The Disney/Pixar hit summer movie, “Cars,” which takes place on Route 66, won a Golden Globe on Monday night for Animated Film, the first year of that category.

Here’s an excerpt from the Associated Press report of the awards ceremony:

“Animation is awesome everybody. It’s my life. I’ve lived in it. It’s so exciting to have our own category,” said “Cars” director John Lasseter, the innovative director of the “Toy Story” movies who pioneered the current computer-animation craze.

“Cars” beat out “Happy Feet” and “Monster House” for the honor. It was the only category in which “Cars” was nominated, but I strongly suspect it will receive at least two Academy Awards nominations when they’re announced on Jan. 23.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter filed a notebook from backstage at the Globes ceremony, and had this interesting item to report.

If you needed a reason why it took so long for the Golden Globes to honor animated films, you had to look no further than backstage to see why: Many have no idea what that part of their industry is about. “Cars” director-screenwriter John Lasseter had to endure questions like, “Who are you?” (”John Lasseter.” A figurative tumbleweed blew by.) And “What do you do?” (”Animated film.” Another one blew by.) And one woman insisted that “Cars” was the last movie that was being distributed by the Walt Disney Co. Lasseter very patiently explained to her that Pixar joined Disney and that they were planning to make many movies together. Lasseter later found his groove, expounding his love of animation and how 2006 had been a banner year for animated films. And he said that while this is a fantastic award, he doesn’t make movies for the acclaim. “To see a little boy carrying a Lightning McQueen doll, to see them carrying something that I created … that to me is why I do what I do. It’s very special.” And look out, actors. When Lasseter is talking to you on the Golden Globes red carpet or at a party, he just might be looking for voice talent. In fact, that’s how he met Tony Shalhoub, who ended up playing Luigi in “Cars.” “I’ve been known to talk to a few actors on the red carpet,” he said slyly.

You can bet that Lasseter will get a bit more respect at the Oscars.

Bruce Huskins wants to start an annual garage sale along the shoulder of old Route 66 from Elkhart to Atlanta, Ill., on Memorial Day weekend, reports the Lincoln (Ill.) Courier.

That’s about 25 miles. Huskins is trying to get a thumbs-up from the Lincoln City Council and Logan County Board. Several area politicians reportedly have given their endorsements to the event and pledge to provide technical assistance, such checking easement regulations.

Logan County Tourism director Geoff Ladd brought up a good suggestion, though:

… Ladd said today, he likes the idea, but wants it coordinated with another tourism event.

“We’re looking at making it one of fundraisers for Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County,” Ladd said. “I think he’s got a really good idea. If we can tie it in with Route 66 projects, it will be more well received. We plan on meeting with him very soon.”

Huskins got the idea for the Route 66 garage sale from the World’s Longest Yard Sale on U.S. 127 in between Covington, Ky., to Chattanooga, Tenn. It is 450 miles.

To give you an idea of that massive scale, a similar event on Route 66 would have to go from Quapaw, Okla. (near the Kansas state line) to the outskirts of Amarillo, Texas.

Don Pizzolato of Duke City Fix met with Gary Goodman, the developer of La Posada de Albuquerque. The historic hotel, as you may recall, is in limbo because renovations have been more expensive than anticipated, and Goodman is seeking $9 million in industrial revenue bonds to finish the project.

Pizzolato’s entry is worth reading as a whole, but this excerpt stood out:

I have no reason to doubt Mr. Goodman’s sincerity in wanting to help bring about these kinds of changes, but as with most grand plans the devil is in the details. Talking with him you sense both his passion for the property as well as a hint of buyers remorse. He admits the project has presented more challenges than expected, but is determined to see it through. Right now everything hinges on the city granting his $9 million dollar IRB. If that does not happen Goodman is not sure what his “Plan B” is. Selling the property is an option, but he would most likely incur a loss; he purchased a functioning hotel, he would be selling an empty, semi-gutted former hotel space.

