Car club hosting drive-in movies May 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Movies.add a comment
The Route 66 Car Club of St. Clair, Mo., is hosting drive-in movies — including one this weekend — and its usual car cruises at Orchard Park for its scholarship fund, reported the St. Clair Missourian.
Mueller said the activities will start at about 5 p.m. each time. The movies will be shown at dusk. Vehicles will be parked in typical drive-in style on the park’s soccer field with a 12- by 16-foot blow-up movie screen used. [...]
Admission will be $10 per carload. [...] In addition, drivers of the first 50 vehicles to show up will receive a T-shirt and a dash plaque. T-shirts also will be for sale as will food and drink. A 50/50 raffle will be conducted each time.
“American Graffiti” will be shown Saturday night. “Grease” will be shown Saturday, July 23, and “Cars” will be screened Saturday, Sept. 24. Rain dates are Aug. 13 and Oct. 8, respectively, for the final two films.
Historic Moriarty grocery will close next month May 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.add a comment
Mike’s Friendly Store, which has graced Route 66 in Moriarty, N.M., for 62 years, will close for good next month, reported the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Mike Anaya, 82, the longtime operator of the grocery, said it was time to retire.
Anaya said the timing was right for the sale of his liquor license. The building, next to his residence, will be available for lease. His other two Moriarty businesses, El Comedor restaurant and the Best Western Hotel, will continue to operate.
According to a news release, on June 3, Mike’s Friendly Store will reduce prices 20 percent on all merchandise, except for beer and cartons of cigarettes. On June 3, 4 and 5, the store will give away coffee and doughnuts from 9 to 11 a.m., and food and refreshments from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prizes also will be given away.
Mike’s Friendly Store was inducted into the New Mexico Business Hall of Fame in 2006.
UPDATE: Here’s a story from KOB-TV in Albuquerque on the impending closing of Mike’s.
A Bobcat Bite burger May 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Food, Restaurants.add a comment
An earlier report about green chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico reminded me of the Bobcat Bite restaurant, on an very old alignment of Route 66 in Santa Fe.
This excellent clip from a documentary shows how these great burgers are made:
A burger too good to be at just one place May 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Food, Restaurants.1 comment so far
A green chile cheeseburger created eight years at a market in the tiny Route 66 town of Laguna, N.M., has garnered so much acclaim, it’s listed in the state tourism department’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail and the sandwich has been replicated at two other nearby locations, reported the Cibola County Beacon.
The Laguna Burger, as it’s called, was started at the Dancing Eagle Supermarket in Laguna. The burger also can be found at the 66 Pit Stop at Exit 140 of Interstate 40 and a newly remodeled 66 Pit Stop at in Laguna, at Exit 114 of I-40.
According to the Beacon’s story:
The Exit 114 66 Pit Stop had added to its building and can now seat approximately 50, including seating on a outdoor patio. [...] The store only had six counter stools. [...] On Saturday, May 21, the store in Laguna is hosting a grand opening from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event includes a Muscle Car Show of 15 autos. Store license plates will given to people who buy a Laguna Burger.
“With the expansion we hope to set the stage for the burger to grow in popularity,” explained LDC Chief of Retail Operations Earl Carrasco. “In the coming years our goal is to see more opportunities to grow the franchise as a result of this expansion.”
The Laguna Burger is one-half pound of ground beef delivered fresh everyday. The renovation includes a much-needed grill three times the size of the old one. The old grill could only fit nine burgers, the new one can accomodate 27.
Currently, the girls make 90 patties a day at the Laguna store, the busiest of the three, “And if we need more, no problem,” said Charlies Archuleta, Director of LDC Store Operations. “We will make them on the spot.”
Apparently the burger accounts for 90 percent of the Laguna store’s sales. And don’t ask for a recipe — it’s a secret. The Laguna Burger also has fared well in the New Mexico State Fair’s green chile cheeseburger competition.
This blog post covers the Laguna Burger at one of the 66 Pit Stops very well, including photos.
All three locations of the Laguna Burger are part of the Laguna Development Corp.
New Mexico Tourism is producing an updated Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, which will be unveiled May 26. However, the 2009 listing included a number of locations on Route 66, including the famous Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe. In a pinch, the New Mexico-based Blake’s Lotaburger chain will do nicely.
Possible buyers look at Boots Motel May 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation.add a comment
A dozen prospective buyers checked over the historic and endangered Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., reported KSNF-TV today in nearby Joplin.
Local realtor Jim Hunter says he’s had a huge amount of interest in the property.
