While surfing at the eToys site, I noticed that some key toys from the Pixar "Cars" movie are going on sale April 28.

There's the Radiator Springs Curio Shop:

There's Luigi's Blowout:

And Ramone's House of Body Art, which strongly resembles the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas.

The Hot Wheels Flo's V8 Cafe:

Mater's Rollin' Bowlin' Game:

There also are two racing car tracks, a tractor-tippin' game, a bunch of miniatures and many more. Anyone who'd want to collect all of the "Cars" products had better have a fat wallet. 

The spring edition of the Route 66 Federation News, published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation, arrived in the mail today. Here are some of the articles inside:

• The story of author Jim Ross' house on old Route 66, which bases its design on a 1930 Phillips 66 cottage gas station (photo of the home above is from Ross' Web site). Other improvements were made on the property, too, including a guest cabin.
• David "Windy City Warrior" Clark's closer look at the Route 66 town of McCook, Ill.
• Route 66 aficionado Mark Potter's trip down the Mother Road in California and Arizona.
• A story about the historic but now-closed Midway Cafe in Cuba, Mo. 
• Carl Johnson dissects his arduous task of finding obscure Route 66 alignments in Springfield, Ill. 
• An Australian couple writes their first in a series about their trip down Route 66.

The Federation News isn't sold in stores but is available to Federation members. For information on how to join, click here.

Dennis Kinch, who's walking Route 66 for the National Pain Foundation, took some time off to attend his daughter's wedding in South Carolina. But his Web site sends along this update:

Dennis has started walking again.  After making his way back to Sanders, Arizona, from South Carolina (where he attended his daughter's wedding), Dennis hit the road again late last week.  As of Monday, April 24, Dennis made it to Holbrook, Arizona, where he will rest a night before heading toward Flagstaff.  Now that Dennis is moving again, his progress will be continually updated.  So check back often!

Al and Susan Shamburg are the owners of Al's Route 66 Cafe in Sapulpa, Okla. The historic restaurant once was Rivett's Route 66 Cafe. The Shamburgs moved from Colorado and bought Rivett's when it was up for sale. 

The Sapulpa Daily Herald has the story, including the family suffering brief setbacks from a fire and electrical problems in the cafe. But they've also discovered a vintage tin ceiling long hidden by ceiling tiles. The Shamburgs also added colorful wall mosaics that pay homage to Route 66.

The restaurant also has taken a page from the Big Texan's 72-ounce steak challenge:

The restaurant is also the home of “Al’s Big 66er,” a meal consisted of a 66 oz. hamburger with all the fixings, 3 pounds of fries and a 32 oz. shake. For anyone who can consume the meal in 66 minutes, the meal is free.

The northern part of Range Line Road in Webb City, Mo., aka Madison Street, aka Route 66, is being dramatically altered because of the City Pointe retail development.

The town needs the tax revenue from the development. But as Joplin Globe columnist Wally Kennedy notes, there also is a palpable sense of something being lost.

Decades ago, motorists would travel through Webb City on Route 66. When they came to Madison Street, they would see a tree-lined street with lovely homes. It made a favorable impression. If Webb City is to give that up, it should get something in return that makes an impression that is equally favorable. The city, as I understand it, is fully aware of that and is doing as much as it can to make that happen.

Still, there is the loss of history and the loss of identity to consider. Larry and Connie Sweet, who live in a white house at 903 S. Madison St., are fully aware of that.

Connie Sweet is hoping someone will buy her 98-year-old home but not tear it down. Her home's classic architecture would lend itself to a wedding chapel, a funeral home, an upscale restaurant or a lawyer's office. But she has no control over what a developer might do. If the house where she has lived for 35 years is to be torn down, she would like to figure out a way to move it.

"We can't sell our houses for residential," she said. "Nobody wants to live on a street that's this busy, with 25,000 cars going by each day. It's not like it was when I moved here."

Most, if not all, of the houses in the district have been rezoned for commercial use. The city did not force that to happen. Most everyone along Madison Street wanted the properties to be rezoned. Several of the houses are rental properties.

"I never dreamed it would happen this fast," Connie Sweet said. "I knew it would happen, but not this fast. This was the prettiest street in Webb City. Times change. As bad as we hate it, times change."

…

A longtime reader of The Globe and a reliable source reminded me of this fact in a recent e-mail. She concluded with: "It seems like an interesting touch of history that soon might be gone, the way that scenic neighborhood is disappearing."

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson spoke on a variety of issues during a town-hall meeting in Tucumcari on Monday, according to a report in the Clovis News-Journal.

Richardson mentioned this during discussions about Mesalands Community College programs:

Richardson suggested Barry add another curriculum to the college — film. Richardson has been actively courting the film industry, and he said 14 films are currently being shot in New Mexico.

The problem is the state only has four film crews, so jobs from 10 film crews go to people staying on a temporary basis instead of New Mexico residents. With more students graduating from film programs at in-state colleges, that money stays in New Mexico.

Richardson felt Tucumcari could definitely come into play on films, since it has the advantage of Route 66.

“Some very famous movies were filmed here,” Richardson said, “and I’d like to see that happen again.”

With "Cars" coming online in a few months and the inevitable rise in interest about Route 66, Richardson's observation seems sound.

American Style magazine named Albuquerque No. 2 for mid-sized cities and Santa Fe was No. 1 for small cities as art destinations.

American Style says of the Duke City:

From Native American art to a stunning skyline filled with colorful hot air balloons each October, Albuquerque is trying to make a name for itself in the crowded New Mexico cultural tourism scene. Dana Herrera, managing editor of the city's arts magazine, cast a vote for her hometown, explaining, "I have seen contemporary art really carve a niche for itself in Albuquerque. We have an amazing art scene not often recognized by the national eye over Santa Fe's more traditional sensibilities. Albuquerque is the place to break out." Look for some of those break-out artists at galleries along Central Avenue — the historic Route 66, or on one of Albuquerque's monthly ArtsCrawls.

Albuquerque finished behind only Buffalo, N.Y., in its category.
As for Santa Fe:

A small town with big art. Santa Fe's streets are lined with some 250 galleries and the city is also home to the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian; the Museum of Fine Arts; the Palace of the Governors history museum; and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Not bad for a desert town with a population of 62,000. Many of those residents are artists themselves, and visitors can view them at work during one of several studio tours held annually around Santa Fe.

Santa Fe also is on an old alignment of Route 66.

In the big cities division, New York City was tops.

Hat tip to Duke City Fix and New Mexico Business Weekly for the tips.