The soon-to-retire president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Wednesday will begin a trip on Route 66 to celebrate amateur baseball in the United States. Jeff Idelson, who retires after 25 years with the Hall of Fame in August, will use the trip to promote the launch of Grassroots Baseball, a … Continue reading Baseball Hall of Fame president to embark on Route 66 trip
Category: Sports
Joplin Hall of Fame athlete, restaurateur Gary “Cat” Johnson dies
Gary "Cat" Johnson, a former pro basketball player who returned to his hometown of Joplin, Missouri, to briefly open a Southern-cooking restaurant on Route 66, died Tuesday. He was 59. A friend of Cat Johnson's Taste of the South page on Facebook posted this message late Tuesday: According to the Joplin Globe, Johnson led Memorial … Continue reading Joplin Hall of Fame athlete, restaurateur Gary “Cat” Johnson dies
Mother Road Marathon goes on hiatus, perhaps permanently
The group that has organized the Mother Road Marathon that traverses Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri announced Thursday the race will "cease operations" because of declining resources and profits. Tom Rogers, CEO and president of The Twelveone Group that put on the 26.2-mile footrace on Route 66 from Commerce, Oklahoma, to Joplin, Missouri, stated the race's … Continue reading Mother Road Marathon goes on hiatus, perhaps permanently
Group pulls plug on Illinois basketball museum in Pontiac
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association announced it is ending its pursuit of a Basketball Museum of Illinois in Pontiac because it fell short on fundraising. The museum was supposed to be in a vacant Kmart building in Vermillion Square in Pontiac, next to old Route 66 on the city's southwest edge. The museum also was planned … Continue reading Group pulls plug on Illinois basketball museum in Pontiac
Mother Road Market in Tulsa shows stunning early success
The Mother Road Market just off Route 66 in Tulsa opened a few weeks ago as an incubator for about 20 food or retail stores and an events center, and the results since then can be described as stunning. John Klein, a columnist for the Tulsa World newspaper, in a recent entry passed along these … Continue reading Mother Road Market in Tulsa shows stunning early success
12,000 participate in Tulsa’s annual Route 66 Marathon
About 12,000 people participated over the weekend during the 13th annual Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. A race official told the Tulsa World newspaper the annual running event that also features a half-marathon, marathon relay, mascot dash, a 5-kilometer race and a fun run or walk brings $7.5 million to the local economy. Joel Salazar, … Continue reading 12,000 participate in Tulsa’s annual Route 66 Marathon
Sod Poodles chosen as name of Amarillo baseball team
The new Amarillo minor-league baseball team, an AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres, announced Tuesday afternoon the name of its club will be the Sod Poodles. Sod Poodles is another name for prairie dogs, an animal native to the Texas Plains. The team also will be called the Soddies, for short. Other finalists for … Continue reading Sod Poodles chosen as name of Amarillo baseball team
Louie the Lumberjack statue in Flagstaff beheaded
The Louie the Lumberjack statue inside Northern Arizona University's Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff was beheaded -- probably as a prank -- after it was taken down in September during stadium renovations. NAZ Today, which is run by the university's students, has the story: https://youtu.be/LROIs4wFqls The university's newspaper, Jack Central, said the headless statue was reported … Continue reading Louie the Lumberjack statue in Flagstaff beheaded
Hundreds participate in Mother Road Marathon
More than 500 people finished Sunday's Mother Road Marathon and its companion races. The 26.2-mile footrace that started in Commerce, Oklahoma, and finished in Joplin, Missouri, remains the only marathon that goes through three states. Preliminary race results indicate Scott Wilmes, 41, of Liberty, Missouri, was the top finisher in 3 hours, 6 minutes, 19.1 … Continue reading Hundreds participate in Mother Road Marathon
An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil
When we'd last heard almost three years ago, a local man bought a 1920s Texaco station along old Route 66 in Foyil, Oklahoma, and shortly had it added to the National Register of Historic Places. The station's owner, Kean Isaacs, pledged to restore it to as close as its original look as possible. Last week, … Continue reading An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil