New Illinois Route 66 Hall of Famers announced May 18, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Gas stations, Restaurants.add a comment
The Route 66 Association of Illinois will induct three new members to its Hall of Fame on June 8, during its annual Hall of Fame banquet in Lincoln, Ill., reported the Morris Daily Herald.
The newspaper said the association received 17 nominations for the annual induction. The Class of 2013 in the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame are:
- The Palms Grill Cafe, Atlanta, Ill. It opened in 1934 in downtown Atlanta, when Route 66 ran through the town’s center. After being closed for many years, local leaders renovated and reopened it in 2006. It has become a must-stop for many Route 66 travelers.
- George B. Cathcart of Edwardsville, who owned the long-gone Cathcart’s Cafe in town. He also opened a tourist court, hamburger stand, and grocery along Route 66 in Edwardsville.
- Wilbur Fawns Sr. Family of Williamsville and Sherman. The family owned several gas stations, dating to 1937, in those towns along Route 66.
The Hall of Fame banquet is held in conjunction with the Illinois Route 66 Motor Tour. Details about the banquet and motor tour can be found here.
The full list of Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame members since 1990 can be found here.
Road Crew records song for Joplin festival May 14, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music.2 comments
As it’s done for other Route 66-related gatherings, The Road Crew has recorded a new song for the upcoming International Route 66 Festival in Joplin, Mo.
It’s titled “Boppin’ in Joplin,” and, yes, it’s very Route 66-centric:
The Road Crew also will be performing during the festival. Here’s the promotional poster for its gigs.
You can download The Road Crew’s “Songs from the Mother Road” album here.
(Song and poster courtesy of Joe Loesch of the Road Crew)
Route 66 pedestrian tunnel will be converted into art space May 13, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Events, Restaurants.1 comment so far
A long-closed pedestrian tunnel under North Figueroa Street (aka Route 66) in Los Angeles will reopen Saturday night as an art gallery.
According to The Eastsider LA, the idea came from Antigua Cultural Coffee House owner Yancey Quinones, who enjoyed walking through the tunnel as a child. The tunnel, however, later was closed by the city because of gang activity.
The newspaper said:
“It’s going to be the community’s tunnel, safe, secure,” Quinones says pointing to newly installed LED lights and freshly painted walls of the tunnel at Figueroa and Loreto Street near Nightengale Middle School. [...]
“Like a snail, it’s going to take time, but eventually we’ll get there,” he says a few days before the tunnel gallery’s debut as part of NELA’s art walk on Saturday. The tunnel will remain open only for shows and exhibits. [...]
The tunnel will open on Saturday, May 11 at 6 p.m. with a show of work by local artist Jose Ramirez, whose band will also be playing in the tunnel. Quinones hopes to see the underground gallery used monthly.
Quinones has tried to reopen the tunnel since starting his coffeehouse in 2007. His persistence — along with a $9,000 grant — will make his quest a reality.
It’s hard to find anything new under the sun on Route 66. However, Quinones shows that even novel ideas can happen on the old Mother Road.
(Hat tip: Scott Piotrowski)
Park will feature replica of Red’s Giant Hamburg sign May 8, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Restaurants, Signs.add a comment
A Route 66-themed park in the middle of Springfield, Mo., will feature a replica of the Red’s Giant Hamburg restaurant sign, reported KSPR-TV in Springfield.
The Hy-Vee grocery chain is holding a fundraiser through May 12 for the sign project, including a car show on May 11.
Details about the park:
The City-owned West Meadows area (on College just east of Fort Avenue) will include a Route 66 roadside park, including a plaza, sculptures, a picnic area, a gateway and more.
One feature at the park would be a replica of the Red’s Giant Hamburg sign. Red’s, owned and operated by Sheldon “Red” Chaney and his wife Julia, was a roadside café on West Chestnut Expressway that is recognized for opening the world’s first drive-through window.
