A longtime columnist at the daily newspaper in Springfield, Missouri, proclaimed the History Museum on the Square's upcoming new exhibits -- including Route 66 -- this summer will be "spectacular." Steve Pokin, the Answer Man at the Springfield News-Leader, received a sneak peek of the exhibits under construction at the downtown museum from its executive … Continue reading Springfield History Museum’s new exhibits will be ‘spectacular’
Tag: Springfield MO
Rockwood Court in Springfield reopens restaurant, to become motel and apartments
The historic Rockwood Court and Cafe complex along Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, recently reopened its restaurant, and the rest of the motel complex eventually will become apartments and units for overnight guests. Joe Roberds of SGF Neighborhood News recently posted the scoop. Roberds noted activity around the property and reported: The sign outside the … Continue reading Rockwood Court in Springfield reopens restaurant, to become motel and apartments
Albuquerque repeals anti-cruising ordinance
The Albuquerque city council this week unanimously repealed a 2005 cruising ordinance, allowing Route 66 enthusiasts to take a slow journey down Central Avenue in their classic cars without flouting the law. The move was expected. The city council a year ago formed a task force to revisit the issue. According to the Albuquerque Journal, … Continue reading Albuquerque repeals anti-cruising ordinance
What’s left of the Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri
While surfing through YouTube, I found this short video of the remnants of the long-closed Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri. The video is notable because it contains drone footage of what's on the theater grounds at 2829 E. Kearney St. Even almost 15 years after it was closed, aerial footage still clearly shows it was … Continue reading What’s left of the Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri
Kum & Go won’t pave over all of original Route 66 after all
The Kum & Go convenience-store chain reversed course and said it won't pave over a small section of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri. The Springfield News-Leader reported: After hearing from fans of the historic road, the company will keep an original section unpaved as it builds a new marketplace store at the intersection of Glenstone … Continue reading Kum & Go won’t pave over all of original Route 66 after all
UPDATED: Original section of Route 66 to be paved over after convenience-store chain buys it
The fate of an original section of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, remains up in the air after the Kum & Go convenience-store chain recently bought the property on which it sits. The Springfield News-Leader reports the piece of road on 2.9 acres on the southeast corner of Glenstone Avenue and Kearney Street (map here) … Continue reading UPDATED: Original section of Route 66 to be paved over after convenience-store chain buys it
Lebanon considers community improvement district for Route 66
The city administrator of Lebanon, Missouri, suggested to the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society it form a community improvement district to collect taxes for promotion and preservation of Route 66. The city also is gathering pricing proposals for signs to name Lebanon's Elm Street as "Historic Route 66." City administrator Mike Schumacher made several suggestions about funding … Continue reading Lebanon considers community improvement district for Route 66
Kearney Street project in Springfield being watched closely
A plan to declare the Kearney Street corridor in Springfield, Missouri, as a blighted area and redevelop it using tax breaks and low-interest loans is attracting a lot of attention from retailers, bankers and bankers. Kearney Street remains a prominent Route 66 alignment once known as a car-cruising Mecca during the 1970s and ’80s -- … Continue reading Kearney Street project in Springfield being watched closely
Music documentary about Springfield premieres this week
"The Center of Nowhere," a full-length documentary produced by roadie Dave Hoekstra about the rich musical history of Springfield, Missouri, will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fox Theatre in downtown Springfield. Hoekstra, a former writer at the Chicago Sun-Times who's traveled and written about Route 66 extensively, told Ozarks Alive that Springfield's central location, relative … Continue reading Music documentary about Springfield premieres this week
Scenes from the Route 66 birthday celebration
A 92nd-birthday party was held Monday in downtown Springfield, Missouri, from the spot in 1926 where area good-roads activists proposed No. 66 for a highway from Chicago to Los Angeles. The event at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Park Central East in Springfield marked the spot at the long-gone Colonial Hotel when a telegram … Continue reading Scenes from the Route 66 birthday celebration