“Black Top” September 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Bob Hood, a singer and songwriter based in England, wrote this tune.
I’ll let Bob explain the story behind the song:
I wrote this one early on in 2010. I intended to write a song about Neil Young driving down from Chicago to LA, but ended up writing about the people who live and love along the historic Route 66 instead.
Glimmer of hope over Route 66 bridge September 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
St. Louis Route 66 enthusiast Joe Sonderman said he felt considerably more optimistic about the fate of the deteriorating Meramec River-Route 66 Bridge near Eureka, Mo., after a public hearing Wednesday with Missouri Department of Transportation officials and Route 66 stakeholders.
Sonderman said on his Facebook account later that night:
I have to say after tonight’s meeting, I feel positive. (For a change!) A diverse group of stakeholders, state and even FEDERAL agencies are working together to find funding to either stabilize the bridge or build a new pedestrian only span. At least now, people are talking, and there was a good turnout.
The old Route 66 bridge that connects Route 66 State Park‘s offices to the rest of the park was closed in October after it was deemed unsafe. With the bridge closed, one can access the park only through a convoluted route of Interstate 44 and a frontage road. It’s a big mess to go to one of the most popular destinations of Missouri’s park system.
KTVI-TV in St. Louis reports that if some other party doesn’t take possession it or if funding to preserve it isn’t found by February 2012, the state will tear down the bridge. It’s possible that Trailnet, which owns the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, could take over the bridge. Or perhaps federal funding could be found to shore up the structure. Fixing the bridge has been estimated at $15 million — funds that the state says it doesn’t have.
The only thing that’s keeping the bridge from seeing the wrecking ball now is that it recently was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That forces the state of Missouri to go over more regulatory hurdles and exhaust other options before it can raze the structure.
In the end, bureaucratic delays may prove to be the bridge’s salvation.
Arcadia Round Barn awarded a grant September 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation.add a comment
The Round Barn on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla., was awarded a $2,500 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, according to a news release today.
The seed grant funds will be used to develop a preservation plan for the historical Round Barn. This report contains data, historical facts, photographs, drawings, structure assessment, video, and articles on the Round Barn which was constructed in 1898 by a very innovative educator and farmer, William Odor. The barn was restored in 1992 by the efforts of Luke Robison.
Overseeing the grant will be the nonprofit Arcadia Historical & Preservation Society.
Agency will honor restoration of two Illinois Route 66 landmarks September 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Gas stations, Preservation.add a comment
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program soon will honor groups’ work to two historic landmarks along Route 66 in Illinois, according to news releases from the agency.
The landmarks are Soulsby Station in Mount Olive and Sprague’s Super Service station in Normal.
The ceremony for Soulsby Station Society will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at 102 S. Route 66 in Mount Olive (map here). From the news release:
Built in 1926 by Henry Soulsby from his own design, Soulsby Service opened as a Shell Oil station. [...] Soulsby Station sat along the original alignment of U.S. Highway 66.
Henry’s son, Russell, returning home from WW II, where he served in the Pacific theater as a communications technician, opened a radio and TV repair shop in the north room of the station.
Soulsby Station served Route 66 traffic until the late 1970s, when Interstate 55 replaced the highway. Russell and his sister, Ola continued to sell gas for the next 20 years, finally closing the business in 1993. Russell died in 1999.
In 2004, the Soulsby Station Society, co-founded by Route 66 author Tom Teague, received a cost-share grant from the NPS to restore the building—one of the oldest filling stations on Route 66.
The ambitious project sought to completely restore the station for use as a museum. Work included placing new joists next to weakened floor joints, restoring original windows and installing a new HVAC and fire and security alarm systems. With Teague’s death in the fall of 2004, the project foundered. But members of the 25-member society came together, volunteering hundreds of hours, and completing the project in August, 2009.
Today, the restored gas station is open for limited tours. A huge Shell Oil sign hangs outside; inside wood shelves are neatly lined with vintage oil, sealant and lubricant containers. Visitors from all over the world drop by to pay homage to Henry and Russell Soulsby and this Route 66 Icon.
The ceremony to honor Terri Ryburn for her work on Sprague’s Super Station will be at Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 305 E. Pine St. in Normal (map here). From the news release:
Constructed in 1931, by building contractor William W. Sprague, the service station sat squarely on the original alignment of U.S. Highway 66. The two-story, Tudor Revival-style structure included a restaurant on the ground floor with living quarters upstairs.
