“Route 66 Yellow Pages” off to a good start July 8, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Publications.3 comments
When I first heard last summer about a Kansas firm wanting to publish a 300-page, advertising-supported Route 66 guidebook in early 2010, I was skeptical.
Such a publication would be a huge undertaking. Trying to collect advertising from businesses along a 2,400-mile stretch of old highway would be like herding cats. And the ambitions were lofty, especially with a tight deadline. I had little doubt the publishers would eventually panic and think: “What have we got ourselves into?”
Well, the publication was introduced at the Route 66 Festival in Quapaw, Okla., last month. “Keeping You on the Mother Road” (224 pages, soft cover, $19.66) wasn’t published by the early part of the year, nor is it 300 pages. And even though the ”Route 66 Yellow Pages” (as roadies are calling it) contains flaws, it should be commended for a good start.
Having spent a weekend with the guide, I’ll list its good points first:
- It contains a multitude of articles, photos and other material from longtime roadies, including Kip Welborn, Dave Clark, John & Lenore Weiss, Joe Sonderman, Jane Dippel, Laurel Kane and others. Jim Conkle also wrote the introduction. So the guide was smart enough to enlist Route 66 enthusiasts.
- It’s chock-full of useful information, including lists of museums, municipalities, tourism bureaus, Route 66 associations, libraries, post offices, ambulance services, campgrounds, events, radio stations, and parks.
- It includes Yellow Pages for select cities or regions. Such listings range from restaurants to bookstores to auto repair shops.
- The Route 66 maps seem well-researched and detailed, and include many obscure alignments (the missing one I noticed was a tiny one near Arcadia, Okla.).
- The pages come in full color throughout, especially the attractive, professional-looking advertisements that almost certainly pleased many Route 66 businesses.
Here are “Keeping You on the Mother Road’s” shortcomings:
- The front cover claims “turn-by-turn directions with detailed maps.” The publication indeed contains maps, but no turn-by-turn directions. One of the representatives responded that the maps guide you turn-by-turn. To me, the claim conveys turn-by-turn directions in text. Perhaps this is an argument over semantics, but I would lose the “turn-by-turn directions” claim for fear of confusing or misleading readers.
- The maps are so colorful and detailed, it’s hard to read the text for the road and street names. Blurring some of the detail might help it be more readable, especially for older readers.
- The Yellow Pages seem a bit scattershot. For instance, it includes listings for the northeastern Oklahoma area of Miami, Grove, Commerce, Vinita and Quapaw, but none for the major metro area of Tulsa.
- Chicago to Oklahoma City covers the guide’s first 160 pages, leaving a mere 64 for the remaining 1,300 miles of Route 66. Ads became obviously sparse after OKC. An effort to boost ad sales in Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Kingman, and the Los Angeles area would help boost the guide well past its original goal of 300 pages and give it more credibility.
- Parts of the guide are rife with errors in capitalization, punctuation and spelling. It’s embarrassing to see one of the contributors listed as “story editior” in the masthead. A once-over by a copy editor could rectify many of these goofs.
These deficiencies seem surmountable. And now that the publishers have a real guidebook that potential advertisers can see and feel with their own hands, it should be easier to boost revenues for the 2011 edition. Even with its flaws, “Keeping You on the Mother Road” proves to be a fairly impressive guidebook.
If you’re interested in buying the guide, send an e-mail to motherroadinc(at)yahoo(dot)com. It also can be ordered from the Legends of America site here.
Neon Chicago July 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Restaurants, Signs.add a comment
Time Out Chicago has produced a list of the 24 best neon signs in Chicagoland, and one Route 66 restaurant made the list.
Even better, the article includes 44 photos of noteworthy neon signs in the Windy City.
The Mother Road business that made the list was Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook:
The Chicken Basket opened in 1938 in a gas station on now-defunct Route 66, and the sign went up in 1946. When then-well-known hotel manager and Chicago Convention Bureau executive director Dell Rhea bought it in 1963, he added his name to the marquee. It was restored in the ’90s to its original colors, which had faded, and is currently being repainted to match.
