An American Heartland theme park that is expected to cost billions of dollars to build and draw 5 million visitors a year is coming to the Route 66 town of Vinita, Oklahoma. The developers have an ambitious timeline of opening by 2026, which would be the centennial of Route 66. According to News on 6 … Continue reading Huge, American Heartland theme park planned for Vinita
Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month
Ed Galloway's fabled Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, will be the center of a lecture series and workshops in August. Artist Erin Turner is designing the "Totem as Monument and Archive" programming to offer a historical and contemporary context for the park, which is three miles off Route 66 on Highway 28A. Totem Pole … Continue reading Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month
A closer look at the repurposed West End Service Station in Edwardsville
A few weeks ago, the West End Service Station along Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, reopened as a museum and interpretive center. The Adventures in TV-Land channel on YouTube paid a visit to the landmark, plus a few other Route 66-related sites in Edwardsville. https://youtu.be/QV4NlD6ySJU The former gas station at 620 West St. (aka Route … Continue reading A closer look at the repurposed West End Service Station in Edwardsville
A look back at Vice TV’s “Abandoned” episode in 2016 about Route 66
I remember when Vice TV's "Abandoned" episode about Route 66 first aired in 2016, but the full 43-minute program was uploaded to YouTube just a few weeks ago. The gist is two skate punks travel Route 66 from west to east, seeking assorted abandoned places to use their skateboards (natch), talk to the locals, and … Continue reading A look back at Vice TV’s “Abandoned” episode in 2016 about Route 66
Newspaper talks to longtime owner of the doomed Diamond Inn Motel in Villa Ridge
If you have a few minutes, read this long feature in the Washington Missourian about L.B. Eckelkamp Jr., the longtime owner of the Diamond Inn Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri. The Diamond Inn, which turned 50 years old not long ago, probably will be torn down by the time you read this. Ultimately, the motel, … Continue reading Newspaper talks to longtime owner of the doomed Diamond Inn Motel in Villa Ridge
History Museum on the Square to hold an exhibit about gas stations along Route 66
The History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield, Missouri, soon will launch a three-month exhibit about gas stations along Route 66. "Service with a Smile" will run at the museum from Aug. 9 to Nov. 5. It's the second of five annual exhibits featuring Route 66's history, running up to the highway's centennial in … Continue reading History Museum on the Square to hold an exhibit about gas stations along Route 66
Owner of Tally’s Good Food Cafe in Tulsa arrested on felony theft charges
The owner of the landmark Tally's Good Food Cafe along Route 66 in Tulsa was arrested on multiple counts of felony larceny after being accused of shoplifting a total of 31 times. KRMG Radio in Tulsa reported that Talal "Tally" Jamil Alame was arrested at his restaurant on Friday. He was freed on bond hours … Continue reading Owner of Tally’s Good Food Cafe in Tulsa arrested on felony theft charges
918 Coffee in Tulsa closes due to owners’ retirement
918 Coffee, known for repurposing a vintage gas station along Route 66 in Tulsa, closed in late June after a decade because the owners were retiring. Morad El-Raheb and his wife Annie, who opened the coffeehouse at 2446 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) in 2013, made the announcement on Facebook its last day would … Continue reading 918 Coffee in Tulsa closes due to owners’ retirement
Oklahoma church pays tribute this month to Disney-Pixar film “Cars”
A church in a Tulsa suburb recently changed its lobby into a tribute to the Route 66-inspired Disney-Pixar animated film "Cars" from 2006. But you better hurry to see it -- it will be up only a couple of more weeks. Life.Church in south Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, annually changes its lobby to an "At the … Continue reading Oklahoma church pays tribute this month to Disney-Pixar film “Cars”
Small building in parking lot remains a vestige of a tourist camp in Springfield, Missouri
Tucked away in a city parking lot in Springfield, Missouri, is a small stone building that serves as the last vestige of a tourist camp that served travelers for years before Route 66 was federally certified. The building once was a bathroom for the long-gone Long Memorial Park, though it's slated to be used as … Continue reading Small building in parking lot remains a vestige of a tourist camp in Springfield, Missouri