The long-dormant Internet domain of "route66.com" was acquired a few months ago by the Oklahoma City-based marketing firm of Ackerman McQueen. Route66.com's home page has undergone an update. It's still fairly rudimentary, but does contain links to POPS in Arcadia, Okla.; the OklaTravelNet site and the National Historic Route 66 Federation. A screen shot of … Continue reading Marketing agency now owns Route66.com
Rock Cafe resurrection
It appears the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., is shooting for a reopening in May -- the one-year anniversary of a devastating fire that gutted the historic building. David Burke Historic Preservation, based in Perry, Okla., is the main contractor on the reconstruction project. It has a Web page that details the ongoing work, including … Continue reading Rock Cafe resurrection
Spreading the gospel
Members of the Czech Route 66 Association put together an exhibit at a local shopping mall so that fellow citizens of the Czech Republic can learn about the Mother Road. The exhibit will be up until March 2.
Robert Earl Keen to go on Route 66 tour
Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen will go on a music tour of Route 66 sometime this year, reports the San Antonio Express-News. According to Keen's Web site, the tour will mark the 20th anniversary of his most famous song, "The Road Goes on Forever (and the Party Never Ends)." A documentary also is planned, and … Continue reading Robert Earl Keen to go on Route 66 tour
VW RV
Near the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz., there's a vintage Volkswagen Beetle that's been converted into a motorhome. It's been sitting off Route 66 for years. I'd assumed the VW RV was some sort of one-off project by a local mechanic and that the vehicle was dubious in its road-worthiness. However, in this post at … Continue reading VW RV
Book review: “Drive the Broadway of America”
It's not about Route 66. It's not a book in the traditional sense. But Jeff Jensen's "Drive the Broadway of America" (self-published, 223 pages, $30, including shipping) should greatly please Route 66ers and entice roadies to new two-lane adventures. Jensen's book, subtitled "The U.S. 80 and the Bankhead Highways Across the American Southwest," is the … Continue reading Book review: “Drive the Broadway of America”
Missed opportunity
Dan Weber, staff writer for The Collegian newspaper at the University of Tulsa, has this to say about the university's construction in recent years along 11th Street, aka Route 66, in Tulsa. The actual presence of Tulsa on campus itself is much less prominent than in 2005. You don’t have to be a fan of … Continue reading Missed opportunity
Ghosts in the motel
There were some suggestions in the past that the historic Hotel Brunswick on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., was haunted. Debe Branning of Examiner.com has more specific stories about those ghostly incidents: A previous innkeeper told the MVD Ghostchasers crew about some of the difficulties he encountered with the Brunswick ghosts after he purchased the … Continue reading Ghosts in the motel
Rock ‘n’ roll landmarks on Route 66
I just finished Chris Epting's 2007 book, "Led Zeppelin Crashed Here," subtitled "The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America." It's the most comprehensive book I've read that lists famous rock history sites, venues of noteworthy concerts, where rock musicians died, their burial sites, locations of famous album covers, and rock-inspired museums. Epting's book will … Continue reading Rock ‘n’ roll landmarks on Route 66
Mother Road matchmaker
The Daily Mirror in London reports today that Paul McCartney plans to marry new American girlfriend Nancy Shevell. Shevell's divorce from her husband recently became final after she separated in 2007. The newspaper reports that McCartney's daughter Stella has given the green light for the former Beatle to marry. And apparently the Mother Road was … Continue reading Mother Road matchmaker