Michael Howe was assigned by Jim Hill Media to attend the premiere of the "Cars" movie at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Here is Howe's extensive report, along with plenty of photos. Howe also interviewed many of the film's stars on the red carpet of the event, including this excerpt of a Q&A with … Continue reading A firsthand report on the “Cars” premiere
Happy days at Happy Wiener Festival
The Bloomington Pantagraph has coverage of the first-ever Happy Wiener Festival in the Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill., this weekend. Ninety-year-old Paul Adams, a resident of the town, has made the same observation as I have about the town. "There is a lot of energy in this small town," Adams said. "It's a great … Continue reading Happy days at Happy Wiener Festival
So what’s the economic impact of Route 66?
Here's a story from the Bloomington Pantagraph about the allure of Route 66. Here's a side story about the number of foreign tourists the road draws. These two paragraphs jumped out at me: More than 300,000 tourists drive Route 66 through Illinois each year, according to the Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project, based in Springfield. … Continue reading So what’s the economic impact of Route 66?
Here’s one reason why “Cars” will succeed
The reason? Because "Cars" director John Lasseter "gets" Route 66 and its allure. Here's an excerpt from a New York Times story that illustrates this: As for the town of Radiator Springs, the quirky desert hamlet on Route 66, it provides a reminder of the less homogenized America Mr. Lasseter saw as a boy. "For … Continue reading Here’s one reason why “Cars” will succeed
Norwegians on Harleys visit Route 66 museum
The Pontiac (Ill.) Daily Leader reports: Ten Norwegians on their way to Los Angeles aboard seven Harley-Davidson motorcycles visited Pontiac's Route 66 museum Thursday afternoon, getting a look at some Illinois aspects of the highway they will travel on their 10-day journey. "Route 66 all the way," one of the members of the group - … Continue reading Norwegians on Harleys visit Route 66 museum
Memories of Red’s Giant Hamburg
Sarah Overstreet of the Springfield News-Leader shares her memories of the now-defunct Red's Giant Hamburg, which was along old Route 66 in Springfield, Mo. Her writing paints a vivid picture of what the place was like in its heyday. Julia Chaney, former co-owner fo the restaurant, died a little over a week ago. The other … Continue reading Memories of Red’s Giant Hamburg
For me, 6/6/06 will be a good day
Mary Adamski, a religion columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, writes about some people being extremely wary about the date June 6, 2006, that will be apocalyptic somehow because the date is kinda sorta "666," or the "mark of the Beast" from the Bible's Book of Revelation. Adamski writes: We might think we're in an enlightened … Continue reading For me, 6/6/06 will be a good day
Some rough days for post-walk Fat Man
Steve Vaught, the man who walked much of Route 66 in a cross-country effort to lose weight and documented much of his trek on thefatmanwalking.com, has been on a tough row to hoe lately. This article by the San Diego Union-Tribune spells out much of his recent troubles. Not only is he accused of skipping … Continue reading Some rough days for post-walk Fat Man
“Cars” holds its big premiere at Lowes speedway
Friday night was the big premiere for the Pixar "Cars" movie at Lowes Motor Speedway at Concord, N.C. A sellout crowd of 30,000 people attended, as did a bunch of the movie's stars. Here's the Associated Press story of the event. Here's the report from AP's racing writer. Here's a page that links to video … Continue reading “Cars” holds its big premiere at Lowes speedway
Maps of Route 66 alignments in St. Louis area
St. Louis is the most confusing town in which to drive Route 66. There are at least a half-dozen alignments and almost as many on the Illinois side of the river. Route 66 mapper extraordinaire Stefan Joppich tries to figure out the Mother Road Maze that is the St. Louis region with a new section … Continue reading Maps of Route 66 alignments in St. Louis area