Over the years, a number of operators leased or owned the station, which sold at different times, Texaco, Cities Service, Gulf and Zephyr gasoline. In the 1970s, it ceased selling gas and turned into a bridal shop, cake gallery and catering operation. The pumps were removed in 1979.
Terri Ryburn, a Route 66 author, bought the property in 2006. In 2007, Ryburn received a cost-share grant from the NPS to develop a Historic Structures Report to guide the building’s restoration and funds to replace the roof over the garage and make repairs to the ground floor restrooms. Additional money came from the Town of Normal, which funded the replacement of the building’s main roof; a separate grant from the State of Illinois paid for a new HVAC system. In 2008, Ryburn worked to get the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ryburn has plans to turn the old Sprague’s Super Service into a visitor center, coffee shop and tea room and a public meeting space. “Even though (progress is now) going much slower, I will get it done,” says Ryburn.
The public is invited to both ceremonies.
Neon signs of Oklahoma City September 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Signs.1 comment so far
Here’s a very good video of past and present neon signs in Oklahoma City, some of them on Route 66.
Okiedokiegames, who shot the photos and uploaded the video, seems to have more clips up his or her sleeve. This video is listed as “Part 1″ of “Neon Signs of Oklahoma.” I’m looking forward to more.
A car dealership design out of the past September 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Vehicles.3 comments
An artist's rendering of the rebuilt Bolin Ford dealership in Bristow, Okla. (Courtesy of John Sanford)
Car dealerships along Route 66 that are considering major renovations, take note — one in Oklahoma is showing how it should be done.
Bolin Ford, a dealership on Route 66 in Bristow, Okla., that was heavily damaged by fire in December 2008, is rebuilding in a style that matches Bristow’s historic downtown architecture and pays tribute to the Mother Road.
“All of the buildings in downtown go back to the 1920s, so we decided to go back to the 1920s,” explained Bolin Ford sales coordinator Kathy Wisotsky about Bolin’s retro design. “And, besides, it’s on Route 66.”
Wisotsky said a still-standing sign tower for an abandoned Chrysler-Plymouth dealership a couple of blocks from Route 66 in Bristow also served as an inspiration for the Bolin sign tower in the design.
Tulsa architect John Sanford laid out the dealership’s retro look. Wisotsky said the project should be finished in late spring of 2011.
A construction firm that has presided over many projects in the historic downtown of Eureka Springs, Ark., is the general contractor for Bolin.
“Several contractors competed hard for this project,” Wisotsky said, “because they knew it would be an award-winner.”
The fire destroyed a hangar-style repair shop and an adjacent structure. But mostly spared were the architecturally distinctive structures, including the original 1923 Bristow Motor Co. building on the corner. The original buildings can be seen at the left in the artist’s rendering.
Wisotsky gave credit to a number of employees and stakeholders at Bolin Ford for advocating a novel design for the rebuild, including general manager Bill Shattuck.
“We’ve got at least one more idea up our sleeve,” Wisotsky said. “We can’t say what it is right now, but it should be exciting.”
Bolin is under its third generation of family ownership, and has been operating on Route 66 in Bristow for 52 years. Bristow Motor Co. was the first automotive dealership in Creek County.
Route 66 Sodas wins packaging award September 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Food.add a comment
Route 66 Sodas LLC in Lebanon, Mo., won a Clear Choice Award today from the Glass Packaging Institute in the Carbonated Beverage Category.
From the news release about the awards:
“As always, the entries for GPI’s 2010 Clear Choice Awards represent some of the best in new packaging and show off the great innovation and design talents that keep the packaging industry working at the top of its game,” says Joe Pryweller, Managing Editor at Packaging Strategies. “With the pool of entries so deep, it made the task difficult to identify the winners. Yet, even in this crowded field, some packages stood out for their sheer invention, novel detail, and ability to rise above others on the shelf and exclaim ‘look at me.’”
For Route 66 Sodas, the institute said:
The Folks at Route 66 launched their soda flavors — Root Beer, Orange, Lime, Black Cherry, and Cream — in an updated new package. The combination of the new glass package and the addition of new flavors are making the brand stronger and giving the consumer the perfect beverage choice.
Here’s a video of the winners. The relevant bit is about the 1:55 mark:
I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit thirsty.
(Photo by Burwell Photography)