The Ernie and Fran Edwards Route 66 International Appreciation Day was Sunday at the old Pig Hip restaurant site in Broadwell, Ill.
Here’s a photo taken by Logan County Tourism from the event. That’s Fran Edwards, 90-year-old widow of the recently deceased Ernie Edwards, cutting the ribbon with a big pair of scissors at the dedication of the restored Pig Hip sign.
Sunday would have been the 95th birthday of the Pig Hip’s owner.
The Bloomington Pantagraph published a good story about the gathering. Some excerpts:
“I worked as a waiter for Ernie in the summer of 1975,” said Bobby Olson, a resident of Broadwell. “They were laying the concrete for the interstate and so we were busy because we had two lunch rushes. One was for the construction workers and the other was for the Route 66 travelers, and he loved visiting and swapping stories with both groups. But, Ernie was quite a guy.” […]
“This is really a special day,” Fran said. “You can tell how loved he was by everyone. He would have loved the attention. He would have been out here in his hat telling stories.”
Their daughter, Sue Cale, had mixed emotions.
“I know how much he loved the attention and being in the spotlight telling his stories,” she said.
“But, it’s also a little sad to think this might be one of the last times there is a celebration like this where we can gather together and have a celebration. People will still come to the spot, but there may not be another day quite like this.”