First Pontiac race car will be displayed at Pontiac museum October 21, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Museums, Preservation, Vehicles.add a comment
The Pontiac-Oakland Museum & Resource Center, open only for a few months in Pontiac, Ill., soon will have the first-ever Pontiac race car on display at the museum.
According to a news release today from Pontiac Tourism:
The car is the earliest known Pontiac race car, successfully competing for the first time in August 1926, Pontiac’s introduction year. This one-of-a-kind Pontiac will be delivered to the museum by the owners, Arnold & Lois Landvoigt, of Savage, Maryland on Monday, October 24, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to see and hear the car run should come to the museum at that time. The Landvoigts are leaving the car to be displayed at the museum for nearly a year.
On August 14, 1926, at the Sherrill Hill Climb, Sherrill, New York the Pontiac hill climb racer first saw competition. It finished first in class, the earliest known competition in an organized event by any Pontiac. The Landvoigts have done extensive research documenting the history of the car, followed by a complete and detailed restoration. In 2010, the car received its Grand National Senior Award from the Antique Automobile Association of America. The restoration attempted to conserve the somewhat rough fit and finish as the car was raced, based upon original photographs and “as found” condition. A conscious effort was made not to refinish the machine to a level at which it never existed.
Museum Director Tim Dye said: “This is exactly the caliper of car we strive to have on display here at the museum. It is a unique and rare glimpse into Pontiac’s early history, enhancing the experience visitors have at the museum. I want to thank the Landvoigts for their generosity in giving up the car so it can be on display here.”
Apparently the car still runs. I’m wondering whether the owners will let a briefly get his or her kicks by driving it on Route 66 in town before it goes on display for the next 12 months or so.
(Photos courtesy of Pontiac Tourism)
A tribute to a historic bridge, from Poland October 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Bridges.add a comment
Artur Pranga, a graphic designer based in Poland, is running a visualization studio named Imitime, used by architects and designers who want to show how a proposal is going to look long before construction begins.
Pranga said he recently was researching historic bridges. He explained in an email what happened next:
When my eyes came across the Rainbow Bridge located on historic Route 66 near Baxter Springs in Kansas I was really stunned with the beauty of the design. My impression was so great that I decided to dedicate my time and efforts into giving some light to the history of that bridge. [...]
I’ve also rendered an illustration showing what the bridge could look like right after its construction.
Here it is:
As you can see, the automobile reflects the period when the Marsh Rainbow Bridge was built in 1923.
Pranga sent the illustration “as a reward for all that useful information you have placed on your website.”
A collection from the road October 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Photographs.add a comment
Here’s a Route 66-themed slide show of black-and-white images by Mike Severson, whose Flickr account contains plenty of other goodies.
Not all of the photos are from the Mother Road, but the vibe certainly comes from there.
The version of “Route 66″ is by Nat King Cole, who made Bobby Troup’s song famous.
A word from our sponsor … October 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Gas stations.add a comment
Cool Springs Camp, on old Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, Ariz., is the setting for this Union Wireless commercial:
The premise is a good idea for a cell-phone company … although even the best carriers have dead spots along Route 66 in New Mexico, Arizona, far western Oklahoma and in the east Missouri Ozarks.
A possible solution to a unique problem October 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Signs, Towns.4 comments
The city of Miami, Okla., observed an unusual problem regarding Route 66 tourism. Instead of complaining, officials took the initiative and tried to do something about it.
I’ll let the news release from the city (via KOAM-TV) explain:
Route 66 attracts tourists from all over the world. International travelers consider Route 66 to be Classic America. Music celebrities like Paul McCartney and Robert Plant are recent travelers. The problem has been that in the past when traveling the Miami Route 66 section of highway, visitors get the wrong impression that there are no hotels in Miami since our hotel district is located adjacent to I-44 on Steve Owen Boulevard. Most travelers continue on to other Route 66 communities that have hotels located alongside the Route.
So Miami has placed directional signs on lampposts, showing where the city’s “Hotel District” is.
The placement of the signs is meant to correct this misconception and encourage our Route 66 travelers to stay a while in Miami and experience our unique brand of Oklahoma Route 66 culture. Miami has outstanding hotels, restaurants, and attractions like the Coleman Theatre, Motorcycle Museum, original Ribbon Highway, Dobson Museum, and Native American entertainment and gaming.
Even many small towns along Route 66 boast at least one motel along that Mother Road. But Miami, despite a wealth of attractions and an estimated population of 13,000, doesn’t have a single lodging establishment along 66. What’s more curious about the dearth of motels is that a major highway — U.S. 69 — piggybacks on old Route 66 through town.
Instead, the motels are clustered a mile to the east, along Oklahoma Highway 10 and Interstate 44. That’s where that new sign is pointing.
