Parties still talking about Round Barn billboard November 30, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Signs.1 comment so far
In late October, the parties in a dispute over a billboard that was erected near the historic Round Barn of Arcadia, Okla., said they would try to negotiate a settlement in 30 days.
The 30 days have come and gone, and the parties are still talking, according to the Edmond Sun. But it seems that moving the billboard remains on the table.
Arcadia-area resident Lisa Price confirmed that efforts to relocate the billboard on alternate property are ongoing.
“It was a very amicable discussion,” Price told The Sun. “Both parties are willing to find a mutually beneficial agreement. [...]
Jennifer Dennis-Smith, a spokeswoman for Mazaheri, said the parties are talking, hoping to move the billboard.
Price said negotiations paused during the holiday period and there were no planned meetings during the current week. She said as part of a solution she hopes Mazaheri will donate the property. If not, the Arcadia Historical Society would have to buy it.
It’s looking likely the Arcadia Historical Society will have to shell out money to buy the property or cover the costs of the billboard’s move.
Of course, the billboard property owner, Zoom Media, also may decide to donate the land and move the billboard on their dime, just so it can end the controversy. We’ll see.
Bet you didn’t know this … November 30, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Signs.1 comment so far
I received a press release the other day about an upcoming ceremony for the latest inductees to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in Chandler.
Most of the inductees have little or no connection to Route 66. However, one police chief’s contribution has impacted drivers on Route 66 — and all drivers on all American roads.
To the news release (my emphasis):
Tulsa Police Chief Clinton Riggs (deceased) was selected for his efforts to advance professionalism with the Tulsa force. Examples of his actions became role models for many other departments. Under his
leadership the Tulsa Police Academy was established and higher educational degrees were mandated for entering officer and for advancement. Further, he raised 45 scholarships for police officers to attend and graduate from law school. He encouraged and supported the separation of the police and fire fighters from the political structure to a civil service system. He designed the “Yield” sign now used in all 50 states. Author, educator, professional lawman and inventor, his vision and dedication will always serve the citizens of Tulsa and Oklahoma.
A newspaper article posted on RootsWeb gives more details about Riggs’ creation:
The first two signs were installed in Tulsa in 1950 at First Street and Columbia Ave. The original signs were keystone shaped and were painted yellow with black lettering.
Riggs’ son, Thomas Riggs, cherishes one of the original signs as a prized possesion. One of the early manufactured signs is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
Riggs apparently conceived the idea of the sign while working as a trooper. He began developing it while attending Chicago’s Northwestern Traffic Institute in 1939.
He experimented with the concept for more than a decade, striving to create a sign that would not only control traffic at an intersection but that also would affix civil liability in a collision in which one driver failed to yield, according to the Tulsa Police Department’s history book.
According to newspaper reports, one of the first signs installed reduced the ranking of the most-dangerous intersection in the city to the seventh-most dangerous in 12 months. Requests for the signs soon began pouring in from around the country.
Save for stop signs, can you think of a more ubiquitous road sign than a “Yield”?
More about the inductees can be found here. The induction ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler. The event is free and open to the public.
Vote on Mojave Trails National Monument seems likely in coming weeks November 29, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions.15 comments
George Wuerthner, a writer for New West Community Blogs, reported today that a bunch of wilderness and parks bills likely will be bundled together as one big omnibus bill and voted on by the lame-duck Congress in the coming weeks.
One of those bills would be the Mojave Trails National Monument, which follows the Route 66 corridor in California’s Mojave Desert.
Wuerthner writes about the 60-odd wildness and parks bills:
Voting on individual bills in the limited time left in this session means few, if any of these bills, would become law despite obvious support from Congress. As a result Senator [Jeff] Bingaman, chair of the Senate Energy Committee, has decided to bundle as many as 60 separate bills, including many wilderness proposals into one Omnibus lands bill for passage. A similar technique was used in the 2009 Congressional session to garner wilderness designation for many areas in the country including wilderness designations in Utah, Oregon, Virginia, Michigan and California. [...]
… [T]he biggie in California is The California Desert Protection Act, (S. 2921), introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstein. This expansive bill would protect nearly 1.5 million acres of southern California’s desert lands by creating two new National Monuments (Mojave Trails and Sand to Snow National Monuments), adding Wilderness acreage, expanding Joshua tree and Death Valley National Parks, and protecting the desert’s historic treasures like Route 66.
That 2009 Omnibus bill, by the way, included the reauthorization of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years.
We’ll try to follow the Mojave Trails legislation, although keeping track of the ebb and flow of legislation is like trying to herd cats.
“Cahokian” November 29, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Music.add a comment
This song by Jay Farrar is inspired by Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a former 11th-century American Indian city that is off an old alignment of Route 66 near Collinsville, Ill.
The footage in this video provides a lot to think about — namely, the passage of time and/or mankind’s progress. Those who have studied the history and evolution of Route 66 probably will relate.
“Side by side sit the trashpile twin” refers to a landfill a few miles away that’s nearly as tall as the massive Monks Mound at Cahokia Mounds. Landfills are necessary, I suppose, but I always regarded that one as a sort of abomination when one considers the majesty of the hand-made Monks Mound.
Also, a good chunk of early St. Louis was built on the site of other American Indian mounds — mounds that were destroyed and leveled long before folks saw its historical and cultural significance. That’s why St. Louis sometimes is called the Mound City. Very few of this original mounds remain in St. Louis.
Farrar is the front man for rock band Son Volt and was a co-founder of Uncle Tupelo, a highly influential country-rock band. Farrar grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Ill., and lives in St. Louis, so he knows of what he sings in “Cahokian.”
