The restoration of the historic Max Campbell Building in the 2600 block of East 11th Street, aka Route 66, in Tulsa is starting now. The purchase of the building and the intentions to convert it into a hotel and retail center was announced in late 2008. But I feared that the project went by the … Continue reading Revival of hotel building in Tulsa begins
Bono’s Orange may reopen
In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen
Memories of a previous Route 66 festival
In recent days, RQV Outdoor Movies has posted video shot during the 2003 International Mother Road Festival in Springfield, Ill. It includes interviews with "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis and "Route 66" TV show co-star Martin Milner, a few years before he became too ill to make public appearances. According to a … Continue reading Memories of a previous Route 66 festival
A case where God needs a better P.R. agent
Here's the latest in "Route 66: A Road Trip Through the Bible." This entry focuses on the Book of Amos. Most would agree that Amos needs to fine-tune his approach to the populace.
Shooting the Southwest
This video led me to the Gaupers, a husband-and-wife photography team that checked out some of the Route 66 sights in the Texas Panhandle, especially the New Mexico border ghost town of Glenrio. They captured some really striking images there.
“Route 66” gone country
Found this video of Bryan Fontenot and Outlaw Inc. performing a western swing version of "Route 66," plus a nice acoustic song of his own. Fontenot has a voice that was born to sing honky-tonk songs.
Kingman as a jumping-off point
An article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the Route 66 town of Kingman, Ariz., contains a lot of interesting material about tourism attractions in the town and in the surrounding area. Not only does the article mention usual attractions such as Route 66 and the Route 66 Museum in the city's Powerhouse Museum Center, … Continue reading Kingman as a jumping-off point
The power of dedicated volunteers
This story in the Tulsa World does a good job in explaining how a bunch of volunteers helped return the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., to its original grandeur. Barbara Smith, the executive director, once told me that the theater was very close to meeting the wrecking during the 1980s. The theater was eventually … Continue reading The power of dedicated volunteers
A cake worth waiting for
Urban Tulsa, a weekly newspaper, published a good article about Ann's Bakery, a business that's been cherished by Tulsans for more than 70 years at its location on North Harvard Avenue, just off the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66. Ann's Bakery was nearly destroyed by a fire in early 2007, and it took more … Continue reading A cake worth waiting for
“If I Had It Back”
Here's Mark Maysey, playing a moving song he wrote, titled "If I Had It Back." The song is basically a dedication. Maysey explains in the notes on the video, which have been lightly edited: Dedicated to a lovely Mexican woman named Manueal Nellie Ramos Fyock, who raised me from a child and tragically lost her … Continue reading “If I Had It Back”