Former co-owner of Riviera Roadhouse dies May 23, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Restaurants.add a comment
Margaret “Peggy” Kraft, longtime co-owner of the now-gone Riviera Roadhouse along Route 66 in Gardner, Ill., died Wednesday at age 89.
According to her obituary, Kraft died in Miller Healthcare Center in Kankakee, Ill.
Born in Valparaiso, Ind., she married Bob Kraft in 1971. Together, they owned the Riviera for 37 years until they retired in 2008. They were long appreciated for their colorful stories and hospitality. The Riviera was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1994.
Long before the Krafts arrived, the restaurant and tavern was long known as a hangout for gangster Al Capone during the late 1920s. Actors Gene Kelly and Tom Mix were known to stop there as well.
A fire destroyed the Riviera in 2010.
Surviving are her husband, of Manteno, Ill.; one son and daughter-in-law, Chuck and Laurie Campbell of Manteno; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; three nieces; and one nephew. Cremation rites have been accorded. Private family services will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago.
Memorials may be made to the National Historic Route 66 Federation.
Reality series being shot on Route 66 May 21, 2013
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Reality shorts for “What Would You Do?” are being filmed on Route 66 by ABC News, reported the Amarillo Globe-News.
The newspaper caught up with the camera crew at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo.
Producers chose the iconic Amarillo restaurant after deciding to film down historic Route 66. The crew began filming May 8 in Springfield, Miss., then traveled to Weatherford, Okla., and wrapped shooting in Amarillo on Monday. Two segments were filmed in each town.
I’m certain the reporter meant Springfield, Missouri, not Springfield, Mississippi, which doesn’t exist. Here’s what happened at the Big Texan:
In the scenario, actors Nicolette Pierini, 9, and Anthony Ippolito, 12, both from New York, play a brother and sister selling sweet tea to patrons. Though the sign says $1 customers soon learn there is fine print and they are being charged for everything from Pierini taking their picture to cookies, napkins, straws and even drink umbrellas.
The program’s premise is thrusting real-life people into uncomfortable ethical dilemmas and seeing how they react, with hidden cameras capturing everything. Here’s an example:
I would hope this series is better than the last reality program on Route 66 — the much-maligned “Great American Road Trip” back in 2009.
The Amarillo segment of “What Would You Do?” will air June 21, the newspaper said.
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.
Chicken-fried steak at Clanton’s May 16, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Food, Restaurants.2 comments
KTUL-TV in Tulsa continues its series about restaurants that serve chicken-fried steak with a road trip down Route 66 to Vinita, Okla., to visit Clanton’s Cafe.
If you can’t see the video, just click on the link below:
KTUL.com – Tulsa, Oklahoma – News, Weather
Although the segment doesn’t mention it, Clanton’s also is famous for serving calf fries — a delicacy in many parts of rural Oklahoma.
Clanton’s fame for those two dishes shouldn’t dissuade you from ordering other things on the menu. I’ve had a wide variety of meals at Clanton’s, and I’ve never been disappointed.
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.
A word from our sponsor May 15, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Restaurants.1 comment so far
It looks like the folks at the Schlotzsky’s restaurant chain are running a Route 66-themed sandwich special again this summer.
It’s offering Windy City Pastrami, Albuquerque Turkey, and California Chick sandwiches.
The new sandwiches will start to appear at Schlotzsky’s on June 3, through Aug. 25.
Chicken-fried steak at Tally’s May 15, 2013
Posted by Ron Warnick in Food, Restaurants.add a comment
KTUL-TV has been producing a series of stories about an all-Oklahoma dish — chicken-fried steak — in Tulsa.
The station featured Tally’s Cafe, which has become a strong alternative for Route 66 dining in Tulsa since the Metro Diner was demolished a few years ago.
KTUL.com – Tulsa, Oklahoma – News, Weather
What’s interesting is Tally’s is owned and run by Talal Alame, whom you’ll often find running the cash register. He’s one of many Lebanese-Americans who’ve learned the dining business in Oklahoma. Alame also organizes a free Thanksgiving dinner at his restaurant each year.