Route 66 shield reinstalled on Cyrus Avery walkway April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Signs.2 comments
As expected, Claude Neon on Thursday reinstalled the Route 66 shield on the walkway at the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Plaza in Tulsa, reported KOTV.
The LED shield was vandalized last year. Claude Neon installed a protective screen, designed by Steve Vogt, to dissuade future mischief.
It would have been easy to come up with an indestructible but unattractive design. The challenge was to come up with something to protect the signs that looked like part of the original design.
“You never can build a complete barrier because it’s just a challenge to see if they can beat it, but we made it a little bit harder,” Vogt said. “Some of the critical components aren’t quite so accessible.”
The new barriers protect the signs and make them more visible to drivers during the day.
At night, the designer says the barriers will practically disappear.
A good picture of the shield and the installation can be seen in the Tulsa World here.
“Glenrio” April 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.1 comment so far
Here’s a new video of Melissa McClelland performing “Glenrio,” from her new album “Victoria Day.” The song was inspired by a brief visit to Glenrio, the ghost town on Route 66 along the Texas-New Mexico border.
The studio version of the song also is being streamed on her Web site.
(Via Vue Weekly)
Rock Cafe update April 22, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Restaurants.7 comments
While doing some other Route 66-related work in the Stroud, Okla., area on Tuesday, I decided to drop in on the Rock Cafe in town and see how the rebuilding was going since the restaurant was gutted by a fire nearly a year ago.
As you can see, the roof is nearly complete:
One of the workers was applying the Rock Cafe’s dark-green plant to the underside of the pent roof. That’s primer in the lighter shade of green.
Here’s the interior of the restaurant. The cedar paneling is up on the walls.
David Burke of David Burke Historic Preservation, who is overseeing the Rock Cafe’s rebuilding, says he’s still optimistic the restaurant will reopen by Memorial Day weekend. About the only snag, he said, is a delay in acquiring a proper vent hood for the kitchen.
Blink and you’ll miss it April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Television.add a comment
A quick-eyed reader reports that the Fox network animated comedy “American Dad” very briefly contained a Route 66 shield during its latest Sunday night episode.
I watched it online, and sure enough, there it is, right about the 17-minute mark, during a car-chase scene. Here’s a screen capture of the scene that contains the shield, barely one second long.
If you want to watch the episode online, go here. Make sure it’s the episode titled “Delorean Story-An.”
(Hat tip to Ron Roberson)
Dedication ceremony set for Meadow Gold sign April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Preservation, Signs.1 comment so far
The Meadow Gold sign, as of April 14.
The City of Tulsa has set a date of May 22 for a public dedication ceremony for the restoration and rebuilding of the historic Meadow Gold sign, now located at Quaker Avenue and 11th Street (aka Route 66).
The dedication will begin at 11 a.m. that day.
Dennis Whitaker, with the city’s Planning Department, said in an e-mail:
Claude Neon installed the sign and is working on the neon tubing. They did a wonderful job of restoration and Builders Unlimited did a fantastic job constructing the pavilion and truss system.
Dewberry staff did a great job of combining authenticity and function in their concept and design drawings. We’ve had 100% positive compliments from the public.
After tubing is installed, electric work will begin. Commemorative plaques should arrive soon and after electrical testing, the sign will be complete.
Laurel Kane posted a photo of the Meadow Gold sign on Tuesday. All the lettering is up.
Whitaker says the city hasn’t decided whether the Meadow Gold’s neon will be lit before or after the dedication.
Also, Whitaker reports that the Route 66 shield on the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Plaza overpass will be reinstalled Thursday. It was vandalized last year, and Claude Neon and Steve Vogt have fashioned a protective piece to discourage future mischief.
The Route 66 shield at the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Plaza overpass in May 2008, before it was vandalized.
Kingman declares May as Route 66 Month April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Road trips, Towns.add a comment
John Salem, the mayor of Kingman, Ariz., declared May as Route 66 Month for the city during a recent proclamation, reported the fledgling Kingman Route 66 Association.
Nice. Politicians typically declare a day or week to commemorate a certain person or thing. But dedicating a month is more substantial.
May is traditionally the month for the Route 66 Fun Run, held by the Route 66 Association of Arizona. This year’s event is May 1-3. In addition, Kingman is hosting a sock hop on the first night of the event, along the city’s historic Beale Street.
1964 Corvette restoration April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Television, Vehicles.2 comments
Here’s a slide show of a restoration of a 1964 Corvette, much like one that was driven by Tod and Buz (and Linc) during the run of the “Route 66″ televisi0n series. Also, the music is “Route 66,” by Nelson Riddle.
I thought the pre-restoration Corvette didn’t look bad at all, actually.
Amboy gears up for motorcycle event April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, Motorcycles.add a comment
Darlene Bitter provided interesting information on the Route 66 yahoogroup about preparations that Roy’s in Amboy, Calif., and owner Albert Okura is making for a weekend motorcycle event:
The Laughlin River Run is this weekend and the place is gearing up in anticipation of the motorcyclists coming through.
Albert is working on a museum in a section of the cafe that will feature (former owner) Bessie Burris’ art work. Albert salvaged some of the lighting fixtures from the Amboy school next door and put them in the museum.
A filming crew had just finished packing up their equipment and hauled it out last Tuesday or Wednesday. The movie will not be released until next year in Europe. There is a rolled vehicle with “movie blood” on the interior parked near the motel lobby.
The motel lobby has been “fixed up” for the movie. They used some of the original chairs left behind in the motel rooms and put some classic style wall paper on the walls.
