Comedian planning a Route 66 trip for TV November 3, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips, Television.add a comment
Tucked into this story from QMI Agency in Canada about Scottish actor and comedian Billy Connolly is this intriguing little excerpt:
Following his Canadian tour, Connolly plans to take the show to New Zealand and Australia early next year before filming begins on another travel series. Connolly filmed Journey to the Edge of the World, a 10-week trek where he traveled across Canada and visited remote northern locales. The new one sees him traveling America’s famous Route 66 on his “motor trike.”
Connolly’s “Journey to the Edge of the World” site is here, on ITV. It mentions the Canadian trip prominently, but nothing about the Route 66 journey. I don’t know when Connolly is planning the Route 66 trip.
So … it may be a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for a long-haired, witty Scotsman on a trike.
Neon signs of West Hollywood November 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Signs.4 comments
Route 66 along West Hollywood, Calif., includes a lot of neon, including art on loan from the Museum of Neon Art in Los Angeles.
The narration includes longtime Route 66 advocate Jim Conkle.
Two New Mexico towns compete for Route 66 museum November 1, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Museums, Railroad.1 comment so far
The New Mexico towns of Tucumcari and Santa Rosa are trying to woo Johnnie Meier to establish a Route 66 museum — the first such museum in the state, reported the current print issue of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in Santa Rosa.
Meier, former president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, has amassed a large collection of gas-station and Route 66 memorabilia. He owns the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, N.M.
In Santa Rosa, Meier envisions using the long-empty Ilfeld Warehouse near downtown as the site of the museum.
The newspaper reported:
It calls for transforming the space into a showcase for Route 66 and railroad memorabilia, exhibits celebrating Spanish Colonial and Western heritage, classic “Mother Road” neon and more. He also talks of establishing a Route 66 research library, cinema and performance stage, and a high-end, gallery-quality gift shop that would not compete with other local establishments already selling curios. [...]
He told council members he would love to sell his property in Embudo and permanently move to Santa Rosa, perhaps even living in a two-story apartment overlooking the Ilfedl warehouse space.
Meier told the Santa Rosa city council that “Tucumcari is my second choice,” but added that time may be running out for Santa Rosa to put together a plan for the warehouse, which may require up to $1 million in renovations.
Tucumcari, the newspaper reported, is proposing the use of a 22-acre former truck stop as a Route 66 and entertainment destination. The Tucumcari site has to address possible environmental issues before it can be used.
Although the newspaper doesn’t mention it, I know Meier was considering a second site in Tucumcari that is closer to the city’s center. That second site might be the wild card in this city-vs.-city battle.
UPDATE 11/10/2010: Here’s a report from the Quay County Sun in Tucumcari about the museum battle. The gist of it is that Meier says he prefers Santa Rosa, but Tucumcari appears to hold more ability to move faster on this proposal.
Dressing up a defunct property November 1, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation.6 comments
In an effort to beautify its Route 66 corridor, volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., have been repainting defunct gas stations to resemble gas stations of the past.
The photo above — made to look like a Texaco station — has just been completed. And at least two more are getting face-lift.
One of the volunteers, Motel Safari owner Richard Talley, reported in an e-mail:
This building was painted in an older style of a Texaco station, complete with Route 66 shields and a small mural with a period automobile. Doug Quarles provided the sign and mural art, which will also be on the other 2 stations already in progress, that have already had the body colors painted by volunteers. The other 2 stations will be older versions of a Continental Oil Co. (Conoco), and the much anticipated Whiting Brothers station. We hope to have at least 7 completed, by the time the International Route 66 Festival rolls into Amarillo next June. [...]
Money to complete the projects comes from a combination of donations, private business owners for their own buildings and any grants we may be able to obtain in the future. Anyone wishing to donate either money for the project or their time, may contact Bob Beaulieu at the Chamber of Commerce: 575-461-1694 or e-mail him at chamber(at)tucumcarinm.com.
Also by the end of June 2011, the Tucumcari Train Depot should be re-opened in some form, hopefully as the New Mexico Railroad Museum. Then it would be completed in time for the State’s Centennial the following year, in 2012.
(Photo courtesy of Richard Talley)
Upcoming events November 1, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events.add a comment
A couple of Route 66-related events are approaching in the coming weeks that might be of interest to roadies.
The first is the Down on Main Street event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Route 66 Village, home of the Red Fork commemorative oil derrick, in southwest Tulsa. It is sponsored by the Red Fork Main Street program.
According to the Tulsa World, the event includes:
- The “66 on Route 66″ Bike Tour, a 66-mile bicycle ride that includes Red Fork, Oakhurst, Sapulpa, Kellyville and Bristow along much of Route 66. Information about the bike tour can be found here.
- The “Little 66″ bicycle rodeo to teach students biking safety and skills and includes timed events on the Milton Stadium track at Webster High School, across from the Route 66 Village.
- Live entertainment by the Round Up Boys, a local western swing band; Travis Kidd, and Brandon Clark.
- Route 66 memorabilia on display.
- Food stands, arts-and-crafts vendors, and a children’s play area.
Proceeds from the event will go to help restore the Route 66 corridor along southwest Tulsa.
Also, on Nov. 14, the San Bernardino Tourism Development Council is marking its 25th anniversary by hosting “A Sunday Drive Down Route 66,” starting at Bono’s Deli in Fontana, Calif., according to the Fontana Herald News.
In addition to Fontana, other stops for pre-paid guests will be in nearby Upland and Rancho Cucamonga. The event runs from noon to 2 p.m.
Registration is required. For more, call Bob Lundy at 909-383-1256.
Hello from South Korea November 1, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
This is a band called Winterplay, based in South Korea. And this well-edited video contains a performance of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”