The Route 66 town of Miami, Oklahoma, added five murals to its downtown district over the weekend and produced a festival around it, to boot. Mural Fest 66 featured the work of five artists who used the walls of downtown buildings as their canvas. Most of the artists came from Oklahoma, but one hailed from … Continue reading Miami makes a festival out of adding murals
Scenes from the Route 66 birthday celebration
A 92nd-birthday party was held Monday in downtown Springfield, Missouri, from the spot in 1926 where area good-roads activists proposed No. 66 for a highway from Chicago to Los Angeles. The event at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Park Central East in Springfield marked the spot at the long-gone Colonial Hotel when a telegram … Continue reading Scenes from the Route 66 birthday celebration
New owners pledge to restore Hill Top Motel in Kingman
A husband-and-wife team recently purchased the closed Hill Top Motel in Kingman, Arizona, and plan to spend a half-million dollars renovating the historic Route 66 property. Francisco Sinopoli and Makenzie Baker, who are chiropractors, are the motel's new owners after Mohave State Bank foreclosed on it in December, reported the Kingman Daily Miner. They bought the … Continue reading New owners pledge to restore Hill Top Motel in Kingman
Longtime Illinois state trooper Chester Henry dies
Chester Henry, a longtime Illinois state trooper in the Pontiac area and an Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame member, died at age 86 in Le Roy, Illinois, on Saturday. One of Henry's pages on Facebook had this message Sunday: We would like to inform all of you faithful followers that Chester Donovan Henry passed … Continue reading Longtime Illinois state trooper Chester Henry dies
Recollections of the early days of The Mill in Lincoln
Geoff Ladd in 2007 conducted this interview of Robert and Norma McAfee. Robert and his sister, Pauline, were greeters when The Mill (known then as The Blue Mill) opened July 25, 1929, along Route 66 in Lincoln, Illinois. The audio is hissy, so you probably will have to turn up the volume on your smartphone or … Continue reading Recollections of the early days of The Mill in Lincoln
Route 66 birthday party set for Monday in Springfield, Missouri
The city of Springfield, Missouri, will throw a free 92nd birthday party Monday afternoon for Route 66 from the downtown spot where the highway received its number in 1926. The party at 3:30 p.m. Monday at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Park Central East in downtown Springfield will mark the spot when a telegram … Continue reading Route 66 birthday party set for Monday in Springfield, Missouri
New Mexico Tourism produces new video about Route 66
A few days ago, the New Mexico Tourism Department uploaded a 12-minute video about Route 66 in the Land of Enchantment. Typical of the department's New Mexico True videos, it's a high-quality production: I commend it to your attention. https://youtu.be/3hLVfSQlzs4 Interviewed in the film are: Johnnie Meier, owner of the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo … Continue reading New Mexico Tourism produces new video about Route 66
Several Route 66 cities receive brownfield grants
Several large Route 66 cities will receive brownfield grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "to assess, clean up and redevelop underutilized properties while protecting public health and the environment." According to a news release from the agency, 144 cities will receive a total of $54.3 million. Here are the Route 66 communities that will receive … Continue reading Several Route 66 cities receive brownfield grants
Vandalism at Blue Whale prompts security upgrades
The iconic Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma, soon will receive security improvements after vandalism occurred at the Route 66 landmark earlier last weekend. KOTV in Tulsa had some details about the damage: Volunteer Linda Hobbs remembers the phone call she got earlier this week saying someone vandalized the beloved Blue Whale Park. "Had pulled picnic … Continue reading Vandalism at Blue Whale prompts security upgrades
Joplin baseball team’s new logo contains subtle Route 66 tribute
One of the proposed new names for Joplin's new professional baseball team was the 66ers. That name didn't win, but Route 66 figures prominently in the team's logo anyway. In an homage to Joplin's baseball past, the independent Southwest League team's nickname will be the Miners. Ballpark Digest explained the significance of the choice, which … Continue reading Joplin baseball team’s new logo contains subtle Route 66 tribute