Extremely cold weather and a broken heating unit prompted local officials Friday to close the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac until at least Monday, Jan. 8. Ellie Alexander, director of tourism for the city, wrote in an email Friday the heating unit lacks essential parts that won't be available until … Continue reading Extreme cold closes Illinois Route 66 Museum in Pontiac until Jan. 8
Category: Weather
Route 66 in St. Clair gets its eclipse kicks
Pacific, Villa Ridge, Cuba, Sullivan, Bourbon, Stanton, Eureka and a few southwest suburbs of St. Louis along Route 66 experienced a total eclipse. But leading the way was St. Clair, Missouri, which had the longest total-eclipse duration on the route of 2 minutes, 41 seconds. Here's a report from KPLR-TV in St. Louis: KSDK-TV in … Continue reading Route 66 in St. Clair gets its eclipse kicks
Hundreds show up in St. Clair two days before total eclipse
Saturday still was two days before the full solar eclipse would occur in the Route 66 town of St. Clair, Missouri, but hundreds of people already had descended there. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported visitors from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, California and elsewhere Saturday. And the bulk of the traffic wasn't even anticipated … Continue reading Hundreds show up in St. Clair two days before total eclipse
Two hikers found dead near Amboy Crater
Two people hiking near Amboy Crater in Amboy, California, were found dead Saturday afternoon after apparently being overcome by the terrain's 113-degree temperatures. According to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, the people pronounced dead at the scene were Kathie Barber, 58, and Gen Miake, 60, a married couple from Yorba … Continue reading Two hikers found dead near Amboy Crater
More bridges washed out between Essex and Amboy
Those hoping old Route 66 between Essex and Amboy, California, would reopen to traffic by September after bridge repairs may have to wait longer -- storms damaged more than a dozen bridges in that stretch last week. Mazin Kasey of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Works said in an email Monday that 14 … Continue reading More bridges washed out between Essex and Amboy
Fundraising goal met to fix Boots Court’s hail-damaged neon
Only five days after it launched, a GoFundMe campaign to repair architectural neon lighting at the Boots Court in Carthage, Missouri, met its goal of $4,000. That was the estimated cost to fix the neon, which was damaged by a severe hailstorm last week, with some stones measuring 2 inches in diameter. As of early Tuesday, … Continue reading Fundraising goal met to fix Boots Court’s hail-damaged neon
Boots Court, 66 Drive-In suffer hail damage
At least two Route 66 landmarks -- the Boots Court motel and the 66 Drive-In theater -- suffered extensive damage from a severe hailstorm early Sunday, mostly to their neon lighting. KTTS radio showed a photo of hailstones at least 2 inches in diameter that fell in the Carthage area. The storm injured at least … Continue reading Boots Court, 66 Drive-In suffer hail damage
Elbow Inn in Devil’s Elbow partially reopens Friday
The Elbow Inn restaurant and bar in Devil's Elbow, Missouri, will partly reopen Friday for the Memorial Day weekend, less than a month after it was heavily damaged by a record flood from the Big Piney River. A phone call Thursday confirmed the Route 66 landmark will open its outdoor, covered Biergarten at 11 a.m. Friday, … Continue reading Elbow Inn in Devil’s Elbow partially reopens Friday
1 killed, dozens of homes damaged by tornado in Elk City
At least one person has died in Elk City, Oklahoma, after a tornado struck the Route 66 city on Tuesday. KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City provided some other details about the destruction: Forty homes have been completely destroyed and between 50 and 75 homes were heavily damaged, said Danny Ringer, with the Elk City Fire Department. … Continue reading 1 killed, dozens of homes damaged by tornado in Elk City
How to help Devil’s Elbow
It seems as if relief efforts have gotten more organized in recent days on how to help the flood-stricken Route 66 village of Devil's Elbow, Missouri. The Elbow Inn restaurant and bar already has a crowdfunding site, but it also provided a list of materials it needs to help rebuild. If you live near the area … Continue reading How to help Devil’s Elbow