If the landmark Joe & Aggie's Cafe in Holbrook, Arizona, ever reopens, it probably won't be as a restaurant. That means folks who dined there in the fall of 2020 might have enjoyed among the last meals served in Holbrook's oldest restaurant before it quietly closed. According to Joe & Aggie's long-dormant Facebook page, the … Continue reading Joe & Aggie’s Cafe faces uncertain future after closing, death of its longtime owner
Category: People
David Clark, a foremost expert on Route 66 in the Chicago area, dies
David Clark, for decades the premier expert on Route 66 in Chicagoland known as the Windy City Road Warrior, died Tuesday, according to his stepson. Clark was scheduled Thursday night to lead a Zoom videoconference, "Myths on 66: Misinformation on the Mother Road." On Friday afternoon, Charles Aldarondo stated in a Facebook post that Clark, … Continue reading David Clark, a foremost expert on Route 66 in the Chicago area, dies
Frank and Lynne Kocevar’s 2021 video Christmas card
In what has become a holiday tradition at Route 66 News, here is Frank and Lynne's video Christmas card for 2021. In addition to scenes from Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma, the Kocevars included vintage home movies and photographs from their childhood that are nearly 70 years old. This is their 12th video Christmas card. https://vimeo.com/655183731 … Continue reading Frank and Lynne Kocevar’s 2021 video Christmas card
Doc’s Soda Fountain in Girard lands new owners
The 130-year-old Doc's Soda Fountain site in downtown Girard, Illinois, has landed new owners, and one of them has ties to the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. Steve and Casey Claypool of nearby Chatham, Illinois, closed on the purchase Friday. They plan to reopen it sometime in April after some interior renovations. Casey also is … Continue reading Doc’s Soda Fountain in Girard lands new owners
More about the historic Whirl-A-Whip restaurant in Girard
The Virden (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce this month posted on Facebook a Spotlight Business of the Month with the Whirl-A-Whip restaurant in nearby Girard, Illinois. Snippets of information about the eatery, which is off the 1926-1932 alignment of Route 66 before the highway was moved to the east: The restaurant current is owned by Brent … Continue reading More about the historic Whirl-A-Whip restaurant in Girard
Real-life gang fight in San Bernardino inspired “West Side Story”
The play and film "West Side Story" is well known as the story of a fictional turf war between white and Puerto Rican street gangs in Manhattan. However, "West Side Story" was inspired by a real-life gang fight in 1955 in San Bernardino, California, about a half-mile north of Route 66. The historic Mitla Cafe … Continue reading Real-life gang fight in San Bernardino inspired “West Side Story”
Inaugural class for Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame announced
The first five inductees to the Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame recently were announced by the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society in mid-Missouri. The Class of 2022 are: Bob and Ramona Lehman, owners of the Munger Moss Motel in LebanonFrank and Dorothy Nelson, creator of Nelson's Dream Village and Nelson Tavern in LebanonCharles … Continue reading Inaugural class for Laclede County Route 66 Wall of Fame announced
Racing legend and Albuquerque native Al Unser dies at 82
Al Unser, an Albuquerque native who was one of the few to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, died Thursday at his home in Chama, New Mexico, after a 17-year battle with cancer. He was 82. Rick Mears, Al Unser and A.J. Foyt in June 2021 Unser was the third member of his racing family … Continue reading Racing legend and Albuquerque native Al Unser dies at 82
Check out this Normal man’s display of 900 Christmas decorations at his home
If you want to see what likely is the king of outdoor Christmas decorating, Mike Holtz's home in Normal, Illinois, probably rules them all. Holtz's residence at 1210 W. Hovey Ave., a half-mile west of Route 66, features about 900 blow-mold Santas, gingerbread men, snowmen, reindeer and even a few aliens in his yard, on … Continue reading Check out this Normal man’s display of 900 Christmas decorations at his home
The man behind the Charley’s Automobile Service building in Grants
Blue Miller of the well-researched Never Quite Lost blog recently wrote about Charley Diaz, longtime operator of the Charley's Automotive Service, aka Charley's Radiator Shop, in Grants, New Mexico. The long-closed complex of five buildings included a restaurant, Star Cafe, at 1308-1310 W. Santa Fe Ave. (aka Route 66). It was designated to the National … Continue reading The man behind the Charley’s Automobile Service building in Grants