Programming note January 2, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Uncategorized.9 comments
If you see a few funky things on Route 66 News in the coming days, there’s probably good reason for it.
Route 66 News is moving from WordPress.com to a hosted site using the WordPress.org platform. It should be a fairly seamless transition, and you shouldn’t have to update your route66news.com bookmarks. News coverage of the Mother Road will continue as usual — or as best as possible — during this time.
I’m paying WordPress.com to make this transition, so I hold a fair amount of faith this should be accomplished with little fuss.
But, again, moving a large website goes into somewhat uncharted territory for me, and Murphy’s Law might be a factor in a few things.
The bottom line to you readers: Please hang in there, and everything will get ironed out eventually.
Incidentally, the host for the new incarnation of Route 66 News has been supplied by GRandall Web Design. Its owner, Guy Randall, has been a Route 66 enthusiast for a long time, and has built websites for several businesses on the Mother Road, as you can see here.
I’ll make more announcements about the future of Route 66 News as soon as this transition is finished and everything works smoothly. One of the changes won’t be drastic, but it should be exciting for a number of businesses associated with Route 66. Stay tuned.
The year in review from one corner of the road October 14, 2011
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Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Ariz., has posted a “2011 in Review” video.
I asked owner Frank Kocevar whether he was doing this early, since 2011 still has about 10 weeks left. But he said their tourism season ends in late October.
“I saw all of the Christmas decorations in the stores. Isn’t it close enough?” he added. He has a point.
The version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ is performed by The Road Crew.
“My Town” September 13, 2011
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Dennis Beck and his longtime music group, the James River Band, grew up in the Route 66 town of Marshfield, Mo. The video for this song, “My Town,” includes vintage footage from Marshfield and plenty of reminisces as well.
http://youtu.be/zc770HH9z70
As a bonus, here’s another James River Band song that mentions Route 66:
(Hat tip: Rich Dinkela)
Time-lapse trip on Oatman Road May 5, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motorcycles, Road trips, Uncategorized.add a comment
Here’s a cool look at Oatman Road, aka Route 66, in Arizona as seen from a time-lapse camera during the recent Laughlin River Run.
Extremely brief footage of one of the motorcycles crashing off the side of the road can be seen about the 2:17 mark, but barely.
Be careful driving out there, kids.
Tower Theater again is aglow April 2, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Preservation, Signs, Theaters, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
The neon lights of the historic Tower Theater on Route 66 in Oklahoma City burned Friday night for the first time in decades.
John Murphey of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program was there, and here are some excerpts of notes from the event:
Approximately 200 people gathered in a parking lot across the street from Tower Theater.
Most were locals from the Uptown District, who arrived by foot, bicycles and skateboards. [...]
Marty Dillon, owner of the Tower, served as the master of ceremonies.
Marty Dillon
He introduced the project, and said the sign would be run by OEF wind power.
“We are keeping it on a few nights a week to create a buzz.” Dillion do not provide specific information about the restoration of the interior of the theater. [...]
Ward 2 Councilman Sam Bowman, who remembered seeing “The Blob” there, said the sign will be “the hot spot on the strip,” referring to a recent streetscape improvement project to bring back 23rd Avenue. “It will be a corridor to proud of,” he continued. “And this sign is going to be an eye-stoppper.”
Dillon then received a NPS Route 66 silver shield award. [...]
Dillon led the crowd with the chant of: “Give me a T; give me an O”… etc., and at exactly 7:01pm the Tower Theater sign came on.
Jim Ross (author of “Oklahoma Route 66″ — ed.) called the restoration “significant.” “There is nothing that has been revitalized along the whole urban corridor in Oklahoma City. This is a draw,” he said.
Steve Burton
The event brought out people who gone to or worked at the theater. Steve Burton, 46, worked as a ticket taker between 1981 and 1989, when it closed. He remembered it specializing in the “martial arts, Kung Fu movies.”
(Many thanks to John Murphey for the photos and reporting)
Motorist drives off edge of Grand Canyo July 13, 2009
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Needless to say, this did not end well.
A man drove a blue car off the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon about 6 a.m. Monday and died, according to the Arizona Republic. This occurred behind Thunderbird Lodge near El Tovar Hotel.
Rescuers climbed 600 feet down into the canyon, where they found the wreckage of the car. The motorist’s body was found in that area shortly after. No other details were available as of Monday night.
The Grand Canyon isn’t on Route 66. But because it is a common side trip from the Route 66 towns of Williams and Flagstaff, the canyon is inextricably linked to the Mother Road.
Route 66 News usually doesn’t give much coverage to accidents, except for unusual ones such as this. I’ll post more updates as they become available.
UPDATE: One of the wire services, AFP, is all but pointing to suicide as the cause.
The incident appeared to be the latest in a series of suicides reminiscent of the 1991 film Thelma and Louise, which ends with the central characters played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon driving into the Grand Canyon.
Three people committed suicide by driving off the rim in 1993, the year the movie came out on home video, according to ‘Over The Edge: Death In Grand Canyon,’ a reference book about deaths in the national park.
Prior to the movie’s release, only three parties committed suicide by driving off the rim between 1967 and 1986.
The victim still hasn’t been identified to the media until authorities notify next of kin.
UPDATE 7/17/09: The Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff reports that the person who drove the car off the cliff was Gheorghe Chiriac of Apple Valley, Calif., a Romania native who immigrated to the U.S. about 30 years ago. The accident was ruled a suicide.
Infinity Entertainment Group (IEG) has issued a recall advisory to any consumer experiencing playback issues with the Route 66: Complete Season Three DVD collector’s set.
The recall – which does not affect any other Route 66 DVD collection in the marketplace – is due to a manufacturer’s defect that affects playability on some of the eight discs.
Consumers may return Route 66: Complete Season Three to the original point of purchase for a full refund. Currently, the only retail outlets offering the complete season three collection are Best Buy and Critic’s Choice (www.criticschoice.com). A corrected complete season three collection will be available through these retailers within a few weeks.
The catalog and UPC numbers of the affected merchandise are:
BEST BUY: Catalog #IEG2145 and UPC #617742214598.
CRITIC’S CHOICE: Catalog #IEG2149 and UPC #617742214994.
Commented Rick Buehler, VP, Sales & Acquisitions, IEG, “We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to our customers and to consumers. The issue does not affect the majority of Route 66 DVD inventory in the marketplace, only a season three collection currently being offered exclusively at Best Buy and online through Critic’s Choice. We are correcting the issue as quickly as possible. Full refunds are available to anyone experiencing difficulties with this product.”
Notes from the road June 10, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
I’m on the road, and time is short and the computer isn’t connecting to the Net well. But here are a few items worth noting:
- Here’s a fascinating story about Springfield Underground in Springfield, Mo., which has 3 million square feet of underground storage under Route 66. Link
- Here’s a story about the Route 66 town of Vega, Texas, in the Patchwork Nation blog of the Christian Science Monitor. Link
- The city of Webb City, Mo., adopted an ordinance that makes it likely that it will land $25,000 in state money to create a Route 66 Welcome Center in town. Link
- City fathers in Williams, Ariz., fear the town may be becoming too noisy at night, and are considering an ordinance. So if you visit, pipe down. Link
- Here’s an item about a new book, “Route 66 in the Missouri Ozarks,” written by longtime roadie Joe Sonderman. Link