medalist who was attempting to traverse the United States by bicycle and running in a mere 18 days, suffered a fractured skull Tuesday on Route 66 when he was hit by a truck in Arizona, reports The Independent of London. The 38-year-old was filming for the Discovery Channel on a … Continue reading Endurance athlete suffers serious injury on Route 66

Ultramarathoner takes a big challenge

Ultramarathoner John Radich is running down Route 66 for a Scientology-based charity, according to a story in the Redlands (Calif.) Daily Facts. Radich is taking the path of Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago, then heading east to the ocean in Atlantic City, N.J. If he's got the energy, he'll also run to New … Continue reading Ultramarathoner takes a big challenge

Notes from the road

I received word Monday that Betty Courtney, 79, one member of the team that helped form the much-praised 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., died Sunday. She, along with Melba Rigg, Judy Courtney and Renee Charles, helped lead the charge to take an abandoned gas station on Route 66 in Galena and transform … Continue reading Notes from the road

A big statue for The Mick

Four decades after his retirement and nearly 15 years after his death, baseball legend Mickey Mantle finally received a larger-than-life tribute in his Route 66 hometown of Commerce, Okla. Although Mantle was born in Sallisaw Spavinaw, Okla., his family moved to Commerce when he was 4 and remained there well after the New York Yankees … Continue reading A big statue for The Mick