That’s not to say Miami never had motels on 66. Looking over Joe Sonderman’s 66 Postcards site, Miami once boasted Court Mar-Kay, Sooner State Motor Court, Elms Motel, Cherokee Motel, Hotel Miami, and Frontier Motel along the Mother Road. All of them have been wiped out or repurposed. It’s a little sad, really.
As for the other lodging establishments to the east, the Townsman Motel once was a Mid-Century architectural gem. However, flooding from the nearby Neosho River severely damaged the building a few years ago. The motel was rebuilt and renamed, and it bears no resemblance to its old self. The rest of the motels are chains.
Miami’s new sign may keep a few Route 66 travelers overnight. But the allure of motels actually along the historic highway in Vinita or Afton will probably be too strong. On the other hand, it wouldn’t surprise me if a savvy entrepreneur builds a small, retro-styled motel on 66 in Miami someday.
The resiliency of the Eagles October 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Sports, Television, Towns.1 comment so far
If you have 20 minutes to spare, I urge you to watch a recent ESPN episode of “Outside the Lines.” It deals with Joplin High School’s football team in the weeks after the tornado that ravaged one-third of the town.
Here’s a trailer for the episode:
If you aren’t moved by the final two minutes of this show, you probably need to have your heart checked.
I suspect “Outside the Lines: Joplin” will earn an Emmy nomination or two in the coming months.
You can watch the full episode here.
Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe earns historic designation October 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Restaurants, Television.add a comment
Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe, which has served travelers on Route 66 in Victorville, Calif., since 1947, has been named as a historic point of interest by a history-based fraternal organization, reported the Victorville Daily Press.
E Clampus Vitus, aka The Clampers, a fraternity dedicated to preserving Western heritage, chose the Holland Burger Cafe for the honor and dedicated a plaque on Sunday.
The newspaper provided some background on the restaurant:
In 1979, Emma Jean Gentry, who was a waitress, took over the cafe and turned it into a family business. Brian Gentry was only 13 years old at the time.
When she passed away in 1996, her husband, Richard, continued to run the cafe with his son and his son’s wife, Shawna.
More than six decades later, Brian Gentry is still serving food the same way. Cooks make homemade food and provide a home-style atmosphere for customers, he said.
One of its most popular dishes is the Brian Burger, which is a handpessed patty that includes mild green chili and Swiss-American cheese on Parmesan toast.
The restaurant has been shown in several movies, and was featured on The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” program. Here’s the DDD segment:
Pontiac bed-and-breakfast wins prestigious honor October 17, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Web sites.add a comment
Three Roses Bed & Breakfast in Pontiac, Ill., was given the coveted Guest Favorite Award for a second straight year from the BnB Finder online directory.
The Guest Favorite honor is based on guest preferences and independent reviews posted to the site. According to BnB Finder’s news release:
“Guests at the Three Roses Bed & Breakfast gave it high marks for cleanliness and the option to choose your own breakfast from a menu provided by innkeeper Sharon [Hansen],” according to Mary White, founder of BnBFinder and author of the book, Running a Bed & Breakfast For Dummies.
“I am thrilled to win this award again,” said Sharon. “I work very hard to make people feel comfortable, and awards like this tell me I really am doing a pretty good job. The many compliments from my guests are the best rewards I earn from running a B&B.”
Three Roses is the only bed-and-breakfast in a Route 66 town to receive the honor. Indeed, just a handful of establishments were honored in each state. Arizona, in fact, didn’t have any such lodging business make the list.
(Photo courtesy of BnB Finder)
A short history of Soulsby Station October 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, History, Preservation.add a comment
Here’s a video about Soulsby Service Station, which has sit on a corner of old Route 66 in Mount Olive, Ill., since 1926.
According to the description of the video, it was for a class project. It turned out pretty well.
Help Avilla save its post office October 16, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Route 66 Associations, Towns.1 comment so far
A few weeks ago, longtime roadie Tonya Pike and her father Tommy Pike, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, attended a public hearing about the possible closure of the post office in Avilla, Mo.
This weekend, she has issued a report … and a plea:
As many of you are aware, the United States Postal Service is in financial trouble. They are presently targeting postal facilities all over the USA for closure.
A couple of weeks ago, a meeting was held at Avilla, Missouri, to discuss the closing of their post office. For any one who has traveled Route 66, the post office at Avilla is one of the most visible on Route 66 in Missouri. It is in a red brick building, highly visible and roughly a half-block north/east of 66, just west of Bernie’s Bar & Café at Avilla, which fronts out on Route 66, aka Highway 96, in Avilla. The building itself is was originally a bank, built in 1915. It was leased to the USPS in 1952 and has served as the Avilla Post Office ever since.
