Joplin museum director Q&A December 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Museums, Preservation.1 comment so far
Brad Belk, the director for the Joplin (Mo.) Museum Complex, answered questions from Joplin Globe readers about his proposal for a one-sixth-cent sales tax to move the museum and its contents to historic Memorial Hall.
Most of the questions are worth perusing, but his answer from a person who asked why the historic railroad depot wasn’t being considered as a possible museum site is worth passing on here:
We feel we can maximize our space at 50,000 square feet out of Memorial Hall, and the size of the Union Depot is not nearly that large. The building environment is extremely questionable. We know there has been a perpetual body of water in the basement for at least the last 15 years. The building has been exposed to the elements way too long. The flat roof is also not good.
We feel even though there has been a feasibility study, which has never been revealed and would be stale now because additional damage has occurred, that the water along the rebar would have detrimental effects on the building and the stability of the building. Therefore, we feel the cost to repair just the shell would be a fortune, let alone what we would have to do to make it exhibit space. Then we would need to add an additional building to it to get the square footage we are ultimately needing.
Belk’s answer reaffirms my feeling that the depot is too far gone structurally to be a viable option as a museum. The fact the depot has less space than Memorial Hall also should be a consideration.
Mural at I-44 welcome center has Route 66 theme December 23, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, People.add a comment
A few days ago, the Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported about a new mural at the Missouri Welcome Center on Interstate 44 in Joplin that contains a prominent Route 66 theme and uses old license plates as part of the artwork.
The interesting part is after Zane Livengood, a part-time worker at the welcome center, submitted four license plates for the artist Matthew Dehaemers’ use. The artist, without knowing about the background of approximately 500 license plates used, ended up putting Livengood’s license plate nearly side-by-side to a license plate once owned by Livengood’s wife, who died three years ago. So the coincidence made the mural even more meaningful.
As for the mural itself, here’s a description:
The mural depicts scenes from the Spook Light, Route 66, artist Thomas Hart Benton, astronaut Janet Kavandi, outlaw Clyde Barrow, the castle at Redings Mill, poet Langston Hughes, Red Oak II, the natural beauty of the Ozarks, naturalist Marlin Perkins, Grand Falls and the area’s history of mining.
“The idea is that we are passing through, but that we should be open to the idea of detours,” Dehaemers said. “I’m hoping that people will come in and see things in and around the area they might be interested in.
“It invites one to ask questions. What does all this stuff mean? Maybe they will take off from the beaten path, take a slight detour if you will, and get sidetracked in a positive way. I hope it encourages them to see a local area they might otherwise have skipped over.’’
License plates from all 50 states are represented in the artwork. A photo of the artist and his mural are here. Dehaemers’ Web site also has several other angles of the work.
Comprehensive study planned for Route 66 in California December 22, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Highways, History, Preservation.1 comment so far
The California Preservation Foundation and the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program are joining forces to begin a first-ever comprehensive study of that state’s portion of historic Route 66, according to a news release Monday from the foundation.
The study will be completed as a Multiple Property Documentation Form, a format used to nominate groups of related properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The document will provide the historical and architectural context to nominate individual Route 66 properties in California to the National Register, the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The study will not only document the highway’s history in California, but its larger importance to the nation as a cultural gateway to the Golden State.
The California Preservation Foundation is encouraging Route 66 enthusiasts and communities along the route to participate in the project. A number of meetings will be held along Route 66 to engage individuals and city, state and federal organizations in the process.
To undertake the project the California Preservation Foundation and the National Park Service will hire a contractor through a Request for Proposals process. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 29, 2010. To receive the Request for Proposals, please contact Jennifer Gates, Field Services Director for the California Preservation Foundation at 415-495-0349, or go to: www.californiapreservation.org.
I had long assumed that the Corridor Preservation Program had already completed a study of California. But apparently that wasn’t the case — probably because the program’s budget was relatively meager.
UPDATE: More about the upcoming survey of California’s Route 66 is reported in the Los Angeles Times.
Waldmire’s final meeting with his beloved VW December 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Vehicles.1 comment so far
A few days ago, I posted a story about Tom Wanko’s unselfish efforts to transport Bob Waldmire’s early 1970s Volkwagen minibus from southern Arizona to Rochester, Ill., because he was too ill to drive it himself.
I received this eyewitness account from longtime roadie Lynn “Lulu” Bagdon about the minivan’s arrival a few weeks ago in Rochester:
I was so very lucky to be in Rochester when the van finally arrived on its final journey. [...] Bob got a call, the van was close. [...] Bob put on some boots, and a sweatshirt, and came out [...] looking for his beloved vehicle; he was moving slow, but he got there. He had a big walking stick with him to lean on.
You could tell he was excited, but not moving so fast. He got to the van and tried opening the door while it was still on the trailer … Tom said, “Hang on” or something of that nature. He turned the key; she started right up! The old trusty “horse” was still there for him.
The guys got the van off the trailer and moved it to the front of the bus. I have pics of Bob’s bus, the VW van and his Mustang and his bike that he rode, all in one frame. [...] When I was watching the van being unloaded, I thought to myself, “This is going to be the final journey of this VW van that has been cruising Route 66 for so many years!!” I thought to myself: “This is Route 66 history being made, and I am so grateful that I was to be here watching it happen.”
Bagdon e-mailed Wanko to thank him for his efforts. He replied, in part:
THANK YOU FOR BEING SO KIND AS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ME, BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND I DID NOT DO THIS FOR ANY PRAISE; I DID THIS BECAUSE BOB ASKED ME TO. A VERY VERY SICK FRIEND NEEDED ME TO DO SOMETHING THAT MEANT EVERYTHING TO HIM, SO I DID IT.
