This post comes from a clean, comfortable and inexpensive room at the Gardens Motel in Litchfield, Ill. We got into Litchfield not long after the sun began to dip low on the ripened wheat and sprouting horseradish fields. On the way, we found the concretes at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis are as … Continue reading Checking in
Category: Sports
Horse-racing track in Moriarty approved
The New Mexico Racing Commission today approved the move of the Downs at Albuquerque from the New Mexico state fairgrounds to the Route 66 town of Moriarty, N.M., about 40 miles east, reports KRQE-TV. Planned is a 500-acre, $65 million facility at Highway 41 and Interstate 40. That is very close to Highway 333, aka … Continue reading Horse-racing track in Moriarty approved
Skateboard kicks
Here's a short video of a bunch of skateboarders who took a trip on Route 66, looking for adventure. At one point, you'll see them at a certain landmark in Holbrook, Ariz.
Design proposed for downtown Miami
The Miami (Okla.) News-Herald reported that landscape architecture students have made their recommendations "Miami Beautiful" -- a revamped downtown area. The students clearly took the "Miami Beautiful" name from the historic Coleman Theatre Beautiful in downtown. According to the project material, the concept features Main Street as “center stage,” while the parking lots and alleys … Continue reading Design proposed for downtown Miami
Tucumcari applies for racetrack-casino
An application for a proposed horse-racing track and casino in the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., was officially filed on Friday, reports the Quay County Sun. Coronado Partners is the group applying for the state licenses. The racetrack and casino, called Coronado Park, would be on Route 66. Coronado Park would sport a one-mile … Continue reading Tucumcari applies for racetrack-casino
Football promotion for Mother Roaders
If you like football and the Mother Road, the Oklahoma Route 66 Association has an event for you. The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena Football 2 league, along with POPS in nearby Arcadia, are hosting a Route 66 Night on April 27. Association members can purchase tickets for $5 off. Members can buy … Continue reading Football promotion for Mother Roaders
Book review: “Bunion Derby”
From the When It Rains, It Pours Department: After years of very few volumes about the famed 1928 "Bunion Derby" footrace across America, two remarkably comprehensive books are released three months apart. The first was "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" by Geoff Williams. The second is "Bunion Derby" (256 pages, University of New Mexico Press, … Continue reading Book review: “Bunion Derby”
Saratoga Lanes named to National Register
Barely a block south of the Manchester Avenue alignment of Route 66 in the St. Louis area is Saratoga Lanes, an upstairs, eight-lane bowling alley that's been there since 1916. Yep, it predates the Mother Road. On Jan. 29, the Saratoga Lanes building was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Saratoga Lanes is … Continue reading Saratoga Lanes named to National Register
Tour of Missouri bicycle event will include Route 66
The 2008 Tour of Missouri cycling event on Sept. 8-14 will include stretches of Route 66, including the towns of Rolla, Lebanon, Springfield, St. James and St. Louis as host cities. It appears that Stage 4, which goes 105 miles from Lebanon to Rolla, makes use of the Mother Road extensively. Here's the news release … Continue reading Tour of Missouri bicycle event will include Route 66
Andy Payne ran here
The Lincoln (Ill.) Courier published a fascinating article about the Lincoln library's research into the 1928 Bunion Derby, the transcontinental footrace that went the length of Route 66. Oklahoma native Andy Payne, a previously unheralded runner, bested the talented field and took home a $25,000 prize. The library used Geoff Williams' excellent book, "C.C. Pyle's … Continue reading Andy Payne ran here