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.
The “Cradle” will rock October 12, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Road trips.add a comment
A YouTube poster from the United Kingdom posted this Route 66 travel video to accompany the song “Cradle” by The Joy Formidable. Nice editing here.
Annabelle Russell marks 66th birthday today October 11, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, People.add a comment
Annabelle Russell, one-half of the Mediocre Music Makers based in the Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla., marked her 66th birthday today.
Usually birthdays are no big deal in Route 66 corners. However, because Annabelle and her husband Harley have been entertaining Route 66 tourists for more than a decade, her 66th year has a certain synchronicity to it.
Harley and Annabelle Russell on Oct. 5, 2011.
Also, beginning another year in life becomes more significant for Annabelle in the wake of her diagnosis of ovarian cancer in early 2011. She underwent four hours of surgery and was in intensive care for three days. After that, she underwent aggressive chemotherapy throughout the spring and summer.
The “hardcore” chemo, as she put it during a telephone interview, ended a few weeks ago. Although ovarian cancer is essentially incurable, Annabelle said recent blood work and others tests revealed the tumors have been reduced to a minimal size. Annabelle says her strength is gradually returning, and her hair is growing back.
“And Harley and I have been working on the guitars again, although I’m sitting down,” she said.
So her birthday today served more than turning a page on her personal calendar.
“It gives me a lot of think about, all the people we’ve met on Route 66 over the years,” she said.
Although the news is encouraging, the experience (“an absolute living nightmare,” as Harley put it) has been so draining that Harley and Annabelle have learned not to become too elated. And Annabelle still faces 13 months of “maintenance” chemotherapy every three weeks.
The Russells have lived in Oklahoma City at the house of Harley’s parents during the treatments. They remain hopeful they can return to Erick and resume their Mediocre Music Makers act for tour groups. But it will take months for Annabelle’s strength to return. They also acknowledge they’ll have to “revamp the act and downscale the insanity” to a more-management length.
Still, Harley says he’s grateful for all the support during Annabelle’s fight.
“I can’t say enough about the prayers we received from all over the planet,” he said.
Harley and Annabelle’s Facebook page can be found here.