If you're traveling the Mother Road this week, you may have to make other plans for the midsection. As this map from the National Weather Service shows, the Route 66 corridor is under a winter storm warning all the way from about Springfield, Mo., to Gallup, N.M. -- much of it freezing rain. Authorities closed … Continue reading Notes from the road
Category: Theaters
Route 66 documentary to be screened at Coleman Theatre
"Bones of the Old Road," a documentary about exploring obscure alignments of Route 66, will be screened at the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., at 7 p.m. Nov. 24. The film's hosts, Route 66 researchers Jim Ross and Jerry McClanahan, along with "Bones of the Old Road" camera operator, producer and editor Kathy Anderson, … Continue reading Route 66 documentary to be screened at Coleman Theatre
Shakespeare in the raw
Theatre group Avenue 10 in Amarillo will stage an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The unique thing is the actors are reportedly going to perform at least parts of the play nude, according to KFDA-TV. It's going to be titled "Midsummer Night's Nude." And, yes, this story has a Route 66 connection. … Continue reading Shakespeare in the raw
National Park Service launches Route 66 site
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is already under the auspices of the National Park Service. But the NPS recently launched a Route 66 "Discover Our Shared Heritage" travel itinerary site that should prove useful to novice travelers and be informative to researchers. Funded in part by American Express and the World Monuments Fund, the … Continue reading National Park Service launches Route 66 site
Slide in to the drive-in
The Joplin Globe has a nice article and photo slide show about the historic 66 Drive-In theater in Carthage, Mo. Check it out. The story contains a notable quote from a local historian: “It (Route 66) reminds us of an era that’s passed us by,” said Brad Belk, director of the Joplin Museum Complex. “It … Continue reading Slide in to the drive-in
New musical features Route 66
Village Theatre, a company based in the Seattle area that concentrates on performing new plays, will present a Mother Road-related production during the Village Originals' ninth annual Festival of New Musicals this week. Productions will be held at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, Wash. These will be staged readings -- no sets, but … Continue reading New musical features Route 66
Scenes from the “Route 66” musical revue
The Vermillion Players theater group in Pontiac, Ill., just finished its four-day run of the "Route 66" musical revue at the Chautauqua Park Pavilion in town. Here are a couple of scenes from the play: Ellie Alexander, director of Pontiac Tourism, said that crowds were good even with temperatures in the 90s during two of … Continue reading Scenes from the “Route 66” musical revue
Mickey Mantle’s widow dies
Merlyn Mantle, 77, the widow of New York Yankees baseball star Mickey Mantle, died Monday from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Mickey died of liver cancer in 1995. Merlyn's obituary in Newsday has an excerpt of interest to Route 66 fans: Mickey and Merlyn met two years before he debuted in the major leagues, while both … Continue reading Mickey Mantle’s widow dies
Great American Road Tripe
Following a premiere episode that showed potential, the second episode of NBC's "The Great American Road Trip" nosedived sharply in quality on Monday and probably will be this summer's television version of "Dead Man Walking" -- if it doesn't get canceled first. The first installment of the reality series that takes place on Route 66 … Continue reading Great American Road Tripe
Details released about Oklahoma Pop museum
A news conference on Tuesday revealed all of the details about a proposed Oklahoma Pop museum in Tulsa, devoted to the history of the state's music and its popular culture. You can read more about it here. It was mentioned a few days ago that Route 66 would be part of the museum. Bob Blackburn, … Continue reading Details released about Oklahoma Pop museum