The owners of the revived Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Illinois, said they would keep their Route 66 restaurant closed until spring "to protect our family, employees and patrons" from COVID-19. Tully Garrett and Holly Barker made the announcement Friday on Instagram and other social media. It stated, in part: We have carefully watched this … Continue reading Launching Pad Drive-In will remain closed until spring due to COVID-19 pandemic
Category: People
Jim Hinckley adds more than 1,000 descriptions of sites to Route 66 Navigation app
Touch Media, which creates the Route 66 Navigation smartphone app, announced Thursday it's collaborated with Route 66 historian and author Jim Hinckley to provide more than 1,000 descriptions for points of interest along the route. The descriptions should go live on the app within the next two weeks. According to a news release from the … Continue reading Jim Hinckley adds more than 1,000 descriptions of sites to Route 66 Navigation app
Mrs. California Route 66 Esther Hollister found dead; no foul play suspected
Esther Hollister, better known as Mrs. California Route 66, was found dead Monday at a Riverside construction site after she disappeared Saturday during a hiking excursion. She was 53. An autopsy will be performed, but local police said no foul play was suspected. One friend said on Facebook that heatstroke was a possible contributor to … Continue reading Mrs. California Route 66 Esther Hollister found dead; no foul play suspected
Frank Yellowhorse, longtime operator of Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post, dies at 87
Frank Yellowhorse, a co-founder, operator and Navajo Nation craftsman of the famed Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post in Lupton, Arizona, near the New Mexico border, died Thursday. He was 87. David Yellowhorse, his son, passed along the news that morning: Tough news, My father, Frank Yellowhorse had passed this morning at 8:35am... He was 87, and … Continue reading Frank Yellowhorse, longtime operator of Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post, dies at 87
Vincent Cricchio will debut 109-episode video series about Route 66 on Aug. 23
Vincent Cricchio of New Jersey after years of post-production will debut a 109-episode video series about Route 66 on YouTube, starting Aug. 23. Cricchio stated on Facebook he's spent about a decade editing the footage he shot in late summer 2010 from Chicago to Los Angeles. He wrote: Many of the personalities still can be … Continue reading Vincent Cricchio will debut 109-episode video series about Route 66 on Aug. 23
Bill Mack, R.I.P.
Bill Mack, a songwriter who helped launch LeAnn Rimes' career and a radio deejay whose overnight show proved popular with long-haul truckers, died July 31 of COVID-19 complications. He was 88. Mack, whose real surname was Smith, remains the most famous native of the Route 66 town of Shamrock, Texas. The town even has an … Continue reading Bill Mack, R.I.P.
David Clark will host a Zoom talk Aug. 6 about Route 66 in Chicago
David Clark, the preeminent expert on Route 66 in the Chicago area, will present a Zoom videoconference event titled, "Route 66 in Chicago: Where the Road Begins," on the night of Aug. 6. Clark, InSites To Go and Route66Chicago.com are describing it as a "virtual tour" of the Mother Road in Chicago. More from the … Continue reading David Clark will host a Zoom talk Aug. 6 about Route 66 in Chicago
Book review: “Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris”
A question has dogged the "Route 66" television series for decades: What the heck happened to Robert Morris, the actor once slated to co-star in the drama who died less than a year after it launched? A new, self-published book by Vernon Gravely, "Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris" … Continue reading Book review: “Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris”
The inventor of Springfield cashew chicken dish dies at age 99
David Leong, who put Springfield, Missouri, on the culinary map by inventing Springfield-style cashew chicken that many other Chinese restaurants adopted, has died. He was less than a month short of his 100th birthday. Leong lived quite a life. He fled China in 1938 when Japan attacked his hometown. He immigrated to New Orleans, joined … Continue reading The inventor of Springfield cashew chicken dish dies at age 99
Route 66 Navigation principals take over ownership of Historic Route 66 website
The founders of the Route 66 Navigation app and Route 66 Passport program announced Monday they have assumed ownership of the Historic Route 66 website, at historic66.com. Marian Pavel and Jan Svrcek take over the reins of the oldest Route 66 site on the internet, established in 1994 by the husband-and-wife team of Swa Frantzen … Continue reading Route 66 Navigation principals take over ownership of Historic Route 66 website