(Hat tip: Roger Kramer)
Don’t make me stop the car November 28, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.add a comment
Here’s the latest entry for “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible.” It’s the Book of Romans.
I think the proper response would have been: “Knock it off, or all of you are walking home.”
Teaser clip of Route 66 documentary November 28, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Music, People, Road trips.add a comment
Chris Tres of France traveled the Mother Road a few months ago to film a documentary about America’s culture and music. Here’s a teaser clip from the footage; you might see a favorite roadie or three:
Here’s the description of the video, translated from French by Google Translate:
Teaser of the film “In the Footsteps of Highway 66″ (shot in HD) is being assembled. This 52 ‘in the road movie genre, looking for a TV broadcaster and producer. for more information contact: ctrescartes@gmail.com.
In case you’re wondering, much of the music in the video comes from the Oscar-winning film, “Crazy Heart.”
Cafe on the Route owners opening restaurant in Joplin November 28, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.add a comment
Richard and Amy Sanell, owners of the much-acclaimed Cafe on the Route on Route 66 in Baxter Springs, Kan., soon will open another restaurant in the historic Gryphon Building in nearby Joplin, Mo., reported the Joplin Globe.
The Gryphon, completed in 1915, sits at 10th and Main streets in Joplin, a few blocks south of the city’s Seventh Street alignment of Route 66. The Sanells’ new restaurant on the building’s first floor will be called L.L. Sayer’s, and it will be open sometime in February.
Richard Sanell wasn’t specific on what food would be served at L.L. Sayer’s, but he told the Globe that he’s looking at “a touch of the past or dishes of yesteryear. Dishes that might have been served at the Connor Hotel or the House of Lords.”
As for Cafe on the Route, don’t worry — it will remain open.
When the Sanells opened Cafe on the Route, they were hoping their decision was the right one. That was 12 years ago.
“We found that the area has been stronger than we thought, particularly our connection to Route 66,” he said. “We are parlaying that into doing some other things. We hope to have three or four concepts going.’’
The Cafe on the Route will continue to operate. Luke Prauser, a native of Baxter Springs, is helping head up that kitchen.
Cafe on the Route serves some of the most creative and tasty food on the Mother Road. The Food Channel featured it several years ago on the “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” program. See it here:
The Cafe on the Route building also features the Little Brick Inn, a bed-and-breakfast on the second floor.
Blue Whale Christmas November 26, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Preservation.9 comments
On Friday evening, spectators witnessed a sight that had never before been seen in the nearly 40-year history of the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla. — the Route 66 landmark was decorated for Christmas.
Volunteers with Catoosa Arts and Tourism spent the past few weeks stringing LED lights along the Blue Whale, its souvenir stand, and the neighboring and long-closed Noah’s Ark. With darkness fast approaching Friday, Mayor Rita Lamkin began a countdown, and the lights were turned on, to much applause.
I counted at least 40 cars in the parking lot 20 minutes before the ceremony, with more vehicles arriving. A small bonfire in the corner of the grounds helped keep away the early-winter chill. A portable P.A. system played Christmas music, and Rogers State University’s choir director helped guide spectators into singing a few carols.
Scores of children were seen walking on the Blue Whale, peering out of the structure’s portholes, and climbing the ladder into the second level of its head. Scores of parents swapped stories of when Hugh Davis’ creation (as an anniversary gift to his wife, Zelta) became a popular public swimming hole.
The Blue Whale about 45 minutes before the lighting ceremony.
Catoosa put on the event to raise awareness about the Blue Whale and boost fundraising to preserve the landmark. It’s hard to believe now, but just over a decade ago, menacing “No Trespassing” signs lined the property’s perimeter as the Blue Whale’s paint peeled and grew drab.
But bit by bit, the Blue Whale was restored to its former glory. Although swimming still isn’t permitted, the property has been reopened to tourists, the souvenir stand operates during the summer, and fishing is allowed again.
LED Christmas lights are becoming popular because they save energy. But volunteers and spectators commented about how the LEDs’ bluish tinge meshed remarkably well with the Blue Whale’s hue. And the reflection of the lights on the water also proved to be a visual delight.
Here’s a video I shot of scenes before and during the ceremony:
The Blue Whale’s lights will be on from sundown to midnight nightly during the Christmas season.
During the next two weekends, Santa Claus will make an appearance from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The souvenir stand will also be open at that time.
The nearby Noah's Ark was decked out, too.
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“Trippin’ 66″ November 26, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Photographs.add a comment
Wes Pope, videographer and photographer, posted this well-edited video of still photos, animation and music clips.
You can see some of the pinhole photographs he shot on Route 66 here.
Jobless man trying to set cross-country walking record November 25, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips.2 comments
Matt Livermanne is looking for a job and needs a way to stand out for employers.
So he figured if he broke the record for walking from New York City to Los Angeles, it will “make me stand out in the end,” he told the Cuba Free Press of Cuba, Mo.
Livermanne left the Big Apple on Sept. 20. To break the record, he’ll have to be at Los Angeles City Hall before Christmas. The record reportedly is 86 days. The Free Press reports that Livermanne has to walk 16 hours a day, and up to 20 hours a day in the final two weeks.
He started walking on the Route 66 corridor in St. Louis. According to his GPS-tracked website as of Thursday night, he was in Hazelgreen, Mo.
He’s not just doing the walk for himself; he’s raising money for Habitat for Humanity and Adopt a Ghost, which helps soldiers overseas.
Livermanne’s website is BigFitnessWalk.com. He also has a Facebook page (with nice photos from his journey) and a Twitter account.
A documentary film about his walk also is being planned.
UPDATE: Apparently Livermanne stopped his walk about the time this article was written. He says he’ll try again in May.
(Hat tip: Jane Reed)