I didn’t know the sign was being repainted. Bonus.
I’m a bit surprised Lou Mitchell’s didn’t make the cut. But, then again, the other neon signs listed are great. No complaints.
Watching the bridge July 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
KOTV in Tulsa posted an interesting story about the so-called Twin Bridges on Route 66 near Catoosa, Okla., and how the Route 66 community worldwide is watching closely to what happens to one of the dilapidated spans.
But first, there is a glaring error in the story. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation wants to replace only the westbound Bird Creek Bridge, which is nearly 80 years old. KOTV is erroneously reporting that ODOT wants to replace both bridges.
The eastbound bridge was built in the 1950s, and an ODOT official told me a few months ago that the eastbound bridge is “in good shape” and has no plans to replace it at this time.
The noteworthy part of the story is this:
As part of the process, ODOT has heard from Route 66 lovers from Arizona to Australia. Nearly all want the bridges [sic] character to stay intact.
“We have received several comments to that effect that they’d like to see us try to find a way to make it fit in with the setting better, and that’s something we’re considering,” said Sullivan. [...]
ODOT says they have not made any decisions yet and they are consulting with preservationists about the new bridge. The new bridge is scheduled to be built in 2012.
I know ODOT is considering a more cosmetically pleasing bridge design. Whether the agency will ultimately choose that design is another matter. But it’s good that ODOT has heard from so many voices about this matter.
Ultramarathoner takes a big challenge July 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips, Sports.2 comments
Ultramarathoner John Radich is running down Route 66 for a Scientology-based charity, according to a story in the Redlands (Calif.) Daily Facts.
Radich is taking the path of Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago, then heading east to the ocean in Atlantic City, N.J. If he’s got the energy, he’ll also run to New York City and to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington (he’s an Army veteran).
He’s supposed to be accompanied by two runners up Cajon Pass today.
This part of the story bothered me, however:
The purpose of the run is to help kids and keep them out of gangs, Radich said. His run is under the auspices of The Way to Happiness Foundation, which is based on a book by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology.
Although he is a Scientologist, Radich said “the run has nothing to do with Scientology.”
That sounds disingenuous. If you’re a Scientologist running under the auspices of a Scientologist group, it stands to reason that Radich’s run will have plenty to do with Scientology.
Trying to claim otherwise flies against the face of the evidence. It’s that same sort of double-talk that’s gotten the Church of Scientology in trouble, repeatedly.
Notes from the road July 6, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, bicycling, Businesses, Events, History, Motels, Movies, People, Photographs, Preservation, Road trips, Towns, Web sites.add a comment
Roadies who’ve explored Route 66 in Clinton, Okla., may remember the 15-foot-tall fiberglass American Indian mascot, aka Muffler Man, who graced the front of David Howe Motors for years.
The Howe Indian disappeared after a recent ownership change.
But we’re pleased to report the mascot has turned up at Indian Trading Post and Art near Calumet, Okla. It’s been repainted, but a sales clerk confirmed that the fiberglass giant was the same as the one that stood at Howe Motors. Indian Trading Post is less than a mile south of Route 66 and south of the famous Cherokee Trading Post, just off Interstate 40.
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TATTOO YOU: Here’s another story about Ron “Tattoo Man” Jones of Bartlesville, Okla., who sports more than 80 tattoos of Route 66 landmarks on his body. But the Daily Oklahoman traveled to Jones’ favorite tattoo artist in Kansas and shot video while Jones was having his latest addition.
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WEBSITES RELAUNCHED: Web designer Carolyn Hasenfratz reported in her e-mailed newsletter that she has relaunched the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s website and started a John’s Modern Cabins Business Directory, so that businesses on Route 66 can submit information easily. Also, the Friends of the Mother Road nonprofit preservation group was relaunched after the site was hijacked for a time by squatters.
