Get your kicks with this shirt October 6, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Fashion.add a comment
If you’re a woman who wants to add something road-related to your wardrobe, you could do a lot worse than this Route 66 scoop-necked T-shirt by Kiss the Girl. Here’s a close-up screen shot of the design from Kiss the Girl’s Internet site:
Sizes range from small to extra-large. For you online shoppers, the price is $50. Store locations also can be found here. If you’re a business owner who’s interesting in selling Kiss the Girl products, go here.
(Via Phoenix New Times)
Schoolhouse predates the road October 6, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, History, Preservation.add a comment
Something that existed for nearly 40 years in Edmond, Okla., before Route 66 was established is still standing today — the 1889 Territorial School House, which is believed to be the first schoolhouse built and opened after the Oklahoma Land Run.
Paul Sanders’ family was the longtime owner of the building, which was used as a camera shop for many years before it was sold to the Edmond Historic Preservation Trust in 2000. Sanders will be at an open house at the school building from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, reported Edmond Life & Leisure.
Oddly enough, though, Sanders doesn’t think his family was especially aware of the historic significance of the building. To him it was just his home, his dad’s business and a wonderful location for a young boy to live.
“We were right on Route 66. There was no Interstate 35 in those days so all the trucks and cars traveling cross country went right in front of my house, day and night,” he said.
The Territorial School House is regularly open to the public the first two Saturdays of the month from 1 to 4 p.m., or by an appointment with the Edmond Historical Society and Museum. The schoolhouse is also a popular destination for school field trips, where kids dress, eat and learn in the style of 1889 from a “schoolmarm.”
You can see a photo of the Territorial School House in Google Street View here.
Notes from California October 6, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Restaurants.add a comment
Kevin Hansel, a prominent member of the California Historic Route 66 Association, passed along some Route 66 news in an e-mail.
The former Iron Hog Saloon in Oro Grande.
First, the former Iron Hog Saloon in Oro Grande has been converted to Sergino’s Family Restaurant. It originally was a Case Farm Equipment dealership in the 1930s and ’40s.
The Goffs General Store.
Also, the Goffs General Store in the Route 66 hamlet of Goffs is for sale. The Realtor number is 760-446-4275.
The former Burden's store in Helendale.
The former Burden’s Store and Post Office in Helendale, which dates to 1926, is for sale, also. The Realtor number is 562-862-2226.
(Photos courtesy of Kevin Hansel)
UPDATED: County approves biofuels plant October 5, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.add a comment
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors is meeting today on whether to approve permits to allow a biofuels plant to be built near the Valle Vista subdivision north of Kingman, Ariz. The zoning commission approved the plan a few weeks ago.
The Kingman Daily Miner has a pretty good rundown of the issues involved with the biofuels plant. Opponents trotted out the tired old “eyesore” argument again, which I found unconvincing.
Our take on the biofuels plant can be found here. Another interesting perspective on Valle Vista’s troubles is here.
UPDATE: The county unanimously approved the biofuels plant on Monday.
I think one of the most dubious new arguments that opponents brought to the meeting was that many biofuels plants are closing across the country and were worried the new plant near Kingman would meet the same fate. It’s obvious, however, that the plants are closing because of the poor economy and the drop in energy prices in the past year. SunWest is surmising that the economy and energy prices will rebound by the time the plant is open.
Even so, the zoning permit is conditional. SunWest has to start construction within two years, or the land reverts to agricultural/residential. That seems like a reasonable safeguard.
Girl troubles October 4, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.add a comment
Solomon learns the headaches of having more than 900 wives during the latest chapter of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible.” This latest video entry focuses on the Book of Proverbs.
More on the Alliance and museum October 4, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Museums, Restaurants, Route 66 Associations.add a comment
This new article in Urban Tulsa neatly encapsulates what’s been going on recently with the Route 66 Alliance and a related, still-in-progress project, the Route 66 Experience in Tulsa.
Perhaps the most noteworthy item in the article is that the Experience building — a combination of a museum, restaurant and headquarters for the Alliance — is slated to open by 2012. A design contract probably will be in place by the end of the year or so.
A look back at a grand old hotel October 4, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Motels.1 comment so far
I wasn’t aware of this longtime landmark on Route 66 in Bloomington, Ill. But Bill Kemp, an archivist for the McLean County Museum of History, wrote an interesting article for the Bloomington Pantagraph about the Tilden-Hall Hotel in the downtown area.
The six-story hotel was at Madison and Washington streets in Bloomington. It opened about 1900, but hit its stride in the 1930s.
In 1932-33, lumbermen and building contractors William Tilden and Charles Hall took on the task of modernizing the building, and under their direction the local architectural firm Schaeffer and Hooten transformed the lobby and other areas into a style best described as Hollywood Moderne. This “new” hotel now offered 150 guest rooms, 40 with a private bath.
The Pullman Coffee shop became a choice spot for downtown office workers while the Pink Elephant tap room (“Where the spirit of fellowship reigns supreme”) pulled in those spending a night on the town. The second floor featured a banquet hall known as the Green Room, and the basement held a “swank” place for luncheons, bridge parties and meetings for local organizations.
The hotel started to decline by the 1950s after Route 66 traffic was realigned to the Veterans Parkway east of downtown. A bank bought the property and razed the building in 1961 for parking.
Road Crew on the road again October 1, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music.1 comment so far
If you’re in northeastern Oklahoma or southeast Kansas this weekend, you have an opportunity to check out the music of The Road Crew, a country group that dedicated an entire album to Route 66 a few years ago.
The Road Crew, which will be a trio during these gigs, will perform at the Galena Car Show in Galena, Kan., from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday.
The group also will do an informal show at Afton Station in Afton, Okla., from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The folks at Afton Station will make free popcorn for those attending the gig, and they advise you to bring your own lawn chairs if you want to sit.
The Road Crew’s music can be heard at its MySpace page. Also, here’s this video:
Hello from Argentina October 1, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
This is a band called Bloody Mary, performing Bobby Troup’s best-known song. The guy on guitar is nimble-fingered and swings like mad.
A ghost town … sorta October 1, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Towns.add a comment
The Arizona Republic has compiled a short list of ghost towns in the state that tourists might find worth visiting. The Route 66 town of Oatman, famed for its semi-wild burros and Wild West vibe, made the cut.
Now … when I picture a ghost town, I’m thinking of a burg that’s nearly deserted and buildings that are starting to fail in from neglect. The New Mexico-Texas settlement of Glenrio comes to mind. So does the Mojave Desert town of Amboy. Jericho, Texas, comes to mind.
Oatman’s current population of about 100 certainly is a far cry from its peak of 10,000 many decades ago, when it was a burgeoning gold-mining town. But anyplace that attracts an estimated 500,000 visitors a year, where parking is often hard to find, would hardly qualify as a dying and decaying town.
Oatman’s dubious listing as a ghost town shouldn’t dissuade you from visiting it. It’s a lot of fun — a half-million people a year can’t be wrong. It’s worth it just for the beautiful and sometimes hair-raising drive on old Route 66 from Kingman.