Bloomington gas station marks 70th year October 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, People.add a comment
There aren’t too many of gas stations this old anymore.
According to an article today in the Bloomington Pantagraph, Quinn’s Shell is marking its 70th year of business today at Main and Chestnut streets (map here) in Bloomington, Ill. And, yes, it’s on Route 66.
Though it may look like any other Shell station, it boasts old-time attributes. First, it’s one of the few full-service stations still around. And second …
There aren’t a whole lot of places where a dog can just hang out while his owner fills the gas tank, but Quinn’s Shell in Bloomington is definitely one of them.
Take Coco, a chocolate lab who wandered in for a few treats Friday while owner Dan Riccolo of Bloomington filled up. It has become a regular habit for man and man’s best friend.
“When we’re driving here, when we start getting close, he notices the place, and perks up and gets all excited,” said Riccolo. “This is Coco’s favorite place.”
It just speaks to the informal, throwback atmosphere of Quinn’s, which today celebrates 70 years as a neighborhood service station on the corner of Main and Chestnut streets. Elmo Quinn has owned the business since 1978, and has worked there since his high school years in the 1950s.
Quinn, incidentally, is the fellow who pumps your gas, washes the windshield, and checks your car’s fluids. He’s 71 years old, and he remains the station’s only full-time worker.
And, according to one Yelp review, Quinn’s still sells ethanol-free gasoline.
Coffee shop opens in old St. Clair bus stop October 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.add a comment
Maxine Scheske, 77, has opened The Old Bus Stop Coffee Shop along old Route 66 in what was an old bus depot in St. Clair, Mo., according to The Missourian of Washington, Mo.
The coffee shop, which doubles as an art gallery for works by locals, is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Scheske said she opened the vacant space because she wanted a place were residents could “just relax and hang out.”
As far as the building, Scheske said it was constructed in 1940 “and has quite a history of various usages.”
She believes the building originally was constructed to house a car dealership and adjoining garage, and it later became the St. Clair bus depot along the old historic Route 66, which now is Commercial Avenue through parts of the city.
The building was purchased and turned into an auto parts store, and it remained that until about 1989. It then became Moe’s Pizza. It later was a Mexican restaurant and other cafes, Scheske said.
The Old Bus Stop Coffee Shop is at 545 N. Commercial Ave. (map here).
Artist takes inspiration from Arizona 66 October 15, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Events, Photographs, Signs.1 comment so far
Angela Carlsen, an artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, used a trip on Arizona’s Route 66 to help end her artist’s block.
The result of that journey is her latest art show, “Arizona Neon,” at Argyle Fine Art in Halifax, starting tonight. The exhibit runs through Oct. 30.
According to The Chronicle-Herald of Halifax:
“I love the desert,” says the Halifax photographer, “and the romanticism of the old road trip where you’re eating at family-run diners and staying at family-run motels.” [...]
When she looked at all her Arizona photographs back home what jumped out at her were the large, period, neon signs advertising motels, restaurants and trading posts.
She stayed at some of the roadside hotels, including the Western Hills, with a sign featuring a covered horse-drawn wagon. “Oh my God, well let me tell you. I pulled in at dark, because I’d drive until it got dark, and the lobby probably hasn’t been changed since 1960-something and it was messy and a 15-year-old kid signed me in. It was $35 a night. And it was great.
“Route 66 runs along train tracks. So everywhere I stayed I’d hear the trains at night, so it was such a romantic experience.”
She thinks the signs are “one-of-a-kind pieces of art.” Because there was so much traffic on Route 66 “and there were so many businesses on the old route, they needed to have signs that stood out.”
For the “Arizona Neon” artwork, Carlsen applied digital images to 3-by-3-foot wood panels, making the work look like old-time Polaroid images.
Each image is a blaring, wacky sign on a full-colour background in blue or pink or orange. Beneath the signs are meticulous, faint, pencil drawings of the Grand Canyon, or a teepee in front of a line of rail cars. These images are taken from her scenic Arizona photographs and are not directly connected to the signs.
A sample of Carlsen’s work can be seen here. Images include signs from the Supai Motel and Copper Cart restaurant in Seligman, Pow Wow Trading Post and Butterfield Steakhouse in Holbrook, and the Western Hills Motel in Flagstaff.
Next year, Carlsen wants to buy a camper van and explore New Mexico.
Route 66 makes a financial impact on Illinois towns October 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Museums, People, Preservation, Road trips, Towns.1 comment so far
The Chicago Tribune tonight has posted a remarkable article about how Route 66 has financially impacted the towns along it. (The story’s print edition will be on newsstands Saturday.)
