A visit to Cool Springs October 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation.add a comment
Yahoo! has just posted this video about the Cool Springs on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, Ariz. It’s a former gas station that was restored a few years ago.
It doesn’t show the outside of Cool Springs very well, but it does bring some publicity to the Mother Road.
Time-lapse video of an entire Route 66 trip October 16, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips.add a comment
This is amazing. Ian Johnson of England and two friends took a trip on Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica in September 2009. The result is the first time-lapse video footage of Route 66 on the Internet.
Johnson said in an e-mail:
For Route 66 we extensively used the EZ66 Guide written by Jerry McClanahan and cannot praise it enough. Without this guide we would have missed so much and it really helped us get the most out of our travels. We attempted to include as many side trips and original pavement as possible. [...]
The camera was set to record an image every 2 seconds and the resulting video is shown at 20 frames per second (one minute of video is about 40 minutes on the road).
And he wasn’t kidding about wanting to follow most — if not all — of the old alignments. If you want to see the dirt-road Jericho Gap in Texas, it’s there. If you want to see the old Ozark Trail alignment near Sapulpa, Okla., it’s there. If you want to see the gravel-road alignment from Glenrio to San Jon, N.M., it’s there. And Johnson and his pals took the old Santa Fe alignment, too.
Each video segment is 4 to 13 minutes long. Day 1 goes from Chicago to Springfield, Ill.
Day 2 is from Springfield to St. Louis:
Day 3 goes from St. Louis to Springfield, Mo.
Day 4 goes from Springfield, Mo., to Bethany, Okla.
Day 5 goes from Bethany, Okla., to Amarillo, Texas.
Day 6 goes from Amarillo to Santa Fe:
Day 7 goes from Santa Fe to Gallup, N.M.
Day 8 goes from Gallup to Holbrook, Ariz.
Day 9 goes from Holbrook to Kingman, Ariz.
Day 10 goes from Kingman to Barstow, Calif.
Day 11 goes from Barstow to Santa Monica, Calif.
Don’t be surprised if you spend an hour or two watching this. Happy travels.
Holbrook courthouse will receive historical assessment October 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Museums, Preservation.1 comment so far
The courthouse in downtown Holbrook, Ariz., will undergo a historical assessment so it can receive proper cosmetic and structural repairs, according to a story in the Tribune-News.
Navajo County is partnering with the city and the National Scenic Byways program to spend a total of $10,000 for the assessment.
Navajo County’s historic courthouse qualifies for the scenic byway funding due to its location on Route 66. The project agreement notes that the purpose of the assessment is to help “preserve the historic courthouse for the benefit of the Historic Route 66 traveler.”
Route 66 is one of 150 roads included in the scenic byways program, which is under the U.S. Department of Transportation. The department provides funding for projects in areas designated as byways, and markets the byways to travelers. [...]
Supervisor J.R. DeSpain noted that he is hopeful that the assessment will lead to future grant funding for restoration and stabilization work on the courthouse, whether through the scenic byway program or another funding source.
The partnership was unanimously approved by the county supervisors. It awaits approval from the city council.
Here’s more about the old Navajo County courthouse, which was built in 1898. A murderer, George Smiley, was hanged there two years later, and the courthouse supposedly is haunted by his ghost. Although county operations were moved to a new facility during the 197os, the courthouse continues to house the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce, the Najavo County Historical Society, and an Old West museum.
“The Glory Road” trailer October 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Music, Road trips.add a comment
The Lost Dogs country-rock group posted this today … a trailer for their upcoming “The Glory Road” documentary about their tour of Route 66.
No release date has been set for the film. In the meantime, you can peruse the band’s new “Old Angel” album, which contains 15 songs inspired by the Mother Road.
New developments in Round Barn billboard case October 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Signs.9 comments
A couple of intriguing facts came out today in the Edmond Sun about an unpopular decision to erect a billboard just 25 yards east of the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla.
In short, the billboard company says it informed the city about its intention to erect a billboard, and that the city has no ordinances to prevent one.
Before buying the land and erecting the billboard, Zoom Media spoke with an employee with the town of Arcadia, according to the statement. The employee purportedly told the company the town has no ordinances regarding building billboards.
Two other phone calls were placed in an effort to corroborate that information, the group said. Both times Zoom Media Group was told Arcadia had no ordinances regarding building billboards, and only the landowner’s permission would be required.
Zoom Media Group maintains it was diligent in checking town zoning ordinances and was sent a fax confirming that the property in question was zoned for commercial use.
