Route 66 Garage Sale moved to mid-May April 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Preservation.add a comment
This event has been listed on our Events Calendar for weeks, but it seems prudent to remind folks that the Route 66 Garage Sale in Logan County, Ill., is set for May 13-14 — one month earlier than usual.
And according to the Lincoln Courier, the Logan County portion of the event is being organized by its extremely capable tourism bureau chief, Geoff Ladd. Proceeds from the event will go toward further preservation and renovation of The Mill in Lincoln.
The sale will be held in McLean, Atlanta, Lawndale, Lincoln, Broadwell, Elkhart and Williamsville.
The Logan County event is the weekend after the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival, which also will host garage sales and other events along 90 miles of Route 66 from Joliet to Towanda in northern Illinois.
Ladd also dropped this intriguing tidbit:
Ladd also noted there is potential interest in the southern Illinois part of Route 66 having a similar event on the weekend after the Route 66 Garage Sale.
“These three combined weekends along the famous road would fulfill somewhat a goal of having the event go statewide,” said Ladd.
Obviously, having Route 66-related events on three successive weekends would make it a big deal for the Mother Road.
A garage-sale map won’t be printed until May 1. So if you want to be a vendor and participate, go here for information.
Old business in Grants will be revived April 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation.add a comment
Charlie’s Radiator Service, which was established during the 1940s on Route 66 in Grants, N.M., will be renovated into an automobile museum and gift shop, according to an article in the Cibola County Beacon.
The long-closed shop and diner at 1308-1310 W. Santa Fe Ave. faced the wrecking ball less than two years ago after the city declared the property a nuisance. But owner Joe Diaz, who grew up on the property, pledged to do something and decided to see whether he could get Charlie’s Radiator Service declared a state historic site.
And it received that designation, and also was named a historic cultural property.
“It was the only place between Gallup and Albuquerque along Route 66 to get auto repairs,” pointed out Jaramillo. “And the Star Diner next door used to be where the miners would buy their lunches. The bus that took workers to the mines stopped at that diner.”
The Diaz buildings were some of the first pumice-block structures in the state, according to Jaramillo. John Murphy, New Mexico State Cultural Properties’ committee member agreed.
“The three pumice-block buildings, part of the modest commercial complex, represent the ambitions and domestic life of Charlie Diaz, a Grants’ and U.S. Highway 66 entrepreneur,” said Murphy.
Joe Diaz was recently awarded a $30,000 cost-share grant from the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. Diaz will contribute $42,000 to the renovations.
The original garage will become an automotive museum and also offer community groups meeting space. Renovations to the Star Café structure will convert the interior into a Route 66 memorabilia gift shop. “It will have all kinds of things for people to buy such as tee shirts, posters, mugs, shot glasses – pretty much anything that bears a Historic Route 66 design,” explained Hoffman.
Renovations are scheduled to begin once the funds are received, which should be within the next few months.
A photo of Charlie’s Radiator Service can be seen here.
“Get your hit on Route 66″ April 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels.add a comment
I wish I could take credit for that headline. Instead, the commendation goes to the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, which reports that the owner of the Arrowhead Lodge wishes to convert his former Route 66 motel into a medical marijuana dispensary.
Owner Tom Schwerin says he saw friends with chronic back problems benefit from the use of medical marijuana. So that gave him an idea:
The main building could serve as the dispensary, Schwerin believes. The cellar would be perfect for a vault, while the small motel rooms could be converted into doctor’s offices and places to cultivate marijuana indoors.
Also, the Arrowhead Lodge is in a properly zoned area and isn’t close to any schools, churches or parks.
Schwerin’s proposed dispensary, which he calls Blueberry MMD, is one of only two sent to the city of Flagstaff for a conceptual review as of this week.
A second dispensary, proposed by a Phoenix resident, would put “Green Medical” in a 2,992-square foot space inside a medical condo complex on the 1100 block of East Route 66.
The newspaper explains that the state of Arizona expected to award one medical marijuana license in each of 126 designated areas, including one in Flagstaff.
It’s not that easy to get a dispensary started. The law forbids any out-of-state interests, and requires $150,000 in start-up capital. The time to submit applications doesn’t begin until June 1.
Arizona voters in 2010 approved a measure that allowed the use of marijuana for medical use.
Lest anyone think Schwerin is a pot-toking hippie, the photograph of him accompanying the story shows a middle-aged man with close-cropped hair. Even if he is a marijuana user, he doesn’t fit the stoner type.
According to the Arrowhead Lodge’s MySpace site, it now operates as an apartment complex and not as a motel.
“Any World That I’m Welcome To” April 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Photographs.add a comment
This slide show of sights along the Mother Road is set to a song by Steely Dan.
Admiral Twin will be rebuilt April 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Preservation, Theaters.1 comment so far
It had been hinted for weeks. And now it’s confirmed – the Admiral Twin in Tulsa will be rebuilt by summer.
Admiral Twin Drive-In co-owner Blake Smith told the Tulsa World yesterday he’d secured a loan to rebuild the double screen that was destroyed during a huge fire last September.
The loan will allow him to not only reconstruct the two-sided tower – made of steel this time – but also to build a new concession stand and bathroom facilities, with heating and air conditioning in the latter for the first time since the drive-in opened in 1951.
The target date for reopening is July.
Tulsans and other drive-in fans contributed more than $30,000 in donations in an effort to rebuild the screens. Smith said the donated money was crucial in the bank agreeing to provide the loan. The total project will cost about $400,000.
