Local artist painting mural on McDonald’s Museum May 15, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Museums, Restaurants, Towns.add a comment
Cartoonist Phil Yeh is painting an elaborate mural on the McDonald’s Museum in San Bernardino, Calif., reported the San Bernardino County Sun.
Yeh, who created a comic book about Route 66 several years ago, started the mural last year but was slowed by a stroke. Due to partial paralysis, he painted left-handed until he recovered enough to paint right-handed again.
The newspaper described the mural:
The museum’s 12-foot-by-100-foot south wall illustrates San Bernardino’s history, its landmarks and inspirational people of the city, including favorite sons and celebrities with ties to the city.
The Earp family; Gen. George Patton, who used San Bernardino’s California Hotel as his headquarters while he trained soldiers in the desert; Pinky Brier, the first woman flight instructor in America; author Ray Bradbury; Xerox inventor and San Bernardino High School grad Chester Carlson; Dorothy Ingraham, the first African-American teacher in San Bernardino County; Silver Star recipient Chase Ash; animatronics pioneer Garner Holt (with a dinosaur); the rockers who performed at the Swing Auditorium – Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. And of course, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, who made their first U.S. appearance in 1964 at the Swing.
The north side, which is the same size, depicts cities – focusing on those in San Bernardino County – that line Route 66. Motorcycles, train cars and trucks, some of them bearing the names of sponsors, line the route as it passes through familiar towns and cities on its way from the Santa Monica Pier, the Route 66 culmination.
Yeh also says he hopes to restore the original McDonald brothers’ offices on the back part of the museum into a gift shop with works by local artists.
The McDonald’s Museum, located on an old alignment of 66, is owned by Albert Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain in Southern California. Okura also owns the Route 66 town of Amboy, Calif. There, he is slowly restoring the Roy’s restaurant and motel.
New Mexico Route 66 Museum gets $5,000 donation May 8, 2013
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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.
Litchfield museum sets June 1 for grand opening May 7, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Museums.add a comment
The Litchfield History Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center in Litchfield, Ill., has set Saturday, June 1, for its grand opening, according to a news release from the museum board.
From the release:
Designed to reflect the Route 66 era, the new attraction is located at 334 Historic Old Route 66 South on the site of the former ‘Vic’ Suhling Gas For Less and near other iconic Route 66 restaurants and landmarks still in operation. [...]
Exhibits will focus on the important role that the railroads, Route 66, businesses, agriculture and the military have played in Litchfield’s history. The Museum features a large display area with items ranging from period automobiles to small tokens that represent historical significance to the area. Permanent artifacts as well as exhibits on temporary loan will be displayed in the viewing areas.
The museum also will be open seven days a week, the release said, although operating hours haven’t yet been posted.
Route 66 exhibit opens at Springfield, Mo., museum April 29, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Highways, History, Museums.2 comments
A new exhibit about a local history of Route 66 – “Woodruff’s Dream: The Mother Road Through Springfield” — opened over the weekend at the History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield, Mo.
It speaks a lot for the exhibit when Tonya Pike, a local who’s very well-versed about Route 66, said it made a favorable impression on her. She said in an email:
It was a very nice opening and honestly, I wasn’t the biggest supporter of this display. But even I was impressed with all the things they had on display and the thoroughness they’ve done showcasing the businesses along Route 66 in Springfield through the years. [...]
Two special treats — an entire room devoted to Campbell’s 66 Trucking and a special video done by Springfieldian Lou Whitney about eating at Red’s … and filmed entirely at Red’s. Somehow I think Red & Julia would be proud and honored it’s playing non-stop in the display area devoted to diners. They were very special people to me. And yes, lots of reprints from “Show Me 66″ and the Route 66 Magazine, and lots of references to Skip Curtis’ books.
There is also one photo of a painting of the Square, circa mid-50′s, The exhibit also features the paintings of Jerry Rice, a local artist who has done a series of of paintings of Springfield, all circa mid-50′s to early 60′s … and many featuring the cars of local car enthusiasts. My dad’s ’56 Fury is in the painting showing the Sky Ranch Drive Inn, which was at College and Kansas, on Route 66 and is in the Diners exhibit area.
Pike also emailed several photos from the exhibit, including the Rice painting and the Campbell display.
“Woodruff’s Dream” will remain on display through Aug. 31.
UPDATE 5/5/2013: The Springfield News-Leader today posted a long article about the exhibit and Springfield’s history with Route 66.
Dedication of Odell Station miniature April 13, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Gas stations, Museums.add a comment
“Roamin’ Rich” Dinkela produced this video of the recent dedication ceremony of Willem Bor’s newly created miniature replica of Odell Station. The miniature is housed at the Pontiac Oakland Museum in Pontiac, Ill.
Bor, a native of the Netherlands, has created several miniature replicas of Route 66 landmarks.
Springfield museum exhibit will focus on Route 66, its patriarch March 23, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Highways, History, Museums.add a comment
An exhibit dedicated to John Woodruff and the highway he helped guide to fruition, Route 66, will debut April 28 at History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield, Mo.
According to a news release from the museum:
The exhibit titled “Woodruff ’s Dream: The Mother Road through Springfield – The Route 66 Exhibit” will be on display at the History Museum on the Square. The exhibit tells the story of the early development and growth of Route 66 through Springfield. “Woodruff ’s Dream” explores both the impact of Route 66 on Springfield and the effect the “Queen City” had on the Mother Road. History Museum on the Square will show some never-before-seen items and photographs that will fill two floors with this exciting exhibit at 155 Park Central Square.
Sunday at the Museum, our preview exhibit opening and reception, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. April 28. “Woodruff ’s Dream’s” public opening is on Tuesday, April 30, and will remain open from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday through Aug. 31.
Along with “Father of Route 66″ Cyrus Avery, Woodruff promoted the idea of a national highway, eventually designated as U.S. 66, coming through the region. Woodruff, an attorney and businessman based in Springfield, was called the Godfather of Ozarks Highways.
The museum, which sits on an alignment of Route 66, is closed so it can prepare for the exhibit.
Bethany’s downtown may be poised for revival March 17, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Museums, Towns.1 comment so far
A recent story in The Oklahoman newspaper about a new business indicates the long-stagnant downtown of Bethany, Okla., may be poised for a revival.
The story focused onTreasure Chest on Route 66, an antique store in a century-old building that opened about a month ago. Owner Stacey Carter, who also owns the adjacent Cedarburg Square gift shop, told the newspaper she envisions the new store as “a Route 66 sightseer’s stop between Pops restaurant in Arcadia and historic El Reno.” Among its offerings are antique signs and Frankoma Pottery, the latter once produced on Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla.
What was interesting in the story were these sentences:
Stale, vacant downtown stores are making way for new shops, including a coffee house, art gallery, gift shops and Allenton Interiors design firm.
“This is hopefully soon going to be a destination for people going down Route 66,” Carter said.
I do hope Bethany’s downtown sees a resurgence. With its old buildings and unique angled parking, Bethany along the Route 66 corridor reminds me of a small-town business district, not a suburb of Oklahoma City.
I always thought downtown Bethany held potential as a destination for several hours of walking, dining, and shopping. Perhaps it’s turning a corner — the Bethany Downtown Merchants Association formed a Facebook page about two weeks ago. And there’s recent talk of eventually opening a Route 66 neon sign and billboard museum in Bethany as well.
(Image of downtown Bethany in 2007 by H.L.I.T., via Flickr)