The store has been moved into the cafe area. Albert had some Texaco style gas pumps made up with the Roy’s cafe sign as the logo. [...]
The cafe is not in operation yet, but it has been converted into the store area. There are postcards, bottled beverages, t-shirts, hats and other ‘trinkets’. There is a wonderful collection of photos in the cafe
area. Try planning on at least an hour to check out the photos and the town.
And here’s one of the trinkets Roy’s will be selling this weekend:
(Photo courtesy of Darlene Bitter)
City council gives landmark status to historic station April 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation.1 comment so far
The city council of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., unanimously awarded historic landmark status to the Cucamonga Service Station, located on Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66), reported the Contra Costa Times.
Receiving such a status does not mean the two buildings – the structure once used as a gas station that faces the street and the former garage behind it – are completely safe from demolition, but it adds an additional layer of review should owners of the property want to destroy it. [...]
Mayor Don Kurth said it’s important to preserve buildings like the Cucamonga Service Station, because there aren’t many buildings older than that in the city.
“I’m really a property rights guy. I think if you own a piece of property, you ought to be able to do whatever you want with it,” Kurth said. “However, I think there are some special pieces of property that we ought to preserve for our community.”
That’s what I call sensible policy by the mayor.
A photo of the service station can be seen here.
Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame inductees announced April 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, Gas stations, History, People, Preservation, Route 66 Associations.add a comment
Today, the Illinois Route 66 Association announced its annual Hall of Fame inductees and the winner of the Tom Teague Ambassador Award.
First, the inductees, as described by the association:
The Crossroads Diner in Mount Olive, Ill.
The Route 66 diner the Crossroads is a favorite place to stop and eat while traveling Route 66 in Illinois. The Crossroads Diner was placed on the west side of Route 66 and south side of Route 138 in Mount Olive in late 1953. It officially opened for business in early 1954. It opened as the Crossroads Diner and has kept the name ever since. It was and still is on the 1940-1977 alignment of Route 66. The Crossroads belongs to the original owners, the Oltman family, although most of the time it has been leased out. It is different than most diners because it has two horseshoe counters, which was the original diner. Then in the mid-1960s, an additional dinning area and larger kitchen were added. Back in the 1950s, the Crossroads also had a gas station on the lot (it eventually closed). This old diner is still a favorite place with truck drivers because of the easy access off Interstate 55 at Exit 44 and its large parking lot where truckers can park for the night and get some great food.
The Mill in Lincoln, Ill.
The Mill has been officially saved from demolition, and is on the way to complete restoration. The Mill, designed like a Dutch mill, originally opened as The Blue Mill in 1929. It was a sandwich stand on a bustling section of the 1930-1940 section of Route 4/Route 66, where many gas stations and businesses were located. Later, in the post-WWII era, the Mill became a restaurant/bar and was famous for schnitzel sandwiches. Additions were built to the back of the original building. The restoration process is being done in phases, with the first being to make the structure safe and photogenic on the outside (thus drawing visitors as a photo attraction), and then later to fully restore the building as a museum.
Sprague’s Super Service in Normal, Ill.
Sprague’s Super Service was built at 305 E. Pine St. in Normal circa 1930-1931 by William W. Sprague, a Bloomington contractor. The brick first story housed a restaurant, gas station and garage. The second story, finished in a decorative swirl of stucco and half timbering, contained a large owner’s apartment with plenty of natural light and an attendant’s apartment. Sprague’s superior carpentry skill is evident in a building that is intact and structurally sound after more than 75 years. With many remaining original architectural features, two additions to the structure in 1948 and 1967 have visually altered, but not obliterated, the original appearance of the building. According to Michael Taylor, former program manager for Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, the property “is unique along the entire route” as one of only three combination gas station/living quarters along Route 66 in the United States. Sprague’s, however, is the largest and the only one with a garage bay and cafe. Taylor declares that this property “has much historic integrity and significance.” The current owners plan is to open the historic location as a Route 66 visitor and education center and gift shop.
Stateville Prison in Crest Hill, Ill.
Both Route 66 and the Stateville Prison started in 1926. In those days of operation, Stateville was 70 percent self-supporting, raising feed for the cattle and hogs that were used to feed the prisoners, as well as vegetables. In 1974, the canning plant at Stateville canned 240,000 gallons of vegetables, grown on the farm and harvested by the inmates to feed the inmates, not only at Stateville, but any of the other tax-supported institutions in Illinois. Old Route 66 was a very necessary roadway to support the prison and its operation.
And the Tom Teague Ambassdor Award goes to:
Lenore and John Weiss
John and Lenore have worked unselfishly in giving of their time and money to further the ideals of the Route 66 Association Preservation Committee through the state of Illinois. They have traveled the road and worked nationally to promote tourism on the route. They’ve helped television and movie crews, introducing them to important contacts within the cities, villages and towns in Illinois and allowing many projects to be filmed on Route 66. They jointly organized the Preservation Committee preservation projects, including the Cyrus Avery Award-winning Standard Oil Station in Odell, the Auburn Brick Road, and a vintage segment of Route 66 south of Springfield – all of which are now on the National Register of Historic Places. Their lectures and bus tours educate Route 66 to people from all walks of life. They serve on the Hall of Fame Museum Committe. Today, they are still out there working to save the road through hard work, education and promotion of Illinois’ Route 66 heritage.
The Hall of Fame dinner will be the night of June 13 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. It coincides with the association’s annual motor tour. For more details, go here.
(Photos courtesy of the Illinois Route 66 Association)