A look at California’s Route 66 museums November 18, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Museums.add a comment
Claudia Heller, writing for the Pasadena Star-News, takes a gander at California’s two Route 66 museums in Barstow and Victorville.
This is Part 2 of Heller’s ongoing series about Route 66. Part 1 is here.
Both Route 66 museums are worthwhile. But, honestly, the best way to see the Mother Road’s artifacts and history is to actually travel it. After all, Route 66 is not in the past tense — it’s still here now.
Television comes a’calling to Route 66 November 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Restaurants, Television.add a comment
In the past 24 hours, I’ve learned of at least two and possibly three television programs that are or soon will be taking place on Route 66.
I receive an e-mail today from Alicia Good at Metal Flowers Media, a television production firm based in Santa Monica, Calif. Metal Flowers Media is searching for a family-owned hotel, motel, bed-and-breakfast, or lodge that has “character, quirk and charisma.” The ideal lodging business would be the focal point of a documentary-reality show titled “Family Owned Lodging.”
Good said a “major cable network” would be airing the series. Naturally, I suggested a few places along the Mother Road. “Family Owned Lodging” doesn’t necessarily have to take place on Route 66, but it obviously would provide a nice hook for potential viewers.
Also, Good is specifically looking for diners on Route 66 for a pilot episode of another as-yet-untitled TV program. I suggested a few prominent greasy spoons, especially the venerable Eat-Rite Diner in St. Louis.
If you have family-owned motel or diner suggestions, Good will gladly consider them if you e-mail her with the particulars at alicia(at)metalflowersmedia(dot)com.
Also, the Orange County Register reported that HGTV (Home and Garden Television) is shooting along or near Route 66 for a show called “Igor Takes America.” The channel often features home improvement, decorating or do-it-yourself programs.
It was Canadian HGTV show host Igor Shamraychuk’s dream to try and bring the cross-country road trip idea for the renovation network to reality, said Loren Ruch, director of original programming for Knoxville, Tenn.-based HGTV. [...]
The episode starts in Santa Monica from where Route 66, what used to be known as the “Mother Road,” runs to Chicago as a series of back roads and segmented chunks of interstate highway.
HGTV spent some of the last few weeks in Southern California, and next will go to Nevada or Arizona.
Update on Route 66 State Park bridge November 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
I asked the Missouri Department of Transportation to elaborate on its decision to tear down the historic Route 66 bridge at Route 66 State Park.
Andrew Gates, a community relations officer for MoDOT, sent me an e-mail today expanding on the dire condition of the bridge and other matters. A small part of the e-mail has been excised for brevity:
Right now, the Route 66 bridge has multiple problems — the primary one for pedestrians is that the railing is starting to give way; however, the substructure of the bridge is so corroded that the bridge will collapse within the next few years, even if no traffic is upon the bridge. It would be very unresponsible of MoDOT to allow people to use this bridge with the possibility of a collapse.
At this point, there really would be no minor renovations to this bridge to be able to make it safe — it would require a complete rebuild (and it would be cheaper, in the long run, to simply replace the bridge). There are alternate methods to get into the park that are currently available — the Williams Road entrance to the park has been opened so that people can get access to the public use area. The major impact, of course, is that the park’s welcome center is now separate from the park — you would have to drive to get from the welcome center to the park, and vice versa). Since it would cost a significant amount of money to rebuild (or renovate) the bridge (in the $10 million to $20 million range as a conservative estimate), since the daily use of the bridge is low (about 400 cars/day), and since there is a viable, and effective, method to travel between the welcome center and the park, we have determined that the best use of taxpayer dollars under MoDOT’s control is to document the bridge for historic preservation and then remove it.
This e-mail clarifies several things, and shows that MoDOT is in a tight spot. Money is scarce at all governmental agencies because of the severe recession, and it’s difficult to justify rebuilding a bridge that averaged barely 16 vehicles per hour when there are much more pressing highway needs in Missouri.
The state tried to repair the bridge a few years ago, but the fixes obviously didn’t take. The Meramec River, which is spanned by the bridge, is notoriously violent after heavy rains, and probably hastened the bridge’s deterioration.
And even if the bridge were rebuilt, such an effort very likely would remove all traces of the elements that made it historic.
Barring an unlikely intervention by Trailnet, it’s hard to see what other choice the state of Missouri has but to raze the bridge. I’m as supportive of historic preservation as anyone. But there comes a time in which common sense and pragmatism have to prevail. Regrettably, I suspect this is one of those times.
More Rhythms November 17, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Restaurants, Road trips, Television.1 comment so far
Another episode of the Greene HD Productions’ “Rhythms of the Road” musical television series has been posted online. This episode includes performances at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo.
Route 66 State Park bridge to be torn down November 16, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Route 66 Associations.7 comments
It was reported at a regular meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri over the weekend that the Old Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park at the former site of Times Beach, Mo., will be torn down by the state Department of Transportation because it is too dilapidated.
Stephanie Howard of MoDOT confirmed in an e-mail today that razing the bridge is planned:
The bridge has deteriorated to such an extent that we must be concerned about safety. The underlying structure of the bridge is corroded and the bridge will collapse under its own weight within the next few years. The railings on the bridge make it unsafe for pedestrians to use at this time. At this point, it will be safer to remove the bridge completely than to wait for the bridge to collapse. Since this bridge has been recently listed on the National Register (of Historic Places), we will make sure that we photograph and document the bridge extensively prior to removal. That will ensure that the historical contributions this bridge has made to St. Louis will be able to be preserved. By documenting it, we won’t completely lose this important piece of Route 66 history.
I asked in a follow-up e-mail whether it was possible for the state to rehabilitate the structure as a pedestrian-only bridge and whether there was money to do so. There was no reply at the time of this writing.
