The Route 66 town of Needles, Calif., wants to revitalize its downtown, and is seeking input from residents on how to do so, according to the Mohave Daily News. One of the ideas floated sounds intriguing: A Hot Rocks and Rods on Route 66 event is currently envisioned as an alternative energy fair with music. … Continue reading Needles brainstorms about revitalizing downtown
Month: July 2007
Creator of the Launching Pad restaurant dies
John Korelc, the founder of what became the Launching Pad Drive-In on Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill., died at age 87 on Friday in nearby Joliet, reports the Joliet Herald-News. The Launching Pad originally was called the Dari Delite when it opened in 1960. That change the restaurant's name to its current moniker in 1965. … Continue reading Creator of the Launching Pad restaurant dies
Official DVD coming for “route 66”
The demand was there for years. Finally, on Oct. 23, the critically acclaimed "route 66" drama that aired from 1960 to 1964 will start to be officially released on DVD. Unofficial DVDs of "route 66" have floated around for years, many of them of erratic quality. This upcoming release by Roxbury Entertainment, in association with … Continue reading Official DVD coming for “route 66”
“This Old Road”
A sublime song by a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Kris Kristofferson: It looks like he's strolling through Route 66 country in the Mojave Desert.
Book review: “Route 66 in Chicago”
If any person should publish a Route 66 book about the Windy City, David G. Clark is one. And that's what he and Arcadia Publishing have done with "Route 66 in Chicago" ($19.95, 128 pages). However, I would first recommend his other book about the Mother Road. More on that later. ""Route 66 in Chicago" … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 in Chicago”
Blown away
Here's a nice slide show of scenes along Route 66. This YouTube video also is notable for Bruce Springsteen's live-in-concert version of "My Oklahoma Home," which is performed with Western swing flavor by The Sessions Band. The song comes from Springsteen's new DVD, "Live in Dublin," which is also available in CD form.
Rory finishes runner-up — again
So a bridesmaid again she is. Rory Schepisi, who finished second in CMT's "Popularity Contest," finished runner-up in yet another reality television show, this time "The Next Food Network Star," on Sunday night. The loss had to be a bitter pill to swallow. Amy Finley, who ended up as champion, was eliminated earlier but brought … Continue reading Rory finishes runner-up — again
Report from Rock ‘N Rods festival
The Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph has filed a story about the Rock 'N Rods on Route 66 festival in town this weekend. There's not much Route 66 content; it's mostly about vintage cars and how they're modified. I also took note that among the musical entertainment are The Blasters and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet … Continue reading Report from Rock ‘N Rods festival
As cool as Steve McQueen
Ron Stahl of the Daily Oklahoman does a near-heroic job tracking down obscure museums in the Sooner State, including a few near Route 66 that escaped my notice or haven't visited yet. I have heard about the relatively new Route 66 Vintage Iron Museum in Miami, Okla., but didn't know about its special collection: One … Continue reading As cool as Steve McQueen
See it before they take it down
In the past week, someone posted on YouTube the performance by Randy Newman and James Taylor of "Our Town" during the 2007 Academy Awards. The Oscar-nominated song came from the hit animated movie, "Cars." You'd better watch this while you can. The Academy had inexplicably banned YouTube from posting performances of songs during the telecast. … Continue reading See it before they take it down