It was quite a weekend for the 4 Women on the Route of Galena, Kan. First, their restaurant and gift shop, in renovated gas station, was named New Business of the Year during the Will Rogers Awards Event on Saturday in Litchfield, Ill., at the Route 66 Festival. Next, during the annual Route 66 yahoogroup … Continue reading 4 Women on the Route gets a surprise
Swa Frantzen wins top Route 66 award
Swa Frantzen (shown above), an Internet pioneer in publicizing Route 66 with his Historic66.com site, won the top honor during the Will Rogers Awards Event on Saturday night during the Route 66 Festival in Litchfield, Ill. The New Business of the Year was 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan. Chicago Route 66 researcher … Continue reading Swa Frantzen wins top Route 66 award
The maker of Round Barn Root Beer
KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City did a feature about Huebert Brewing Co., which makes Round Barn Root Beer for POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla. The root beer is the top-seller at the business. The root beer is named after the historic Round Barn in Arcadia. (Hat tip: Rich Imrie.)
Coleman Theatre tries to finish what it started
Here's a story from KSN/KODE in nearby Joplin, Mo., about residents of Miami, Okla., trying to finish the restoration of the historic Coleman Theatre, which sits on Route 66. The interesting angle is that they are trying to finish the job that George Coleman Sr. started in 1929: "[Coleman] loved theater; [he] built this whole … Continue reading Coleman Theatre tries to finish what it started
Barstow’s El Rancho Motel getting a face-lift
The Desert Dispatch passed on some encouraging news -- the historic El Rancho Motel on Route 66 in Barstow, Calif., is undergoing renovations and improvements after a long slide into mediocrity and worse. Since the motel changed ownership about a year ago, general manager Tracey Ellison said motel staff have embarked on a process of … Continue reading Barstow’s El Rancho Motel getting a face-lift
Checking in
This post comes from a clean, comfortable and inexpensive room at the Gardens Motel in Litchfield, Ill. We got into Litchfield not long after the sun began to dip low on the ripened wheat and sprouting horseradish fields. On the way, we found the concretes at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis are as … Continue reading Checking in
Hello from South Korea
This version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" is by Park Sung Yeon, who's described as the "Mother of Korean Jazz."
News nuggets from the Route 66 Summit
I was unable to attend the Route 66 Summit before the Route 66 Festival set for this weekend in Litchfield, Ill. However, Peter Stork, an Illinois Route 66er was there and filed a detailed report for the Route 66 yahoogroup. Go there if you want to see the report in full. However, I gleaned a … Continue reading News nuggets from the Route 66 Summit
Treasure unearthed at the Rock Cafe
Dawn Welch, owner of the historic Rock Cafe on Route 66 in Stroud, gives a little TLC to a treasure she found buried under the rubble at the restaurant, which burned May 20. Sound quality on the video isn't great, but Cars fans will be excited to see what survived the fire: Friends of the … Continue reading Treasure unearthed at the Rock Cafe
A final goodbye
The San Bernardino County Sun today ran a belated obituary for Bessie Burris, 91, who died on May 17. Burris was the wife of Buster Burris, who co-owned Roy's and the Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif., for many years. Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura now owns Amboy and plans to restore it. … Continue reading A final goodbye