Blue Dome building will become trolley depot March 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation.3 comments
The T-Town Trolley, a which is actually a nicely decorated bus that gives rides to various entertainment districts throughout Tulsa, is marking its first anniversary.
KJRH-TV is reporting on a development with the trolleys that’s even more significant to roadies:
But Lund is more excited about the location that will serve as the depot for T-Town Trolley, the historic Blue Dome Building at 2nd Street and Elgin in Downtown Tulsa. “This is a place where we can congregate, sit down and wait for the trolley.”
Some reports say it was built in 1912, others say 1924. The building served as Tulsa’s first 24-hour station. Lund says the historic building is perfect fit for his vintage trolley themed business.
He intends to maintain the art deco look of the building. “We’re working with a designer to design and decorate it for the theme of the building, because it’s a deco piece and it’s part of historical preservation. And it’s Route 66. So we’ve got a lot of cool things with this building.”
Here’s a photo of the Blue Dome from 1949, when it was still a Gulf station. It’s little-changed:
The T-Town Trolley hopes to have the Blue Dome depot ready by Mayfest, which is May 14-17.
Indie film to soon begin shooting on Route 66 March 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies.2 comments
Billy and Anais Yeager at the old Lucille's near Hydro, Okla.
Independent filmmaker Billy Yeager, with his wife Anais, will begin shooting a number of scenes on Route 66 in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona for his upcoming movie “Jesus of Malibu” in the next few weeks.
Some excerpts from a couple of e-mails (lightly edited for clarity) that he sent:
Growing up in Florida and never having made the road trip across the states westbound, I somehow knew in my spirit and soul that Route 66 would hold a secret message for me. I was correct, and the trip changed not only my story and script, but also became a vital central figure for our story. I think you will understand better when you visit the Web site and watch the “opening trailer” and then go to the “story” on the “About” page. [...]
The footage on our Web site is not the film; I have not started filming yet. This was shot with a $100 Fuji Photo camera. It is my way of creating a visual trailer … so to speak … Most films don’t have a Web site until the film is finished, and if they did, they wouldn’t have people in character or videos and music as ours. This is created so that people can see that there is a film about to be produced that is going to not only be different from the get-go, but a lot of depth and thought went into the “characters” in the film, and content, where most films are just created from a blueprint of starting with plots and subplots, etc.
We are going back to film at those [Route 66] locations, I shot these scenes first, and then came home and wrote them into my story and script. We are not simply finding sets and filming our scenes and getting out of Dodge. We are going to live at or near those locations AS our characters, for 1 to 2 months, we also are meeting with the Navajo Nation and tribal members, but I cannot talk about that much now.
The news release Yeager provided explains how they were inspired by the Mother Road.
Yeager chose Route 66 as an eastbound route and discovered what he calls a “little miracle.” Driving along the old historical road, Yeager wandered off the wrong exit and ended up in a place called Two Guns on old Route 66 in northern Arizona at Canyon Diablo.
Yeager noticed the large water tanks with faded and chipped paint and stopped his vehicle. When he stepped out of his truck onto the ground, something felt sacred to him like the time he discovered a mystery in the jungles of Peru. Yeager wondered the grounds for hours put on his wig for his character and took pictures and shot footage of his character. [...]
But Yeager believed that Two Guns exuded a very special spiritual presence unlike others before him, and decided that this would be the place where his character Jesus of Malibu would escape from society and start life over again.
Yeager decided that Two Guns would not only serve as a location for another typical roadside story of bandits and drifters, but this sacred location would be the place where Jesus and Mindy discover the purpose of their life, their reason for existence, and discover the power to change the world.
The Yeagers also found inspiration at the old Lucille’s gas station, near Hydro, Okla. Two of the movie’s characters will start their lives over there.
Yeager’s dad was country music artist Ray Yeager, and his aunt Bunny Yeager was a photographer who discovered pin-up icon Bettie Page. Billy Yeager tried to break into the music business for years and gave it up for filmmaking (although he still uses his musical talents to write and perform the scores for his films). He’s completed two movies, “Jimmy’s Story” and “A Perfect Song,” and is said to specialize in low-budget filmmaking.
The news release says Billy Yeager was studying “sacred geometry” four years ago and that he fasted for 30 days in the jungles of Costa Rica and Peru while writing the “Jesus of Malibu” script. There are brief mentions about the Mayan calendar, the unexplained “significance” of the year 2012, and Quantum Leap Multi-Dimensional Thinking.
So it’s probably safe to conclude that Yeager is a bit of an eccentric.
However, before waving Yeager off as a crackpot, I also recalled the seemingly mad visions of Werner Herzog as he was making what turned out to be genuinely great films such as “Fitzcarraldo” and “Aguirre, the Wrath of God.” So I’m unwilling to dismiss Billy Yeager until I actually see the finished product.
And that’s how it should be.
(Photo courtesy of Billy Yeager)
Try, try again March 19, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation.add a comment
The U.S. Senate approved the Omnibus Public Lands Bill, which contains a measure to renew the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years, by a 77-20 vote on Thursday.
If that sounds familiar, it should. The Senate approved a similar measure a few weeks ago. But the House, under rules that required a two-thirds majority for passage, failed to advance the lands bill by two votes.
So the Senate brought it up again, and it again easily passed. The New York Times reports the House will probably vote on it again sometime next week, where it will require just a simple majority to pass.
The measure has wide bipartisan support. But it’s not wise to presume it will be a slamdunk. We’ll keep an eye on this until it finally lands on President Obama’s desk.
