Rory Schepisi to be celebrity chef at food expo April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, People, Restaurants.add a comment
A fair number of Route 66 restaurant owners attend trade shows. At this event, you’ll have the chance to root for one of your own.
Rory Schepisi, a participant on two reality TV shows and owner of the Boot Hill Saloon and Grill on Route 66 in Vega, Texas, is going to be in a “Celebrity Chef Smackdown” during the Southwest Food Service Expo at the Dallas Convention Center on June 29.
Schepisi, who was a runner-up on both CMT’s “Popularity Contest” and “The Next Food Network Star,” will be battling Tre Wilcox from the Bravo network’s “Top Chef” for “Best in the Southwest.”
Schepisi won the “Best in the Southwest” title during the Southwest Foodservice Expo in Houston last year.
The contest will be at 2 p.m. June 29 in the Culinary Showcase of the convention.
Cuba, Mo., organization revamps Web site April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Towns, Web sites.add a comment
Viva Cuba, a longtime beautification group for the Route 66 town of Cuba, Mo., best-known for its intricate murals, has refurbished its Web site.
The site can be viewed at cubamomurals.com.
According to a news release:
The site’s design showcases both the town’s artwork and history and offers a way to communicate with visitors and the media. This site allows Viva Cuba members a more “hands-on” means of controlling the site and keeping it current. Several new features make the site more informative and interactive.
* Signup for future email newsletters lets the group share information about its beautification projects and events in a timely manner.
* An events section highlights upcoming Viva Cuba projects.
* A blog link with a comment feature offers an inside look at Cuba’s history, art, and events.
* A comment feature makes the site more interactive and allows the group to hear from visitors.
* Video clips from KSDK’s “Show Me St. Louis” and KETC’s “Living St. Louis” TV shows provide viewers a glimpse of Cuba’s murals.
* Ozarks Mountaineer article takes a comprehensive look at Cuba’s murals and their influence on the town.
Viva Cuba hopes the Web site will let Route 66ers better plan their visits to the town, including foreign travelers.
Vintage photos of Chambless, surrounding area wanted April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation, Towns, Web sites.add a comment
Gus Lizalde, proprietor of the Chambless66 blog dedicated to the Mojave Desert ghost town of Chambless, Calif., says he’s “getting close” to beginning reconstruction of Chambless.
To assist this project, he’s seeking vintage photos of Chambless and the surrounding area, including Cadiz Summit and the Road Runner Cafe. You can e-mail images to design1one(at)aol(dot)com.
“We plan to restore the Chambless station to its former self as seen in the pictures on the Web site,” said Tom Martin, who’s helping Lizalde. “(We’re) looking for color images in particular.”
If anyone needs a reminder of Chambless in the olden days, here’s a vintage image of Chambless from the site.
Scotty’s Route 66 soon will change owners April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Museums, Restaurants.add a comment
A purchase offer for Scotty’s Route 66 Bar and Grill in Hamel, Ill., has been agreed to in principle, and the closing on the deal will occur May 21, says current co-owner Jim Allen.
Allen says he hasn’t yet met the new owners, who hail from the nearby Edwardsville-Granite City area. He and his wife Pat, also a co-owner of Scotty’s, will meet them next week.
“I believe they will carry on the Route 66 tradition,” he said. “That’s the word I did get.”
The Allens have owned Scotty’s for eight years, and decided it was time to retire.
“We had a lot of fun with it,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to give it up.”
Scotty’s and the Allens will host a farewell party from 6 p.m. until closing at 1 a.m. Friday, May 15, that includes live music.
Scotty’s was an Earnie’s, and a Village Inn before that. It dates to at least 1937 and was then called Tourist Haven. Scotty’s was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2006, and it’s a frequent stopping point during Route 66 cruises.
The Allens owned a stuffed jackalope that had been “kidnapped” by customers and taken all over the continent, including Mexico, before being returned. It was something of an unofficial mascot and prank target.
Well, the jackalope soon is going to stop its rambling. The Allens are donating it to the Illinois Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac.
(Hat tip: Roaddog)
Illinois reopens 11 historic sites April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History.3 comments
The state of Illinois has reopened 11 historic sites, including the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, that were closed in December as a cost-cutting move by now-deposed governor Rod Blagojevich, reported the Chicago Tribune.
Gov. Pat Quinn ordered the reopening of the sites on April 15. He said Blagojevich’s move was a “huge blunder” that cost Illinois thousands of dollars in tourism revenue.
Blagojevich was impeached and removed as governor in January after being arrested during a federal corruption investigation. He was formally indicted earlier this month.
The Dana-Thomas House isn’t on Route 66, but sits just a few blocks away. But because it is a prominent example of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, it often is visited by Mother Road travelers.
Artist to publish drawings, recipes from Route 66 April 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Books, Businesses, Food.add a comment
Artist David Alan Badger of Havana, Ill., plans to publish seven books of his drawings, history and recipes from scenic byways in Illinois, including Route 66, reported the Peoria Journal Star.
Badger, who has been drawing for more than 20 years, said the books will help bring attention and tourism to the towns along the route.
The books will feature the Illinois Lincoln Highway, Illinois River Road, Great River Road, Historic Route 66, Historic National Road and other sites. [...]
Quaint bed and breakfasts, gift shops, antique stores and restaurants will play a big part in the books, which will be for sale in those same businesses.
The next book, which will cover the Historic National Road, is expected to be released in May or June, with others to follow in August and later, Badger said.
According to Badger’s own Web site, no publication date has been set on the Route 66 book.
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.