An Oklahoma tornado casualty June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Weather.3 comments
Not long after the awful Joplin tornado, another strong twister struck Oklahoma around the El Reno area. After reading numerous media accounts of the twister, I had assumed that Route 66 landmarks had emerged relatively unscathed.
I was wrong.
During a eastbound trip Sunday on old Route 66, we’d discovered that an old gas station at U.S. 270 and old Route 66 near Calumet had been flattened by the twister.
This is what the station looked like in 2009:
Here’s what it looks like today:
It appeared the old gas station took a direct hit. The station had stood tall for decades despite neglect, but it was no match for the twister, which later was estimated to be an F-5 tornado.
Many trees were stripped of their branches along an approximate one-mile stretch of Route 66, and many utility poles had obviously been replaced.
Another strange sight was found less than a mile east of the ruined station — a massive field of twisted metal from wrecked buildings or equipment. The metal obviously was being piled there to be reused for scrap.
Little seems to be known about the old gas station. Jim Ross in his valuable book “Oklahoma Route 66″ mentions it, but not the brand of gasoline it sold. That stretch of the old highway was U.S. 66 from 1926 to 1962. And that northbound section of U.S. 270 was U.S. 66 from 1926 to 1933.
(Photos by Emily Priddy)
Cruising the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Motorcycles.add a comment
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis once carried traffic on Route 66 over the Mississippi River.
Nowadays, it carries only bicycles and pedestrians, except in rare cases when caravans are allowed. Here’s one of those rare cases on video, so you can experience it:
Work, work, work, work June 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.1 comment so far
I suspect the folks in this latest edition of “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible” — ahem — labored over the script.
The Road Crew wins big award at Route 66 banquet June 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Events, Motels, Music, People, Preservation.5 comments
The Road Crew music group won the inaugural Bobby Troup Artistic Award during the 2011 International Route 66 Festival awards banquet Saturday night at the Galleries at Sunset Center in Amarillo, Texas.
From left, Don King, Woody Bomar, Joe Loesch, and Jason Harmon show off their plaques for winning the Bobby Troup Award.
David Wickline, an author and Route 66-themed restaurant owner, won the Route 66 Roadie Award.
And Alan McNeil and his mother, Marianne, were honored for their tireless work to restore the Triangle Motel of Amarillo.
The Road Crew country-rock band released a Route 66-themed album, “Songs from the Mother Road,” and performed at several Route 66 festivals in the past few years. They even recorded a song specially for the Amarillo Route 66 festival.
Here’s the Road Crew’s official video for “That Ol’ 66″:
Bob “Crocodile” Lile, who served as an awards presenter with David Rushing, said the Bobby Troup Award was given to recognize achievement in the arts, including music and writing. The festival committee received permission from Troup’s heirs to use his name in the award.
Wickline wrote and shot the photographs for his two acclaimed “Images of 66″ books and owns the Roadhouse 66 Bar & Grill in Worthington, Ohio. Wickline was unable to attend Saturday’s banquet.
Kaisa Barthuli of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program recognized the McNeils for their efforts in restoring the long-neglected Triangle Motel. Shortly after they acquired the motel, about 70 tons of trash was removed from the rooms. They received a federal cost-share grant to help stabilize the motel’s structure, and a new roof was installed a few weeks ago.
Alan and Marianne McNeil were recognized by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for their efforts.
Lile also gave Alan McNeil a plaque that listed all of the people who made donations to help retire his mortgage to the Triangle Motel. Paying off the mortgage early will help McNeil sink more of his money into restoration efforts.
Awards were given to Dale and Kristi-Anne Butel, Richard and Robyn Hattrill, and John Mascali — all of Australia — and Akio Takeuchi of Japan for traveling the longest distance to attend the festival.
Lanelle Berry and Dean Walker also won awards for the Best-Dressed Cowgirl and Best-Dressed Cowboy at the western-themed banquet.
“Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis gave the annual “State of the Road” address. He provided a lot of stories about people on Route 66 in the Lone Star State, and urged attendees to make and capture new memories. A video of Wallis’ entire speech will be made available in a future post on Route 66 News.
The Red River Steakhouse, a popular restaurant along Route 66 in McLean, Texas, catered the barbecue-themed meal for the banquet.
The barbershop harmonies of the Amarillo-based Golden Spread Chorus — of which Lile is a member — provided musical entertainment before and after the awards. Here’s a song the group performed:
Admiral Twin Drive-In breaks ground for new screens June 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Theaters.add a comment
The historic Admiral Twin Drive-In theater in Tulsa broke ground Saturday morning to build a new pair of screens, reported the Tulsa World.
The iconic double-screen structure, which was seen in the 1983 film version of “The Outsiders,” was destroyed by a fire last September.
