Shirley Trueman, who greeted customers with songs and dance at the world-famous Bagdad Cafe on Route 66 in Newberry, Calif., for a decade, died Friday of cancer, reports the Desert Dispatch of nearby Barstow. She died just a few days after the Dispatch reported that the restaurant and townsfolk were trying to raise money to … Continue reading Bagdad Cafe greeter dies
Edwardsville sets dates for festival
The city of Edwardsville, Ill., has set the 12th annual Route 66 Festival for June 13-14. The Edwardsville Intelligencer has the news.
Let it wail
A few cues are blown during this version of "Route 66," but the blues harmonica playing is so good, it's hard to resist. That's Natacha Seara of Argentina on the blues harp.
Long to-do list for Illinois State Fairgrounds
The Springfield Journal-Register has a lengthy and sometimes-depressing report about long-overdue repairs at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in town. A prominent alignment of Route 66 runs next to the grounds. Whether the repairs are done is dependent on whether the legislature adopts the governor's budget, which includes money for the fixes. In the meantime: The … Continue reading Long to-do list for Illinois State Fairgrounds
“Route 66” star does “Route 66”
George Maharis of "Route 66," does Bobby Troup's "Route 66." This version was recorded about 1962.
The man behind the big totem pole
The Edmond (Okla.) Sun has a story about Ed Galloway, the fellow who created Totem Pole Park near Route 66 in Foyil, Okla.
“Carefree highway, let me slip away on you …”
Here's a slideshow that goes with Gordon Lightfoot's hit, "Carefree Highway." The images aren't strictly from Route 66, but sentiment is.
Snow cone
Rick Shalander of Whites Creek, Tenn., who's been building his own version of one of the cabins from the Cozy Cone Motel in the movie "Cars," sent me this photo: Incidentally, the title of Shalander's e-mail was "Snow cone." 🙂 It's a nice likeness of a Cozy Cone cabin. Here's another photo for reference:
Fire destroys historic Albuquerque saloon
The Golden West Saloon, which was built on Albuquerque's Central Avenue in 1929, was destroyed by fire Thursday, reports the Albuquerque Journal. The fire also damaged the historic El Rey Theater next door, but the owner is optimistic it will reopen next weekend. The owner made a appeal to the community to revive the saloon, … Continue reading Fire destroys historic Albuquerque saloon
Hot-rod ambassador Boyd Coddington dies
Boyd Coddington, star of the "American Hot Rod" TV show and hot-rod ambassador, died at age 63 on Tuesday morning. The cause of death wasn't disclosed. However, Edmunds.com revealed that Coddington had been hospitalized since January after a fall at his home. Obituaries by the New York Times and Popular Hot Rodding provide a good … Continue reading Hot-rod ambassador Boyd Coddington dies