Keeping it cool at the Route 66 Marathon November 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Sports.add a comment
Well, that didn’t take long. The Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa was held Sunday morning, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma had a video from it posted before evening:
Weather conditions at the marathon definitely were better for runners than spectators. Temperatures barely climbed into the 40s all day, with a brisk north wind.
According to results, Andy Derks of St. Louis won the 26.2-mile race for the second year in a row, this time in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 33 seconds.
Maggie Nelson of Tulsa was the top women’s finisher in 2:57:04. That was a course record for female competitors. Believe it or not, it was her first marathon, according to the Tulsa World.
The main marathon course included short stretches of Route 66 alignments on 11th Street, Second Street, and Southwest Boulevard.
The 2012 Route 66 Marathon will be Nov. 18.
“My Dad’s car” November 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Television, Vehicles.2 comments
I’ve been seeing a wonderful Chevrolet commercial in recent days, about two sons who tracked down their father’s 1965 Impala and bought it back for him.
Here’s the extended video of that moment:
Chevrolet.com posted some of the back story behind the video:
In the fall of 1964, Herb Younger bought a brand-new Chevy Impala SS with everything he had. It was the car of his dreams, and a car he wanted for his new family. He drove it with pride for many years, but in the late ’80s, when times were a little tough, he sold the car to pay for his kids’ private education. It was the right thing to do at the time, but he always regretted it.
You’re probably wondering how we were able to capture Herb’s true Chevy story on film. It was easier than you’d think. Conspiring with his two sons, Jared and Derek, we posed as a film crew to document three generations of an American family. Herb, being a good sport and a proud father and grandfather, played along. Little did he know, of course, that as he was catching his granddaughters coming down the slide, his long- lost Impala would come rumbling into view. The rest, as you’ve seen, is history.
A trip on western Arizona’s Route 66 November 20, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips.1 comment so far
Here’s a 10-minute film about the western portion of Route 66 in Arizona. It was shot by John Norman for jn14productions.com.
This is what Norman says about the video:
This is about a road trip on the longest existing section of this famous highway. This 140 mile stretch runs from Seligman,AZ to Topock, AZ passing through Kingman, and the old mining town of Oatman along the way. Having travelled the whole route and many sections several times, I wanted to capture the beauty and some of the old feel of this especially scenic part of the highway. I am amazed at the efforts of the shop-keepers along the way in trying to preserve this piece of American history. Their collections of signs, old cars, and antiques add so much to the experience. At these stops you can meet people from all over the world, travelling back in time to places that seem forgotten – unless you get off the main roads to see them.
Route 66 in three minutes November 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Road trips.1 comment so far
One person’s experiences on the Mother Road in October 2011, with brevity:
Music is from Asleep at the Wheel.
Old McLean depot features model train shop November 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
A few days ago, a listing in the Bloomington Pantagraph announced that the McLean Depot Train Shop had opened at 200 E. Dixie Road (aka Route 66) in the old railroad depot building in McLean, Ill.
If another old railroad depot on Route 66 had been converted to a business of selling model trains, I’m not aware of it.
According to the McLean Depot Train Shop’s website, the business marked its first anniversary on Nov. 15. But apparently the depot has seen a number of improvements since it reopened:
According to the site:
McLean Depot was built in 1853 as the Chicago & Mississippi railroad built north from Springfield to Bloomington. One of the oldest wood depots in Illinois, it has withstood the ravages of time and weather to now house a model trainshop. The former GM&O Alton Route depot overlooks old Route 66 across from the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, Illinois.
Renovations began in late summer 2010. The main site also is asking for old photos of the depot.
Hours at McLean Depot Train Shop are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The phone number is 309-244-5900.
Donations sought to finish throwback film November 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Gas stations, Movies.add a comment
Mark Ross is mostly done with making a retro-influenced short film, “Curse of the Phantom Shadow.” But he’s run short of cash, and has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $5,000 so he can finish the movie.
The film’s style is influenced by old-time radio dramas, Dick Tracy comics, movie serials, and pulp novels of the 1930s and ’40s.
Those elements alone might be of some interest to Route 66 aficionados. But one of the film’s main characters probably will cinch it. Ross explains:
We affectionately refer to her as Gas Pump Girl. (She runs a Gas Station on old Route 66.) [...] The film features a Republic movie serial style hero, and a pinup girl heroine, Gas Pump Girl. Gas Pump Girl drives a vintage 1940s tow truck. She is an ace mechanic, and is the only pinup girl alive who can drive a tow truck, fix an 8-cylinder, and chew gum at the same time.
Ross sent this photo of Gas Pump girl from the set:
Ross says the film was self-financed, but he ran out of money for upcoming shoots. According to the Kickstarter project:
We need to rent a vintage 1940s tow truck, a green screen stage, and bring our cast and crew to our final shooting location in Pahrump, Nevada. In addition to this we have post-production costs to consider.
We have 75% of our movie’s footage in the can. The last 25% is unfortunately the most expensive.
Ross has about two more weeks to raise the $5,000. As of Friday evening, he had raised $1,234. If you want to kick in a few bucks, go here.
A legend that’s actually true November 18, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Motels, Movies.1 comment so far
The historic Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., reputedly boasted film star Clark Gable as an overnight guest at least once during his periodic cross-country trips.
It seemed this sighting always came secondhand, and I always wondered whether such a thing really happened or whether it was urban legend.
But this recent article in the Carthage Press seems to affirm that Gable did stay at the Boots Motel at least once. It’s a story about Don and Maxine Myers and their 72nd wedding anniversary, which they observed Thursday.
As for Gable, this anecdote in the story seems to confirm that he indeed was in Carthage:
The couple have many happy memories in Carthage. One in particular for Maxine remains vivid in her mind.
“You’ve heard those stories about the Boots Motel,” she said. “Well the one where the lady ran across the street to see Clark Gable – I’m that Maxine.”
In 1947, Don and Maxine lived in an apartment across Garrison Avenue from the Boots Motel. Maxine said when she found out who he was, she rushed over to get an autograph with her daughter, Kathy, who was six at the time.
“No one knew he was in town,” Maxine said. “He was sweet, with that big smile. He gave Kathy a kiss – he didn’t give me one.”
Think of it — Maxine Myers is a living eyewitness to Clark Gable staying overnight at the Boots Motel.
Incidentally, this isn’t Gable’s only connection to Route 66. He and Carole Lombard reputedly honeymooned at the Oatman Hotel in the small Route 66 mining town of Oatman, Ariz., in 1939. However, this well-researched article disputes whether that ever happened.