Security cameras installed at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge April 4, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges.add a comment
After a rash of break-ins of parked cars at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in north St. Louis and Madison, Ill., in recent years, local police finally have installed security cameras at the old Route 66 site to deter criminals.
According to Fox Channel 2 in St. Louis:
Madison Police Chief Steven Shelby says tourists from all over the world including England, Germany, and Sweden visit the island while traveling Route 66. “I take it personally. These guys come all this way following route 66. They go up there to have a good time and when they come back they’ve been violated,” said Shelby. [...]
Surveillance cameras are all over Madison, including the Chain of Rocks Bridge. Criminals thinking about doing their dirty work here should think again. “Don’t do it in the City of Madison because we are watching,” said Shelby.
Footage from the cameras helped nab three suspects after a break-in of a minivan at the bridge. The suspects are believed to have been involved with other burglaries in the region.
Tank Farm Loop cruise April 4, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, History.1 comment so far
Here’s a video I shot of the historic Tank Farm Loop of Route 66, east of Bristow, Okla.
It served as Route 66 from 1926 to 1938, when it was bypassed. It now serves as a quiet country road for farms and residences. Tank Farm Loop is so named because of the oil tanks that are still sprinkled along its 1.7 miles.
The Tank Farm Loop of Route 66 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A map to Tank Farm Loop can be found here.
Route 66 Memories reopens in new spot April 4, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.add a comment
Route 66 Memories, the metal-dinosaurs-and-memorabilia shop that graced Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., but closed in January, has reopened just down the road, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
The business has reopened in Route 66 Plaza, which also is on Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66), in the former Armstrong Garden Center.
[Rosa] Ramos is slowly moving her merchandise from storage to the new location, a process that could take a couple of months. The move has been made easier since Ramos sold all of the signature dinosaurs that once characterized the business of 15 years. The beloved Spinosaurus and three-headed dinosaur won’t grace the new store. [...]
But Ramos’ husband, Gilbert Ramos, who made all the dinosaurs, is already back to work. He recently completed “Mr. T-Rex,” which is now visible from the Route 66 Plaza’s parking lot. [...]
The new location is much bigger and with ample parking. Ramos said she now has more space to sell plants to go with her garden statues, fountains and Route 66 memorabilia.
“I lost that beautiful home, but I got 10 times more,” Ramos said. “I say it’s a big blessing. Hopefully, with the help from the community, we’ll have success.”
The former location of Route 66 Memories was an a century-old home, but the poor California economy and a landlord dispute forced the Ramoses to close.
The new location, at 9445 Foothill Blvd., boasts some history as well. The plaza was built in 1959.
Pixar returns to the Mother Road April 3, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Movies.2 comments
A film crew from Pixar prepares to interview Melba Rigg of 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan.
A film crew from Pixar Animation Studios spent time on Route 66 in Kansas and Oklahoma this weekend to shoot a documentary as a special feature for the eventual “Cars 2″ DVD and Blu-Ray disc.
The purpose of the short film is to explain the impact the original “Cars” film made on businesses along the Mother Road.
The film crew prepares for its interview with Melba Rigg.
On Sunday, the crew spent time shooting footage at 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., and interviewing one of its proprietors, Melba Rigg.
4 Women on the Route attracted quite a crowd on the morning of Pixar's shoot.
4 Women on the Route, which is housed in a restored 1940s-era gas station, opened shortly after the release of “Cars” in 2006.
The business also was fortunate in that it tracked down the original 1951 International boom truck that inspired Pixar animator Joe Ranft to create the film’s memorable Mater character. Ranft encountered the truck during Pixar’s first research trip on Route 66 in 2001.
The truck was rechristened Tow Tater, and it a remains a key attraction at the business.
Several girls used Tow Tater as a jungle gym on Sunday. The 1951 International boom truck was a key inspiration to Mater in the movie "Cars."
Here’s a preview story Sunday morning from the Pittsburg Morning Sun, based in nearby Pittsburg, Kan.
On Saturday evening, we encountered Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., and the film crew as it was about to wrap its day. Welch served as a key inspiration for Sally Carrera in the original “Cars.”
Dawn Welch of the Rock Cafe speaks as she's being filmed by Pixar's crew.
Saturday in particular was a good day for the film crew to capture light from a beautiful sunset.
A camerawoman captures an image of the Rock Cafe in the light of the setting sun.
During the weekend, Pixar also interviewed “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis, who portrayed the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the original “Cars” and was the film’s Route 66 technical adviser.
“Cars 2″ will debut in theaters on June 24. The DVD and Blu-Ray release of “Cars 2″ will likely arrive before Christmas.
UPDATE 4/4/2011: The Joplin Globe posted a story about Pixar’s visit to 4 Women on the Route.
Kellyville’s Cotton Gin complex is razed April 2, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.2 comments
The Cotton Gin complex that graced Route 66 in Kellyville, Okla., for decades was torn down in recent weeks.
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When we passed through town Saturday, we found that the property where the Cotton Gin stood was scraped clean, with the steel skeleton being build in the back of the land. No traces of the historical building remain.
The Cotton Gin had been the home of a diner and an antiques store. Both had been operating fitfully in the past decade or so.
Cotton gins were established shortly after the town was founded in 1893. I’m not sure of the age of the business that was torn down recently, but I’m guessing the 1940s or ’50s.
I’ll miss the old Cotton Gin. It served as a prominent landmark for Route 66 travelers passing through Kellyville, and it offered a glimpse of the town’s past.
Scenes from the carnival April 1, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, History.1 comment so far
Crystal City Shopping Center, which sits just off Route 66 in southwest Tulsa, is hosting its first carnival in decades.
Here are scenes I shot tonight at the Route 66 Carnival. It continues through Sunday night.
The Crystal City Shopping Center was built in 1958, but an amusement park in that spot dates to the 1920s. It was the site of the original Zingo roller coaster, which later was moved to the Bell’s Amusement Park at the fairgrounds in midtown.
According to the Tulsa World, the Route 66 Carnival is a fundraiser for Chandler Park and Route 66 Village. Let’s hope they make this an annual event.
UPDATE: Emily (aka Redforkhippie) posted some thoughts and wonderful photos from the carnival.