Construction on a 6.65-mile Dirt 66 bicycle, trail running and walking trail will begin Monday at Fellows Lake just north of Springfield, Missouri. It's the first phase in a 33-mile, $1.8 million trail expansion in the area, reported the Springfield News-Leader. The "Dirt 66" mountain bike/walking trail project is being funded by Springfield-based TrailSpring, Inc., … Continue reading Dirt 66 cycling, pedestrian trail to be built north of Springfield, Missouri
Category: Sports
Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa goes virtual because of COVID-19 pandemic
The annual Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa announced a few days ago it is going virtual in November because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The race announced on its website: While we know it’s not quite the same as an in-person race, we believe that the best way to keep everyone safe and still experience … Continue reading Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa goes virtual because of COVID-19 pandemic
Improvements coming to Andy Payne Park in Foyil
The town of Foyil, Oklahoma, soon will embark on improvements to Andy Payne Park -- best-known for its statue of Payne running -- off old Route 66 in the village. According to the Claremore Daily Progress newspaper in nearby Claremore: The improvements, budgeted at $11,000, will include three new picnic tables covered by a large … Continue reading Improvements coming to Andy Payne Park in Foyil
Offbeat world record broken at Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa
A world record of sorts was set during Sunday's annual Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. Julia Webb, 36, of Little Rock, Arkansas, set a Guinness Book of World Records mark by pushing a stroller in a record time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, 24 seconds over a half-marathon of 13.1 miles, according to the Tulsa … Continue reading Offbeat world record broken at Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa
Grassroots Baseball tour looking for obscure baseball sites on Route 66
The Grassroots Baseball tour this summer needs suggestions on less well-known baseball sites on or near Route 66. The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is helping the soon-to-retire Baseball Hall of Fame president, Jeff Idelson, and photographer Jean Fruth as they explore Route 66. According to the partnership: “We are looking for kids, adults, stickball … Continue reading Grassroots Baseball tour looking for obscure baseball sites on Route 66
Baseball Hall of Fame president to embark on Route 66 trip
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
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