I always liked Victorville, Calif. It's got a lot of old-style charm, unlike many other communities in Southern California. So it's a bit distressing to read this article from the Christian Science Monitor about the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble in a Route 66 town. Victorville and other exurbs like it lie at the … Continue reading Housing bust hits Victorville
Hal Blaine to be honored by Route 66 Rendezvous
Hal Blaine will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Route 66 Rendezvous Cruisin' Hall of Fame in San Bernardino, Calif., in September, reports the Press-Enterprise. If you don't know who he is, chances are almost certain you've heard him. He's a session drummer who's played on albums by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil … Continue reading Hal Blaine to be honored by Route 66 Rendezvous
Racino hearing preview
The Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., is preparing for the public hearing Thursday on whether the state should award it a horse track/casino license. The Clovis News Journal lays out what's at stake. The Quay County Sun is reporting on how the town is decking itself out for the event. Here's a startling excerpt: … Continue reading Racino hearing preview
Attendance at Fire and Ice Rally holds steady
Attendance at the Fire and Ice Route 66 Bike Rally in Grants, N.M., last weekend was an estimated 15,000, reported the Cibola County Beacon. Last year's flood had no effect on the attendance for this year’s Eighth Annual Fire and Ice Route 66 Bike Rally which saw a slight increase from last year, he said. … Continue reading Attendance at Fire and Ice Rally holds steady
New mural at Tucumcari motel
Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari on Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., sent along these photos of a new mural that's been painted on the motel's drive-up canopy. It was painted by local artist Doug Quarles, and it depicts a young Elvis Presley in a 1959 Cadillac, stopping for the night at the motel. … Continue reading New mural at Tucumcari motel
Cat is out of the bag
Residents of the Route 66 town of Galena, Kan., can rest easier. The animal seen on a surveillance video a few days ago was a common house cat, not a cougar or mountain lion, reported the Joplin (Mo.) Globe. The city's police department eliminated the possibility of a big cat with help from the state's … Continue reading Cat is out of the bag
Monkey wrench for Red Cedar Inn deal?
A bunch of people are on board for moving the Meramec Valley Historical Museum into the shuttered Red Cedar Inn in Pacific, Mo., and using the old museum property for a Catholic school. Route 66ers, the mayor of Pacific, the Red Cedar's owner and a slew of state and federal officials are all in favor … Continue reading Monkey wrench for Red Cedar Inn deal?
Plaques stolen by scrap-metal thieves
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune in Southern California reports that thefts of scrap metal have become so widespread that thieves are even stealing historic-marker plaques. The Trails Restaurant Plaque sat only feet from Huntington Drive in Duarte, in front of the homes built on the acreage where this once celebrated Route 66 icon stood for … Continue reading Plaques stolen by scrap-metal thieves
On the road with Brad Paisley
This is a segment from The Learning Channel's "Route 66: Main Street America," from 2000. In it, you see a young country star Brad Paisley performing Bobby Troup's "Route 66" on the Rainbow Bridge near Baxter Springs, Kan., and kicking Dean Walker's feet backwards at Eisler Bros. Store in Riverton, Kan.
Better than a lava lamp
The folks at POPS in Arcadia, Okla., apparently have added quite a few colorful tricks to its 66-foot-tall pop bottle. The effect is, well, psychedelic.