Former Santa Rosa motel to be razed June 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels.1 comment so far
The long-closed Coronado Court motor lodge, a 1930s-era Route 66 motel in Santa Rosa, N.M., soon will be torn down because it’s about to collapse, according to the print edition this week of the Guadalupe County Communicator.
Longtime owner Robert “Bobby” Serrano told the newspaper he feared the deteriorated adobe structures would fall apart while someone was exploring the property or shooting photos of it. So he’s going to demolish it in the coming days.
The motel, which opened in 1937, had been closed since at least the 1970s, and is used only for storage.
Behind the scenes of the Route 66 Bible series June 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Religion.add a comment
Regardless of whether you love or loathe the “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible,” you’ll probably find this video interesting. It’s a behind-the-scenes look on how segments are filmed. This one in particular is for the Book of Malachi.
And here is the finished product:
Since His Place Community Church has finished the Old Testament in this series, it’s going to take a break for a while from producing videos before diving into the New Testament.
From the scene of the fire June 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.5 comments
Someone went beyond the police tape to videotape the remains of the Riviera Roadhouse restaurant on Route 66 in Gardner, Ill., which was destroyed by suspicious fire a few days ago.
You’ll also see brief footage of the Streetcar Diner, which was spared.
Severe flooding hits Oklahoma City region June 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Weather.1 comment so far
Severe floods closed highways, snarled traffic, and inundated homes and businesses throughout the Oklahoma City region after 7 to 10 inches of rain fell Monday, according to varying news reports.
And the worst part is that more rain is expected Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Many roads remain impassable in Oklahoma City as of Monday night. Go here for a complete list of road closings.
Go here and here for unbelievable photos of flooding that have been posted by The Daily Oklahoman.
The flooding also affected the nearby town of Arcadia, Okla., with water surrounding the Route 66 attraction of POPS. This video shows that much of the town is under water, and at least a mile of Route 66. It’s doubtful that the historic Round Barn was affected, as it’s on fairly high ground.
Because the flooding is so widespread, it might be wise for Route 66 travelers to avoid that region for the next day or so until the waters recede.
Videos:
UPDATE: According to a later Oklahoman story, POPS had to close midday Monday because of the floodwaters surrounding it made roads impassable. As a result, the Route 66 convenience store and diner experienced its slowest day ever.
However, POPS management expected it to reopen as usual Tuesday.
Through all this, it appears there’s been no deaths, which is fairly amazing when you consider how severe the flooding was.
Fire guts bathhouse in historic Tucumcari park June 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in History.1 comment so far
A fire Saturday night all but destroyed the historic main building at Tucumcari Metropolitan Park, aka 5 Mile Park, along old Route 66 west of Tucumcari, N.M.
Richard Talley at the Motel Safari reported in an e-mail:
The walls seem to still be standing, but with no roof now, after a few rains, everything left will begin to rot and wither away. [...]
At one time Tucumcari Metropolitan Park had the largest outdoor pool in the entire state of New Mexico, a playground with lots of equipment, a fully landscaped drive through park with bridges, creeks, a pistol and rifle range, a skeet and trap shooting range, and off-road course, horseback riding and was home to the then annual Founder’s Day Picnics.
The buildings and equipment at 5 Mile Park had fallen into disrepair and neglect over many years, to the point where it was named one of the most endangered places in New Mexico in 2003.
The park also suffered from being miles away from Tucumcari’s city center, plus being on an isolated, dead-end road that was cut off by Interstate 40.
An amazing story June 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People.2 comments
Do yourself a favor and read this story from the Kansas City Star about a TWA flight attendant who helped a grief-stricken husband find his missing infant son. The baby was thrown from the vehicle when the man’s wife died in a car crash on Route 66 near Grants, N.M., in 1956.
The woman who found the baby recently was reconnected with him, 54 years later.
Storm ravages Route 66 Festival in Edwardsville June 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Weather.1 comment so far
A severe storm struck the Route 66 Festival area in Edwardsville, Ill., on Saturday afternoon, forcing the cancellation of the rest of the event after several tents were blown over and festival-goers ran for cover.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the storm came with nasty winds and 1-inch hail.
Witnesses said children were crying as festivalgoers took shelter inside the library at the park. Some tents at the festival were down.
A clean-up of the festival site was under way at 4:30 p.m. Most vendors appeared to be packing up and shutting down, even though the festival was supposed to continue through the night.
The popular car cruise in Edwardsville was set for 6:30 p.m. Downed trees and power outages also were reported.
The Alton Telegraph reports that the storm hit at 3:43 p.m., with winds of 45 to 50 mph.
I’ve seen no reports yet of injuries; more updates will be posted when they happen.
UPDATE: The News-Democrat filed an updated story about the storm and the festival’s cancellation.