The Joliet Restaurant in downtown Joliet, Ill., has renamed itself to the Joliet Route 66 Diner to take advantage of the town's Mother Road heritage, according to The Herald-News in Joliet. The newspaper reported: A few months ago, Tom Mahalik, marketing vice president for the City Center Partnership, came up with an idea to rebrand … Continue reading Joliet restaurant takes on Route 66 name
Pontiac’s museums
This video by WMBD-TV in Peoria, Ill., does a good job packing information about the four museums in Pontiac, Ill., into about 90 seconds. https://youtu.be/NPSITNBYeeA The museums are: Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum & Resource Center Livingston County War Museum International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum And the Museum … Continue reading Pontiac’s museums
Will Route 66 Rendezvous leave or stay in downtown San Berdoo?
The annual Route 66 Rendezvous may depart or remain in downtown San Bernardino, Calif., according to somewhat contradictory reports Friday afternoon from two area newspapers. The Press-Enterprise said the classic-car extravaganza may leave downtown because the city, which recently declared bankruptcy, may not have the money to pay for the event's police patrols. A few … Continue reading Will Route 66 Rendezvous leave or stay in downtown San Berdoo?
New cap on Route 66 sodas features Route 66 itself
Route 66 Sodas LLC today announced a new design on the bottle caps of its Route 66 Root Beer and other 12-ounce sodas that are sold in glass bottles. The company, based in the Route 66 town of Lebanon, Mo., decided to actually feature an image of the Mother Road on the cap. A photo of … Continue reading New cap on Route 66 sodas features Route 66 itself
New Rancho freeway signs point to Route 66
Interstate 15 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., this week received new signs -- in both directions -- that direct motorists to Foothill Boulevard, aka historic Route 66. According to the Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif: "It's my intent to again let the people know that this is part of Route 66," said Edward Dietl, vice president of … Continue reading New Rancho freeway signs point to Route 66
New song from The Road Crew
The Road Crew, which has released an entire album of Route 66-related music and has performed at several Mother Road events, has recorded a new tune specially for the upcoming The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Mo. "The Middle of Everything" was written by singer Don King and band member Joe Loesch: During … Continue reading New song from The Road Crew
Historical truck group taking a caravan down Route 66
Here's something a little unusual. The American Truck Historical Society is organizing its first Historic Highway Convoy, with a trip down Route 66 in September. These are big semi trucks, not pickup trucks, at the event. The society has a photo gallery those antique trucks; a few of them might be seen there. Land Line, a … Continue reading Historical truck group taking a caravan down Route 66
Route 66 bolsters Illinois recovery in tourism
The state of Illinois announced that tourism returned to pre-recession levels in 2011, with Route 66 helping drive that recovery, reported the Chicago Tribune. The state reported hosting more than 93.3 million visitors, up 10.2 percent from 2010 and surpassing the previous record of 91 million in 2006. The increase outpaced a national average gain … Continue reading Route 66 bolsters Illinois recovery in tourism
Private prison operator is likely source of Santa Rosa’s tax rebate
Documents obtained by the Guadalupe County Communicator indicate a private prison operator is the likely source of the gross receipts tax rebate that has put the City of Santa Rosa, N.M., in a fiscal crisis. The GEO Group is the only local employer given a tax refund this year that's big enough to cover what … Continue reading Private prison operator is likely source of Santa Rosa’s tax rebate
Several Missouri Route 66 oral histories placed online
Missouri State University has placed online several interview transcripts and photos from the Route 66 Oral History Project, conducted by members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Conducted in 2005-06, the interview subjects were: Robert Boots, whose parents owned the Boots Motel and Boots Drive-In in Carthage, Mo. Julia Chaney, wife of Red Chaney, … Continue reading Several Missouri Route 66 oral histories placed online