Golden Light Cantina reopens after renovations January 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Music, Restaurants.add a comment
The Golden Light Cantina, a music nightclub next to the historic Golden Light Cafe on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, reopened Friday after being closed since Jan. 2 for a face-lift, according to the Amarillo Globe News.
The site, at 2209 S.W. Sixth Ave., has undergone renovations, including new bathrooms, extra seating, upgraded equipment and, most notably, the addition of a full-service bar. The venue always has served beer and wine, but its newly acquired liquor license will allow customers to select from a full range of alcoholic beverages. The GLC expanded its bar area to accommodate the new selections, and it has hired a new slate of staff skilled at serving the drinks.
The Golden Light Cantina has been serving up drinks and music since 1996.
The Golden Light Cafe has been operating next door since 1946 and is listed to the National Register of Historic Places.
Giving folks a lift January 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Preservation.3 comments
American Profile magazine published a delightful article about Geraldine Bunn, who is the elevator attendant at the historic Jasper County Courthouse just off Route 66 in Carthage, Mo.
The courthouse needs an elevator attendant because the open-cage, wrought-iron elevator was installed in 1916 and is not an automatic model. Bunn has to align the elevator just so with upper floors so passengers don’t trip.
“In and of itself, the elevator is a tourist attraction,” says Judge Joseph Schoeberl, as he descends from his third-floor office and courtroom.
When Schoeberl steps out of the elevator, he pretends to trip over a slight gap between the floors, making Bunn laugh. “He’s always doing that to me,” she says.
Bunn provides a lift in every sense of the word. “She’s very cheery and brightens the day,” says Schoeberl, 62. “She’s like a cup of coffee in the morning.” [...]
While modern push-button elevators are quick and efficient, they lack the personal touch of Bunn, who greets courthouse employees by name and says the best part of her job is meeting people.
“There are so many nice people,” she says. “Even the prisoners will speak and tell me to have a good day.”
Her passengers range from shackled and somber county jail inmates to happy hand-holding couples with freshly inked marriage licenses, as well as tourists traveling through town on Route 66. Older folks on tour buses and schoolchildren on field trips also line up for rides.
The article makes me want to pay a visit to the courthouse, take a ride on that elevator, and chat with Ms. Bunn.
Lyons Indian Store moving to Tulsa’s Blue Dome District January 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, History.1 comment so far
Lyon’s Indian Store, an American Indian memorabilia store that’s been in Tulsa’s art deco Warehouse Market Building on Route 66′s 11th Street for decades years, is moving to the city’s Blue Dome District in a matter of days.
Ed Sharrer, a city planner, revealed the Lyon’s impending move on his Twitter account today. Lyon’s is moving to the 100 block of Detroit Avenue into the Ridgway’s building (Google Street View photo here). That’s next to Dwelling Spaces, a gift and accessories that’s popular with hipsters.
A photo that Sharrer took of a notice on the Ridgway’s door reveals that the new Lyon’s location will open Monday.
Lyon’s has operated in Tulsa since 1916. This clip from TulsaFilms.com explains its history nicely:
Lyon’s Indian Store’s new digs sits less than a block north of the Second Street alignment of Route 66 through downtown Tulsa. So it’s longtime Route 66 association will remain mostly intact.
It’s not known whether the Warehouse Market has another tenant to replace Lyon’s.
UPDATE 1/15/2010: The Tulsa World published a story about the move. The newspaper reported that Lyon’s new location is going very close to its original home, at First Street and Boston Avenue. At that point, it was simply called The Indian Store. The Lyon’s name was added when Frank and Dorothy Lyon bought the store in 1951.
It moved to 11th and Elgin in 1994. Co-owner Larry Lyon said his lease was ending at the Warehouse Market Building space, and he thought the Blue Dome District would be a more vibrant location.
Market C in Oklahoma City closing tomorrow January 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation, Restaurants.2 comments
Market C, a gourmet prepared-foods store in a converted Phillips 66 gas station along Route 66 in Oklahoma City, will cease operations Friday, reported The Oklahoman.
A group led by restaurateurs Keith and Heather Paul owned the business. It also announced the closure of their Iron Starr Urban Barbecue restaurant in town in nearby Norman, and the Pauls recently ended a management agreement with POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia, Okla.
The newspaper reported that Market C will be converted into catering showroom for the next-door Cheever’s Cafe — an excellent restaurant in a converted old-time flower shop.
The cottage-style Phillips 66 station was built in 1935, and the Pauls spent about $100,000 restoring the structure at 401 Northwest 23rd when they bought in 2008.
Carthage will add better Route 66 signage January 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Signs.1 comment so far
A Route 66 logo soon will be painted on an alignment of Route 66 through Carthage, Mo., to help travelers navigate through town, according to the Joplin Globe.
The council endorsed a recommendation of the city’s public works committee to stencil a Route 66 logo on Garrison Avenue between Central and Oak streets.
“That would provide a clear view of Route 66 through that part of town,” said Tom Short, city administrator. [...]
“But sometimes people will miss the turn onto Oak Street, so this will have pavement stenciling and probably some turn arrows, so people won’t get lost,” Short said.
The work will be completed this spring.
UPDATE: A story in the Carthage Press makes it clear that the road-surface stencils and new road signs will be used in conjunction with existing blue-and-white Route 66 byway signs.
The original route in Carthage follows Central Avenue, Garrison Avenue and Oak Street, but before the new blue Route 66 markers were installed last summer, out-of-towners, especially those traveling west, would continue west on Central Avenue and west on Missouri Highway 171 and miss about eight miles of the original road between Carthage and Carterville.
The new blue signs, including a left turn arrow on westbound Central at Garrison and on eastbound Oak Street at Garrison solved part of that problem, but until this week, there sill was no large sign telling drivers to turn right on to Oak Street if they were going west or right on Central if they were going east.
The new street signs on Garrison are one solution. Short said the city was hoping to borrow another possible solution from Webb City.
He said the city was making arrangements to borrow a stencil from Webb City to paint the Route 66 shield on Garrison Avenue.
The bad part is Carthage cannot paint stencils on Missouri Highway 96, aka Route 66, because it’s under Missouri Department of Transportation jurisdiction.
“Podunk” January 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Towns.add a comment
I somehow missed this when it came out a few years ago. Country music songwriter and singer Keith Anderson‘s first single was “Podunk.” The video for it wound up becoming an excellent tribute to the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla.
You’ll spot the Coleman Theatre and the Route 66 Sidewalk Highway in the clip.
What are Route 66′s most important attractions? January 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies, Road trips.5 comments
Filmmaker Ester Brym is producing a documentary about Route 66. The footage has been shot, but she’s trying to edit the movie to a manageable length. She wants input from people who’ve actually traveled the Mother Road to provide opinions on what they think are the “most important” attractions.
Instructions and an e-mail address are on the video: