“Rhythms” still beating August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Television.3 comments
Remember “Rhythms of the Road”? That was the musical television series taped at several spots along the Mother Road in October 2008. It was tentatively set to air this spring or summer.
You can go here to see the trailer.
Now, we’re on the cusp of September, and no sighting of “Rhythms.” So what happened?
Brian Greene at Green HD Productions, which produced the program, said in an e-mail that it will be made into a DVD, and has a major distributor in Los Angeles lined up. He anticipates the DVD will be on the market by spring 2010 — in time for Route 66 tourism season.
As for television, Greene said the downturn in the economy starting last fall led to cutbacks by all the television networks, with “very little programming being purchased.” But he said that same L.A. distributor is still talking to VH1, History Channel, A&E, Discovery and PBS, to name a few. So there’s hope the series will eventually turn up on the on TV somewhere.
Interestingly, Greene had a few irked words about NBC’s recently completed reality series “The Great American Road Trip.” He agreed with me that the show’s effect on Route 66 will be benign at worst. But he said “Road Trip” has made it harder to pitch his show.
I was more than a little disappointed at the recent series on NBC … it was a dismal attempt. Reviews and ratings reflect that in a big way. Unfortunately it has made our job harder since a network series on Route 66 failed so badly in ratings. What’s worse is that most of it had nothing to do with the route. They milked the hype of the name and then gave nothing back. All of the incredibly stupid challenges could have taken place at real Route 66 stops; such a missed opportunity. None of which I would care so much about if it did not have a direct impact on broadcasters’ belief that shows on Route 66 may not attract the audience they thought it might before “Road Trip” was broadcast. [...]
I agree that the effect “Road Trip” had on Route 66 related to tourists is virtually nil. It could have increased tourism if it had been a big success, but I doubt it changed things much. But in the world of television broadcast on other Route 66 shows, I think its bad ratings hurt interest from potential advertisers. Television exists because of advertising; it’s all about ratings. “Road Trip” certainly did not help things in any way.
On a related note, Greene’s “Route 66 — The Marathon Tour” is running in most cable markets on ALN, aka American Life Network. Greene said it is getting good ratings there, and it plans on running the complete 14-part series several times between now and 2010. It airs each Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern.
DiSalvatores losing? Fuhgeddaboudit August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips, Television.2 comments
The DiSalvatore family from New York , which repeatedly staved off elimination, earned the grand prize of $100,000 and other goodies during the season’s final episode Monday of NBC’s reality series, “The Great American Road Trip.”
The Coote family from Illinois had won most of the challenges during the show’s run, but stumbled in the last two weeks — including in the finale on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif.
The loud but lovable DiSalvatores’ winning the title was one of the show’s few bright spots. “Road Trip,” which was supposed to take place on historic Route 66, wound up bypassing the Mother Road repeatedly, went on bizarre side trips, and seemed more interested in pimping corporations than the road’s beloved mom-and-pop businesses.
Host Reno Collier said before signing off: “Join us on the next Great American Road Trip.” But I’m fairly certain there won’t be a next time. The show was critically pilloried, and even during the next-to-last week, “Road Trip” remained mired in fourth place in the ratings among the major networks.
If “Road Trip” isn’t renewed for another season, it’s just as well. There’s no sense in placing another historical highway in a less-than-ideal light.
UPDATE: “Road Trip” rallied to second place in its time slot in the ratings Monday night. But it was a Pyrrhic victory — all the shows it bested were reruns.
Digging and testifying August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Religion.add a comment
Ruth Graham of The Faster Times has posted a somewhat irreverent look at the giant cross of Cross Ministries in Groom, Texas, and the Big Brutus coal shovel of West Mineral, Kan.
The story is a salute to gigantic things along or near Route 66. The big cross is 190 feet tall, although it no longer is the largest in the Western Hemisphere as once claimed. There’s one in Effingham, Ill., that’s eight feet taller. Graham’s story contains a lot of photos about the other attractions around the big Texas cross if you’ve never seen them yourself.
Big Brutus claims to be the largest electric shovel. It’s 160 feet tall and weighs 11 million pounds. It’s not on Route 66, but 13 miles away from it. However, it’s often a side trip for Mother Road travelers, and Big Brutus promotional literature is commonly seen at Route 66 businesses in Kansas.
Graham said:
John Steinbeck wrote in his great American travelogue “Travels With Charley,” that he was setting out “to rediscover this monster land.” And “monster land” is just right. The cross and the shovel are huge, so huge that each made me laugh to myself with disbelief as they loomed into view. But they were built that way on purpose: Such size is one of the only ways to make an impact — spiritual, physical — on such a comically, magnificently huge land.
Teen named grand marshal of Duarte parade August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, People, Towns.add a comment
The City of Duarte, Calif., has named a 17-year-old boy who doesn’t even have a driver’s license as grand marshal of the annual Route 66 Parade next month.
He’s not just any teenager, though. Zac Sunderland of nearby Thousand Oaks is the youngest person to ever sail around the world. According to the Pasadena Star-News, he circumnavigated the globe in a 36-foot sailboat over a 13-month period.
City councilwoman Lois Gaston said Sunderland was chosen as grand marshall because his achievement reflected the “pioneering spirit” of westward expansion that Route 66 represented. Mayor John Fasana agreed.
“Route 66 was all about adventure – doing things that haven’t been done,” Fasana said. “That’s what this young man has done.”
The parade will be Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. Zac”s Web site is here, along with a blog he maintained during and after his adventure. Here’s a video of when he completed his historic trip:
Since Zac doesn’t have a license, he explained to the city he would need a ride to be at the parade. Somehow, I don’t think they will mind in obliging him.
Arrest made in Old Chain of Rocks Bridge burglaries August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, bicycling, Bridges.add a comment
It appears a breakthrough has been made in the rash of vehicle burglaries that have occurred in the parking area on the Illinois side of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.
KTVI-TV in St. Louis reports that Kenneth A. Woods-Bey, 18, of St. Louis was arrested by police in Madison, Ill., and charged with four counts of burglary.
But police believe that Woods-Bey is responsible for “90 percent” of the 18 reported burglaries that have occurred this year near the historic Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi River. One of the victims was a Swiss family that was traveling the Mother Road.
Madison police say they’ll continue their patrols and video surveillance of the area. Meanwhile, many tourists are probably breathing a bit easier when they visit the pedestrian/cycling bridge that is maintained by Trailnet.
2009 cost-share grants announced for Route 66 properties August 25, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels, Preservation.add a comment
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced Monday its cost-share grant recipients for 2009. They are:
Colors of the West, 201 W. Route 66, Williams, Ariz. — Constructed in 1912, the Duffy Brothers building in downtown Williams served as a grocery until 1954, when it became the Indian House, a curio selling Indian crafts and tourist goods to travelers on Route 66. Today, it continues the tradition under the name Colors of the West. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, its owners will use the cost-share grant to upgrade the electrical system to code and eliminate unused wiring, circuits and exposed conduit. $6,736.68 grant, $6,736.73 match
Sunset Motel, Villa Ridge, Mo. — Built in 1946, the 12-unit, buff-brick motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, served Route 66 travelers, and later traffic from the intestate, until the late 1990s. Its stunning porcelain neon sign, showing the sun sinking into the ocean, attracts
photographers but no longer works. With the cost-share grant, the owner will restore the neon sign, reroof the motel and refurbish its cornice and dormers. $30,000 grant, $31,000 match
Beck’s City Service, 1648 Southwest Blvd., Tulsa, Okla. — Situated near the 11th Street Bridge in southwest Tulsa, the old Beck’s City Service station sits shuttered and surrounded by acres of concrete. In the 1960s, the two-bay service station catered to motorists from the neighborhood and those taking Route 66 over the bridge. With the cost-share grant, the owner will perform a total refurbishment—replacing the roof, rebuilding windows and doors, updating outdated water and electric lines, and installing new HVAC equipment, to bring the gas station back to new use. $30,000 grant, $41,967.00 match
The Corridor program usually awards about 10 cost-share grants annually. John Murphey, one of the program’s managers, said that only seven applications were received this year, down considerably. He said there was a perception that the program would end as scheduled in late 2009, thus the decline in interest in acquiring a grant. (Congress renewed the program for another 10 years in March.) Murphey said that funding this year wasn’t an issue.
Free road or toll road? August 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, Road trips.2 comments
KOTV in Tulsa and KWTV in Oklahoma City conducted an interesting experiment. With the toll roads in Oklahoma costing an average of 16 percent more in recent weeks (via a Toll Authority price hike), reporters from those TV stations decided to drive to each other’s city — one on the toll road, the other on old Route 66 — and see what their time and impressions were.
The driver on the turnpike did it in one hour, 12 minutes. However, it cost him $4 in tolls and a lot of boredom.
The driver on 66 completed the trip in one hour, 52 minutes — a difference of 40 minutes. However, it didn’t cost him anything but the gas, and the views were a lot more interesting.
Story is here.
Joliet museum fundraiser offers Harley as prize August 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Motorcycles, Museums.add a comment
The Joliet Area Historical Museum / Route 66 Experience in Joliet, Ill., is selling raffle tickets as part of its annual fundraiser. The top prize winner will receive either a 2010 Harley Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle or $10,000 in cash.
Tickets are can be purchased online here or in the Museum Gift Shop at 204 N. Ottawa St. in Joliet. Prices for tickets are $20 each, three for $50, or seven for $100. No more than a total of 4,000 tickets will be sold.
There also will be a $100,000 chance drawing in which Grand Prize Promotions will randomly select a number before Harley Davidson drawing. If the Harley winner’s number matches the random number, that person will get the 100 grand — not that it’s likely to happen.
The drawing will be on Oct. 3.
Wow, man August 24, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Restaurants.4 comments
There’s no particular reason why I’m posting this video of the 66-foot-tall pop bottle at POPS in Arcadia, Okla., except that I like it in a vaguely psychedelic way.
Castle Car Wash being restored August 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Gas stations, Preservation, Restaurants.8 comments
The historic Castle Car Wash building on Odgen Avenue, aka Route 66, in Chicago is being restored after years of neglect and will be converted into a Greek restaurant.
Debra Jane Seltzer of the terrific Roadside Architecture site got the scoop when she saw workers at the site and asked them what was going on. Seltzer said the work at the building has been going on for about two weeks.
According to research by roadie David Clark, the Castle Car Wash building also was known as the John J. Murphy Filling Station. The stone, castle-like station, on Route 66 at 3801 W. Odgen Ave. in Chicago, was built about 1925 and was operated by Murphy for more than 40 years. It became an S&B Standard Service and a Gas City during the 1970s, then a Castle Car Wash during the 1980s. It was deemed eligible to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Until recently, it was owned by a towing company.
(Photo courtesy of Debra Jane Seltzer)