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ART PROJECT: Shane Reilly is traveling Route 66 to promote his SK8-66 project. Frank Kocevar at Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Ariz., probably has a good handle on the road trip’s purpose: “Ten interactive sculptures of teardrop trailers have been placed on Route 66. [...] From your iPhone or Droid, using a free Sticky Bits application, you can scan the bar code and then post your own Route 66 experience to that sculpture.” Reilly’s blog is here, but he hasn’t updated it in weeks.
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BIRTHDAY BASH: The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle (actually a water tower) in Collinsville, Ill., is marking its 61st birthday on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to longtime Catsup Bottle advocate Mike Gassman, “the event features ketchup-tasting, hot dog (smothered in ketchup) eating contest, food vendors, craft booths, pony rides, and live music. Old-fashioned birthday party games for kids of all ages will include musical chairs, please pass the ketchup, a hula-hoop competition, water balloon toss, and our own special version of spin the (ketchup) bottle.” The Catsup Bottle sits a few miles from Route 66, but many Mother Road travelers make a side trip to see it anyway.
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SHOW-ME STATE: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday published a well-rounded article about Route 66 in Missouri. Tucked into the story is a newsworthy nugget from Rolla: “Zeno’s Motel and Steakhouse is next door. Owner Michael Zeno Scheffer says he plans to erect a new sign that reads ‘Studio Inn,’ the name his grandfather used when he opened the motel in 1957. Scheffer is also adding a brewery.”
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PRESERVING THE PAST: A historically significant 1850s log cabin in Marshfield, Mo., has been dismantled, moved, and reassembled at Hidden Waters Nature Park in Marshfield, right off Route 66, reported the Springfield News-Leader. A video of the Callaway Family Cabin can be seen here.
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HOLDING FAST TO THE PAST: The Redlands Daily Facts published an excellent story about the tiny Route 66 town of Goffs, Calif., and volunteers’ valiant efforts to chronicle the town’s past. Much of the story delves into moving and restoring a 100-year-old old stamp mill that was used in gold-mining operations.
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FREE VACATION: The Schlotzsky’s sandwich chain and Holiday Inn are sponsoring a trip giveaway for six to the Route 66 destination of your choice, plus $1,500 cash, if you enter here or here. A number of other prizes also will be rewarded. It’s ironic that a hotel chain is co-sponsoring this, given that roadies gravitate more towards mom-and-pop lodging.
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LONG WORKOUT: Cyclist Scott Poindexter is traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., as part of his Fight Obesity Ride. He’s been on the Route 66 corridor for a few days now, including a stop in Amarillo, Texas, over the weekend. Poindexter, 46, is encouraging parents to get active with their children.
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BEHIND THE SCENES: The Selvedge Yard blog posted an extensive entry about the 1971 cult film “Two Lane Blacktop” and its production on Route 66 in the Southwest. The story includes a number of production stills.
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DOWN MEMORY LANE: Finally, while visiting the historic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., over the weekend, co-owner Bill Kinder showed this copy of a photo of former Blue Swallow owner Lillian Redman and Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. We determined the photo was shot about September 1995. Redman died in 1999; she owned the motel for 40 years. Waldmire died in December 2009.
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Longtime owner of White Fence Farm restaurant dies July 5, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Restaurants.add a comment
Bob Hastert, the longtime owner of White Fence Farm restaurant just off Route 66 in Romeoville, Ill., died at age 73 on Wednesday, according to the Bolingbrook Sun.
For much of his life, Hastert run the business that often served hundreds of customers its famous fried chicken at any one time on the weekends.
In a story on White Fence Farm’s 55th anniversary, Hastert beamed with pride over his family’s business.
“The food is always good, hot and healthy,” he said. “The place is clean and all who are here are friendly every time you visit. You can count on that. That is why we are still in business after 55 years. We do a couple of things — and we do them right! I guarantee it!”
Here’s a photo of Hastert doing what he did best — greeting customers.
Hastert’s parents, Robert Sr. and Doris, started the restaurant in spring 1954.
