The National Park Service announced this week that the old Sprague's Super Service gas station, at 305 Pine St. in Normal, Ill., was named to the National Register of Historic Places, effective April 25. The circa-1930s station is now owned by Route 66 enthusiast Terri Ryburn, who hopes to eventually convert it into a bed-and-breakfast, … Continue reading Historic gas station placed on National Register
A visit to the Elk City museum
Here's two videos of a family's visit to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Okla. Legend has it that the museum was started because Elk City was miffed that a rival town, Clinton, landed the internationally famous Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. Clinton still has the best overall Route 66 museum. Elk City's is … Continue reading A visit to the Elk City museum
Rolling out the red carpet
Tomorrow and Sunday is the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival, which is a 90-mile-long celebration hosted by a dozen or so small towns along the Mother Road. Here is a preview by the Morris (Ill.) Daily Herald. It's a fairly lengthy story, but it has to be because there's so much going on.
In praise of a public official …
Bill Farnham, a commissioner for the Pulaski County, Mo., board, appears to be doing his darnedest to repair the deteriorating Devil's Elbow Bridge in the Route 66 settlement of Devil's Elbow. From the Waynesville Daily Guide: Pulaski County Commissioner Bill Farnham has made restoration of the Devil’s Elbow Bridge on the original path of Route … Continue reading In praise of a public official …
Photography book published about Arizona Route 66
Herb Schroeder has compiled photographs from Arizona's Route 66 for a book, "Windswept Images Presents: The Heart of Route 66," reports the Kingman Daily Miner. The images come from a variety of eras, in black-and-white and color. The soft-cover volume is 24 pages, and retails for $14.99. The book will be sold at the Route … Continue reading Photography book published about Arizona Route 66
A Vespa on 66 … and other notebook items
Eric Swanger is planning on driving the length of Route 66 in a few days. What makes his trip special is he's doing it entirely on a Vespa scooter. He starts from Chicago on May 6. He e-mailed: I am keeping a blog and posting a ton of pics. For the Route 66 segment, I'm … Continue reading A Vespa on 66 … and other notebook items
Route 66: Where it’s been, where it’s going
Using a bunch of upcoming Route 66 festivals in Southern California as a news hook, Carol Bidwell of the Long Beach Press-Telegram writes a good article about the Mother Road's history and where it stands at the present day. It includes talk about what happens after the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program ends in 2009. … Continue reading Route 66: Where it’s been, where it’s going
‘A little bit of everything’
Dave Bakke of the Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register has a great feature about The Old Station in the Route 66 town of Williamsville, Ill. The owner is Frank Kohlrus, and it sounds like he's quite a character: He sells Route 66 memorabilia at his unique Williamsville shop, The Old Station. He also drove a tow truck … Continue reading ‘A little bit of everything’
What to do about electronic billboards?
Here in Tulsa, there's been considerable discussion by the city council on what to do about digital billboards. Some officials want to restrict them, some want new spacing rules for them, and a few undoubtedly want to ban them (although that option is unlikely). But it appears the Route 66 town of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., … Continue reading What to do about electronic billboards?
Fun Run preview
This coming weekend's Fun Run, directed by the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, is the subject of a preview in the Kingman Daily Miner, including an extensive schedule for the event. The Fun Run, which anticipates more than 800 entrants, is a car/motorcycle cruise that winds on Route 66 from Seligman to the Topock/Golden … Continue reading Fun Run preview