Bill Shea, longtime proprietor of a gas station museum along Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., turns 90 years old on Dec. 30, and is also marking his 66th year as a business owner on the Mother Road. To mark the occasion, the City of Springfield is declaring Dec. 30 as Bill Shea Day, according to … Continue reading Dec. 30 will be declared Bill Shea Day in Springfield
Chevrolet announces finalists for Route 66 ad campaign
Chevrolet today has chosen 35 finalists who seek to have an advertisement aired during the 2012 Super Bowl. All of the videos can be viewed at ChevroletRoute66.com. If you share one of them, you earn a chance at a $10,000 prize (registration is required). According to USA Today about the campaign: Chevrolet Route 66 is … Continue reading Chevrolet announces finalists for Route 66 ad campaign
Tests begin for Mater ride at Cars Land
Testing has started for the Mater's Junkyard Jamboree ride at Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. This is where baby tractors twirl and swing around, pulling trailers behind them. Riders sit in those trailers. https://youtu.be/-FcVu_QUub4 According to the Disney Parks Blog: When completed, the tractors will appear to be dancing to songs that Mater is singing – … Continue reading Tests begin for Mater ride at Cars Land
Doing it their way
Here's a wonderful clip made by the folks at Mother's Brewing Co., based in Springfield, Mo. You'll quickly find it's inspired by a certain 1970s sitcom. https://youtu.be/vhHe43O7qRg The microbrewery, by the way, sits less than a block south of the St. Louis Street / College Street alignment of Route 66. (Hat tip: Christian Gideon)
Milk Bottle Building
Here's a short video of the Milk Bottle Building along Route 66 in Oklahoma City (map here). The clip shows the building's triangle shape and how small it is. According to the National Park Service, the 1930 building measures 350 square feet. https://youtu.be/TNEJoJIz7Mw The building once housed a grocery, an ice-cream shop and other things. … Continue reading Milk Bottle Building
Santa Rosa applying for byways grant for Route 66 museum
Santa Rosa, N.M., is applying for a grant from the National Scenic Byways Program so it can renovate the historic Ilfeld-Johnson Warehouse near downtown and eventually house what would be the state's only Route 66 museum. On Dec. 15, Santa Rosa tourism director Richard Delgado announced the intent during a mass email to about 30 Route … Continue reading Santa Rosa applying for byways grant for Route 66 museum
Continuing the tradition
This nativity set was erected each Christmas season for at least 50 years by Pauline Armstrong, longtime co-owner of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo. Connie Echols, the new owner of the historic Route 66 motel, has continued the tradition: If you have other wintry scenes of Christmas-related photos along Route 66, email them to … Continue reading Continuing the tradition
El Trovatore resurrected as a motel
El Trovatore Motel in Kingman, Ariz., recently reopened to overnight travelers after being used as apartments for the past few years. The owner says he plans to restore the historic Route 66 motel in the coming months, including its distinctive neon signs. El Trovatore owner Sam Frisher, born in Israel but has lived in the … Continue reading El Trovatore resurrected as a motel
Route 66 in 2 minutes
Ludwig Bispink, the fellow who traveled the length of Route 66 and posted his videotaped experiences in three parts, has just posted a two-minute summary of his big road trip: https://youtu.be/NlLhW4-BZi0 Music is the Rolling Stones' version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66."
Painter takes his inspiration from Route 66
A painter who gets his inspiration from Route 66 will have an exhibit of his work at the Peoria Public Library in Peoria, Ariz., reported the Peoria Times. Red Rohall's "Roadside Americana" will be on display starting this weekend at the Main Library at 8463 W. Monroe St. (map here). Many of Rohall's oil paintings … Continue reading Painter takes his inspiration from Route 66