The owner of the post office building, Nancy Young, has asked for assistance from the Route 66 roadies and the Route 66 Association of Missouri to stop the closure of the Avilla Post Office. Hence, my father and I journeyed to Avilla to sit in on this particular post office closing meeting. The meeting was held at a church in Avilla and was attended by over half of the Avilla’s population of 125.
The first half of the meeting was presided over by a representative of the USPS, whose name I unfortunately did not get. It was basically a question and answer period. Numerous objections were raised. The main ones included:
1) Home delivery precludes assistance with many post office services, particularly if you are unable or unwilling to do USPS business online.
2) Due to a lack of other businesses in Avilla, it is very unlikely that a “village post office” can be set up in another business in Avilla, meaning anyone who has to go in to a post office to conduct business will have to travel to Reeds or Carthage, Missouri to do so. Not everyone present at the meeting felt that they could travel to one of those places during the hours the post offices in those locations were open to conduct their postal business. It was also pointed out that only a very small number of the services currently performed at a regular post office can be done at a “village post office” even if one could be set up.
3) If the post office is closed, the people of Avilla will have to sit home all day and wait on their postman in order to complete most postal services from home, such as purchasing money orders or signing & receiving certified mail.
4) Loss of the post office will be a major blow to the economy of Avilla, as there are only 4 businesses left in the town proper itself and that is including the post office.
5) This post office is frequently a stop for foreign visitors traveling Route 66. And note here, this was initially voiced by Avilla residents, not my father or myself, although we did voice remarks supporting this claim. The day of the meeting alone, the Avilla Post Office had customers from Germany and Russia who were Route 66 travelers, mailing postcards back home.
The last reason gave the USPS representative a bit of discomfort. She honestly did not know how to respond to the statement that closing the Avilla Post Office will deprive foreign visitors of a very special Americana experience.
After the USPS representative finished her question and answer period with the citizens of Avilla and left to go to another post office closing meeting, Steven Vanderhoof, president of the retiree’s Missouri Chapter of the National Postmasters of the United States, addressed the group. He quickly explained that this proposed closure of post offices across the USA is essentially a tactic to get citizens riled up so that the USPS can ask Congress to allow them to cut postal service back to 5 days a week. And, along the way, if the USPS can close any post offices in areas where there are not citizens who care about their post office, so much the better. He also pointed out that if the USPS were to close 10,000 of the 36,000 US post offices, it would save the USPS less than 1% of it’s yearly budget!
Mr. Vanderhoof went on to say, that in all the communities where he’d attended meetings about closing post offices, the meeting at Avilla was the first time he’d heard Route 66 travelers given as a reason that a post office should NOT be closed. He stated that this was a unique qualification that needed to be capitalized on. He also told the group that in communities where the citizenship protested the closing of their post office, for the most part, the post offices were being left open. And this is why I am posting about this. The City of Avilla and the Avilla Post Office need our help.
With that, Pike asks that Route 66 fans write five letters by Nov. 13, requesting that the Avilla post office be kept open.
Very important, the first letter needs to be addressed to:
Postmaster
205 Greenfield St.
Avilla, MO 64833This letter is the most critical and needs to be done as soon as possible, as it will be submitted in a package on Nov. 17 up thru postal service channels by the Avilla Postmaster. If you can’t write all five letters, if you can at least write this one, that would be a huge help. Please state very clearly that you are opposed to the closing of the Avilla Post Office because of its negative impact on not only the citizenship and economy of Avilla, but because it denies both domestic and foreign visitors traveling Route 66 a chance to experience America by posting mail from a historic building in sight of a Missouri state scenic by-way, which is Route 66.
If you can write only one letter, please, please, please, make it out to the Postmaster at Avilla. These letters are the only letters that the USPS will consider in making their final decision about closing the Avilla, Missouri Post Office, and they must be submitted by the Avilla Postmaster for the USPS to consider them.
Then, please send four additional letters of protest to the legislators over the Avilla area. These letters should express our displeasure that A) a post office would be removed from both such a small community where it’s economic impact will be great and where there are not facilities for other alternatives, such as a village post office, B) that a business will be removed from Route 66 that may deny travelers an American experience, and C) closing post offices isn‘t going to provide the necessary financial assistance that our postal service needs anyway. The addresses for these letters are as follows:
The Honorable Claire McCaskill
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510The Honorable Roy Blunt
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510The Honorable Billy Long
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515The Honorable Jay Nixon
Governor’s Office
201 W. Capitol Ave.
Jefferson City, MO 65101The purpose of sending these additional four letters is to let them know that people are not in favor of closing the post office in hopes that they will vote in the future in such a way that allows most of our post offices to stay open.
If you have any additional questions, you can email Tonya at tjp_666(at)yahoo(dot)com .