KNME-TV in New Mexico has just posted on YouTube its award-winning "The Neon Road" documentary from 2003. It's about 25 minutes, but well worth your time.
Joplin museum may move to Route 66
The Joplin Museum Complex in Joplin, Mo., asked the City Council on Monday night to move its cramped operations to Memorial Hall on Seventh Street, aka Route 66, and levy a sales tax to help pay for it, renovations and operating expenses, reported the Joplin Globe. Brad Belk, director of the museum complex, told the … Continue reading Joplin museum may move to Route 66
Notes from the road
I've been watching this story carefully, even though it doesn't have much to do with Route 66. Johnny Hallyday, 66, a rock 'n' roll legend in France, was placed in a medically induced coma in Los Angeles after complications developed in France after back surgery. He's expected to make a recovery, and he emerged from … Continue reading Notes from the road
Film features mural painters in Pontiac
Scott McCoy, the former mayor of Pontiac, Ill., and owner of McCoy studios, has produced a documentary film about the Walldogs mural painters when they descended on the city last summer, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph. The title of the film is "Murals on Main Street -- The Story of Walldogs in Pontiac, Ill." The two-hour … Continue reading Film features mural painters in Pontiac
A chat with Quinta Scott
A little over three decades years ago, photographer Quinta Scott was learning how to use a recently purchased but unwieldy Speed Graphic camera. After shooting a photo at the historic Eads Bridge in St. Louis for a book, she made the fateful decision to also shoot photographs along the city's Route 66 alignment of Watson … Continue reading A chat with Quinta Scott
Dancing skeletons and cooking with excrement
I never thought I'd type that in a headline. But it accurately conveys the latest edition of "Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible." This one's about the Book of Ezekiel.
Football frenzy in Stroud
Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist for The Oklahoman, tells how the Route 66 town of Stroud, Okla., has been in a frenzy since its high-school football team has played its way to the Class A state championship game. Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, plays a big role in the article. It's … Continue reading Football frenzy in Stroud
Recession hurts Indian jewelers
According to an Associated Press story out of Gallup, N.M., traders and makers of American Indian jewelry have seen sales drops of as much as 80 percent since the U.S. recession began in earnest last fall. One of those interviewed was the owner of Richardson's Trading Co., one of the oldest such businesses in Gallup: … Continue reading Recession hurts Indian jewelers
Chips on Route 66
I got this e-mail the other day. Excerpt is below: My name is Dave Harber. My wife, Debbie, and I are huge Route 66 aficionados having traveled the route at various stages over the past fifteen years or so. We also are web developers, own a custom poker chip business and thought it would be … Continue reading Chips on Route 66
“Thunderstorms and Neon Signs”
Here is Wayne "The Train" Hancock's finest hour, and the song in 1995 that pretty much kick-started his career. Here's Hancock talking about one of his experiences on Route 66 in No Depression magazine in 2001: “I’ve broken down on my way to shows and gotten there early. I was going through Vega, Texas, and … Continue reading “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs”