The El Reno (Okla.) Tribune has a story about the town's Burger Day festival over the weekend, which seemed to do OK attendance-wise despite intermittent rain.

Of course, it's hard to not draw a crowd when you're making this:

The crowd at Petree Plaza kept growing, each person anxious to see, and taste, the big burger – 8 1/2 feet in diameter and about 750 pounds, topped with onions and pickles.

It starts with 250 pounds of raw meat and ends up being one of El Reno’s main draws — previously bringing in people from as far away as California.

Route 66 roadie Brian Kreimendahl went to catch the Union Pacific Railroad's historic No. 844 steam engine as it powered its way into the Route 66 towns of Tucumcari and Santa Rosa, N.M., last week as part of its South Express History Tour.

Brian has a lot of nice photos on his site here, including the stop at Santa Rosa shown above and the stop at the Tucumcari station below. For information about the train's other stops, go here.

KSDK-TV in St. Louis points out this excellent but (for me) bittersweet Web site by the Missouri Department of Transportation on the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system.

The site contains a lot of interesting history and photos (including ones displayed here). But it's bittersweet to read because the interstates nearly sounded the death knell for Route 66. This excerpt describes the first toll:

Missouri can stake several claims to having the nation’s first interstate highway. On Aug. 2, 1956, Missouri became the first state to award a contract with the new interstate construction funds, inking a deal for work on U.S. Route 66 – now Interstate 44 – in Laclede County.

This excerpt helps explain why Route 66's days were numbered as a main artery:

When the Missouri State Highway Department was created in 1921, the state’s roads were in poor condition. Each county built and maintained its own road system, leading to a jumbled, uncoordinated tangle of highways that made it extremely difficult to drive across the state. … In 1926, the federal government laid out a grid of highways that ran between the individual states. These roads were designated as United States highways, but no federal funding was included for their construction or improvement.

In Missouri, several routes were given new names as part of this program. For example, Missouri State Highway Number 2 was renamed U.S. Route 40, and Missouri State Highway Number 14 became U.S. Route 66. These roads allowed drivers to travel beyond the state’s borders, but they were not modern superhighways. Instead, these early “interstate” roads were usually 18-feet wide with minimal shoulders. These roads also followed local topography, making them a hilly, winding challenge for Missouri drivers. Deadly accidents were common on these roads. For example, some stretches of Route 66 within Missouri were referred to locally as “Bloody 66” for the large number of fatalities that occurred. Clearly Missouri needed to improve its highways to carry increasing loads of traffic. In the late 1950s, the federal government stepped forward to help build a national system of superhighways that offered hope for quicker, safer travel.

In essence, "Bloody" Route 66 was a victim of its own success. As it became more heavily traveled, it became more accident-prone. I'm all for highway safety. But the interstates had their flaws. Snaking them indifferently through major cities destroyed neighborhoods. Bypasses wrecked the main business districts of small towns. Even businesses near the interstates struggled if they were unlucky enough to be too far away from the limited-access exits and entrances.

If Ike had seen what his creation had wrought, I think he would have done some things differently.

Tallglassofmilk with the Drink This blog saw a screening of Pixar's "Cars" movie a few days ago. He proclaimed it as "fantastic," but expressed this concern:

A must-see for NASCAR fans and anyone who appreciates American nostalgia — or life before freeways.  But, as fabulous as it is, I'm not sure this one will be a big winner with the lil' ones, unless they're hardcore race fans.

It's a legitimate concern, but in my opinion, it's unwarranted. I'd be hard-pressed to find many boys who don't like cars, trucks or vehicles of any kind. Girls, at first glance, may not like the film as much, but it does feature a prominent female character, Sally, and a love story.

And I think the NASCAR element is way underrated. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport in the United States, and earns unbelievable loyalty from its fans. NASCAR fans have been an underserved by Hollywood for years. I think the NASCAR fans will come out to see this movie in droves, and that will be seen big-time at the box office.

That's my opinion. But I could be wrong. 

The San Bernardino County Sun has a story about a volunteer group called Main Street Murals and its efforts along the main drag of Barstow, Calif.

Already, colorful murals in the area of Main Street depict the image of William Barstow Strong, for whom the city is named; the historic Harvey House depot, built in 1911; a map of the old Mormon trail, with scenes highlighting aspects of the journey; teams of camels that helped open the West, and an early-day automobile descending a hill on old Route 66.

Click here to see the group's work. 

In the wake of Missouri's Route 66 being declared a scenic byway, columnist Hank Billings of the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader reflects on the scenery that once could be seen on the Mother Road.