Notes from the road November 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Events, Motels, Museums, Photographs, Preservation, Sports, Web sites.2 comments
I’m playing a bit of catch-up, ever since I left town this past weekend to see Bob Waldmire’s Last Art Show. Here are a few things of interest to roadies …
– The Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa this year was a doozy, with more than 7,000 runners participating, along with 60 classic cars and 30 bands performing. The route essentially crossed Route 66 twice, with it going on the 1920s alignment near downtown and also the Southwest Boulevard alignment. Zac Freudenburg of St. Louis set a world record by running the 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 10 seconds while pushing his son in a baby stroller (yes, there is such a record) and was the overall winner. He’d hoped to run it in 2:40, but blew that goal out of the water. The top women’s runner was Chelsea Jones, running it in 3 hours, 38 seconds.
— It looks like Bill Scales, who attempted a full restoration of the historic Eagle Hotel building on Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill., has dropped the asking price for the property to $150,000 if the buyer commits to preserving it. Scales tried to restore the building, but fell into financial trouble and kept missing deadlines set by the city. If you’re interested in buying the hotel, you can contact Scales at 815-806-1815.
— An apartment fire threatened the historic Hotel Cuba building in Cuba, Mo., but did not destroy it. There was some damage, but apparently not enough to seriously compromise the structure.
— Also in Cuba, the new owner of the historic Wagon Wheel Motel tore down an unsightly structure that was next to the Wagon Wheel Cafe building, revealing the smaller, most historically significant gas-station building underneath. This is part of a long-term project to restore the motel. The cafe building will be reopened as Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel as a gift shop and registration area for the motel rooms.
— Gordo of Handcolored66.com now has a Web site to display some of the striking images he shot during a Route 66 trip in August and September. He’s an old-school photographer who shoots with film and hand-colors the prints himself. You can see some of his work at Miller’s Grill in St. Robert, Mo. He’s looking for galleries to display his work and maybe acquire a storefront on or near Route 66 in mid-Missouri. If you know of anyplace, please drop him a line at the contact page.
— If you want a weird and wonderful holiday experience, go to the Santa’s Magical Kingdom, which is just off Route 66 west of Eureka, Mo., at the Jellystone Park Resort grounds. Santa’s Magical Kingdom combines a bazillion Christmas lights and decorations with a heapin’ helpin’ of Ozark hillbilly kitsch. It even has its own radio station. It has to be seen to be believed. It runs nightly through Jan. 3.
— Rand Elliott, the architect of POPS in Arcadia, Okla., and the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Okla., and his firm of Elliott + Associates in Oklahoma City recently were honored by the International Architecture Awards in Florence, Italy.
Round Barn roundabout November 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Motorcycles, People, Road trips, Television.add a comment
“Two Wheel Oklahoma” is a television show about scenic rides for motorcyclists in the Sooner State. Here’s an episode in which the show’s hosts meet the ever-talkative Mister Sam, one of the hosts at the historic Round Barn of Arcadia.
It may be his last show, but Bob was still Bob November 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, People.4 comments
I’m typing this a few hours after I got home from Bob Waldmire’s Last Art Show on Sunday afternoon at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Ill. Waldmire, an acclaimed Route 66 artist and the unofficial inspiration to the hippie minibus Fillmore in the movie “Cars,” is terminally ill with cancer.
I’ll download some photos and post them later in the day. But, for now, you can see the photos I shot during the event with a cell-phone camera on my Twitter account, including one of Waldmire here.
Waldmire looked jaundiced, tired and gaunt as he was rolled around in a wheelchair. But he also was in good spirits, smiled frequently, signed autographs and greeted visitors, which jammed the Cozy Dog’s interior and its parking lot (and a few adjacent lots as well). Even in illness, Bob was still Bob.
The Cozy Dog didn’t operate on the restaurant that day. It was just as well, because the crush of literally dozens of people would have made serving food a impossible. However, Waldmire and his family made that sure a few free snacks were available — all vegan, of course, to respect his wishes.
I didn’t see any crying from anyone, probably because Waldmire admonished everyone not to do any weeping on his behalf.
So Bob’s Last Art Show served almost as an unofficial reunion of Route 66 fans. Longtime roadie Akio Takeuchi undoubtedly would have won the award for traveling the greatest distance to the event, from his native Japan. But I also saw roadies from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
And it also was a celebration of Waldmire’s artwork, including a fair number of originals that were for sale at the event. It was staggering to see the magnificent handiwork on display. It served to remind us that a little piece of Bob will be hanging on homes across the nation long after he is gone — whenever that will be.
UPDATE: Here are some photos from the event …
This guy used his 1970 Chevelle as a canvas for Waldmire’s work.
Finally, here’s the man of the hour himself:
UPDATE2: Longtime Waldmire friend William Crook Jr. wrote this tribute in the Illinois Times. The whole thing’s worth reading, but this part stood out:
Bob is truly a popular artist. He didn’t go to art school, he hasn’t tried to be part of the art world and he definitely hasn’t tried to get rich off his art. His biggest fans are truck drivers, policemen and working class Americans. Until not too long ago, he sold his postcards for 25 cents each. He told me his profit was a nickel apiece after expenses, yet his low prices enabled him to put them in the hands of thousands of customers, and his Route 66 message was conveyed around the world. His prominence has earned him many friends among international Route 66 visitors. As an example of his worldwide fame, Bob received a book in the mail recently in Japanese that contained photos of him and his VW van.
UPDATE3: Here’s the video produced by the Chicago Tribune a couple of weeks ago:
UPDATE4: Here’s a good report by longtime roadie Denny Gibson.
(Photo of Bob Waldmire by Emily Priddy)
Route 66 Marathon November 22, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Sports.add a comment
We’re on the road right now, but you folks who want results from today’s Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa can go here.
Preview of Waldmire art show November 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, People.add a comment
Here’s a preview by the Springfield State Journal-Register of Bob Waldmire’s Last Art Show, set for Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Ill.
Please note that the Cozy will not operate as usual as a restaurant, but a caterer will bring in light snacks for the event.
Waldmire, an acclaimed Route 66 artist and an indirect inspiration to the character Fillmore in the animated movie “Cars,” is terminally ill with cancer. The report says the art show, in which many of Waldmire’s works will be for sale, will help defray his medical expenses.
What’s special about the Mother Road? November 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Highways, History.3 comments
Debra Ronca at How Stuff Works tries to answer that question.
In my opinion, she does a remarkably good job in explaining Route 66′s enduring attraction to travelers.
A closer look at Gallup November 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Motels, Towns.add a comment
This tourism video does a good job in showing many of the attractions of the Route 66 town of Gallup, N.M., including El Rancho Hotel and the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial.