“American States of Mind” April 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Photographs, Road trips.1 comment so far
This is an exceptional photo essay by Eva E. Davier. You’ll see a few side trips, but many of the images come from Route 66.
More of her photos can be seen here, including the ruins of Ella’s Frontier in Joseph City, Ariz.
Short film about Blue Whale will premiere in June April 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies.1 comment so far
Filmmaker Alexander Knight of Oklahoma City has made a 13-minute documentary about the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla. The film will premiere during the deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City on June 8-12.
Here’s the trailer. Unlike a lot of trailers, this one doesn’t give a lot away:
However, the credits do show that longtime Blue Whale caretaker Blaine Davis stars in the film.
Alexander said an exact screening time at the festival should be announced later this month.
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.