Here's one from the "snooze, you lose" department. I had noticed a couple of weeks ago that there was a sign in front of Tulsa Monument Co. that the business had lost its lease and was moving. I had meant to follow up in an effort to get more information.

The Tulsa World reported Thursday that Tulsa Monument Co. is moving from its longtime digs in a distinctive Art Deco building on 1735 E. 11th St., aka Route 66, southward to 7035 E. 41st St.

Mike Rives Jr. owns the building, which was built in 1936, and there's no word on the future plans for the building once Tulsa Monument completes its move by June 15.

Here's a link about the building from the Tulsa Preservation Commission. Here's another one from the Best of Tulsa. For more about Art Deco, go to the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture site, of which I'm a member.

(Photo courtesy of Tulsa Preservation Commission.) 

The Admiral Twin drive-in, along the Route 66 alignment of Admiral Place in Tulsa, is having its best season, according to an article in the Tulsa World.

"We're having a great season," he said, noting that the drive-in opened its season in March. "People are getting out and having fun, and it looks like we're getting a lot of repeat customers."

Nostalgia may add to the appeal of the drive-in, Smith said.

"People who used to come here as kids now are here with their kids," he said. "It's been here since 1951, and everybody knows where it's at."

The Admiral won a $35,000 grant from Hampton Inns' Save-A-Landmark program last year, and it used those winnings to upgrade the original plumbing, and other improvements.

In addition to helping the Admiral Twin, the Save-a-Landmark program helped to restore the 80-foot-long Blue Whale in Catoosa several years ago. The Admiral Twin was the 23rd landmark selected for the program.

The Blue Whale and the drive-in represent historic Route 66 landmarks that are among a bevy of such attractions in the state, said Amanda DeCort, historical preservation planner with Tulsa.

"All throughout Oklahoma, a lot of cities and towns are capitalizing on Route 66," she said. "There's definitely an interest on the part of Route 66 enthusiasts to get the younger people interested in it."

The Admiral Twin Drive-In represents the history of Route 66 and is a part of Tulsa's identity, DeCort said.

"It's one of the last drive-ins around," she said. "It's a piece of Tulsa history, and it's living history."

The Admiral Twin also was the setting for Francis Ford Coppola's film, "The Outsiders," based on the original best-selling novel by Tulsa native S.E. Hinton. Tulsa TV Memories has a pretty good overview of the drive-in's history.

(Editor's note: There was a coding issue with the excerpt of the story. It's fixed now.)

Here's an excerpt from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's "What's Happening" calendar for Saturday:

Scotty's Route 66 Restaurant and Bar is sponsoring Summer Fest 2006 with music, vendors, food, beverages, craft booths, historical displays, games, a dunking booth and miniature golf tournaments. Open to the public and for children of all ages. Noon Saturday at Old Route 66 and Highway 140, Hamel. 618-633-2228 or 618-633-1793.

I received an e-mail today from Jim Conkle of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation that says a preservation meeting concerning the endangered Rod's Grill in Arcadia, Calif., will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the restaurant at 41 W. Huntington Drive.
Preservationists will be there to collect signatures on petitions. The city is considering eminent domain to seize Rod's and turn it over for a Mercedes dealership's expansion. The preservationists and local media who've dug into the story have made the situation uncomfortable for city officials.

The owner wants to fight it, and best of all, he's providing lunch to the volunteers.

If you're interested in helping, e-mail Glen Duncan at gduncan@earthlink.net . 

It was previously announced here that Route 66 Pulse, a newspaper devoted to Mother Road, announced it will debut its first issue this month at the Route 66 Festival in Albuquerque.

More details about the newspaper came out Wednesday. The New Mexico Business Weekly reported that the first print run will be 25,000 copies, distributed at newstands and lodging along the route.

Jim Conkle, who runs the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation and who I know personally, is the general manager. It will be a free monthly publication, but they hope it eventually publishes twice a month.

Route 66 Pulse "is destined to be a 'must have' for all vacationers and travelers along this wonderful road that is filled with both character and historic events," according to a release from the publishers. "Each issue … will carry photographs and stories, interviews and special events to see and do along this historic road."

The reports on the upcoming "Cars" movie, which opens wide June 9, are coming hot and heavy.

• Roger Colton of Jim Hill Media has a review of Michael Wallis' and Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis' companion book to the movie, "The Art of Cars." But remember where you read the first review.
• Dark Horizons has an interview with "Cars" star Bonnie Hunt, who provides the voice of Sally the Porsche.
• IGN.com has the latest "Making of 'Cars'" mini-movie, called "Under the Hood."
• Finally, the Design Sushi blog attended the big "Cars" premiere in North Carolina and filed this report. (Hat tip to Upcoming Pixar.)