Albuquerque considers turning abandoned signs into public art

Albuquerque is considering an ordinance change that would make it easier to turn vacant and abandoned signs along old Route 66 into public art, reported the Albuquerque Journal. Ellen Babcock of the Friends of the Orphan Signs nonprofit is one of those who support the idea. The newspaper said: The art can be featured on … Continue reading Albuquerque considers turning abandoned signs into public art

Annual Cruise-In at The Mill slated for Saturday

The annual Mill Car Cruise-In classic-car show will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the landmark but long-closed Route 66 restaurant in Lincoln, Illinois. The event also serves as a fundraiser in ongoing efforts to preserve The Mill. Geoff Ladd, former leader of Logan County Tourism, a Route 66 Heritage Foundation of … Continue reading Annual Cruise-In at The Mill slated for Saturday

Photographer wants to document America’s neon signs

San Diego photographer Stefanie Poteet is traveling all over the United States the next four months so she can artistically document vintage neon signs, including on Route 66. Here's the video that comes with her Kickstarter fundraiser: Poteet writes about her quest: These signs and the places they were built for are an integral part … Continue reading Photographer wants to document America’s neon signs

Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign

The last Whiting Brothers gas station still in operation on Route 66 had hoped to relight the neon for its refurbished signs during a ceremony last weekend. However, a family of owls recently took up residence in one of the signs, delaying the neon installation at the station in Moriarty, New Mexico. Roger Holden at RETRO … Continue reading Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign

Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?

The Marty Rivers Building in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, recently touted the addition of a neon sign on its roof. The building is on East Hobson Avenue and North Water Street in Sapulpa (map here), which sits one block north of Dewey Avenue, aka Route 66. A short story about the sign in the Sapulpa Daily Herald … Continue reading Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?

The neon at the Blue Swallow Motel

Many things make the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., distinctive. One of the big things is its neon lighting. Co-owner Kevin Mueller talks about the motel's neon in this new video from KC Keefer's "Genuine Route 66 Life" series. https://youtu.be/WqZeqixWA1Y (Night image of the Blue Swallow Motel's neon sign by Nancy L. Stockdale via … Continue reading The neon at the Blue Swallow Motel

Springfield museum relights its neon sign Thursday

The History Museum on the Square in Springfield, Mo., is hosting a "Moon Over the Mother Road" ceremony Thursday night to mark the relighting of Barth's Department Store neon sign on the roof of the museum. It's a private fundraiser, but enough side streets will be open during the ceremony that most people will see … Continue reading Springfield museum relights its neon sign Thursday

Limited-edition T-shirts raises money for Whiting Bros. sign restoration

Retro -- Relive the Route, a group that aims to improve historic preservation and tourism in the Edgewood and Moriarty area of New Mexico, is selling a limited-edition T-shirt that will help raise the funds to restore the signs at the only surviving gas station of the Whiting Bros. chain. The group received a $3,700 … Continue reading Limited-edition T-shirts raises money for Whiting Bros. sign restoration

Motel brings back sign destroyed in 1952 wreck

The Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven in Springfield, Mo., on Friday installed a near-replica of a directional sign that was destroyed in a traffic accident in 1952. The Springfield News-Leader reports: The 10-foot-long sign is in the shape of an arrow with the word “Springfield” pointing traffic down St. Louis Street to downtown. Below … Continue reading Motel brings back sign destroyed in 1952 wreck