Route 66 News suffered about a nine-hour outage because of problems with its host, HostGator. We get hosting services from longtime roadie Guy Randall, who is a reseller for HostGator. He did nothing wrong, but apparently something went awry during the wee hours Wednesday, according to HostGator: At this time the issues have been identified … Continue reading We’re back
Book review: “Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery”
Some may assume Cyrus Avery became known as "The Father of Route 66" simply because he was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when the highway became designated and federally certified in 1926. But as Susan Croce Kelly's well-researched new biography shows, Avery's involvement in Route 66's birth and … Continue reading Book review: “Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery”
Group seeks to restore old schoolhouse in Phelps
A nonprofit group is raising money to shore up and restore a long-abandoned, century-old Phelps School in the tiny Route 66 hamlet of Phelps, Missouri, reported the Joplin Globe. According to the article, Phelps School was finished in 1889 until it and other one-room schools in the region were consolidated into the Miller School District … Continue reading Group seeks to restore old schoolhouse in Phelps
Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket wins state tourism award
The historic Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket restaurant in Willowbrook, Illinois, received a Delicious Destination honor from Illinois Tourism, according to a news release. The Illinois Office of Tourism and DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau reported that Dell Rhea’s is among a small group of Illinois establishments to receive this designation from the state tourism bureau. … Continue reading Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket wins state tourism award
A visit to Amarillo’s Sixth Street District
This video produced by TourTexas.com features Tucker Yeldell -- described as "a lost prospector, reluctant farmer and early Texas Panhandle settler" -- touring some of his favorite spots on Route 66 in Amarillo. https://youtu.be/gs9L25EsvFA Most of the tour is devoted to the city's historic Sixth Street District, which is a terrific menagerie of antique shops, … Continue reading A visit to Amarillo’s Sixth Street District
Former owner of Club Cafe dies
Ron Chavez, 78, a former owner of the long-closed Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, who later became noted as a writer and poet, died Oct. 15 in Albuquerque, reported the Taos News. His daughter, Sonia Valdez, told the newspaper he died of complications from diabetes and a stroke. The family declined to give … Continue reading Former owner of Club Cafe dies
A visit to Cuba Fest
Frank Kocevar, the former co-owner of Historic Seligman Sundries, took his video camera to Cuba Fest this month in Cuba, Missouri, and chatted to a few folks there. There might be a few folks you recognize. https://youtu.be/ttQ84bUZ_tU In case you missed it, Kocevar and his wife Lynn recently sold Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Arizona, … Continue reading A visit to Cuba Fest
Railroad confirms it’s removing deck from MacArthur Bridge
This was reported 10 months ago, but the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis confirmed through a KPLR-TV report this week it is removing the automobile deck from the historic MacArthur Bridge in St. Louis. The railroad told the TV station the deck was a risk to rail traffic. “Trespassers, ya know, you don’t want … Continue reading Railroad confirms it’s removing deck from MacArthur Bridge
Nonprofit challenges El Vado redevelopment plan
A nonprofit group that has experienced success in rehabbing vintage Route 66 motels in Albuquerque is appealing the city's selection of another group that wants to redevelop the historic El Vado Motel, reported the Albuquerque Journal. According to the newspaper: Albuquerque-based nonprofit NewLife Homes, which finished second in the selection process to eventual winner Palindrome … Continue reading Nonprofit challenges El Vado redevelopment plan
Fire destroys old A&W building in Carthage
A former A&W Restaurant near Route 66 in Carthage, Missouri, was destroyed by fire late Friday during the city's annual Maple Leaf Festival. After the A&W closed at that location, it became Hartman's Mercantile, a secondhand store. KODE-TV has a report about the fire: The building was at 502 S. Garrison Ave., which is about … Continue reading Fire destroys old A&W building in Carthage