Story and photos by Mark Potter The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona was honored as the recipient of the 2009 Will Rogers Award, and Carolyn Pendleton for the Kansas Route 66 Visitors Center accepted the Cyrus Avery Preservation of the Year Award during the 2009 Will Rogers Awards Banquet on Saturday night at the … Continue reading Arizona Route 66 Association wins top award
More revealed about Cars Land
Orlando Attractions magazine went to the Walt Disney Park & Resorts exhibit at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., to check out upcoming attractions for Disney theme parks, including the Cars Land complex that's based on the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars." Here's a video at the booth. The … Continue reading More revealed about Cars Land
Attendance rises at Will Rogers sites
Now here's something I didn't expect. Although the public memory of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers has been fading for decades, attendance at his birthplace ranch near Oologah and at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in the Route 66 town of Claremore has been rising in the past year, reported The Oklahoman. Officials think the increase … Continue reading Attendance rises at Will Rogers sites
It’s My-am-uh
Alexander Basek of the New York Post went to the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla., where he checked out the Route 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum, ate at Waylan's Ku-Ku restaurant, and learned how to pronounce the town's name (hint: it doesn't sounds like the big city in southern Florida). The whole thing is … Continue reading It’s My-am-uh
Notes from the Route 66 Summit
As I've reported, I'm unable to attend the Route 66 Festival in Flagstaff, Ariz., because of time constraints. However, Swa Frantzen of the seminal Historic66.com site was taking notes at the Route 66 Summit on Thursday and e-mailed them, some of which I'll pass along here: --- Renee Charles, one of the four women of … Continue reading Notes from the Route 66 Summit
More plot details on “Cars 2”
During an interview in London, Disney-Pixar animation chief John Lasseter revealed a few more plot details about "Cars 2," the sequel to the original "Cars" movie that took place on Route 66, to Empire Online. The story sees Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), his pit team and new pit boss Mater head around the world for the Race … Continue reading More plot details on “Cars 2”
Strafford festival preview
The Strafford Route 66 Days festival in Strafford, Mo., begins tomorrow. The Marshfield Mail in nearby Marshfield, Mo., has a nice preview, including a schedule of events. The festival also will host one of the stops of the annual motor tour of the Route 66 Association of Missouri.
Happy 100th, Santa Monica Pier
There was a big blowout Wednesday to celebrate the centennial of the Santa Monica Pier, the symbolic end of Route 66. That included one heck of a fireworks show: Santa Monica Close-up has a slew of photos from yesterday's festivities. The Desert Sun of Palm Springs, Calif., has a nice overview of the pier. The … Continue reading Happy 100th, Santa Monica Pier
Emory Duick update
The El Reno (Okla.) Tribune caught up with him a few days ago. The 71-year-old man who's trying to jog the length of Route 66 in 13- and 14-mile chunks had to slow his pace to six to seven miles a day because of a nerve injury in his leg. His daughter Lauren had taken … Continue reading Emory Duick update
Celebrity sightings at the Summit
The Summit Inn, a restaurant at the top of Cajon Pass in Southern California, has been a popular place to eat for decades because of the atmosphere and the food. However, this story by the Hesperia Star is most interesting because of who has eaten at the Route 66 diner: Elvis Presley once ate in … Continue reading Celebrity sightings at the Summit