Bob Waldmire’s gathering December 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, People, Vehicles.5 comments
Cathie Stevanovich, president of the Route 66 Association of Illinois, attended the wake Sunday for Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire at the Wilson Park Funeral Home in Rochester, Ill.
She had this to report, via e-mail:
So many people had come to Bob’s Last Art Show that went home content with having had the chance for a last conversation with Bob, a blessing, a handshake, a hug, that the crowd at the funeral home was only about 125 people. There were pictures of Bob from young til old, his journal that he wrote in by a great picture of him at a table at the front of the room. His last entry was the day before he died.
Bob died in his sleep, and his family assured everyone his passing was peaceful and that he even had a smile on his face.
People sat and talked from noon til about 2:30 p.m. Then with Bob’s own blessing (written blessing), Jeff Waldmire gave a short talk about Bob and used the words that Bob stood for: trust, commitment, faith, etc. Then people were invited up to share their stories. It was very moving, funny stories about Bob — he and one of his friends driving around in Bob’s Mustang when they were in high school, breaking car windows with a brick after a few “cokes” and waking up the next morning totally ashamed at what they’d done. One of the brothers told about Bob losing one of his snakes in the house when he was a kid, and his mother telling him he had one more chance to find it in the house before the family had to move out; another brother talked about Bob probably becoming a vegetarian because his brothers always had him eating bugs — box elder bugs, etc. — when they were kids.
A friend sang a song he wrote for Bob a capella.
Bob was a giver. Bob shared. Bob had very definite opinions, but always strove to see the other side as well. There was an “after the after” at the Cozy Dog where more stories were told, more photos, more reflection.
Outside the funeral home was Bob’s van. Driven to the funeral home by one of the Waldmire boys, on the way down a woman getting her mail saw the van and started waving and while she was waving realized “hey – the owner of that is dead” and stopped waving and just looked at the van pass by. I’m sure when I develop the photos from today that Bob will be sitting in the van behind the steering wheel, squinty-eyed and laughing.
Here’s Cathie’s photo of Bob’s VW minibus, parked in front of the funeral home:
Here’s the funeral home’s obituary on Waldmire. I liked the fact it listed him as a “resident of Route 66.”
Senator to propose national monument along Route 66 in Mojave December 21, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation.17 comments
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will introduce legislation today that will establish a national monument along Route 66 from Needles to Ludlow, Calif., reported the Los Angeles Times.
It would be called the Mojave Trails National Monument, instead of the Mother Road National Monument that was proposed earlier. It would prohibit development along 941,000 acres of railroad land and federal land along the Route 66 corridor there.
Feinstein hopes to have the legislation enacted by late 2010.
“This magnificent land and its lonely beauty are a significant part of our history, and we shouldn’t give it up,” Feinstein said, adding that private donors helped acquire the former railroad parcels “with the belief they would be protected from development. We have an obligation to keep them that way.” [...]
At least 19 renewable-energy projects have been suggested within the boundaries of the proposed Mojave Trails monument, according to Feinstein, who has discussed her concerns with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Feinstein’s legislation would assist companies with projects currently proposed inside monument boundaries in relocating to federal energy zones being developed elsewhere. It would also permit construction of transmission lines within existing utility rights of way to facilitate the transfer of renewable energy generated in the Southern California desert and adjacent states. [...]
James Conkle, founder of the Route 66 Alliance, which seeks to protect the historic route linking Chicago with Southern California, said the bill would “open up the desert to more travelers, sparking interest in fascinating, out-of-the-way places like Ludlow, Amboy and Essex.”
I have a more mixed reaction to the legislation. First, shutting off a major potential source of solar energy for America’s future needs is short-sighted. Secondly, the report says legislation would bar any new development along the corridor from Ludlow to Needles. That means even a great Route 66-related business (such as POPS, for example) would be prevented from building along that historic stretch.
I agree that the Mojave Desert and Route 66 need to be protected in some fashion. However, one also has to balance Route 66′s preservation with the need for economic development and tourism that helps keeps the old road alive. It’s questionable whether this proposal addresses that crucial latter need.
I’ll update this story later as more information develops.
UPDATE: I received a copy of the proposed legislation from a reader, and a few things in it stick out:
- The proposal would not affect existing property owners in the proposed Mojave Trails National Monument area. So, if Albert Okura wants to renovate the motel buildings or add other enterprises to his property in Amboy, he can. If the owner of Chambless wants to do something with his property, he can.
- The legislation generally prohibits new commercial enterprises within the monument boundaries. However, it allows for “authorized exceptions” for a business “that furthers” the purpose of the monument. So there is wiggle room for creating tourism-related businesses.
- The monument specifies the construction of a visitors center, which would undoubtedly help draw more tourists and help them understand Route 66 in that area better.
You can peruse the 178-page Acrobat document here; much of it deals with other aspects not related to the Mojave Trails National Monument. If you see anything else of interest with Route 66, chime in with the comments below.
At first glance, the proposed legislation isn’t perfect, but it’s not terrible, either. On the plus side, it does allow existing Route 66 businesses to continue what they’re doing, and such a national monument will bring more travelers to that part of Route 66. On the minus, it’s a more onerous to new Route 66 entrepreneurs than I would like, although the bill wouldn’t prohibit them entirely. And I hope that the government doesn’t rue the day of removing nearly 1 million acres from potential solar-energy use.
UPDATE2: The Redlands (Calif.) Daily Facts has a good overview about the proposed legislation. So does the Wall Street Journal.
UPDATE3: The New York Times also dives into the issues about the proposal.
Hello from England December 20, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Here are a couple of guys, one named Smudge, jamming to “Route 66″ blues-style in front of a fireplace. Nicely done.