Roy Rogers Museum fails after moving from Route 66 January 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Museums, People.45 comments
San Bernardino County Sun features editor John Weeks reports that the Roy Rogers Museum, less than six years after it picked up and moved from its longtime Route 66 home in Victorville, Calif., has shut down in Branson, Mo., and all of its memorabilia will be auctioned in the coming weeks.
Weeks writes:
What a shame. Victorville, in San Bernardino County’s High Desert, was the right home for it. It was an authentic Western setting for a Western-themed museum. It was right on old Route 66, an appropriately nostalgic location for an exhibit hall devoted to nostalgia.
Most importantly, it’s where Rogers and Evans built it, near their own home in Apple Valley. That’s the community they chose for their retirement, after their long careers as stars of hundreds of TV and movie Westerns during the ’40s and ’50s. That’s the community where they lived, where they died, and where they are buried.
If you’re a tad too young to know, Roy Rogers was known as the “King of the Cowboys,” and his wife, Dale Evans, was called “Queen of the West.” More about them can be read here.
Weeks is advocating that Southern California residents buy up as much Roy Rogers artifacts as possible and move them to one of the area museums, including the Route 66 museum in Victorville. “Sadly, we can’t get the whole museum back. But a few choice pieces of it might be nice,” Weeks writes.
The first auction Roy Rogers items will be conducted by High Noon Western Americana. More about the first auction can be found here. More auction dates can be found halfway down the page at the main Roy Rogers site.
This old road (continued) January 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, History.add a comment
The post and video about an obscure 1930s or ’40s alignment of Route 66 near Kingman, Ariz., sparked interest in readers. Here’s the video again, if you missed it:
The road, I surmised, would have gone south all the way to the hamlet of Harris, Ariz., had the driver kept going on a primitive road under a railroad trestle at the end of the old Route 66 alignment.
I suspected that Jim Hinckley, who’s lived in Kingman much of his life and has studied the old road extensively, would elaborate on the old section of highway. He did.
Here’s what he had to say, in part:
As clarification this road ends at a former race track near the original railroad crossing. This site is seen in the circa 1920 photograph at the top of Page 82 in the book “Legendary Route 66″ by Michael Karl Witzel. The railroad trestle in the background of this photo is still in use.
On the other side of the tracks a small trailer park is built on this alignment. Much of the original alignment west of the canyon is erased, as numerous service stations and even a truck stop was built over it to serve the new alignment during the 1950s and 1960s.
Traces of the original road are found directly behind Dan’s Auto Salvage, a former Whiting Brothers station. Until this past year, that section of road was accessible and directly to the east was the site of a service station with an extensive dump. This is now buried under Bulldog Disposal yard.
As to Harris, I am unfamiliar. For years the city dump was in the canyon accessed by crossing under the trestle in the vintage photo. This meant the old alignment was kept in good repair. It is still utilized for access to the sewage treatment facility.
There was a great deal of mining in this area and I now of many one and two cabin mine sites in the area. As an interesting historic footnote the railroad that crosses Route 66 near Crazy Fred’s Truck Stop, a real vintage Route 66 experience, and then crosses I-40 is now a discontinued spur that linked with a small sawmill on the south side of what is now I-40.
For more photos and explanations about the old alignment, go to Hinckley’s Route 66 Chronicles site.
Photo of pre-1939 alignment of Route 66 near Kingman, Ariz. Courtesy of Jim Hinckley.
Double the art gallery fun January 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, People, Photographs.1 comment so far
Photographer Sandi Wheaton, the woman who lost her job and took the opportunity to take a lengthy road trip to document Route 66, will have her images on display at not one, but two art galleries in Canada.
The opening nights of the exhibits about car culture coincide with the nearby 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
The Art Gallery of Windsor, Ontario, will hold an exhibit, titled “Here in My Car,” starting at 7 p.m. Friday that includes Wheaton’s work.
The gallery will show off Wheaton’s collection of photos taken during her Route 66 trip. The images will be at the gallery through March 28. Here portfolio can be seen here.
