Dot Leavitt, owner of Dot’s Mini Museum in Vega, Texas, passed away this morning, reports Linda Drake, manager of the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce.

Linda describes Dot as “a dear, sweet lady that loved Route 66 and all
the people that traveled the road.”

Dot — pictured above with Jim Conkle during a visit from the Hampton Inns Route 66 Caravan — was, indeed, a dear, sweet lady. Ron and I had the pleasure of meeting her several times on our visits to Vega. Tacked to my bulletin board are two photos she shot while Ron and I were out there painting the sign at the Vega Motel. She came out several times to watch our progress and take pictures as we worked on the sign, and she was so appreciative of our efforts that she insisted on taking us to breakfast at the Hickory Inn while we were in town.

A few weeks later, we got an envelope in the mail containing the two prints and one of Dot’s distinctive business cards, which were covered with — what else? — dozens of colorful dots.

That was Dot — always doing something nice for folks she met on the road.

She appeared several times on CMT’s “Popularity Contest,” which was filmed in Vega, and every time she was on the screen, she was smiling — which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dot without a big smile on her face.

Linda reports that services are planned for the morning of Thursday, Dec. 14, at Christ Community Fellowship Church in Vega. Cards, letters, and photos of Dot may be sent to her family at:

Dot Leavitt
Vega, Texas 79092

(Yes, that’s a complete address. Vega is a very small town, and Linda assures us that the postmaster in Vega will see that the mail gets to Dot’s family.)

Travel well, Dot. We’ll see you somewhere down the road.

Emily

UPDATE: Here is a bit more information from the obituary in the Amarillo Globe-News:

Dot Beatrice Leavitt, 89, of Vega died Monday, Dec. 11, 2006. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in Christ Community Church in Vega. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Vega. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home of Vega.

UPDATE2: Here’s a full obituary from the Globe-News. If you want to give money in her name, here’s what to do:

The family suggests memorials be to Dot’s Mini Museum fund, Friona State Bank, Vega, TX 79092.

(Photo courtesy of Guy Randall.)

Randy Chevrier, owner of Paintmaster Collision and a prominent member of the Route 66 Business League of Tulsa, sent me this photo of Michael Wallis driving riding along in what looks like an old patrol cruiser in this past weekend’s PSO Christmas Parade of Lights in downtown Tulsa.

Wallis portrays the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the movie “Cars” and was a technical adviser to the film.

Tonya Pike, a Missouri roadie, reports that the Maple Motel & Restaurant at 2233 N. Glenstone Ave., a Route 66 alignment, in Springfield, Mo., has been torn down.

The property had been for sale. Pike said it was the third historic property in Springfield to be torn down this year.

The above image comes from an old postcard. Route 66 Photographs also has a nighttime image of the motel’s neon sign here.

Dave Hoekstra, a staff writer for the Chicago Sun-Times who’s written about Route 66 over the years, has a story about the Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Ill., being up for sale.

Hoekstra’s story has nifty tidbits of history about the restaurant and talked to the owners, who wish to retire and travel the Mother Road themselves.

The Launching Pad being placed on the market was first reported by Route 66 News here.

UPDATE: The Joliet Herald-News also has a story Tuesday. Here’s the money quote from co-owner Sharon Gatties:

“I think two years ago we got away for a week. But usually we’re here all the time,” Sharon said. “I see all these people traveling Route 66, and I think, ‘I’d like to do that myself.’”

Kutz63 has posted on YouTube a collage of scenes from “Cars” with Sheryl Crow’s “Real Gone,” which is part of the original soundtrack. It’s a nice way to relive some of the scenes from the film.

SPOILER ALERT: A few of the scenes might reveal too much of the plot. So if you haven’t seen “Cars” yet, don’t view this video.

A new drama on the Sci-Fi Channel that premieres tonight called “The Lost Room,” which takes place in the fictitious Sunshine Motel in New Mexico along old Route 66.

Here’s a summary of the show, straight from its Web site:

In the 1960s, there still were hundreds of motels with thousands of rooms along Route 66 as it twisted its way from Chicago to L.A. and back. None of them stood out from the rest until one day when some unknown event at the Sunshine Motel transformed ordinary things into items of wonder.

Room 10 of the Sunshine Motel and many of its mundane contents — a pair of scissors, a comb and so on — gained unique and inexplicable properties on that day, transforming them from ordinary objects into indestructible Objects.

The Scissors can turn and rotate any item in three dimensions. The Comb stops time for 10 seconds when you run it through your hair. The Eyeglasses inhibit all combustion in a 20-foot radius. The Room itself is an unchanging haven and a portal to any destination. But it can also take that which you value more than your own life.

To possess an Object is to possess its power.

There’s more, but you get the gist.

The connection to the Mother Road is a tad peripheral, but here’s a nice photo from the site’s gallery that shows the motel. The show might be worth checking out.