Hello from Tulsa March 19, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Longtime Tulsans know about him, and those who attended the awards banquet during the 2004 Route 66 Festival probably remember him.
This is Chuck Cissel, performing “Route 66″ at the Riverparks Amphitheater in Tulsa. Cissel forged a nice career on Broadway and the music industry before returning to his hometown. Cissel is also CEO of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in town.
Museum acquires Wishing Well Motel memorabilia March 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Museums, Preservation.add a comment
The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum has acquired memorabilia from the razed Wishing Well Motel in Countryside, Ill., including the wishing well itself, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph.
The motel, which was built in 1941, was owned and operated by father and son Charles and Emil Vidas and their wives. Charles’ wife, Zora Vidas, took over as manager when her husband died in 1985.
The motel developed a reputation for catering to show business professionals because it was near Chicago but was quiet. Notable guests included band leaders Guy Lombardo and Tex Beneke. [...]
The well was donated by the Vidas family, and the stone and wood structure needed to be taken apart and reassembled. The project started in January and was completed for display on Monday. [...]
Along with the well, the museum has other artifacts from the motel, including keys, pictures and even the original sign, which is expected to be mounted in the future. One unique item is a nightstick which Vidas kept under the counter in case customers got rowdy.
We were fortunate to stay at the Wishing Well several times before longtime owner Zora Vidas died. The motel was named to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame shortly before her death. The motel eventually was torn down in November 2007.
More about the Wishing Well Motel can be found here, including a photo of the wishing well itself.
Notes from the road March 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Motels, Restaurants.add a comment
We went on a brief trip from Tulsa to Tucumcari, N.M., over the weekend. Here are a few notes from that trip:
- The Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, has printed a new edition of “Ugly Crust Pies,” a collection of favorite recipes from the restaurant. It’s a color, spiral-bound cookbook that goes for $13.99 in the gift shop.
- The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari has a great-looking embroidered golf jacket it is selling for $40. We bought three.
- The last time we ate at La Cita in Tucumcari (famed for its sombrero-shaped building) a couple of years ago, its food was mediocre, and it seemed to be on its last legs. However, the landmark restaurant was recently taken over by Jerry and Daniel Mares and Frank Gillard, who own a popular restaurant at the Pow Wow Inn in town, and La Cita seems to be back on an upswing.
- Near Vega, Texas, we saw something we never thought we’d see — a wind-turbine farm that was completely still because of a calm day. No wind in the Panhandle is a very rare thing indeed.
New murals at the Blue Swallow March 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Highways, History, Motels, Motorcycles, Movies, People.5 comments
Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel on Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., showed us new murals that recently were painted by a traveling artist.
These murals are painted inside the garages that are next to the rooms. The murals really bring vibrant color in an unexpected place.
Bill Kinder with likenesses of Lightning McQueen and Sally the Porsche from the movie "Cars," along with the Cadillac Range in the background.
Mater in front of the Radiator Springs Mountain, which is inspired by Tucumcari Mountain.
Emily, aka Redforkhippie, and her new dog Riggie with Fillmore from the movie "Cars."
A salute to the film "Easy Rider," much of which took place on Route 66.
A salute to Cyrus Avery, the "Father of Route 66."
And, finally, a simple scene of the Mother Road itself.
Updates from Kingman March 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Signs, Towns, Web sites.add a comment
Jim Hinckley, an author and roadie in Kingman, Ariz., recently sent me Route 66 updates regarding his town.
- Demolition has begun on a block of several moribund and closed businesses on Route 66, including the City Cafe, the Imperial Motel and a Texaco gas station that dated to the 1940s. A Walgreens drug store is going in its place. Fortunately, arrangements have been made by the recently resurrected Route 66 Association of Kingman to save the City Cafe and Imperial signs.
- A historic Packard neon sign may eventually be rehung on the Old Trails Garage in Kingman, near the Brunswick Hotel on Route 66.
- Hinckley has launched a Web site, Route 66 Info Center. “Mom & pop businesses along these routes as well as non profit museums or organizations holding events like the Route 66 Fun Run can forward information with links and photos. These will be posted free of charge as time and space permit,” he wrote in an e-mail “The website will also feature information of interest to those who choose to cruise these highways in vintage vehicles.”
- The Route 66 Association of Kingman is still working on launching a Web site. I’ll give notice when it happens.
A road trip on Leviticus March 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.add a comment
The latest chapter of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible” is Leviticus, a book in which the pastor apparently acknowledges is tedious.
I don’t think it’s terribly safe to barbecue goat in a convertible, however.
Salute to a King March 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, People.1 comment so far
Today is what would have been the 90th birthday of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole, whose version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ became a big hit in 1946 and helped inspire generations to explore the Mother Road.
A number of news outlets have published tributes to the man, including the Los Angeles Times, the Power Line blog, the Arizona Daily Sun, which provided details from a 1957 gig in a Tucson high school stadium; and the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, which is his hometown.
An art exhibit opened last week in Los Angele for Cole. And the same week, Capitol Records released an album of remixes of performances, dubbed “Re: Generations,” that is getting warm reviews. The album includes Will.I.Am, The Roots, Stephen Marley and others.
What’s especially notable is Cole was beloved by millions of white Americans before the civil rights movement started to take hold. Whether it was his smooth enunciation or his geniality, Cole’s records were found in households that would have been otherwise reluctant to host a black man. Cole also was the first African-American to host a nationwide TV program, “The Nat King Cole Show,” in 1956-57. So he quietly was a racial pioneer.
Cole, a chain smoker, died in 1965 of lung cancer.
Here is Cole, performing one of his most famous songs: