Route 66 association re-formed in Kingman February 28, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Route 66 Associations, Signs, Towns.2 comments
MohaveBusiness.com has details about the newly formed Kingman Route 66 Association, based in Kingman, Ariz.
And it’s interesting what the association’s president has to say:
One of our primary goals is to create attractions for people instead of just being a stopover,” association president Tim McDonnell said. “Our motel occupancy is off the chart, but the average check-in time is 8 p.m. and the average check-out time is 8 a.m.”
Turning the city into a tourism destination will take time and cooperation from government and numerous other entities, but McDonnell sees no reason some marketing can’t begin almost immediately. The city’s location near so many tourist attractions like Grand Canyon West, the Grand Canyon, the London Bridge, Oatman and Las Vegas makes it a viable central location for tourists to stay while visiting the region, he said.
“If you come to Kingman and stay a week, how many places can you visit from Kingman,” McDonnell said. “It only makes sense to promote Kingman through Route 66. It’s always been about location. First it was the Hualapais, then the Mines and they the railroad. Now it’s the railroad and I-40 and Hwy 93 and the CanAmex Highway is going to come through Kingman.
Apparently Kingman had a Route 66 association until about a decade ago, when interest died out. But the founder kept the tax-exempt nonprofit paperwork alive, upon which the new Route 66 association was able to take advantage.
And the group has some goals:
“We’re planning on working together with other organizations to create downtown events for the community,” McDonnell said. “We’re in the planning stages of a downtown event that would be monthly. We’re working with the Route 66 Cruizers and the Downtown Merchants Association on that.” [...]
“We want to revive all the neon and classic advertising along Route 66. We’re raising funds to help make that possible,” McDonnell said. “One of our goals is to put murals around town. They’ll be historical and include history from the Hualapapis and the area’s WWII involvement.
“We have a Route 66 cleanup committee that has done a fantastic job of cleaning up from the Powerhouse Visitor Center to the railroad trestle.”
Reviving or restoring the neon signs is an especially good goal, in my opinion.
The group is also working on getting a Web site up and running, which I’ll post when it’s available.
Tri-state marathon delayed a year February 28, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Sports.4 comments
The inaugural Route 66 Mother Road Marathon, set to take place Oct. 3 on Route 66 from Miami, Okla., through Kansas to Joplin, Mo., will be delayed until 2010 because of a weak economy and problems with certifying the race, reported the Joplin Globe.
According to the Globe, organizers were worried about attracting enough sponsors amid a spiraling economy. That’s no small thing, as it’s been estimated the marathon’s costs could be as much as $80,000. Delaying the race to late 2010, they figured the economy might be in a recovery by then.
Organizers also saw difficulties in certifying the race as a qualifier for more popular marathons in Boston or New York.
Vince Lindstrom, head of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “This would be the first regional event where everyone in our area benefits. We have one chance to make a first impression. We don’t want to blow it with a bad marathon where they won’t come back.” [...]
“We have to verify elevations, that the course would be closed and that its length is exactly 26.2 miles,” he said. “The marathon starts in Miami (Okla.) and concludes in Joplin. It would involve three states, three counties and several different municipal jurisdictions.
“That has become more of a challenge than we anticipated. We cannot tell runners that it is a sanctioned course until it is officially certified.”
Shortly after the race was announced in December, I could not figure out on Google Maps how to keep the course on Route 66 from Miami to Joplin and keep it to just 26.2 miles. The distance on that road between those cities is closer to 30 miles, not 26. Shortening it to 26.2 would have required the race to start in Commerce, Okla., north of Miami. Or it would have finished on the very western outskirts of Joplin — not downtown as originally envisioned.
Apparently the organizers discovered these same layout difficulties shortly after I did. I’ll be curious to see how they eventually handle it.
In the meantime, long-distance runners can take solace with the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, set for Nov. 22.
New Mexico lodging-tax proposal is killed February 27, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels.3 comments
The Tourism Association of New Mexico reports that a bill in the state legislature that would have imposed a 10 percent tax on all lodging establishments, including RV parks, was tabled in committee on Wednesday night, essentially killing the measure.
The bill, SB 595, was tabled by a 4-3 vote in the state senate’s Corporations and Transportation Committee.
The measure was roundly criticized for what would have imposed a significant cost to travelers in the middle of a weak economy.
According to an e-mail from Art Bouffard of the New Mexico Lodging Association:
Thanks to TANM/NMLA’s lobbyists Nancy King and Gary Kilpatrict along with literally 100s of emails and phone calls to the committee members, we were fairly certain we had the number of votes to defeat the legislation. However, it was important that the hearing room was packed and the pressure was kept up. Huge thanks go to all the B&B folks that showed up and all the Asian American Hotel Owners Association innkeepers that spent two days at the state capitol. Every corner of the state was represented.
Asian-Americans are sometimes unfairly maligned in a few quarters, but they deserve a lot of thanks for preserving numerous historic motels on Route 66. And thanks to their diligent efforts at the New Mexico Capitol, they deserve thanks yet again.
(Hat tip: Richard Talley at Smalltown America)
A Route 66 shield made of Legos February 26, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Signs.add a comment
Here’s a time-lapse video of Bricks 2 Pics making an image of a Route 66 shield entirely from Lego pieces. Most impressive.
According to the video, more than 4,000 pieces were used to make the shield. The Route 66 piece can be purchased on eBay; starting bid is $100, with a reserve.
Bricks 2 Pics makes other custom artwork from Legos. A gallery of its recent works can be seen here.
Roy’s in Amboy seen in J. Crew catalog February 26, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Fashion.add a comment
The March 2009 catalog of J. Crew features photos of models posing on the grounds of Roy’s, the Route 66 landmark in Amboy, Calif.
Screen shot from J. Crew catalog.
According to the fashion company, the catalog is “dedicated to celebrating America.” An online link to the catalog is here. You’ll see images from Roy’s or Amboy on Pages 98-99, 104-105 and 112-113 in the men’s section.
There might be other photos in the catalog shot inside the Roy’s complex, but I’m not certain.
Here’s a screen shot of one page of the catalog that show’s Roy’s, including a portion of its famed neon sign.
Roy’s also can be seen in a thumbnail photo on J. Crew’s home page.
You can also request a catalog here; it will take two to three weeks to arrive.
(Hat tip: New York magazine)
POPS revamps menu February 26, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Restaurants.3 comments
POPS, the Route 66 landmark in Arcadia, Okla., that’s best-known for its 66-foot-tall pop bottle and more than 500 brands of soda it sells, recently revamped the menu of its cafe, reports the Daily Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City restaurateurs Keith and Heather Paul were hired to make the changes after discussing the idea with POPS owner and Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon. Among the food establishments the Pauls own are Market C and Cheever’s Cafe, both of which are on or very near Route 66 and are historic properties — including a restored Phillips 66 cottage-style gas station.
Gone are the steaks and more exotic fare. Instead, Paul has revamped the menu into one that emphasizes “gourmet road food” headlined by burgers, hot dogs, chicken fried steak, a few salads, sodas and shakes.
“We kept some old favorites and centralized the menu to accommodate the crowds,” Paul said.
“We tried to keep it as simple as possible and operationally a successful functioning restaurant. We’re getting over the weekends 1,500 people a day.”
So POPS is trying to get food to diners faster and cut down on the wait-in-line times on the weekends, which have sometimes stretched to 90 minutes since it opened.
Here is a link to a pdf of POPS’ new menu.
I had a meal at Cheever’s a few weeks ago, and it was terrific. So I understand why McClendon has a lot of faith in them.
Big rocker is certified as world record February 26, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses.1 comment so far
The gigantic rocking chair at the Fanning Outpost General Store in the Route 66 hamlet of Fanning, Mo., was certified as an official Guinness World Record as the largest such piece of furniture, according to a news release Wednesday.
The chair was custom-built for store owner Dan Sanazaro last April. Officially, the chair measures 42 feet, 1 inch tall and 20 feet, 3 inches wide. It weighs about 27,500 pounds. The chair is so large, it was built in pieces off-site, then assembled at the store’s property.
The Guinness folks requested one other thing to ensure the chair’s insertion into the record books:
One more detail that Guinness requested was that the chair actually had to rock while it was videotaped. Joe Medwick cut the welds so that Sanazaro and some of his workers could push the chair to rock it. Medwick then re-welded the chair in place.
Here’s the video of the chair rocking:
Sanazaro said the chair is usually welded down for safety reasons.
And, as planned, the big rocker has helped the store attract a lot of visitors:
The World’s Largest Rocker has taken its place not only in the photo albums of both American and world travelers who have journeyed to the Sanazaros’ businesses next to the rocker.
“Have you seen our guest book?” asks Carolyn Sanazaro. Signatures from Norway, Japan, Germany, and Italy are interspersed with those from Boston, New York, California, and other points.
“One thing that surprised me this year, is the travelers from all over the world that travel Route 66,” states Dan Sanazaro. “It’s amazing.”
The store is hosting a four-mile “Run to the Rocker” Fun Run on April 4 and a “Picture on the Rocker” Day on Aug. 1.
(Photo courtesy of Jane Reed)
Roads to Lincoln February 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, History.4 comments
A lot of people are going to explore Illinois this year because this is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. During a recent presentation, Chicago Route 66 expert David G. Clark explained how to get the most mileage out checking historical sites within the Land of Lincoln, according to Shopper Source Online:
By following Route 66, The Great River Road and Route 30 you can see many places that Lincoln traveled. A portion of Route 66 was the corridor that was blazed by the Chicago and Alton railroad, the railroad that brought the funeral train to Chicago and down to Springfield. Along the Illinois river was where he took flat boats to New Orleans. In the western part of the state you can go across from west to east on Lincoln Highway, one of the first trans continental highways.
The town of Lincoln was named in his honor in 1853 long before he made his mark in politics. Lincoln had been the lawyer for the people who founded the town. In Springfield you can visit the only house that Lincoln would ever own, and downtown Springfield you will find one of his original law offices as well as the presidential library museum. Inside the train station there is an exhibit about the funeral train. In Alton you can see Lincoln Douglas Square, the site of the final debate that has lifelike statutes of the two. In Galesburg on the side of the Great River Road is the old main building of Knox College, the only building still standing from the Lincoln/Douglas debates.
In Dixon you can see the former Nachusa House Hotel next to the court in which many presidents had stayed. Traveling along Route 30 in New Lenox at Lincolnway High School you can see one of the remaining Lincoln Highway markers placed there in 1928 by the Boy Scouts on top of which is a likeness of Lincoln for whom the school was named. New Lenox was also home to an old brick tavern often used for lodging that predated the railroads. Only a small brick monument remains.
Clark ended the journey in Chicago Heights where the Lincoln Highway crosses Dixie Highway which ran from Chicago to Florida. This area is known as the crossroads of the nation. Lincoln Highway symbolizes the corridors of commerce that Abraham Lincoln strove for during his political and legal career. Clark called Dixie Highway a sort of a reunification of north and south that happened when Lincoln was president. At the southwest corner of that intersection is fountain likeness of Lincoln. Across the street they put up another monument. This is the only one of him smiling as he accepts flowers from young girls.
The cities of Springfield and Lincoln are both on Route 66. Springfield in particular is loaded with Lincoln historical sites, more than what Clark likely could recount here. The presidential library, which I had the privilege of seeing shortly after it opened a few years ago, is especially eye-popping.
Bid approved to move historic depot February 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
A bid of $25,000 from Odie Construction of Kankakee, Ill., was approved by the City of Braidwood, Ill., to move its 1867 historic railroad depot to Main and Center streets this spring, reported the Joliet Herald News.
The depot had been at Route 66 and Illinois 113, but a nearby grocery store wanted the property the depot was on for additional parking. The depot’s new site won’t be on Route 66 anymore, but it will be only a block or two away (map here).
Also, during the city council’s meeting, the Braidwood Area Historical Society provided a $5,000 donation to help defray some of the costs of the depot’s move. Said society President Dee deGroh:
“We’re all about preserving the history of Braidwood,” she said after the meeting. “What better building than the depot? We feel that by making this donation, it states we are certainly behind the city’s decision to keep the building, and move it, and put it in a nice prominent spot.”
Smithsonian takes a dour look at the Mother Road February 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Businesses, History, Movies, Preservation, Restaurants.3 comments
Megan Gambino in the March issue of Smithsonian magazine takes a somewhat dour look at the Mother Road.
Here’s an excerpt:
Writing about the Joad family’s journey from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to the promised land of California in The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck famously called Route 66 the “mother road.” But today it’s more of an impoverished great-grandmother.
The 2,400-mile highway, which starts in Chicago and passes through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Los Angeles, will turn 83 this year—and it’s not aging gracefully. Derelict gas stations, restaurants and trading posts, often vandalized, line its rural stretches, their neon signs long since dimmed. Developers are bulldozing quirky motels to make room for generic high-rises.
I don’t deny that Route 66 has experienced losses in recent years from development, neglect or old age. And though the article leavens its pessimism with examples of preservation, it fails to mention one crucial part of the big picture — new businesses springing up that pay tribute to the old road while bringing a new twist.
Route 66 was losing businesses at a much faster rate 15 years ago. Michael Wallis’ bestselling book “Route 66: The Mother Road” helped stem the tide somewhat, and Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” from 2006 is attracting new generations of travelers. And Route 66 is dotted with success stories that would have been nearly unthinkable a decade ago, such as POPS in Arcadia, Okla., Lucille’s Roadhouse in Weatherford, Okla.; and 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan.
Sure, there’s plenty of work to be done. But the Main Street of America resembles more of a road that’s evolving, not dying.
(Hat tip: Ron McCoy)