Swing time September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Here’s a fresh arrangement of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ by the Beantown Swing Orchestra.
UPDATE: The video has been removed. However, one of the band’s members directed me to another of its performances of this tune:
Thoughts on film September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Radio, Road trips.add a comment
Jim Luning, director of the “Route 66: Ten Years Later” documentary that will screen Thursday at the Portage Theater in Chicago, was interviewed on the Steve and Johnnie Show on WGN radio about the film this week.
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Bringing back the Illinois prairie September 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation.add a comment
I didn’t know this existed, but the Montgomery County Natural Area Guardians have been diligently trying to restore an 8-acre tract off of Route 66 north of Litchfield, Ill., into its original prairie state.
According to the Journal-News in nearby Hillsboro, Ill., the group will hold an annual free education day at 4 p.m. Thursday at the tract. The Route 66 Prairie, as it’s called, is about 3.5 miles north of the turnoff of Illinois 16 off Route 66.
The long term goal of MCNAGs is to make Route 66 Prairie a tourist stop for travelers following Route 66. Eilers believes that it could bring many additional tourist dollars to the area as well as serve as an educational stop.
After that, the group will go to Doug and Karyl Dressen’s home on the other side of Interstate 55. The Dressens are using native grasses around a burrow pit used during I-55′s construction.
At one point, Illinois was covered with 22 million acres of prairie. Now, just 2,000 acres remain.
Sneak peak of Czech documentary September 6, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Road trips, Route 66 Associations.1 comment so far
Here’s a trailer of a documentary from the Czech Route 66 Association about the group’s Route 66 trip. If you’re a roadie, you’re going to see a lot of people you’ll recognize.
The film is set to be released in October.
“Airstream Song” September 5, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
Country-music star Miranda Lambert apparently owns a gypsy soul, too.
Fire destroys Admiral Twin Drive-In screens September 3, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Theaters.7 comments
The remains of the Admiral Twin Drive-In theater's screens after a fire on Friday.
A fast-burning fire on Friday afternoon destroyed the double screen of the historic Admiral Twin Drive-In theater in Tulsa. Whether the Admiral Twin, beloved by Tulsans for nearly 60 years, will reopen remained in doubt.
Blake Smith, whose family has operated the drive-in near the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 since 1987, told the Tulsa World that the screens were not insured. He said because the screens were within a wooden structure, insurers refused to underwrite it. Smith estimated that rebuilding would cost up to $300,000, and he voiced doubts early Friday afternoon whether it would happen.
The remains of the Admiral Twin's screen can be seen at right, behind the ticket booths.
However, a Save the Admiral Twin Drive-In page launched on Facebook within hours of the blaze. By 7 p.m. Friday, the page boasted more than 5,000 followers. By early evening, a fund for donations to help rebuild the screens had been set up at Security Bank. A SavetheAdmiralTwin.com site also was launched.
The Admiral Twin's screens before the fire. (Photo by Emily Priddy)
The cause of the fire, which started shortly before 2 p.m., remained unknown. Witnesses reported that the blaze had rendered the screen to almost nothing within 15 minutes. Photos of the fire in progress can be seen here and here.
Burning embers drifted across nearby Interstate 244 and forced the closure of at least one lane for a short time.
The ticket booths, projection booths and concession stands appeared to be undamaged.
The drive-in opened in 1951, and the second screen was built a year later. Even as the number of drive-ins in the United States dropped over the decades, the Admiral Twin continued to show first-run movies during the spring and summer.
In addition to its long association with Route 66, the Admiral Twin served as an inspiration during a scene in Tulsa native S.E. Hinton’s famous novel, “The Outsiders.”
This clip by TulsaFilms.com explains the Admiral Twin’s historical significance and its “Outsiders” link:
A scene shot at the Admiral Twin in “The Outsiders” movie in 1983 can be seen at the 4:15 mark in this clip below. Director Francis Ford Coppola filmed the entire movie in Tulsa and the surrounding area.
Again, it remains iffy whether the Admiral Twin’s screens will be rebuilt. But the massive outpouring of support and love for the drive-in from Tulsans and around the world has to be encouraging, at the least.
UPDATE: KMOD radio reports that the Admiral Twin’s owners will try to rebuild.
It’s remarkable how Tulsans are rallying in an effort to bring back the Admiral Twin:
- Bigfoot Prints is printing up “Save the Admiral Twin” T-shirts for $10. All profits go to rebuilding it.
- A benefit concert will be held at the Rose Bowl Events Center on Sunday, Oct. 10, with shows by Chuk Cooley & the Demon Hammers and other bands to be announced.
- Boomtown Tees in Tulsa will give a portion of its proceeds from its special Admiral Twin shirt.
I’m sure there will be more announcements.
