The Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita, Oklahoma, was one of 25 restaurants to receive $40,000 from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Launched in 2021, last year 25 small historic restaurants across the country each received a $40,000 grant to improve, upgrade, and preserve their exterior physical spaces and online … Continue reading Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita lands $40,000 grant from National Trust program
Tag: Vinita
Cherokee Nation to build cultural and tourism facility along Route 66 in Vinita
The Cherokee Nation and city leaders for Vinita, Oklahoma, on Sept. 27 announced plans for a new cultural and tourism facility, named the Anna Mitchell Cultural and Welcome Center, along Route 66 in Vinita. The center is being built inside the former Vinita Country Club at 953 E. Illinois Ave. (aka Route 66). According to … Continue reading Cherokee Nation to build cultural and tourism facility along Route 66 in Vinita
Big Boy locomotive will make several stops in Route 66 towns in Missouri, Oklahoma
The legendary Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive owned by the Union Pacific Railroad will make stops in several Route 66 towns in Oklahoma and Missouri in August during its 2021 tour. The Big Boy will make scheduled stops at these Mother Road cities: Aug. 12, Vinita, Oklahoma, at East Flint Avenue crossing; 9:45 a.m. … Continue reading Big Boy locomotive will make several stops in Route 66 towns in Missouri, Oklahoma
Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita creates Giving Wall for helping customers in need
The historic Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita, Oklahoma, created a "Giving Wall" so customers can discreetly pay it forward for those who are less fortunate, especially during economic hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The wall inside the Route 66 restaurant two miles west of town has a message that states: "If you are hungry or … Continue reading Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita creates Giving Wall for helping customers in need
Latest RoadTripOK video focuses on sites in Miami, Afton, Vinita
The latest RoadTripOK video this week features sites on or near Route 66 in the Oklahoma towns of Miami, Afton and Vinita. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/fufC4_FGwhw Here are the three places the video covers: Coleman Theatre, MiamiDarryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum, AftonClanton's Cafe, Vinita Oklahoma Tourism and Broken … Continue reading Latest RoadTripOK video focuses on sites in Miami, Afton, Vinita
Vinita wins $25,000 to help enhance its downtown
The city of Vinita, Oklahoma, received a $25,000 AARP Community Challenge Grant to help improve its downtown, including the Route 66 corridor. KSNF-TV reports about 1,600 towns applied for the grant, and only 129 won it. Here's what Vinita will do with the money: The Vinita Route 66 Breezeway Project will make the downtown area more … Continue reading Vinita wins $25,000 to help enhance its downtown
Racial slur once used to promote Route 66 restaurant
This week, the Daily Progress newspaper in Claremore, Oklahoma, began a series about two local African-American sports teams before desegregation -- the Claremore Clowns baseball team and the Lincoln School state championship boys basketball team. In the first part, former local athlete Gerome Riley talked about the whites-only, blacks-only era of the 1940s and early 1950s: … Continue reading Racial slur once used to promote Route 66 restaurant
Mural of Cherokee Nation artisan dedicated in Vinita
Cherokee Nation and city officials on Tuesday dedicated a mural commemorating artisan Anna Belle Sixkiller Mitchell, known as a Cherokee National Treasure, in downtown Vinita, Oklahoma, along Route 66. Mitchell, who lived in Vinita, was designated as a Cherokee National Treasure in 1988 for reviving traditional pottery methods and sharing her skill with others, according to a news … Continue reading Mural of Cherokee Nation artisan dedicated in Vinita
More 1990s videos on Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac
Anthony Reichardt recently uploaded more videos from his 1990s trips on Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac. The videos hold historical value because a number of the places where he visited have vanished or have drastically changed. Reichardt's YouTube channel is here, where more than 50 videos are posted. He posted a video a couple … Continue reading More 1990s videos on Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac
More 1990s video from Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac
Anthony Reichardt recently uploaded more videos to YouTube from his travels on Route 66 during the early to mid-1990s in a 1959 Cadillac. At the least, the videos are valuable for historic reasons. Some of the places Reichardt visited have disappeared or changed radically. The first video is a chat with Glaida Funk of Funks … Continue reading More 1990s video from Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac