Nearly two weeks ago, the Joplin Blasters professional baseball team played the home opener of its inaugural season at the renovated Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin, Missouri. Although the stadium's seating facilities are new after $4.7 million in work, the field itself is almost a century old and once hosted the Joplin Miners minor-league team … Continue reading The new old Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin
UFO-themed hotel planned in Baker
An entrepreneur is planning a $30 million, science fiction-themed UFO Hotel in Baker, California, about 50 miles northeast of Barstow, according to a news release. Luis Ramallo, best-known for Alien Fresh Jerky store in Baker, plans to build the two-story, 31-room hotel shaped like a spaceship. The UFO Hotel, which is in pre-construction development, will … Continue reading UFO-themed hotel planned in Baker
Petrified Forest pilfering tale is fiction
For decades, the Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona tried to discourage visitors from stealing its small pieces of petrified wood by saying the park loses 12 tons of the fossils per year. But, as an Arizona Republic report explains, the park's pilfering tale isn't true. No one's for sure how much petrified wood … Continue reading Petrified Forest pilfering tale is fiction
Movie being filmed in Tucumcari
A major film, "Comancheria," starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, is being filmed in and around the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, New Mexico, this week, according to the Quay County Sun newspaper and other accounts. CBS Films is producing. Here are some of the details from Hitfix.com: ... The film tells the … Continue reading Movie being filmed in Tucumcari
Keepers of the Wild owner plans bigger complex near Kingman
The owner of the Keepers of the Wild exotic-animal sanctuary on Route 66 north of Kingman, Arizona, is planning an even-bigger animal sanctuary called Wild Planet off U.S. 93 west of Kingman, according to varying media reports. According to the Bullhead City Bee, the complex that will cost nearly $40 million will be on 4,000 … Continue reading Keepers of the Wild owner plans bigger complex near Kingman
Dying dog taken on a big road trip
One of my favorite milestones from #pohthedogsbigadventure with @djneilarmstrong and @goumada. Getting to the end of Route 66, signifying that we made it all the across the country. This was already almost 2 months ago... And the trip we took started 10 weeks ago now. When my parents found out I was sick, it seemed … Continue reading Dying dog taken on a big road trip
Negro Motorist Green Book project wins grant
A project to document Route 66 properties listed in editions of the Negro Motorist Green Book was awarded a 2015 grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. According a release from the foundation, it awarded a total of $490,000 to support 63 projects by individuals "that engage original ideas in … Continue reading Negro Motorist Green Book project wins grant
Joplin: then and now
Patrick McPheron, an artist based in Los Angeles who is a native of Joplin, Missouri, put together this amazing video of century-old images from Joplin that deftly fades the images into current-day images from the same exact vantage point. https://youtu.be/aNLk6f3F7P8 Getting the new images from the same location must have been the most challenging part … Continue reading Joplin: then and now
State of Oklahoma will sell former Route 66 motel
Anybody want to buy a Route 66 motel that was converted into a prison? If so, you're in luck. The former Suntide Inn in Oklahoma City, later the now-closed Kate Barnard Community Correction Center, will be sold at auction June 15 by the state as surplus property, according to The Oklahoman newspaper. The old correctional center … Continue reading State of Oklahoma will sell former Route 66 motel
Military museum may come to Wilmington
Ohio native R. Fred Rolsten has amassed a sizable collection of military memorabilia from World War I, World War II and other eras that may end up on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois, reported Shaw Media. A search for a permanent location for his collection of artifacts from World War I, World War II and … Continue reading Military museum may come to Wilmington