Artcite in Windsor also is hosting a “Here in My Car — Beyond Autopia and Autogeddon” exhibit at the same gallery, and it kicks off the same night. That show’s opening night also is Friday, and it runs through Feb. 5.
For Artcite, Wheaton will show her Route 66 time-lapse video that she assembled during her trip. A sample of the video — a stretch of vintage Mother Road near Arcadia, Okla. — is below:
NIMBY, revisited January 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.1 comment so far
Newsweek has an interesting take today about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s proposed legislation that would create a Mojave Trails National Monument. The title of the magazine’s piece is “Not in Anyone’s Backyard.”
In short, Feinstein proposes to set aside hundreds of thousands of acres in the state’s Mojave Desert along the Route 66 corridor and protect it from those who want to build solar-power plants there. I ultimately had mixed reactions to the measure — praise for it recognizing the national treasure that is the Mojave, criticism that it would prevent the U.S. from harvesting solar energy it would likely need. A more expansive take is here; a copy of the bill is here.
A few things of note in the report by Newsweek:
- It reports that the bill has “considerable” support, particularly after Feinstein redrew the boundaries of the park to accommodate more of the solar developers, plus giving them incentives to move out of the park.
- Criticism by the solar sector has also been muted because the proposed bill would prevent only about a dozen of the 130 proposed solar-energy plants being considered by California.
- Feinstein wouldn’t comment on the bill for Newsweek. However, aides pointed to her earlier comments, including that “there are also places that future generations will thank us for setting aside.”
- Some irked solar-energy developers have coined a new acronym of BANANA — build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone.
As I said earlier, I ultimately saw good and bad points with Feinstein’s bill — so it goes with the great sausage-grinder that is American political compromise.
“Cars” comic book relaunched January 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Magazines, Movies.1 comment so far
The hit 2006 movie “Cars” has been relaunched as a ongoing comic book series by Boom! Studios, according to a report by Newsarama.
A "Cars" comic book cover, with the cover taking place in Radiator Springs.
Boom! Studios had a four-part miniseries inspired by the film and its locale in the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. The miniseries got a good response, prompting the publisher to do it again.
The new ongoing focuses on new stories set after the movie, and it starts in this week’s Cars #0 with Lightning McQueen organizing a charity race at his new race track in Radiator Springs. [...]
That story ends with Issue #3, then the second story arc (Issues #4-7) is planned to be what Porter calls a “fun cross-country ride in the spirit of the Cannonball Run and Wacky Races as various characters from the Cars franchise team up for the ‘Route 66 Dash.’”
According to the report, the “Cars” comic book series attracted a following among adults reading to their kids and memorabilia collectors.
For more about the previous series, go here. If you’re wanting to get the current “Cars” comic issues, head to your local comic-book shop.
Bridal barn January 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Magazines, Photographs.add a comment
Here’s a new behind-the-scenes video of a wedding-gown photography session at the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla. It was for The Brides of Oklahoma magazine.
New bottles introduced for Route 66 Sodas January 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Food.2 comments
The new bottles of Route 66 Sodas in orange, lime and cream soda flavors.
Today, the folks at Route 66 Sodas in Wilmington, Ill., sent the new bottles for its Route 66 Orange Soda, Route 66 Lime Soda and Route 66 Cream Soda.
Each bottle has its own text and image on the back that pays tribute to certain historical landmarks on Route 66.
A close-up of the back of the orange soda bottle.
The Orange Soda tells about the varying incarnations of Dead Man’s Curve on the Mother Road, including the one in Tijeras Canyon near Albuquerque.
Close-up of the back of the lime soda bottle.
The Lime Soda pays tribute to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis.
Close-up of the back of the cream soda bottle.
The Cream Soda tells about ghost towns in California’s Mojave Desert.
Scott Cameron of Route 66 Sodas said each flavor is made with 100 percent pure cane sugar, instead of the high-fructose syrup often used by the soft-drink industry. Also, he said, in a letter:
We are awaiting the arrival of our new Black Cherry bottles and look to have them by early February. The Black Cherry theme will be Cabins, Motor Courts & Motels.
