State police building named to National Historic Register March 16, 2007
Posted by Ron in Preservation.add a comment
The now-closed Illinois State Police District 6 building at 15551 Old Route 66 in Pontiac was named to the National Register of Historic Places, announced the National Park Service today.
The gun-shaped building was built in 1941, and was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Association’s Hall of Fame in 2000. Regrettably, I’ve not been able to track down a photo of the structure.
In December, the building reportedly was going to be auctioned by the state as surplus property, but no date was announced.
Wearing of the green March 16, 2007
Posted by Ron in Events, Towns.add a comment
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. That means it’s time for the annual 61st St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in the Route 66 town of Shamrock, Texas, this weekend. The Amarillo Globe-News has a preview story.
For a festival schedule of events, go here.
Susan Wageman story touches hearts of readers March 16, 2007
Posted by Ron in People, Vehicles.add a comment
The San Jose Mercury-News’ recent story about Susan Wageman, who was trying to learn to drive her husband’s manual-transmission Corvette after he died unexpectedly, gained quite a response from readers.
The newspaper printed several letters to the Roadshow column about it. Columnist Gary Richards also provided a few more details about Wageman since the story was published:
Susan now belongs to the Santa Clara Corvette club. Log on to www.mercurynews.com/mrroadshow/ to read Susan Wageman’s story about learning to drive a stick shift and see video of her first spin behind the wheel. And Susan adds: “Please express my thanks to all the wonderful people who offered to help and sent advice. This experience has helped immeasurably to keep me in tune with the good in this world as I work through the tough stuff. I look forward to many road trips in the future and encourage others to head out and do some exploring on the road. I took a bunch of spins around my neighborhood and only stalled twice - during a U-turn and just as I had pulled into the garage. Successful starts from stop are getting smoother, too.”
Al Wilson’s master recordings lost in a fire March 16, 2007
Posted by Ron in Music.1 comment so far
R&B singer Al Wilson, 67, who had a No. 1 hit in 1974 with “Show and Tell,” lost the master tapes to his hit songs to a fire in his San Bernardino, Calif., home studio on Monday, reported the Inland Press-Enterprise.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much he lost,” Alder said. “It’s so invaluable. The master records, the famous songs: really, really important stuff to him. I don’t think you can put a price tag on it.” [...]
The last several years of his career have seen Wilson tour festivals and nightclubs, including gigs at San Bernardino’s Route 66 Rendezvous and at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.
Alder said neither he nor his firefighters knew who Wilson was until going inside to salvage his belongings.
“We saw all the trophies and awards, and thought, ‘Either this guy’s a big fan, or someone famous,’ ” Alder said.
I saw Wilson perform at the John Steinbeck Awards dinner in San Bernardino in 2005. He was a superb singer.
To give you a taste of Wilson’s talent, a YouTube video that uses “Show and Tell” as the soundtrack to a photo montage.
