Although the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Ill., has been restored and operating for years, its sign was fully refurbished only this week, reports the Joliet Herald News. On Wednesday, a sign crew installed the name "Rubens" above the vertical "Rialto" on the lighted, brown marquee. "It's listed in the National Register of Historical Places … Continue reading Rialto Square’s sign restored
Category: Theaters
Historical icon returning to Miami
There was a time that an Ozark Trail obelisk once graced the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla. It's been gone for many years. But, according to the Miami News-Record, it will return: On Monday, councilmembers accepted the recommendation that a 21-foot obelisk be placed on the corner of Central Avenue and Main Street - … Continue reading Historical icon returning to Miami
Theater lauded as tourism draw
The Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Okla., was named the top tourism attraction in northeastern Oklahoma by the Grand Lake Association, reports the Joplin Globe. Smith said the Coleman, which opened in 1929 as a vaudeville palace and movie theater, continues to draw increased tourism each year. Its proximity along Route 66 attracts many visitors. … Continue reading Theater lauded as tourism draw
Holiday event returns to Route 66 landmark
The Rialto Square Theatre, a historic landmark on Route 66 in Joliet, Ill., is hosting the city's ComEd Festival of Trees for the first time in over a decade, reports the Geneva (Ill.) Sun. The event is from Nov. 24-30. The annual fundraiser typically generates $200,000 for Cornerstone Services, which assists people with disabilities. Proceeds … Continue reading Holiday event returns to Route 66 landmark
Palm Springs Follies opens Route 66-themed season
The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies opened its "Get Your Kicks!" season on Tuesday. The entire season (through mid-May) uses the music and history of Route 66 as its inspiration. The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., interviewed Route 66 advocate and Follies technical adviser Jim Conkle about the production and the Mother Road. Some excerpts: … Continue reading Palm Springs Follies opens Route 66-themed season
Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe ran into a group from the National Preservation Conference in Tulsa that was touring Oklahoma's eastern end of Route 66, plus the Mother Road in Kansas. Among the sights taken in were the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla.; Afton Station in Afton, Okla.; a stretch of the old 9-foot-wide highway, the … Continue reading Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
Notes from the Preservation Conference
I attended a couple of Route 66-related seminars and took a stroll in the exhibition hall on Wednesday during the National Preservation Conference at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa. Here are a few news items that should be of interest to roadies: -- I ran into Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurants … Continue reading Notes from the Preservation Conference
Road report of “Rhythms of the Road”
The Joplin (Mo.) Independent filed this report of Green HD Productions' taping of "Rhythms of the Road" at the Coleman Theater in nearby Miami, Okla. It's part of a 13-part music television series; the producers have long been associated with the RFD-TV cable channel.
Musical TV series to be shot on Route 66
Greene HD Productions is taking to the Mother Road next month to shoot a 13-episode television series called "Rhythms of the Road." From the news release: Combining the successful Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue series aired during the past two years on the RFD TV cable network and Greene’s work on the award-winning Route 66 … Continue reading Musical TV series to be shot on Route 66
Notes from the road
The Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M., has added another mural image, courtesy of local artist Doug Quarles. It's a 1953 Flxible Clipper bus. Motel owner Richard Talley also passed along this news: On another note, we just had our first celebrity guest check-in! No, it wasn't Sir Paul!!! During the annual Rattler Reunion weekend, a … Continue reading Notes from the road