The Arcadia Town Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the issue. Local historical preservationists are particularly irked about the billboard because it would partially block the view of the Round Barn from the east.
First off, I didn’t find it surprising that Arcadia doesn’t have an ordinance against billboards. When I was in the newspaper business, I covered town boards of a similar size to Arcadia’s, and nearly all used only a nominal permit process for new construction. Basically, you’d inform the city what you were going to build, where it would be, and pay a small fee when you finished the application.
And tiny municipalities seldom, if ever, had billboard regulations on their books.
Second, I’m sure the company indeed called the city and that the city employee did say the town didn’t have a billboard ordinance. But I’m fairly sure the company was careful to not inform city where the billboard would go. Location is everything, as both Zoom Media and Arcadia are finding out the hard way.
UPDATE: An e-mail from Viola Davis of the Arcadia Historical Society asks some interesting questions:
This historical landmark is visited and photographed by people from all around the world. It is used for weddings and family reunions. Pictures are taken from every angle. This bill board will destroy the view of the Round Barn.
There are so many issues to consider:
- Can a strucure this size be erected w/o any permits
- Can a strip of land (12 ft by 70ft) be zoned commercial
- Can a huge structure be so close to HW 66 or historical landmark
- How far away from property line does a structure need to be
- What are regulations for bill boards
- Construction guidelines
- Sign pollution
We are looking for assistance in state/federal laws that would prohibit such a Hugh structure to be installed so close to a historical building and HW 66.
I don’t know the answer to these questions. I suspect those answers will come fairly quickly, though.
UPDATE2: Here’s a new story by The Oklahoman. A choice quote from the president of the historical society:
“If someone were to build something in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Parisians would be hopping mad,” he said.
UPDATE3: KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City posted a story Friday. It appears that the key element is whether the property is zoned residential or commercial. For now, it’s not certain.
UPDATE4: Here’s a local TV station’s report:
UPDATE5: The Oklahoman contacted Katherine Mazaheri at Mazaheri Law Firm in Oklahoma City. She said the law firm doesn’t intend to advertise on the billboard, nor did she “have any idea about the billboard.”
Zoom Media Group, which owns that land in Arcadia, is owned by Fariborz Mazaheri, whose company is in the same shopping mall as the Mazaheri law firm. According to another report, Fariborz Mazahri is Katherine Mazaheri’s father. Zoom Media purchased the land for the billboard from a local church.
Scenes from the Balloon Fiesta October 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events.add a comment
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, one of the annual biggest festivals along Route 66, just finished a few days ago. This is one of the best videos I’ve seen from the event.
Don’t block the view of the barn October 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Signs.1 comment so far
A company on Monday apparently tried to sneak in the installation of a billboard east of the Round Barn in Arcadia, Okla., reported the Edmond Sun, and that made residents none too happy.
But after protests by residents and a visit by a police officer, work on the billboard was halted. And the town’s council probably will probably make sure it stays away at its next meeting.
The billboard site is about 25 yards east of the 1898 barn. The sign itself hasn’t been erected, but much of the framework is up.
“It’s horrible,” Simonton said. “For anybody who cares about this place it’s a heartbreaker.”
Simonton said tourists like to stand on the other side of Route 66 and take photos of the Round Barn, which is now obstructed by the sign skeleton. [...]
Bensinger said it appears the company was trying to slip in and put the billboard up in one day.
“The Round Barn is kind of really important around here,” he said. “That would block a lot of the view. I feel like they tried to sneak it in.”
Sam Gillaspy, otherwise known as Mr. Sam, said he was just sick about the whole thing.
“I can’t believe why they would want to block the view and ruin the most famous stop on all of Route 66,” he said. “A lot of people come here from all over the world.”
One area resident said the property is zoned residential, which means the city would have to rezone it or pass a variance to allow the billboard. The next Arcadia town council meeting is Oct. 19.
UPDATE: This video from KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City shows how close the billboard would be. A bit more information:
It turns out the advertisement that is supposed to appear on the billboard will be for the Mazaheri Law Firm.
Katherine Mazaheri told us she has signs going up all over the place and had no idea this sign was causing such a stir. [...]
“We’d like the opportunity to negotiate that little strip of ground and get the billboard removed because it breaks our hearts to see the approach to this historic sight marred by a giant billboard,” said Linda Simonton, Historical Society. [...]
According to the county assessor’s website, that small slice of property is owned by Zoom Media LLC.
The Secretary of State’s website lists Fariborz Mazaheri as the registered agent for Zoom Media.
He is the father of the attorney whose ad was supposed to be on the sign.