UPDATE2: The Tulsa World this morning reported that although the ticket booths were still standing, they were damaged by the blaze’s intense heat.
The fire department also said the fire started on the north side of the screens. FYI, the screen did contain lighting fixtures, so an electrical fire cannot be ruled out.
The Save the Admiral Twin Drive-In page on Facebook had almost 12,000 fans by Saturday sunrise.
Here are a couple of videos from passers-by. The second one shows why the highway was closed for a while:
Saviors of the Wigwam Motel September 3, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation.5 comments
Gary Warner of the Orange County (Calif.) Register takes a closer look at the three remaining Wigwam Motels in the United States, two of which are on Route 66. The third is in Cave City, Ky.
All of the motels are praiseworthy. But the one that receives the most accolades is the Wigwam in San Bernardino, Calif.
It should be dead and gone. It sits in the middle of what would politely be called an “economically challenged” strip of historic Route 66, the road that brought millions to Southern California. But it’s not only still there, it’s better than at any time in the past 20-plus years. [...]
The change is because of the Patel family, which bought the rundown place a few years back. At the time it was a sleazy dive on the border between Rialto and San Bernardino. [...] By the late 20th century (that phrase still sounds strange, 10 years into the 21st), the Wigwam was in sad shape. The “Sleep in a Wigwam” sign had been replaced by one that beckoned, “Do It in a Tee-Pee.” Charming. But over the past few years, the Patels have restored it to its status as roadside attraction.
“During the recession, we have found the slowdown with our overseas and out-of-state travelers,” said Kumar Patel. ”But we have not stopped updating the property.”
Patel said the family is renovating the rooms again, with new beds, TVs and upgraded air conditioning. The parking lot is repaved and the pool restored. [...]
“My family and myself work 24 hours, 365 days a year keeping this property the way it is,” Kumar Patel said. “It would be a great honor for us to be part of the National Register of Historic Places, an even a higher honor to be a National Landmark, being that this is the original Wigwam Motel on Historic Route 66.”
While German and French tourists can often be found there, Patel says it is locals and American vacationers who keep it a going business.
“Of course, weekends always seem to keep busy with families visiting or if some big event is coming into town,” Patel said. “We have a loyal following with new ones always coming. Overall, it has been a good summer for us in Southern California.”
The other Route 66 Wigwam is in Holbrook, Ariz., and it also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
I’ve stayed at the Wigwam in San Bern before, including last summer, and I can also attest for its quality. The Wigwam is among the first motels that I cite when I rebut the wrong-headed notion that Indian-owned motels are poorly run. It consistently gets stellar reviews from travelers, and it’s rated No. 1 of 27 motels in the San Bernardino area by the folks at TripAdvisor.com.
Booklet on Tulsa’s neon signs to be published September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Events, Preservation, Signs.add a comment
The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and Leadership Tulsa are publishing a booklet about the city’s historic neon signs, including many on Route 66.
The booklet, “Tulsa Vintage Neon Signs,” will be distributed during a release party at one of the sites of a historic sign, El Rancho Grande restaurant on Route 66, at 5-6:45 p.m. Sept. 14. Tickets to the event are $15, and include the booklet.
TFA also recently completed a survey of the city’s neon signs, thanks to a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Ruth and Allen Mayo Fund.
According to an article in the current print edition of the Tulsa County News, the neon-sign booklet was inspired by the restoration of the historic Meadow Gold sign on Route 66.
Joplin marathon attracts runners from far and wide September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Sports.1 comment so far
The inaugural Mother Road Marathon that’s set to run from Commerce, Okla., to Joplin, Mo., on Oct. 10 has already attracted 1,000 entrants from 34 states, according to the Joplin Globe.
The event includes the full 26.2-mile marathon, a half-marathon, and a fun run.
To attract that many runners with weeks to go before a first-ever race is impressive. Organizers attributed the race’s drawing power to it being run through three states — Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri — and because it’s on old Route 66.
UPDATE: Here’s a story about the marathon from KOAM-TV.
UPDATE2: The Joplin Independent posted a good overview of the upcoming race. This excerpt is worth mentioning:
Initially, Reinke said organizers had been planning for 500 entrants, now with all the enthusiasm expressed for the event, he thinks that 1500 would be a better estimate.
“We get 20% to register the last week,” Reinke said. “So, do the figures.”
Gallop to Gallup September 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels, Road trips, Towns.add a comment
Because The Huffington Post is primarily serves as a political site, I ordinarily don’t surf there.
But this decidedly nonpartisan post by travel writer Karen Tina Harrison serves as good overview of the Route 66 town of Gallup, N.M. It contains plenty of photos, and shout-outs to El Rancho Hotel and Richardson’s trading post.
Harrison describes Gallup in the opening paragraph as “fantastically funky.” And she’s not being critical.