Details emerge on Rolla’s Route 66 Summerfest

According to the Rolla (Mo.) Daily News, the town's Route 66 Summerfest is "getting bigger every year." This year's version is from May 31 to June 2. A special tabloid newspaper detailing the event, with a distribution of more than 20,000 copies, will hit the streets in early May outlining the festival. With the slogan, … Continue reading Details emerge on Rolla’s Route 66 Summerfest

Memories of the Wide-A-Wake Cafe

KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City did a bang-up job talking to people about their recollections of the long-gone 24-hour restaurant at Route 66 and U.S. 77 in Edmond, Okla., the Wide-A-Wake Cafe. The link to the video is the top item on the search here. A photo from the cafe can be found here. The restaurant … Continue reading Memories of the Wide-A-Wake Cafe

What are your eight wonders of Kansas?

It's not a trick question. The Kansas Sampler Foundation is seeking nominations for the Eight Wonders of Kansas to help boost tourism interest. Marci Penner of the foundation offered the Joplin (Mo.) Globe a helpful suggestion: Penner said Cherokee County has other wondrous things that should be considered, including the 13 miles of Route 66 … Continue reading What are your eight wonders of Kansas?

Small-town moments

Yet Another Small Town Moment, which wryly tells of a family's experiences since moving from Los Angeles to small-town Oklahoma, has long been one of my favorite blogs. Recently, OKDad and his family took a trip on Route 66 in western Oklahoma. Their experiences are recounted here: Spring Breakin' on Route 66 Spring Breakin' on … Continue reading Small-town moments

Arcadia’s mini-boom

This story by the Edmond (Okla.) Sun details all the recent business happenings going on in Arcadia, Okla., which is impressive because the Route 66 town doesn't even have 300 people -- yet. The Windmill Shops, a tastefully designed strip mall that includes a tag agency, insurance office, travel agency and tax-planning business. A hair … Continue reading Arcadia’s mini-boom

Walker seeks to stroll continent on historic trails

Detlev Henschel is walking across North America on foot, trying to take historic roads, if possible. Much of his journey will be on Route 66, reports the Desert Dispatch of Barstow, Calif. The journey started at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, and will end in Newfoundland, Canada. The reason for their voyage, Henschel said, … Continue reading Walker seeks to stroll continent on historic trails

Meeting of the minds

Logan County (Ill.) Tourism director Geoff Ladd and Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project historian Carl Johnson joined forces on Thursday to try to find all of the obscure alignments of the Mother Road through Lincoln, Ill., reported the Lincoln Courier. Talk about a dynamic duo -- Ladd has already proved his worth in a short … Continue reading Meeting of the minds

Roy’s should be back in business soon

Trevor Summons of the San Bernardino County Sun drove Route 66 deep into California's Mojave Desert to see whether he could find the hamlet of Bagdad. He didn't find much. "Blink, and you'll miss it" is the common description of what now is a ghost town. However, he motored on to the nearby Route 66 … Continue reading Roy’s should be back in business soon

Battle of the “route 66” TV series books

The acclaimed "route 66" television series has been off the air for more than 40 years. Suddenly, within weeks of each other, two books have been released on the CBS-TV drama about Buzz and Tod driving across the country in a Corvette, looking for adventure. The first book out is Robin Fletcher's "The Route 66 … Continue reading Battle of the “route 66” TV series books

Fun with Google Maps satellite images

I've been working on this for a few days, and I thought you'd like to see what familiar Route 66 landmarks would look like by satellite, via Google Maps: Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, near the start of Route 66 Sears Tower, Chicago Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant and its Gemini Giant, Wilmington, Ill. Old Chain of Rocks … Continue reading Fun with Google Maps satellite images