After meeting with him, I’ll move Mr. Goodman from the “greedy developer” column to “well intentioned developer”, but I still think his IRB is a long shot.

If the bond request fails, Pizzolato advocates the city buying the whole block where the hotel sits and waiting for a more comprehensive, viable development for that area.

On Sunday, the Amarillo Globe-News (free registration required) published an article about nearby Vega, Texas, and its Route 66 heritage.

The article contained some updates on a few longtime favorites:

• Dot Leavitt, founder and caretaker of Dot’s Mini-Museum, died about a month ago. But the museum was willed to her daughter, Betty Carpenter, and she’s keeping it going. In fact, Dot’s home may be converted into part of the museum complex. The number there is (806) 267-2367.
• Roark’s Hardware, which has been on Route 66 since 1925, recently added a coffee shop, decorated with outmoded farm tools. “I wanted to create a little atmospheric getaway for people coming through on Route 66,” general manager Randy Roark said.

In a side story, the Globe-News has an article about Rory Schepisi, the “Popularity Contest” runner-up who moved to Vega full-time and is building her Boot Hill Saloon & Grill there.

This is the full version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.

So what does King have to do with Route 66? Well, there’s this passage:

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” [...] We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. [...] We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: “For Whites Only.”

I occasionally long to time-travel back a few decades to see Route 66 during its heydey, along with its restaurants, motels and businesses. But I have no desire to stay in that time of widespread racial discrimination.

Michael Wallis, author of “Route 66: The Mother Road,” alluded to this during a speech in 2003:

… [T]he late great Nat King Cole, the man with the velvet voice who helped immortalize this very highway by singing Bobby Troup’s “Get Your Kicks,” [...] for way too long would not be able to check into even a modest tourist court or dine in a greasy spoon on the Mother Road or any other road in this country.

“As a boy, I saw the ‘No colored’ signs at gas stations on my Route 66 just as I did on the roads of the Deep South. I also saw signs in cafe windows declaring, ‘No dogs, No Indians,’ and only yards away a Native American craftsman sold his hand-fashioned art from the sidewalk. Black families traveling American’s byways packed their own food and often slept in their vehicles. They didn’t get their kicks on Route 66, or at least the kind of kicks I was getting as a youngster as a hitchhiking Marine. At highway stops such as the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma, during the ’30s and ’40s and ’50s and into the ’60s, black travelers went to the back door to get their food to go. None of them walked inside.

I’ve noticed that racism along Route 66 nowadays is more subtle and has evolved, targeting Asian-Americans who own motels along the road. One of the more snide comments is: “If you smell curry, leave in a hurry.”

I’m not the only one who has noticed this unwarranted bias. Wallis saw it, too, and urged Route 66 travelers to “choose the high road” instead.

“… [J]ust look around you. Just look at our highway today. Read the … signs on motels and other businesses proclaiming in great big letters “American Owned.” … Signs that serve no good purpose except to divide us and slap us in the face.

“… Remember the many, many reputable motel owners and operators from Indian, Pakistan, and Asia who are doing their dead-level best to provide service in their adopted homeland. Many of them are American citizens. Most are well-educated and hail from the state of Gujarat in India. Many of these have the surname Patel, as common a name in that state as Martinez is in New Mexico. [...]

“So please, I ask you to make your decisions wisely. Mark Twain said, ‘Travel cures prejudice.’ That may be true, but still you have to consider your actions and the daily decisions you make as a traveler.

“You my good friends, my loved ones . . . strive to be all you can be. Take the high road whenever you can. Reject the ignorant and the ill informed. Turn your backs on the purveyors of hatred. Seek out the good in all people. Conform your actions to the good of all others. Release your righteous indignation. Admit when you’re wrong. Embrace your own humanity.

“Choose the high road. It takes strength and discipline to choose that path. Take a step in its direction — one step at a time, one day at a time.

“Make every single day your own masterpiece. Make wise choices but never be afraid of risk. Seek out the crooked paths, the roads of genius. Enjoy the journey.”