Hello from Germany September 24, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Here’s a jazzier take of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ by the Germany-based Stevie Woods & The Voyagers.
Woods scored a Top 30 hit in the early 1980s with “Steal the Night” as an R&B singer. He later relocated to Germany. Here’s his big hit:
Aldermen urge saving or replacement of bridge September 24, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
Aldermen for the City of Eureka, Mo., passed a resolution on Tuesday urging the repair or replacement of the Meramec River Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Missouri Department of Transportation closed the historic but deteriorating bridge in late 2009 because of safety concerns. Park visitors now have to use a combination of Interstate 44 and frontage roads to access the park.
Because of economic constraints, MoDOT will not allocate funds to replace the bridge, Eureka City Administrator Craig Sabo said. Unless someone comes forward to take over the project by February 2012, MoDOT plans to remove the bridge, Sabo said.
The board wants to bring together agencies to renovate or replace the bridge, Sabo said. MoDOT reports on its website that if action isn’t taken soon, the bridge could collapse into the Meramec.
The resolution isn’t binding. But it does add pressure to the state or other parties to find some sort of solution for the bridge and keep Route 66 State Park more accessible.
Former owner of Catoosa restaurant dies September 24, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Restaurants.add a comment
Carol Ham, the former co-owner of the Lil’ Abner’s Dairyette drive-in restaurant on Route 66 in Catoosa, Okla., died last week at age 66, reported the Tulsa World.
Ham and her mother, Bea Yocham Smith, ran the restaurant from 1959 until health issues forced her to sell it. The restaurant finally closed in 2003, but the building still stands.
The first drive-in restaurant in Catoosa, Abner’s was named for Ham’s late father, Velmo “Lil’ Abner” Yocham, whose nickname was inspired by Li’l Abner Yokum of the Al Capp comic strip.
Ham worked at the drive-in as a teenager and eventually took over daily operations from her mother in 1986.
During the drive-in’s heyday, customers dropped in for burgers, hot dogs, Frito pies, ice cream cones and malts.
The funeral was Monday in Tulsa. A photo of the restaurant’s sign can be seen here.
Meet some of the riders on the H.O.G. cruise September 23, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Motorcycles, Road trips.3 comments
A film crew caught up with a few of the participants in Tulsa in the Harley Owners Group’s recent cruise of Route 66, including “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis.
By the way, I think Wallis was kidding when he said he was the “new father” of Route 66. Or else he was going for something witty and misspoke. He knows that the true “Father of Route 66″ was and always will be longtime Tulsa resident Cyrus Avery.
Petroglyphs vandalized near Williams September 23, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, History.add a comment
Forest rangers are looking for someone who spray-painted several ancient petroglyphs east of Route 66 near Williams, Ariz., reported the Prescott Daily Courier.
A hiker discovered Aug. 26 that vandals had defaced one of the detailed rock art panels at Keyhole Sink off Route 66 east of Williams.
This is a popular archaeological site accessible via three-quarter-mile-long trail with interpretive signs. Native Americans created the extensive rock art there at least 1,000 years ago. [...]
People with information about this incident can contact Williams District Ranger Martie Schramm at 928-635-5630.
A photo of the vandalism can be seen here. Here’s a photo of the petroglyphs before the vandalism.
Pay a visit to Waldmire’s VW September 23, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, Museums, People, Preservation, Vehicles.add a comment
If you miss seeing the late Bob Waldmire‘s Volkswagen minibus, you’ll have a chance to pay it a visit this weekend at the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield, Ill.
According to the Springfield State Journal-Register:
The 1972 Volkswagen bus has been through three engines, approximately 300,000 miles and one unique owner.
The bus, which served as the home-away-from-home for the late Bob Waldmire, a well-known Route 66 artist and author, is ready for its big send-off at this weekend’s International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Car Show in downtown Springfield.
Following the festival, the Waldmire VW will be on its way to the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum in Pontiac.
Waldmire, who gained wide love and praise in the Route 66 community for his art and ambassadorship for the Mother Road, died of cancer in December.
The story goes on to describe the many bumper stickers on Waldmire’s VW, which has 300,000 miles on it. Waldmire’s Mustang and his artwork also will be on display at the festival.
Missouri’s Mother Road September 22, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Magazines, Road trips.add a comment
An intern for Joplin Metro Magazine, noting how a recent issue sports a Route 66 theme, decided to take a Route 66 trip of his own across the Show-Me State.