Tonight, Emily drank the orange soda, and I had the lime soda. Both were delicious, but that’s not surprising to anyone who’s ever imbibed in the company’s highly praised root beer. The liquid in the bottles was partly frozen because of the current cold snap in Oklahoma, making them even more refreshing.
If you want to buy Route 66 Sodas, here’s a handy map that will show you where.
The Possum January 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Here’s a great song by George Jones that’s frequently titled “The One I Loved Back Then.” It’s also often called “The Corvette Song.”
Notes from the road January 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, Food, Movies, Museums, People, Photographs, Restaurants, Sports, Web sites.add a comment
Since Paul Newman’s death in 2008, speculation has run rampant on whether Disney-Pixar will revive his Doc Hudson character for the “Cars” sequel.
Larry the Cable Guy, who portrayed Mater in the original “Cars,” told the Whig Standard of Kingston, Ontario, that the Doc Hudson character has been essentially retired:
“It’s a shame he’s still not around,” says Larry The Cable Guy, who’s been reprising the voice of the Southern-fried tow truck Tow Mater in “Cars 2″ since last summer. “They were thinking about getting a voice to sound like him. But then they decided it would be disrespectful, and I agree. You can’t impersonate one of the greats.
“They’ll have some storyline to where he’s moved on or something, and maybe they’re going to do some kind of tribute or something at the end. I’d like to tell you more, but I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“Cars 2″ will be released in summer 2011. There was no word what also will happen to the Fillmore character, who was voiced by George Carlin, who also died in 2008. The unofficial inspiration of Fillmore, Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, died a few weeks ago.
(Hat tip: Upcoming Pixar)
— Here’s an excellent interview by the Seattle Times of Jane and Michael Stern, of the famed Roadfood books and Web site. The Sterns mentioned Route 66 as a favorite of their culinary travels: “Route 66 has great roadfood that’s inexpensive and fun — places like the famous Cozy Dog in Springfield, Illinois, or the onion-fried burgers at Johnnie’s Grill in El Reno, Oklahoma.”
— The latest print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator in Santa Rosa, N.M., reported that longtime Route 66 booster James “Bozo” Cordova was running for mayor. However, an online story by the Communicator reported that Cordova had withdrawn from the race less than two days after filing paperwork for his candidacy. He said he had “too much on my plate right now” to be mayor. Cordova owns Bozo’s Garage & Wrecker Services and the Route 66 Auto Museum in town.
— Jim Weiel, who has Tweeted his automotive-based photographic illustrations dozens of times on Twitter, has created a Web site in which you can view and buy his artwork. It’s called The Weiel Perspective, and roadies will likely be interested in his Americana gallery in addition to the Tribute 66 gallery.
— Organizers are getting ready for the second annual Race to the Rocker 4-mile footrace on Route 66 in Cuba, Mo., on March 27. It begins in Cuba, Mo., and finishes at the World’s Largest Rocker at the Fanning 66 Outpost. Proceeds will be used to buy equipment for the Cuba School Track. Organizers are hoping for 300 entrants. Go here to register for the race. For more information, go to the JOG Inc. site.
— Flash News posted a story about Ron “Tattoo Man” Jones of Bartlesville, Okla., who sports more than 80 tattoos of Route 66 landmarks. Photos of Jones and his tattoos can be found at Legends of America.
Frankoma Pottery up for sale again January 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Businesses.2 comments
Frankoma Pottery, located on old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., has been put up for sale again after a poor year, reported KJRH-TV in Tulsa.
The company has had four different owners over the past 35 years.
The new owner, Joe Bagosta, didn’t want to do any on camera interviews, but he said the company’s sales are down between 60% to 70%.
Bagosta says five people were laid off New Year’s Eve, including production employees.
Right now, just three employees remain on duty.
Frankoma has been operating since 1933. With such a revolving-door of owners and mediocre sales, the future isn’t looking terribly bright for the Oklahoma icon. I suspect it will require a very creative and energetic proprietor for Frankoma to survive.