“Some local historic preservation people and some private individuals who want to remain anonymous at this point but there is a number of groups wanting to purchase it,” Hunter says. “I’m hearing from a lot of different groups -the secret is who wants to put up the money.”
The property has been up for sale for several weeks, and it’s worth noting its asking price recently dropped by $30,000, to $195,000.
Sentiment to preserve the 1939 motel has increased with its late-April listing as one of the nation’s 10 most-endangered roadside attractions by the Society for Commercial Archaeology. And visitors to Carthage during National Tourism Week pleaded that the motel be saved.
Ron Hart of the Route 66 Chamber of Commerce is among those who has been hoping to line up a buyer or investors to purchase the property and bring it back as a motel.
Newest gas station face-lift in Tucumcari May 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Preservation, Railroad.7 comments
Here’s the latest abandoned gas station along Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., that received a new coat of decorative paint.
It’s the gas station at the Paradise Motel on the west end of town, given a Sinclair Oil decor. The repainting was finished over the weekend. Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari in town, said in an e-mail:
We’re also in the process of securing 2 or 3 new locations for the gas station project, which will allow us to easily reach our goal of at least 7 new gas stations total by the time winter comes around again.
Here are the other gas stations that have been repainted:
These projects are a way to dress up eyesores in town, and give it a nostalgic look as well. It’s a great way for many Route 66 towns to spruce up without a lot of money.
Also, Talley reports:
At some point we’ll include some photos of the Train Depot too, which is currently under complete renovation and scheduled to open in November this year. Some street-scaping with new antique period light poles has been completed over there, and the depot’s roof decking has just been replaced.
(Photos courtesy of Richard Talley)
Call your insurance man May 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.add a comment
I’ve always joked that the straight man in this “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible” series needed combat pay.
In this case, it’s true.
State funding cuts to Claremore museums prove minor May 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Museums.add a comment
Funding cuts to two prominent museums in Claremore, Okla., were much less than originally anticipated, reported the Claremore Daily Progress.
Oklahoma lawmakers reached a budget agreement this week that included a 7 percent reduction in funding to the state tourism office. But the Will Rogers Memorial Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms Museum in Claremore each saw funding reductions of less than 1 percent.
Funding reductions of 33 percent for the Davis Museum and 20 percent for the Rogers museums originally were proposed. The newspaper credited Sen. Sean Burrage (D-Claremore) and Rep. Marty Quinn (R-Claremore) for keeping those funding cuts minimal.
Visitors come from across the nation, some following historic Route 66, to visit Claremore and its museums. A growing international trend has visitors from other nations landing in California or Chicago and renting cars to drive Route 66. Those visitors often stop, dine, and otherwise spend money in Oklahoma because of the history and museums in Claremore. That resource is an economic boost that Oklahoma needs to protect and nurture in the tight economy, say local leaders.
The connection between Oklahoma’s roadways, in particular Route 66 and tourism is also important, but ODOT official say they will move forward with critical maintenance and repairs of the state’s highway system.
At one point in February, a lawmaker proposed a bill that would have phased out state funding for those museums. The state was facing a $400 million budget shortfall, and the lawmaker advocated shifting the savings from that proposed phase-out to more important areas, such as schools and highways.
Hot wheels May 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Museums, Vehicles.add a comment
Here’s a good video shot from the inside of the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, N.M.
The museum’s truly terrific car collection is well worth your time. It’s also well-stocked with Route 66 souvenirs.
Midpoint Cafe placed on the market May 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Food, Gas stations, People, Restaurants.4 comments
Fran Houser has put her Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, up for sale after a 20-year tenure in which she elevated it to a prime stop for travelers on Route 66.
Houser said in a phone interview Friday that the asking price is $195,000. Those interested should call her home phone at 806-538-6380.
The Midpoint, formerly known as Jesse’s Cafe, is touted as the halfway mark of Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica, and also gained nationwide notice for the restaurant’s small-town hospitality and its delicious “ugly crust pies.”
Houser also gained fame when she served as an inspiration to the Flo character in the original Disney-Pixar “Cars” movie in 2006.
Houser said she still enjoys meeting with Route 66 travelers. But she said she and longtime helper Joann Harwell have encountered some physical problems in recent years. Houser said a visit with her daughter in April convinced her to travel more and do other things “while I have time.”
Houser said she planned to open a western-wear store in an old gas station next to the Midpoint Cafe after the restaurant is sold. “I don’t want to lose contact with the Route 66 people,” she said.
As for the restaurant’s financial viability, she noted that customer numbers are looking great so far this tourist season, and that Midpoint already is being booked for tours for 2012.