Members of the Route 66 community are trying to contact Trailnet, which converted the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis as a pedestrian bridge, to see whether it can intervene.
The bridge must have deteriorated rapidly. First, the agency announced in September that load limits on the structure had been dropped. Then, in October, it was announced the bridge would be closed permanently. That’s despite the agency performing repairs on the bridge in November 2006.
Meanwhile, the bridge’s closing has put a crimp in the accessibility of Route 66 State Park, essentially cutting the main office from the rest of the grounds. There are ways to go to all areas of the park, but it requires two exits off Interstate 44, as this map shows.
The story of Red Oak II November 16, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, People, Preservation.add a comment
KSPR-TV in Springfield, Mo., has an entertaining account of artist Lowell Davis and his Red Oak II complex off Route 66 near Carthage, Mo.
Davis basically bought the town that he grew up in, Red Oak, Mo. He moved it to his new farm, outside of Carthage. Now, the old general store, blacksmith, and a few of the houses are on what used to be a cornfield in Jasper County.
“I wasn’t trying to build an old town. I wasn’t trying to recreate a town, or something. to me, it was like a big blank canvas, you know,” says Davis.
Re-dubbed “Red Oak II,” Davis added his own touches by refurbishing dilapidated buildings from around the area.
Davis grew tired of the upkeep on Red Oak II and sold off most of the property. But it’s still there, offering a glimpse of Davis’ boyhood.
KSPR has a video with the story.
Sunset Motel sign is relit November 15, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Signs.1 comment so far
The beautiful porcelain sign for the Sunset Motel along route 66 near Villa Ridge, Mo., saw its neon relit for the first time in about 30 years on Saturday, reported the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s blog.
About half the money to restore the sign came from a cost-share grant by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. And more good news was reported on the blog:
Work on the motel building continues and is expected to be completed in a month or two. In recent history, the motel had been rented as apartments, and when it reopens, the owners plan to reserve half of the rooms for Route 66 travelers.
Jim Thole of the association’s Neon Heritage Preservation Committee said that David Hutson of NeonTime restored the neon tubing, and that Loleta Krueger, former owner of the motel, attended the ceremony. In an e-mailed news release, he said:
Mrs. Krueger and her late husband (Oliver Lee) had owned and operated the motel for 35 years from 1971-2006. She was very excited to see this renewal of the property that she was attached to for so many years. It is now owned and operated by her daughter, and her daughter’s husband.
The operation of the Sunset Motel, on Highway AT (formerly Route 66) near Villa Ridge, Missouri, has been temporarily suspended as other restoration and rehab work is underway, both interior and exterior (new roof, facia, dormers, etc.). When completed, 4 of the 12 units will be available to Route 66 roadies (or anyone) for nightly rental, “just like the good-old days,” while the other 8 units will remain for weekly rental. Route 66 travelers and photographers should be aware that the newly restored neon sign will remain off until the entire restoration is complete, and the motel is back in business.
Here’s what the sign looks like in the daytime.
(Photos courtesy of Jim Thole)
Wanda Jackson to work with White Stripes front man November 15, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music.add a comment
Rockabilly queen and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson will play a show Saturday at the 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City to help mark the bowling center’s 50th anniversary.
That’s a nice little coup for the 66 Bowl, a prominent business on Route 66 on the city’s west side.
But an even bigger story reported by The Oklahoman is that Jackson soon will be collaborating with Jack White, the leader of the popular garage-rock band The White Stripes and producer of Loretta Lynn’s highly acclaimed “Van Lear Rose” album of 2004.
It’s difficult to overestimate how big of a development this is for Jackson, 72. “Van Lear Rose” wound up being one of the biggest-selling albums of Lynn’s career, and it remains tied for all-time highest-rated album at Metacritic. And the album wasn’t a humongous departure from what Lynn was doing, most notably because she wrote all the songs. White simply found ways to make those previously unreleased songs — some of them 30 years old — sound vital.
A lot of people heard the rambunctious “Portland, Oregon,” but “Miss Being Mrs.” was arguably the emotional center of the album:
Jackson told The Oklahoman that White was “going to stretch me some” during their collaboration. I reckon that White is going to concentrate on that “nice lady with a dirty voice” persona and maybe a pile of rockabilly songs that she’s never recorded.
Here Jackson is in 1958 performing one of her best-known songs, “Hard Headed Woman.”
Here’s a more recent clip of one of her biggest hits, “Let’s Have a Party.”
There’s going to be a lot of excited rockabilly fans because of this news.
UPDATE: It turns out the Jackson had her first date with her future husband at the 66 Bowl 48 years ago. So there’s some sentimental attachment there.
Near the end of the road November 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, People.add a comment
Chicago Sun-Times reporter and longtime roadie Dave Hoekstra has filed this new story about Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, who is terminally ill with cancer and is spending his final days near his hometown of Springfield, Ill.
Bob Waldmire’s Last Art Show will be at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.
Kansas visitors center lauded November 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Gas stations, Museums, Preservation.add a comment
The Baxter Springs Route 66 Visitors Center in Baxter Springs, Kan., was recognized Friday by the National Park Service as “a place that matters,” according to a report by the Joplin (Mo.) Globe.
Kaisa Barthuli of the NPS’ Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program noted that volunteers used 1,200 hours to restore the 1930 gas station two years ago.
She referred to the recent Ken Burns series on public television, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” She said it was full of examples where ordinary people made a difference in establishing and guiding the National Park Service. [...]
“It’s just extraordinary what can happen on 13 miles of road,” Barthuli said, referring to the length of Route 66 in Kansas. “Nowhere is that as clear as it is here in Kansas.”
Barthuli gave a commemorative plaque to Carolyn Pendleton, director of the visitors center.