A proposed Route 66 display inside the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, Mo., was unveiled on Wednesday, and it drew a lot of praise -- including the president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, reported the Joplin Globe. The description of the display: Elements of the exhibit are to include a facade of the … Continue reading Carthage Route 66 display proposal gets high marks
Round Barn to hold renovation dedication
If you haven't visited the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla., in a while, you might ought to check it out. A few months ago, it received a $50,000 grant from the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission to renovate restrooms, repave the parking lot, improve its signs, build a railing, lay a concrete pad for antique equipment, … Continue reading Round Barn to hold renovation dedication
Plans ‘in the works’ to reopen bridge parking
Tucked into a story by the Granite City (Ill.) Press-Record about a litter cleanup event at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, once a part of Route 66, was this: At this time, parking is available on the Illinois side, and has recently been improved by the city of Madison. Except during special events, the … Continue reading Plans ‘in the works’ to reopen bridge parking
Nice way to spend a summer
A schoolteacher in Indiana is spending this summer traveling on Route 66, taking art classes and following her muse, thanks to a grant, reports the The Post & Mail in Colombia City, Ind. Sarah Corey, who teaches at Indian Springs Middle School, received $8,000 from the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship. Throughout the trip she’ll … Continue reading Nice way to spend a summer
County seeks money for Route 66 bike trail
Here's an interesting item from the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph about the McLean County Board meeting on Tuesday: Also at its meeting, the County Board voted unanimously to apply for $2.4 million in federal grant money to turn the abandoned sections of Old Route 66 near Funks Grove into a bike trail. Total cost of the … Continue reading County seeks money for Route 66 bike trail
Copper Cart restaurant reopens
Route 66 enthusiast Don Gray reports that the Copper Cart restaurant in Seligman, Ariz., reopened this week. It was closed and for sale for some time. He said the historic Route 66 restaurant has been remodeled, as shown by one of Gray's photos here. Funny how things work on Route 66 ... after a week … Continue reading Copper Cart restaurant reopens
Ghost town
Here's an atmospheric film about the nearly deserted Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif. Fortunately, Roy's (which is featured in the footage) is on an upswing. That's thanks to Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura, who is slowly but surely bringing the business back to life. UPDATE: I just found out from California Route … Continue reading Ghost town
Fire damages old cafe near Lebanon
According to the Lebanon (Mo.) Daily Record, a Route 66-era cafe near the settlement of Hazelgreen, Mo., was heavily damaged by fire early Tuesday. The fire broke out at the Midway American Chinese Restaurant at Exit 140, off Interstate 44 east of Lebanon, about 4 a.m. and took firefighters about four hours to control. Based … Continue reading Fire damages old cafe near Lebanon
Heritage House restaurant torn down
The Heritage House restaurant on old Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., which closed in 2004, recently was demolished, reports the Springfield Journal-Register. The Heritage House operated for 38 years. For a long time, it was the only smorgasbord restaurant for miles around. Growing up in central Illinois, I remember one of its ads on a … Continue reading Heritage House restaurant torn down
Seligman Harvey House set to be torn down today
The Havasu, a Harvey House on an old alignment of Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz., isn't scheduled to be torn down until sometime today, but its obituary has already been written by the Prescott (Ariz.) Daily Courier. When word leaked out about five years ago that the BNSF planned to demolish the hotel, Seligman residents … Continue reading Seligman Harvey House set to be torn down today