Newspaper names Dawn Welch Oklahoma’s Woman of the Year

Dawn Welch, owner of the historic Rock Cafe on Route 66 in Stroud, Okla., was named Oklahoma's Woman of the Year by The Oklahoman newspaper today, according to the newspaper's BAM's Blog. The Oklahoman no doubt honored Welch because of her tenacity, which the story details: In 2008, Welch watched helplessly as the historic cafe, … Continue reading Newspaper names Dawn Welch Oklahoma’s Woman of the Year

Scenes from the marathon

This is a just-posted promotional video posted of the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, which was held a few weeks ago. Very well done. In case you're wondering, the music is by U2, from its latest album. The next Route 66 Marathon is Nov. 21.

Weekly “Route 66” radio show begins Saturday in Joplin

Radio host Terry Hester is debuting a new weekly music show, "Route 66," at KZRG in Joplin, Mo., on Saturday. In an e-mail, Hester said he would be playing the top pop hits from 1957 to 1972 to "relive the music of the Mother Road," along with "bits of audio from that time frame ... … Continue reading Weekly “Route 66” radio show begins Saturday in Joplin

Not just any meeting

The quarterly meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, set for Jan. 16 after a noon lunch at Matt's Steakhouse in Rolla, isn't going to be just any meeting, according to a report by Three Rivers Publishing. First, a Missouri Department of Transportation official will be discussing the Old Route 66 Bridge at Route … Continue reading Not just any meeting

A license to play

If you're a Route 66 fan and a musician, you could do worse than this functional cigar-box guitar made with a Route 66 license plate: It's made by Chickenbone John Guitars, a one-man shop based in England. The Route 66 guitar isn't on his online shop, but he says on the video notes that he … Continue reading A license to play

“Santa Monica Noir”

I think it's safe to say that Emory Duick's triumphant stroll to the Santa Monica Pier today didn't end like this.

Emory Duick takes a long walk to the Pier

Emory Duick, the 71-year-old man who decided to walk or jog Route 66 to encourage fellow senior citizens to be more physically active, reached the end of his 2,250-mile journey today when he made it to the Santa Monica Pier at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, Calif. Duick reached the "spiritual" end of Route … Continue reading Emory Duick takes a long walk to the Pier

City will redevelop its Route 66

The Route 66 town of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will redevelop its portion of the Mother Road, including building a new bridge, that will carry a Route 66 theme, reported the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. As part of a Foothill Boulevard widening project, the bridge near Baker Avenue will be torn down and replaced with a … Continue reading City will redevelop its Route 66

Meditations with music

Here's a remarkable story in the Los Angeles Times about the Church of Beethoven, which is less than a block off an old alignment of Route 66 in Albuquerque and has its beginnings on the Mother Road. The whole thing is worth reading, but this excerpt captures the place's purpose well enough: It's not really … Continue reading Meditations with music

A pie-in-the-sky place

Longtime roadie Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times takes a closer look at the restored and historic Palms Grill Cafe on old Route 66 in Atlanta, Ill. Apparently the restaurant, in addition to its old-time atmosphere, is making a name for itself because of its pies. And an Albanian immigrant named Lumi Bektoshi, who is … Continue reading A pie-in-the-sky place