Items displayed from old Route 66 motel

At the main office of the Holiday Inn Express in Litchfield, Ill., is a display of memorabilia from the long-gone 66 Motel Court and Route 66 in general, reports The Journal-News of Hillsboro, Ill. Sisters and hotel owners Jane Martin and Nancy Hyam, created the wall as a tribute to their parents, Lorman and Dorothy … Continue reading Items displayed from old Route 66 motel

Blues Brothers may return to television

The Blues Brothers, the musical duo that Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi made famous on "Saturday Night Live" during the 1970s, may soon return to television as a prime-time series. According to Variety, the screenplay for a pilot episode has been written. Aykroyd and Judy Belushi, John's ex-wife, own the TV rights. Script … Continue reading Blues Brothers may return to television

Bike MS event on Route 66 aims for $500,000

The annual Bike MS Oklahoma Ride cycling event next month on Route 66 is aiming to raise $500,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Oklahoma chapter, reported the Edmond Sun. The 26th annual Bike MS Oklahoma Ride is a statewide cycling event heading from Tulsa to Oklahoma City for fun along Route 66 with stops along … Continue reading Bike MS event on Route 66 aims for $500,000

The father of “Route 66”

A recording by Bobby Troup of a song he wrote in 1946 that has subsequently been recorded by hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of acts over the decades. https://youtu.be/sYse1RNEh54

Pale Blue Whale

Do not adjust your computer screen. No, the Blue Whale has not died, so you're not seeing a ghost. And the Blue Whale hasn't turned pale because he saw a giant harpoon. But the Route 66 landmark in Catoosa, Okla., is undergoing an extensive repair and repaint job by Bill Haynes Co. of nearby Tulsa. … Continue reading Pale Blue Whale

Mural painter keeps getting work in Needles

Back in April, the Needles Desert Star reported about Dan Louden, who's been painting murals and brightening the Route 66 town of Needles, Calif. Today, the Los Angeles Times caught up with him. Since the initial report, Louden and his girlfriend Vicky Bowden have painted a few more walls in town. A slideshow of his … Continue reading Mural painter keeps getting work in Needles

Requiem for The Coliseum

A story today by Jason Nevel in the Springfield State Journal-Register all but confirms what we've suspected -- that the historic Coliseum Ballroom in Benld, Ill., won't be rebuilt after a fire destroyed it a month ago. The story instead serves as a sort of requiem for the former music venue, which opened in 1924 … Continue reading Requiem for The Coliseum

Pay it forward … over and over

Stephen Box of CityWatchLA tells the story about a Spaniard couple, their Route 66 trip, and the aftermath when Rich Henry at Henry's Rabbit Ranch in Stanton, Ill., inadvertently shortchanged them $10. He told the Route 66 yahoogroup about his mistake: Rich put out the word to his network and urged everybody on Route 66 to keep … Continue reading Pay it forward … over and over

Ride across the river

A cyclist takes us all the way across the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, which once carried Route 66 over the Mississippi River. It's now open to pedestrians and cyclists only. In it, you'll see the St. Louis skyline in the distance, the water intake towers, and several Route 66-related displays. https://youtu.be/1rAZjKozfPM … Continue reading Ride across the river