The report contains eye-popping data:
While many small towns across the country are struggling to keep their downtowns afloat, Pontiac and a string of other Illinois communities scattered along the famed Route 66 are enjoying newfound popularity as foreign tourists roll in by rental car, motorcycle and bus.
The visitors come from Armenia and Ukraine with cameras around their necks, road maps in hand and money in their pockets. They tell locals they heard about the highway on international travel programs and read about it in guide books. Some catch an all-night flight to Chicago, skipping the downtown attractions to head out on the “Mother Road.” [...]
And the homegrown tourism efforts are getting results. Shops in downtown Pontiac, for example, report an 8 percent increase in business over last year. The number of visitors has grown from 6,900 in 2008 to more than 15,000 so far this year, with representation from 84 countries, according to tourism officials.
The story goes on to describe how towns have renovated historic properties or added new Route 66-related attractions to help draw those tourist dollars. Longtime preservationist John Weiss earns a prominent mention.
And sometimes simple hospitality is worth more than gold:
When a tour group books an overnight stay, Pontiac — population 12,000 — offers a personal greeting from the mayor, a free tour on the “Jolly Trolley” and a complimentary performance of a Route 66 musical by a local acting troupe. Retired foreign language teachers from the high school greet foreign visitors in their native tongues.
The Tribune also created this video to accompany the story.
The year in review from one corner of the road October 14, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Uncategorized.add a comment
Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Ariz., has posted a “2011 in Review” video.
I asked owner Frank Kocevar whether he was doing this early, since 2011 still has about 10 weeks left. But he said their tourism season ends in late October.
“I saw all of the Christmas decorations in the stores. Isn’t it close enough?” he added. He has a point.
The version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ is performed by The Road Crew.
Italian bands touring Route 66 on Jack Daniel’s dime October 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Music, Road trips.1 comment so far
Several rock’n'roll bands from Italy are touring Route 66 in the next few weeks as a part of Italy’s version of Jack on Tour, sponsored by Jack Daniel’s whiskey.
Jack on Tour is a sort of reality series where bands compete against each other, with a camera crew in tow.
The Jack on Tour site has this description of the Mother Road tour, deciphered from Italian by Google Translate:
A famous band, an emerging band, an initiatory journey along the legendary Route 66. And then the real music, live and only Jack knows that only offer.
Become involved in a tour in the States along with the Afters! Jack Daniel’s on the streets of America brings you the most authentic, in a tour on the road, stage by stage, story after story.
From today you can apply with your band to become one of the 16 groups that will compete in 4 gigs in most of Italy Rock: Who passes the selections fly in the States and participates in the program of Afterhours Deejay TV!
I’m not sure what the “famous” rock act is. Of course, in Italy, that is all relative.
Details of the tour seem sketchy. This Italian publication, Jay Mag, provided these details (again, via Google Translate):
Jack On The 2011 Tour will go to the discovery of America, on the famous Route 66, which has become a classic of modern music. A journey through the music to know the places of Jack. Music as a subtext, as a method of interpreting the world the U.S. to cross the road and discover the many places where many soundtracks are born everyday around the world. Among the stages of this long journey: Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff and Los Angeles.
I also have been informed by Kevin and Nancy Mueller, owners of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., that their business and the nearby Motel Safari are booked up with these bands and crew later this month.
Several other Jack on Tour Italy videos have been posted, and it seems likely that new clips will be uploaded from the Mother Road eventually.
Getting closer to 3,000,000 miles October 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Road trips, Vehicles.add a comment
Irv Gordon has just passed driving 2.9 million miles on his 1966 Volvo P1800, and aims to hit the 3 million mark within the next two years, reported European Car magazine.
Gordon, of East Patchogue, N.Y., already is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most miles by one owner on a noncommercial vehicle. And the P1800 just marked its 50th anniversary.
To put 2.9 million miles in proper perspective, Gordon could have driven his P1800 to the moon and back (560,000 miles) more than five times.
Gordon’s journey with the P1800 started back in June 1966 when he purchased it new from his local dealer. Within the first 48 hours he logged more than 1,500 miles behind the wheel. With his daily commute, a 125-mile round trip in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Long Island Expressway—which Gordon refers to as the world’s longest parking lot— it didn’t take long before he had covered a half million miles, a feat that took just 10 years. At a time when most cars are rotting away in junkyards, Gordon’s P1800 had completed just one sixth of its incredible journey into automotive history books. [...]
