A severe storm struck the Route 66 Festival area in Edwardsville, Ill., on Saturday afternoon, forcing the cancellation of the rest of the event after several tents were blown over and festival-goers ran for cover. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the storm came with nasty winds and 1-inch hail. Witnesses said children were crying as … Continue reading Storm ravages Route 66 Festival in Edwardsville
Sleep in a motel room way underground
Grand Canyon Caverns, on Route 66 between Seligman and Peach Springs, Ariz., boasts a number of gimmicks and attractions to draw in tourists. But the latest one may be the strangest -- and among the most enticing -- one yet. A few weeks ago, Grand Canyon Caverns unveiled its Cavern Suite, 220 feet below ground. … Continue reading Sleep in a motel room way underground
A closer look at a Hall of Fame inductee
The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., published a profile of the late Lewis "Zoo" Barrick, a Lincoln trucker who recently was elected to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame: Zoo Barrick started Barrick Transfer & Beverage Co. in 1935. The transfer company hauled freight such as meat and soda up and down Route 66. … Continue reading A closer look at a Hall of Fame inductee
Big festival is coming fast
The Tri-State Route 66 Festival begins at Downstream Casino Resort at the Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma border next weekend, and the Joplin Globe has a preview about it. The annual Route 66 Festival, which moves to a different area each year, uses the Will Rogers Awards Banquet as its centerpiece. We'll be there for the big gala. More … Continue reading Big festival is coming fast
Big covered wagon wins roadside attraction poll
Here's an interesting tidbit in this story from the Peoria Journal-Star about the The World's Largest Covered Wagon, just off Route 66 in Lincoln, Ill.: Reader's Digest readers named it the Best Roadside Attraction in America in 2010. The venerable magazine recently ran its annual Best of America survey, which focuses on what it calls … Continue reading Big covered wagon wins roadside attraction poll
A look at the Arizona Route 66 passport
On Thursday, I received in the mail from Sharlene Fouser the new Arizona Route 66 passport that is being distributed at tourism offices and businesses along the Mother Road in the state. Here's what it looks like, outside and inside: The passport contains only 20 pages, but includes a short history of the road, trivia, … Continue reading A look at the Arizona Route 66 passport
Programming note
It appears Route 66 News was down for more than an hour on Thursday night. The hosting service, WordPress.com, suffered a systemwide outage, taking 10 million sites -- including this one -- with it. However, it appears the problem has been fixed, and no data has been lost.
Fire kills man in former Route 66 motel
A man died in a fire Wednesday at a former motel along the Kearney Street alignment of Route 66 in Springfield, Mo., according to news reports. James Martin Steffens, 51, died as a result of smoke inhalation. According to the Springfield News-Leader, the fire was caused by careless smoking in his room at the Rancho … Continue reading Fire kills man in former Route 66 motel
Webb City works on visitors center
Here's the work being done on the interior of the future Route 66 Visitors Center in downtown Webb City, Mo., that's going in an old gas station on Route 66. The building is on Main and Broadway. The old gas station also will be home to the city's chamber of commerce. (Photos courtesy of Ron … Continue reading Webb City works on visitors center
Deep thought
If fire officials say you should get a sprinkler system for your very old building and no hydrants are nearby, maybe you should listen to them. Sigh.