The café’s name was supposed to be Red’s Giant Hamburger, but Chaney measured the sign incorrectly and dropped the “er.” Red’s opened in 1947 and closed in 1984. The building was torn down in 1997.
One of the best ways to experience what Red’s was like is a music video, “Red’s,” by The Morells from the early 1980s.
An interview with one of the restaurant’s principals, Julia Chaney, also was placed online a few months ago.
UPDATE: Tonya Pike emailed a few photos from the Hy-Vee:
The store is located at 1720 W. Battlefield in Springfield.
UPDATE2: KY3 in Springfield posted a good report, including old vintage of Red Chaney and his restaurant.
New Mexico Route 66 Museum gets $5,000 donation May 8, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Museums.add a comment
The fledgling New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari received a $5,000 donation from the First National Bank of New Mexico, reported the Quay County Sun, based in Tucumcari.
That’s on top of the $3,000 from the Tucumcari Federal Savings and Loan Association and $5,000 from the McMullen Trust.
The museum inside the Tucumcari Convention Center is scheduled to open with regular hours sometime in June.
The newspaper said the museum will hold a soft opening during the concurrent Rockabilly on the Route and Wheels on 66 events in Tucumcari on June 7-9.
Cow Bop leading another music tour of Route 66 May 8, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Movies, Road trips.add a comment
The California western-swing and jazz band Cow Bop is leading its fourth musical tour of Route 66 in July, and other music acts are invited to participate in the fun.
The “Licks on Route 66 2013″ tour starts July 19 in Chicago and will continue until it reaches the Pacific Ocean around July 30.
Cow Bop leader Bruce Forman is calling the tour a “linear festival.” According to the website:
The event will consist of concerts, performances in night clubs, bars, restaurants, roadhouses and impromptu on-street shows, with convergences of artists who are traveling the road and who live along its route. Fed by media outlets, social media and word of mouth, the event will celebrate the ingenuity, vigor and irrepressible nature of independent artists, and honor the people who continue to keep the road a vibrant linear community. [...]
Other bands also join in, sharing a central social media site that all can post to via sharing. It will be up to each group to set their route, schedule, and mode of transport, and to find their own sponsors. This enable the event to grow in an organic fashion, will add an authenticity to each bands’ music and help energize the economy of the road. To support themselves, bands will book gigs, busk, sell CDs, set up virtual busking via the web. Bands will also build their fan base and get exposure to the other bands’ fan-bases through a shared social media site.
Forman also said the University of Southern California, where he is teaching, also is providing participants and assistance to the tour. So this should be quite a 2,200-mile party.
Kingman a front-runner for 2014 festival May 5, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Towns.1 comment so far
The western Arizona town of Kingman is considered a top candidate to play host to the 2014 International Route 66 Festival, according to the Kingman Daily Miner newspaper.
Local author and Route 66 enthusiast Jim Hinckley said in an interview that Kingman holds “front-runner” status in landing the event, which generally is hosted in a different Route 66 city each year.
And Route 66 Alliance co-founder Rick Freeland confirmed that Kingman is a strong candidate for the festival, which in 2013 will be in Joplin, Mo., in early August.
The newspaper said:
If Kingman does land the hosting gig, the event would be held in conjunction with the August 2014 edition of Chillin’ on Beale Street, said Hinckley.
The initial plan, he said, calls for a Saturday car show, an exhibition of artists and authors in the Southwest whose work focuses on Route 66, a barbecue at Hualapai Mountain Park and live music. [...]
Freeland confirmed Kingman is the front-runner, but an announcement won’t be made until Aug. 3, the final day of the Joplin festival.
“This will be great for Kingman,” said Freeland. “Every town or city that has hosted the event has seen a significant bump in the local economy. And this is a true international event. Route 66 truly does have a global following.”
It’s estimated the festival draws 5,000 to 10,000 people, although that number has been considerably higher, most notably in Springfield, Ill., about a decade ago.