Hello from Guatemala December 15, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Road trips.add a comment
Guatemala is about 2,000 miles from the closest point of Route 66. However, that doesn’t prevent musicians in that nation from singing about it.
This video shows road scenes in Guatemala, but includes Bobby Troup’s famous tune.
(Hat tip: Frank Kocevar of Historic Seligman Sundries)
Mayor of Springfield, Ill., found dead December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Museums, People.1 comment so far
Tim Davlin, 53, the mayor of Springfield, Ill., since 2003, was found dead at his home Tuesday morning of a gunshot wound, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register.
The newspaper reported that the wound was self-inflicted. Police remained tight-lipped throughout the day, and would not say whether it was a suicide or accident.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Police went to check on Davlin when he failed to appear Tuesday morning for a court hearing about a late cousin’s estate.
Davlin’s connection to Route 66 was that he and other Springfield officials advocated a plan to acquire the historic Bel-Aire Motel along Route 66 in Springfield and convert it into a Route 66 museum and tourism center. In August, the city applied for a $1 million grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program for the project.
Waynesville bridge soon will be improved December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges.add a comment
The city of Waynesville, Mo., is proceeding with plans to improve the historic Roubidoux Bridge that carried Route 66, reported The Daily Guide newspaper.
Waynesville City Councilwoman Luge Hardman said lighting would be placed on both sides of the bridge, and that bids for the project would be let as soon as spring.
Hardman said the project has been in the works since 2005 and they are very close to finishing, putting lights along Route 66, as well as on the Roubidoux Bridge, new sidewalks into Laughlin Park, new signs at Laughlin Park and building the Trail of Tears site in Laughlin Park.
Hardman said the project also includes lighting the upper section of the Roubidoux walking tour, which will be engineered in a way where the new lighting will not be damaged by the potential flooding prone in the area.
New trees also are planned along the Route 66 corridor in town.
Lake Overholser Bridge will undergo repairs December 14, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation.add a comment
The historic Lake Overholser Bridge that once carried Route 66 in Bethany, Okla., is about to undergo repairs after it was closed to traffic for the past year or so.
According to KWTV in Oklahoma City:
The plan is to keep the bridge preserved and close to the original state as possible. Eventually, it will reopen to vehicles.
The bridge was built in 1924 before Route 66 and was mentioned in John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.”
According to Jim Ross’ book “Oklahoma Route 66,” the bridge consists of four Parker trusses and one Warren pony truss on each end, spanning almost 750 feet. The bridge also underwent repairs during the 1990s.
(Photo courtesy of Guy Randall.)
Tucumcari edges ahead in race for Route 66 museum December 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Museums, Towns.4 comments
It appears Tucumcari, N.M., is edging ahead of Santa Rosa, N.M., in the race to land a new Route 66 museum, according to a story in the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in Santa Rosa.
Johnnie Meier, former president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association and owner of the Classical Gas museum in Embudo, N.M., told the newspaper that he prefered the historic Ilfeld Warehouse in Santa Rosa for a Route 66 museum.
However, he expressed frustration about Santa Rosa’s slow pace in acquiring the funding for the project. Meier, 60, said he now is leaning to Tucumcari, which wants to convert an abandoned truck stop on the city’s west side for the museum.
“There’s a short-term option in Tucumcari. I don’t see a short-term option in Santa Rosa,” Meier said. [...]
“I’m not getting any younger,” Meier said. “It’s a major project I’m considering, and a lifestyle change. If Santa Rosa makes me wait two to three years, I’m getting too old for this.”
By contrast, he praised Tucumcari officials for being more proactive in convincing him about how they could accomplish the goal.
“I recognize good planing and good project management when I see it,” he said. “I see it in Tucumcari. I don’t see it in Santa Rosa.”
The newspaper reported that the truck stop isn’t the only Tucumcari site considered, and that the city of Tucumcari may make him a formal offer as soon as early next year.
A big issue with the truck stop is environmental remediation from leaking oil and gasoline tanks. However, that problem could enable the city to quickly receive government grants to solve the problem and convert the site to Meier’s use.
I don’t regard the truck-stop site as ideal; it’s too far from Tucumcari’s center and its historic Route 66 sights. However, with New Mexico as one of the only Route 66 states without a significant Mother Road-based museum, any museum would almost certainly be a win-win situation for the town.
Cotton to this December 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.1 comment so far
Here’s a blues-based version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ by Billy Branch and one of the greatest blues harmonica players in history, James Cotton.
Stagecoach stop December 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Music, People, Restaurants.add a comment
I’ve been hearing good things in the past year or so about the new owners of the Stagecoach Motel on the east end of Seligman, Ariz., near the historic alignment of Route 66. In addition to the motel, it contains a pizza place.
But this video shows more charm and detail than any advertising can buy:
Incidentally, the video comes from Janet and Tom of AdventurouSpirits.com. The blog post about their night in Seligman is here.