UPDATE 7/8/2010: Here’s an obituary by the Chicago Tribune.
(Hat tip: Lynn “Lulu” Bagdon)
Mojave preserve bill sent to Senate committee July 5, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions.add a comment
A proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would create a national monument of 940,000 acres along the Route 66 corridor in California’s Mojave Desert is being examined by a U.S. Senate panel, according to the Desert Dispatch of Barstow.
According to the newspaper:
The California Desert Protection Act of 2010 went before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee May 20 and will have to be debated and rewritten before it goes before the entire senate, said Laurel Williams, Southern California’s deputy conservation director for the California Wilderness Coalition, which is made up of conservation groups that support the bill.
At the hearing, the committee took testimony in support of the bill from conservation groups and is waiting on written comments from the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Forest Service, said David Lamfrom, program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.
The article also said more than 60 officials, cities and business leaders have endorsed the proposal, including Barstow’s mayor.
A copy of the initial proposal is here, although it will undoubtedly change somewhat as it goes through the legislative sausage-grinder.
The story of the 11th Street Bridge July 3, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, History.add a comment
In less than two minutes, this video by the Journal-Record explains the history and significance of the 11th Street Bridge in Tulsa, now known as the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge:
CNG GTO update July 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Gas stations, Road trips, Vehicles.add a comment
The Daily Oklahoman filed a story today about Mark McConville and his 1966 GTO that’s been outfitted to run on compressed natural gas.
McConville’s Drive to Inspire on Route 66 began last weekend from Santa Monica, Calif., in an effort to boost CNG as an alternative to gasoline and the infrastructure it will need. That’s been one of the challenges of the Route 66 trip — long stretches between CNG pumps.
McConville said the trip has gone well so far, but it has taken a little longer than expected because of the attention it has been drawing.
He said people seem to be interested in talking about CNG. Supporters have been signing his 24-foot trailer, which he hopes to take on to Washington, D.C., once this road trip has come to an end.
“I wish I had some more time,” he said.
McConville said that also would allow him to enjoy more of the sights along America’s Mother Road, which he chose for his trip because of the Pixar movie “Cars.” He estimated he has seen the animated favorite about 50 times, often without his children.
“It called me. The road calls me,” he said.
The Drive to Inspire caravan will be in Tulsa at the Blue Dome District at 10:30 a.m. today. It hopes to finish its journey at the end of Route 66 in Chicago by July 4.
Man seeks donations for Route 66 Mojave project July 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, People, Photographs.add a comment
Kevin Wong, a photographer based in Joshua Tree, Calif., seeks to create a book about Route 66 in California’s Mojave Desert, and is asking for donations to help get the project off the ground.
Wong also runs a guided tour company called Mojave Desert Excursions.
According to the project website:
I am creating a book that is a collection of stories and candid portraits of people who live on and/or near Route 66 as it passes through the Mojave Desert. I will record the images of the people who have settled there to live or to work and the passing tourists who revel in the cultural icon that is Route 66. [...]
I will establish myself in each of these remote locations during the project where I will offer to photograph and record stories about life on the “Mother Road” (term coined by John Steinbeck). Sign boards will be placed along the highway, in both directions, advertising the project’s goals in the form of a Burma Shave limerick to attract the storytellers [...]
Now, the goal of this project is to raise $3000 in 44 days to cover the expenses of funding a traveling, gypsy-like, photo/recording studio along with a major publicity campaign to attract attention for the project, and printing of books. I appreciate any amount you can contribute, and every single dollar means a lot. Plus, I have some really cool rewards!
The whole process is going to be really fun, too. Whatever the level of support gets you behind-the-scenes access, and I’m going to share stories, photos, observations, and questions as I travel down Route 66.
Here’s a video that accompanies the project:
Depending on the size of the donation, Wong promises gifts ranging from postcards to three signed copies of the book and a full day’s Desert Excursion led by him. The deadline to contribute is Aug. 31.