“Cars 2″ featurette May 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies.add a comment
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look and an explanation of “Cars 2,” which roars into movie theaters on June 24.
Lights on at Highland Theatre May 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Preservation, Signs, Theaters.2 comments
The historic Highland Theatre sign in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles was relighted during a ceremony Tuesday night, reported the Highland Park Patch.
The link includes a video of the sign being relit. But here’s a YouTube video of it, also:
The sign contains 502 light bulbs. Its restoration was paid for by donations and a cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The theatre’s sign is one of only two large incandescent-bulb signs still in use along Route 66 in Los Angeles. According to the Patch, it was the first time in a decade that the sign had been lit.
It will be a while before the sign is activated regularly, however:
Although the Highland Theatre sign was relit, it still needs major electrical work and it will be one to two months before it shines on a somewhat regular basis.
Inouye estimates that the lights will be turned on during weekends throughout the summer and a maintenance plan will be generated after examining how long the new light bulbs will last.
The theater itself dates to 1925, and is still used as a multiplex cinema.
The North Figueroa Street corridor in Los Angeles was part of historic Route 66 from 1931 to 1934 and again from 1936 to 1960.
Later this year, the nearby Manning’s Coffee Store sign will be relighted also. The North Figueroa neighborhood also is the site of the Chicken Boy mascot that once graced the rooftop of a downtown Los Angeles restaurant, also on an old alignment of Route 66.
UPDATE: Here’s another video of the relighting, shot by Ted Soqui:
UPDATE2: Scott Piotrowski has posted a bunch of photos from the ceremony on his Flickr account.
UPDATE 5/21/2011: Here’s a nice video that shows the atmosphere in the neighborhood before the big event:
Car club hosting drive-in movies May 18, 2011
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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.