A few months ago, we tracked down who had painted hundreds, perhaps thousands of distinctive signs along the Route 66 corridor from the western Texas Panhandle to eastern New Mexico. It was Rudolph Gonzales, who has crafted his work along the Mother Road since the mid-1950s and is one of the last to do so … Continue reading Here’s your sign
A day at the museum
A family shot video inside the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Okla. Here's what they found:
Building a better video
Eric Paul Johnson, aka LoonNewsLoon on YouTube, said he didn't like the videos that came with the song "Route 66." So he created his own, using the version by the Nat "King" Cole Trio and lots of sharp editing.
Four-wheeled flourishes
The Route 66 town of Pontiac, Ill., has come up with a novel way to decorate its downtown, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph: The Pontiac City Council voted Monday to spend about $8,000 to purchase nine fiberglass models of 1957 convertibles, three of 1930s-era pickup trucks and artist supplies. The cars will be about 5½ feet … Continue reading Four-wheeled flourishes
BBQ in Tucumcari
On a recent visit to Tucumcari, N.M., we noticed a battered pickup parked at the corner of Route 66 and Lake Street, with a sandwich-board sign on its bed advertising Watson's Bar-B-Que two blocks north. Tucumcari had long boasted good dining options, but barbecue was not one of them in the dozens of times in … Continue reading BBQ in Tucumcari
Needles’ only grocery likely will close
This is a fairly catastrophic situation for the Route 66 town of Needles, Calif. I'll let an excerpt of a report from the Whittier Daily News explain: Bashas', the only grocery store in this tiny Colorado River town on old Route 66 is closing for good in six weeks. Its owners made the announcement this … Continue reading Needles’ only grocery likely will close
“Welcome to the Future”
This terrific song by Brad Paisley, as I recently found, is also a very good tune for a road trip. And it's a doggone good celebration of American progress and optimism. This tune got me thinking about how ironic it is that modern technology has greatly helped spread the word about an old and even … Continue reading “Welcome to the Future”
The phantom musician
This is the restored Mighty Wurlitzer organ that you can hear when you tour the historic Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Okla. The medley of songs from "The Phantom of the Opera" musical comes from an electronic player-recording of a local musician when she performed it. The last part of this video is taken in … Continue reading The phantom musician
Hopping with the Time Jumpers
For years, a number of studio musicians in Nashville have been meeting every Monday night at the Station Inn, a nightclub that's been a haven for traditional country music and bluegrass for years. The musicians called themselves The Time Jumpers. As for what came next, I'll let Great American Country explain ... Started as a … Continue reading Hopping with the Time Jumpers
Bringing help to Haiti
Two high-school seniors from Memphis, Tenn., will be bicycling on portions of Route 66 starting next month to raise infrastructure funds for earthquake-stricken Haiti, according to WPTY-TV in Memphis. Eighteen-year-old Christian Kauffman and his friend Cort Gatliff have been training to bike across 10 states hoping to raise money to help people in Haiti get … Continue reading Bringing help to Haiti