Volunteer work days to help the owner clean up the long-closed but photogenic Roadrunner Retreat restaurant near Chambless, California, have been set for Nov. 3-4, and a GoFundMe page has been launched to help defray its expenses. Beth Murray, organizer of the GoFundMe page, has set a relatively modest goal of $500. She wrote on … Continue reading Roadrunner Retreat cleanup set for Nov. 3-4; fundraiser announced
Oklahoma Tourism video features Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66
We knew this was going to happen eventually: The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department recently produced a video for Discover Oklahoma about Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios on Route 66, the gift shop that opened along 11th Street (aka Route 66) in Tulsa earlier this summer. Here's the description of the video: Celebrate the fun of … Continue reading Oklahoma Tourism video features Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66
New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era
Local and city officials in Bloomington, Illinois, this week dedicated a new marker that described the racial segregation that once took place in Miller Park's beaches. WJBC reports: At Miller Park, the historical marker acknowledges there were segregated beaches there during the first half of the 20th Century and beyond. The beach for people of … Continue reading New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era
Book review: “Brits on Route 66”
The new book "Brits on Route 66" (self-published, 86 pages, e-book, print version available Oct. 1), as you might expect from the title, is an engaging travelogue on the Mother Road from author Vicki Graves' British perspective. Subtitled "A Very British Guide to the World's Greatest Road Trip," the book also serves as a useful … Continue reading Book review: “Brits on Route 66”
New Oklahoma Route 66 Guide published by state tourism bureau
The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department announced this week it has published a new, 56-page Oklahoma Route 66 Guide. From the news release: The Oklahoma Route 66 Guide highlights more than 120 Mother Road attractions throughout the state, including museums, historical sites, diners and much more. It also features festivals to catch along the route … Continue reading New Oklahoma Route 66 Guide published by state tourism bureau
Interstate 40 repairs affecting Seligman businesses
Old-timers in Seligman, Arizona, must be getting a sense of deja vu, and not in a good way. Forty years after Seligman businesses were devastated by the opening of Interstate 40, the interstate is hampering businesses again -- this time because of repairs to three bridges leading into the town. The Arizona Department of Transportation … Continue reading Interstate 40 repairs affecting Seligman businesses
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
County bond vote includes Route 66 visitors center in Albuquerque
An upcoming bond question in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, includes money earmarked for a Route 66 visitors center on Albuquerque's west side. The county has a total of $38.5 million in bonds that must be approved by voters amid six questions in the Nov. 6 general election. Among those bonds that would be issued, if … Continue reading County bond vote includes Route 66 visitors center in Albuquerque
Rebuilt Parkview Inn in Bloomington may reopen by November
The historic Parkview Inn restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois, destroyed by fire two years ago, may be rebuilt and reopened by early November. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported last week: The restaurant was a mainstay along old Route 66 since 1928, but a fire in October 2016 burned the original structure beyond repair. [...] "We're hoping to open by … Continue reading Rebuilt Parkview Inn in Bloomington may reopen by November
Was there a ban of black customers at Route 66 motels in eastern New Mexico?
Roland Penttila, a reader of this website based in Albuquerque, emailed this 1955 newspaper clipping a few days ago: Penttila wrote: While many white families have fond memories of their auto adventures along Route 66 during its heyday, too little is remembered of how difficult it was for African Americans to travel U.S. highways including … Continue reading Was there a ban of black customers at Route 66 motels in eastern New Mexico?