Roadies who’ve explored Route 66 in Clinton, Okla., may remember the 15-foot-tall fiberglass American Indian mascot, aka Muffler Man, who graced the front of David Howe Motors for years.
The Howe Indian disappeared after a recent ownership change.
But we’re pleased to report the mascot has turned up at Indian Trading Post and Art near Calumet, Okla. It’s been repainted, but a sales clerk confirmed that the fiberglass giant was the same as the one that stood at Howe Motors. Indian Trading Post is less than a mile south of Route 66 and south of the famous Cherokee Trading Post, just off Interstate 40.
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TATTOO YOU: Here’s another story about Ron “Tattoo Man” Jones of Bartlesville, Okla., who sports more than 80 tattoos of Route 66 landmarks on his body. But the Daily Oklahoman traveled to Jones’ favorite tattoo artist in Kansas and shot video while Jones was having his latest addition.
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WEBSITES RELAUNCHED: Web designer Carolyn Hasenfratz reported in her e-mailed newsletter that she has relaunched the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s website and started a John’s Modern Cabins Business Directory, so that businesses on Route 66 can submit information easily. Also, the Friends of the Mother Road nonprofit preservation group was relaunched after the site was hijacked for a time by squatters.
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ART PROJECT: Shane Reilly is traveling Route 66 to promote his SK8-66 project. Frank Kocevar at Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Ariz., probably has a good handle on the road trip’s purpose: “Ten interactive sculptures of teardrop trailers have been placed on Route 66. […] From your iPhone or Droid, using a free Sticky Bits application, you can scan the bar code and then post your own Route 66 experience to that sculpture.” Reilly’s blog is here, but he hasn’t updated it in weeks.
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BIRTHDAY BASH: The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle (actually a water tower) in Collinsville, Ill., is marking its 61st birthday on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to longtime Catsup Bottle advocate Mike Gassman, “the event features ketchup-tasting, hot dog (smothered in ketchup) eating contest, food vendors, craft booths, pony rides, and live music. Old-fashioned birthday party games for kids of all ages will include musical chairs, please pass the ketchup, a hula-hoop competition, water balloon toss, and our own special version of spin the (ketchup) bottle.” The Catsup Bottle sits a few miles from Route 66, but many Mother Road travelers make a side trip to see it anyway.
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SHOW-ME STATE: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday published a well-rounded article about Route 66 in Missouri. Tucked into the story is a newsworthy nugget from Rolla: “Zeno’s Motel and Steakhouse is next door. Owner Michael Zeno Scheffer says he plans to erect a new sign that reads ‘Studio Inn,’ the name his grandfather used when he opened the motel in 1957. Scheffer is also adding a brewery.”
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PRESERVING THE PAST: A historically significant 1850s log cabin in Marshfield, Mo., has been dismantled, moved, and reassembled at Hidden Waters Nature Park in Marshfield, right off Route 66, reported the Springfield News-Leader. A video of the Callaway Family Cabin can be seen here.
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HOLDING FAST TO THE PAST: The Redlands Daily Facts published an excellent story about the tiny Route 66 town of Goffs, Calif., and volunteers’ valiant efforts to chronicle the town’s past. Much of the story delves into moving and restoring a 100-year-old old stamp mill that was used in gold-mining operations.
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FREE VACATION: The Schlotzsky’s sandwich chain and Holiday Inn are sponsoring a trip giveaway for six to the Route 66 destination of your choice, plus $1,500 cash, if you enter here or here. A number of other prizes also will be rewarded. It’s ironic that a hotel chain is co-sponsoring this, given that roadies gravitate more towards mom-and-pop lodging.
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LONG WORKOUT: Cyclist Scott Poindexter is traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., as part of his Fight Obesity Ride. He’s been on the Route 66 corridor for a few days now, including a stop in Amarillo, Texas, over the weekend. Poindexter, 46, is encouraging parents to get active with their children.
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BEHIND THE SCENES: The Selvedge Yard blog posted an extensive entry about the 1971 cult film “Two Lane Blacktop” and its production on Route 66 in the Southwest. The story includes a number of production stills.
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DOWN MEMORY LANE: Finally, while visiting the historic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., over the weekend, co-owner Bill Kinder showed this copy of a photo of former Blue Swallow owner Lillian Redman and Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. We determined the photo was shot about September 1995. Redman died in 1999; she owned the motel for 40 years. Waldmire died in December 2009.
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