An artist’s rendering of the new double-screen can be seen here.
The drive-in initially opened in 1951, and the second screen was built a year later. Even as the number of drive-ins in the United States dropped over the decades, the Admiral Twin continued to show first-run movies. The Admiral Twin sits very close to the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa.
The Admiral Twin also served as an inspiration during a scene in Tulsa native S.E. Hinton’s famous novel, “The Outsiders,” which was made into a now-acclaimed movie. The film actually features the Admiral Twin in an early scene.
More details released about Cars Land April 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies.add a comment
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., took about 400 guests through the construction area of a $1 billion makeover at its Disney California Adventure, including the Orange County Register.
One of the new additions is Cars Land, which is inspired by the 2006 Disney-Pixar movie, “Cars,” about the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. Here are a few tidbits revealed to the Register:
- The Radiator Springs Racers ride will make up about six of the 12 acres of Cars Land.
- The ride will last about 5 1/2 minutes, going through scenes based on movie themes, including Taillight Caverns. The last third of the ride is a side-by-side race.
- A Curio Shop is inspired by the trading posts that creators saw during a Route 66 road trip to get inspiration for Cars Land.
Cars Land is scheduled to open in 2012. The “Cars” sequel, “Cars 2,” will be in theaters on June 24.
“Our Town” April 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Music, Photographs, Towns.5 comments
This is a collection of photos from the Route 66 town of Galena, Kan. Music is by Iris DeMent. If you haven’t seen it, keep tissues handy.
This affecting video was played at 4 Women on the Route in Galena, but disappeared from Vimeo for a time. I’m glad it’s back.
Images from America’s Southwest April 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Photographs, Road trips.add a comment
If you’re in northern Virginia, you may owe it to yourself to check out the work of a local woman’s photography.
Norma Woodward of Fredericksburg, Va., has a photo exhibit of her images from America’s Southwest — including Route 66 — at the Members’ Gallery at the the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts, 813 Sophia St., Fredericksburg, Va., through April 30, according to The Free Lance-Star newspaper of Fredericksburg.
With no set schedule of when or where to stop, and with no deadline to arrive for a visit to her son and grandchildren in Arizona, the 71-year-old could cruise at her leisure, avoiding interstates and cookie-cutter hotels.
Instead, she visited unique spots and attractions on Route 66, pulled over whenever the striking vistas caught her eye and planned out her trip to see places where the term “mom-and-pop” still means something. [...]
She also stopped at iconic roadside attractions such as the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla., the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., and the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz. [...]
What impressed me as much as the images in her exhibit–many of which contrast buildings of stone and sand with rich, blue Southwest skies–was the decision to just take off and experience true back roads America. [...]
“I’ve always been fascinated with Route 66 and some of the past it still shares with visitors passing through,” said Woodward, who read up on some of the best stops along the way.
Some of Woodward’s work can be seen here.
Fredericksburg is about halfway between Washington, D.C., and Richmond.
Pontiac plans for a Waldmire Weekend April 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, People, Towns.2 comments
Pontiac, Ill., has a variety of activities planned for the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival on May 7-8, but the big events will center around late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire.
According to a news release today by Pontiac Tourism, Waldmire’s school-bus home will be open to the public for the first time. Waldmire lived in the school bus for many years, and spent many of his final days there when he was dying of cancer in late 2009.
From the news release:
According to Pontiac Mayor Robert Russell, “The inside of the school bus is absolutely unique. Everyone who has seen it so far has been stunned by the eclectic and yet practical décor. It is truly something to see.”
Ellie Alexander, Pontiac Tourism director, provided a sneak peak of the school bus’ interior with this photograph:
Waldmire’s famed 1967 Volkswagen minibus also will be on display at the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in town. Waldmire served as the unofficial inspiration to the character of Fillmore in the 2006 Pixar movie “Cars.”
Also, the big event that weekend will be the completion of Waldmire’s last commissioned artwork:
Bob was asked to design and paint a mural for downtown Pontiac, but his illness prevented him from completing that task. Instead, he designed the mural and agreed to have the public paint it. Bob’s 66-foot map of the entire Route 66 will be set up in the 300 block of North Main Street, next to the Daily Leader offices.
Those who participate in the mural’s painting that weekend will receive this button:
And below is a thumbnail of Waldmire’s mural, which includes an additional design of Waldmire himself by Diaz Sign Art of Pontiac, which also is overseeing the project. (Click to enlarge image.)
Other events scheduled:
- Art show near the Waldmire mural
- The autographing of a special Pontiac car hood
- Citywide garage sale
- Touch-A-Truck display for children at the Pontiac Rec Center
- Model train display at Evenglow Lodge
- Flea market at the Old Log Cabin restaurant
- Vermillion Players’ free performance of Route 66 musical revue at Chautauqua Park Pavilion
- Clearance sale by the OSF Auxiliary
- Cars that will be displayed at the future Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum
UPDATE 4/12/2011: The first part of the Waldmire mural went up Tuesday.
A unique look at the road April 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Photographs.5 comments
I come across quite a few photos of Route 66, but this one was too good to not share:
It was shot by Steve Vuoso with a 30-second exposure so he could capture the Milky Way across the night sky. The location is about 35 miles southeast of Barstow, Calif., in the Mojave Desert.
Steve’s Flickr stream can be found here.