Here’s a clip from “The Outsiders”:
About 100 people attended the ceremony Saturday. Owner Blake Smith said he hoped to reopen the drive-in theater in mid-August.
About $33,000 in donations were given to the Admiral Twin’s rebuilding, before Smith secured a loan a few months ago to rebuild the double screen and renovate other facilities.
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.
UPDATE: Here’s a report about the ceremony from KOTV. What’s cool is that many people who attended brought their own shovels for the groundbreaking.
Notes from the Route 66 festival June 10, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Books, Events, Motels, Movies, People, Preservation, Publications, Web sites.6 comments
A lot is going on this weekend at the International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo. But Friday, most of the newsworthy stuff Friday could be found at the artists and authors exposition, housed in the San Jacinto Christian Academy cafeteria.
The inside of the cafeteria provides a good indication why it was used. Check out all the road signs:
Photographer Shannon Richardson was selling his new book, “Route 66 American Icon.” He’d received his very first copies just the day before. We’ll have a review about this volume in the coming days.
Carolyn Hasenfratz showed the QR codes (explanation can be found here) on flyers that will help promote her new website, Sell66Stuff.com. Her site has been live for several weeks, but she’s planning a full rollout soon.
I also saw QR codes being used on promotional materials used by 66 The Mother Road magazine.
Author Michael Wallis also attended the festival, promoting his new books about Davy Crockett and The Wild West. Here he is, chatting with Emily Priddy (aka Redforkhippie).
Also, he announced he would launch a Michael Wallis app for iPhones, iPod Touch, iPads and Androids for $3.99. The app will contain new stories, videos and photos posted weekly. The app is expected to arrive in the iTunes and Android stores within two weeks.
Wallis also is launching an online fan club at MichaelWallis.com for $9.99 a month, which also will contain original stories, photos and videos each week, along with a chance to win prizes and memorabilia monthly.
On a related note, Lynn Miller of the California Historic Route 66 Association said Wallis would be leading a Route 66 caravan from Chicago to Los Angeles in summer 2012 to commemorate the opening of the Cars Land amusement park in Disneyland Resort.
Organizers hope to schedule the 2012 International Route 66 festival, likely in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., during the same week Cars Land opens.
(The festival had originally been set in Santa Monica, but organizers found it difficult to secure affordable lodging.)
A firm date on the Cars Land opening hasn’t been announced, but it will probably be known within six weeks. Cars Land is inspired by the original 2006 Disney-Pixar movie “Cars” and the upcoming “Cars 2,” which opens June 24.
A collection jar for donations was set out by co-founder Rick Freeland of the Route 66 Alliance to help Harley and Annabelle Russell (aka the Mediocre Music Makers of Erick, Okla.) defray their medical expenses. Annabelle is undergoing an experimental treatment for ovarian cancer, and Freeland said she was progressing.
While roaming the exhibition hall, we spied artist Pete Morris at his booth, painting a watercolor of the Dolly’s Diner on Route 66 and Portraits by Tracy building across the street:
We also saw these cool-looking drinking glasses at the New Mexico booth:
Much of the festival area is along Amarillo’s Sixth Street corridor (aka Route 66), which contains a variety of antique stores, art shops, and restaurants in historic buildings. Here’s a couple of examples of old gas stations being converted into restaurants:
Traffic was fairly light Friday, but the crowds should increase dramatically when the city will close about 10 blocks of Sixth for a street fair.
Friday also turned into a scheduled work day at the Triangle Motel in Amarillo, where about a dozen volunteers dug out half-buried gutters and painted windows.
The Triangle Motel, after many years of neglect, is the subject of a long-term restoration project by owner Alan McNeil. Restoration should quicken in pace after a new roof was installed several weeks ago.
The day began with the annual Route 66 e-group breakfast, hosted by the Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo (which also serves as the official festival host hotel). Here, Mike Ward gives away dozens of door prizes:
And at the breakfast, longtime roadie George Game shows a poster from the very first national Route 66 gathering in 1996, which occurred in a tent in the near-ghost town of Landegrin, Texas.
Needless to say, the festival has come a long way since then.
Book about Wagon Wheel Motel published June 10, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Businesses, Gas stations, History, Motels, Preservation, Restaurants.add a comment
An illustrated book about the history of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo., has just been published.
Riva Echols, sister of the motel’s owner Connie Echols, wrote “The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66″ (102 pages, $15.99, paperback).
According to the news release about the book:
Riva became intrigued with the motel’s history and began interviewing, checking old records, and compiling the history of the motel that will soon reach its 75th birthday. With 102 pages of text and photos, both historical and current, Echols, follows the history of Route 66 development and the evolution of the motel through the decades. [...]
Conversations with waitresses and others associated with the motel provide some flavor and humor in the chronicle of the Wagon Wheel, as do the characters and personalities of the Wagon Wheel owners. [...]
Riva Echols chronicles the changes that her sister Connie has undertaken as the Wagon Wheel Motel steps into another decade with restoration and a new generation of travelers. Many before-and-after photos fill the pages of the last part of the book.
The release indicates the book was exhaustively researched. For instance, the motel’s first owners were Robert and Margaret Martin, and stonemason Leo Friesenhan designed its distinctive architecture. The book also delves into the motel’s long-running Wagon Wheel Cafe and nearby gas station building.
The book also is being sold at Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel.
Cars Land set for summer 2012 opening June 9, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Movies.add a comment
The Cars Land theme park — based on the Route 66 town of Radiator Springs from the 2006 Disney-Pixar film “Cars” — at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., will open in summer 2012, according to a report in the Orange County Register.
Cars Land is part of $1 billion, 12-acre expansion of Disney California Adventure. The newspaper said Cars Land previously had an unspecified opening date of 2012.
Cars Land is a re-creation of the fictional town of Radiator Springs from the 2006 Pixar animated film “Cars.” The land is scheduled to feature three rides, as well eateries and shops based on the movie’s theme of a town located along iconic Route 66. The highlight of the the land is the Radiator Springs Racers ride, which will take up roughly half the acreage of the new land.
The sequel to the film is scheduled for release on June 24.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video about Cars Land:
Aztec Motel being torn down June 8, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Signs.5 comments
The historic Aztec Motel along Central Avenue (aka Route 66) in Albuquerque is being torn down, although its restored neon sign will remain indefinitely, said the property’s co-owner.
The tear-down started just a few days ago, judging by posts on the Duke City Fix, a collective blog based in Albuquerque. One of the blog’s contributors also reported the motel being “yellow-tagged” by the city on April 1 as unsafe for occupation.
The motel, originally called Aztec Auto Court, was built in 1933, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. In 2003, the motel earned a cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore its neon sign. The Aztec also was listed as a registered historic place by the City of Albuquerque, but that designation gave it little protection.
Matthew Terry, co-owner of Nob Hill Development Corp., which owned the Aztec, said during a phone interview that the motel had “outlived its useful life” and was so dilapidated that no good alternative use could be found for it. He said the motel had been closed to guests for months, and vagrants were breaking into the rooms.
Terry said he and his partner are “exploring all options” for the property. He said the restored neon sign would remain for the time being, and likely would be adapted for re-use in any redevelopment project.
Longtime Aztec Motel residents started decorating the motel with plastic flowers, paintings, and other items during the 1990s, making the building a sort of an Albuquerque art landmark and one of the most photographed on the Web. Terry said some items were saved from the motel, but that souvenir-hunters stripped much of the building in the days before the razing.
It should be noted that Terry’s group has been dedicated in preserving other historic Route 66 properties in Albuquerque. It re-adapted the Nob Hill Motel into an office complex and is remodeling the Premiere Motel into extended-stay lodging, despite a setback from a fire.
UPDATE 6/10/2011: This report by KRQE-TV indicates how grim the motel’s condition was:
The Aztec’s owner, Jerry Landgraf, said it would have cost $1 million to restore it to its glory.
“Everything just kept falling apart to the point where we were spending more trying to maintain it than we were getting any kind of income out of it,” said Landgraf.
Soon after he bought the building five years ago, Landgraf realized it couldn’t be saved.
“There were floor joists sitting on sewer pipes underneath the foundation to the extent there was a foundation,” he said.
6/16/2011 UPDATE: Here’s a sort of obituary today from Albuquerque Journal columnist Leslie Linthicum.
(Photo courtesy of Rick Martin)
A road trip by the seat of their pants June 8, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Movies, Road trips.1 comment so far
I’ll let the description of this in-production film speak for itself:
Three strapping lads from Cleveland make it their quest to venture out into the barren wilderness along the Historic Route 66 armed with food, water, a 1979 Duster and a thirty dollar BB gun. To donate to the cause, contact the guys at route66orbust@gmail.com. God speed, gents.
The film is being produced by Ace of Spades Productions, based in Cleveland. The tentative title of the film is “South by Southwest.”
Their trip starts July 2, and the crew will return later that month. Luke Szabados said in an email:
Although we are trying to stay as true to 66 as we can, we will venture off to hit 4 corners and a Native American reservation on the way up. [...] The angle of the documentary itself will try to hit home with the question: what happened to roadside America? While we do not want to exploit the trip with cameras and everything, we want to find that happy medium where we can really enjoy the trip and do some interviews and find out more.
I sure hope they have AAA.