He credits his car’s longevity to a strict but sensible maintenance program. He changes the oil every 3,000-3,500 miles using Castrol oil and Volvo oil filters, he changes the transmission fluid every 25,000 miles, and he replaces the points (remember points?) every 20,000-25,000 miles along with the spark plugs. Because of his fanatical attention to maintenance, Gordon was once the centerpiece of an advertising campaign for Genuine Volvo Parts.
In case you’re wondering, Gordon has driven the Mother Road several times.
While he concedes there are times to take the interstates that have replaced the old road, he prefers the preserved sections of Route 66 when he has the time. Being retired means he doesn’t have to rush, and over the years he’s seen the Mother Road change, many of its old landmarks disappearing.
Here are clips of Irv and his car after 1 million miles and 2 million miles:
Free business advice October 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, People, Preservation.1 comment so far
BusinessesForSale.com, based in the United Kingdom, posts interviews with entrepreneurs.
This one is an interview with Kumar Patel, owner of the Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Rialto, Calif.
If I were any business owner, I’d listen more closely to Patel. He and his family turned a laughingstock into one of the best-restored and best-run lodging establishments on Route 66.
Holbrook will add Route 66 twist to old festival October 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Towns.add a comment
The city of Holbrook, Ariz., wants to add Route 66 elements to the 30th edition of its Old West Days, according to a report in The Tribune-News.
The festival, set during the July 4 holiday, is being renamed Wild West Days.
[...] Teri Walker of The Tribune-News unveiled a new marketing plan for the event that will promote Holbrook not only as a destination, but will allow the community to display its distinctive, eclectic style.
“This will bring Route 66 into the identity and allow us to carry forward all of the elements of our colorful Old West heritage,” stated Walker. “Replacing ‘old’ with ‘wild’ promises more energy and action, and appeals to a broader age range.” [...]
The concept will continue to embrace Holbrook’s Old West past, but will add elements of the Route 66 era as well. [...]
She explained how Wild West Days would build on the tradition of the untamed, adventurous, pioneering spirit of the Wild West and convey the evolution from those unruly, wild days to the American cool of Route 66.
The committee agreed to the change with the belief that each year the event could grow to include a broader venue and more elements, such as courthouse tours, a scavenger hunt, Western art displays, and heavily themed kids’ activities and vendors. New activities will meld with the existing elements of the western re-enactors, classic car show, races, rodeo and the expansion of the barbecue competition.
The report indicates that part of the impetus for the change was the barbecue competition at last year’s festival, which was a big success. Walker said 40 barbecue teams have committed to the 2011 festival, more than double from the previous year.
Molly’s Landing saves part of old Route 66 bridge October 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Preservation, Restaurants.3 comments
A portion of the Bird Creek Bridge, dismantled to make way for a new bridge, has been preserved by the nearby Molly’s Landing restaurant in Catoosa, Okla., reported Channel 6 in Tulsa.
The owners of Molly’s Landing contracted with Manhattan Road and Bridge, along with Oklahoma Department of Transportation, to have the section of the old bridge moved to their property.
It’s now part of the landscaping at their restaurant which is just off the Verdigris River.
It’s more than just landscaping. Two sections of the 1936 bridge that once carried westbound Route 66 now comprise the main entrance to the restaurant.
Here are photos today of the relocated portions of the bridge at Molly’s:
Procuring part of the doomed bridge happened “very quickly” over a two-month period, said Molly’s Landing general manager Russ White in a telephone interview.
He said the initial idea to put parts of the bridge on the restaurant’s entrance came from Linda Powell, original owner of the restaurant. White said he had to work with several agencies, among them the City of Catoosa and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, to make the plan work. Even so, it wasn’t known whether the plan would come to fruition until several weeks ago.
You also can see several photos of the bridge sections being moved at the Facebook page of the restaurant.
“Now we have several people day driving through the entrance just to snap pictures,” White said. “We’re seeing a lot of people slowing down, coming through at 2 miles per hour just to look at it. I’m seeing a lot of smiles.”
The biggest bridge section can be easily seen from nearby Oklahoma Highway 66, especially from the westbound direction.
White said the bridge-entranceway project isn’t finished. Other work needs to be done, including repainting of the old sections.
White wouldn’t reveal the cost to the restaurant to relocate portions of the bridge, but acknowledged it was in the “five-digit” range.
Another portion of the old Bird Creek Bridge will be relocated to a city park that’s adjacent to the old bridge site.
It’s a shame the Bird Creek Bridge essentially died from a lack of maintenance. But I am gloriously happy to see its part of its remnants used in such a memorable and creative way.