Wally Spiers of the Belleville News-Democrat talks to the owner of the Bel-Air Drive-In sign on old Route 66 near Mitchell, Ill.

The drive-in theater has been closed for 20 years, but the marquee still stands. Owner Larry Manns hasn’t done much to shore it up, but also he seems reluctant to part with it.

“The village of Pontoon Beach has talked about rehabilitating it,” he said. “A couple of people have called, wanting to buy it. I’m not real keen to sell it to anyone. I like it. I grew up with it.”

But if there is an opportunity to make a good profit, he might be tempted to part with the sign.

“I really don’t want to take it down, but if someone happens to want to develop that piece of property it is on, who’s to say what might happen?” he said. “I’m open to suggestions.”

A photo of the Bel-Air sign can be seen here.

This very strange story from the Associated Press tells how the Cadillac Ranch west of Amarillo, Texas, was supposed to be used for a photo shoot by the Texas Department of Transportation to promote the use of seat-belt use.

But a llama on the premises chewed up part of the Styrofoam seat belt that was supposed to be wrapped down the Cadillac Ranch monument. The photographer was able to finish the shoot, however.

The Amarillo Globe-News also has a story, and a photo from the shoot (free registration may be required).

The llama was owned by local helium magnate Stanley Marsh 3 (yes, the “3″ is correct). To anyone who knows about the cheerfully eccentric Marsh, the fact he used a pet llama to disrupt a photo shoot comes as no surprise.

Richard Branaman has a vision. He wants to build a 21-foot-tall pyramid made of 8,400 bowling balls, set atop a 77-foot-tall concrete quasi-tripod. It’s called the World Peace Monument, and he wants it in the middle of a traffic circle at Mingo Road and Admiral Place (aka Route 66) in Tulsa, reports the Tulsa World.

Right now, it’s just an idea, and he needs a lot of cash and another 7,500 bowling balls to pull it off (plus a lot of zoning meetings).

In the meantime, he’s raising money for the project at his World Peace Thrift Shop at the Great American Flea Market in Tulsa, which also is on the Admiral Place Route 66 alignment.

You can see Branaham’s flea-market booth of collected bowling balls here.

The Route 66 Road Musical has posted yet another video, this time of the awesome views of the Grand Canyon. The footage of the eagle soaring over the chasm is excellent, too.

Natalie Merchant’s “Motherland” is in the first half of the video. The second half is the atmospheric music of Arizona band Calexico.

The old neon sign of the Palms Grill in downtown Atlanta, Ill., was relighted in a ceremony this week, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph.

The sign was restored in part with a grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.

The newspaper didn’t have any photos of the new sign, but here’s an artist’s rendering.

The circa-1938 building on old Route 66 eventually will be reopened to house the town’s museum and a cafe.

UPDATE 4/30/07: Peter Stork at Digital Route 66 has this picture and others of the Palms Grill sign and building.

Matt Land, sales manager for Dixie Choppers lawn mowers in Indiana, stopped for a bite to eat during his quest to drive a propane-powered lawn mower across the country. Money quote from the Rolla Daily News:

“I’ve been eating a lot of bugs and raindrops, and I know what it’s like to be a hood ornament,” Land joked. “It’s taken on its own personality. We go with the flow, that’s what we’re good at.”

Top speed on the mower is 30 mph.

You can follow Land during his Clean Cut Across America tour on his blog.

The Town House Lounge and Restaurant at 3911 Central Ave. in Albuquerque is closing May 5 after 49 years on Route 66, reports the Albuquerque Tribune.

The Town House, which one of the city’s oldest steakhouses, also is known for its big steer on its roof. Here’s a photo.

It’s owned by George K. Argyles, who immigrated from Greece a half-century ago.

The restaurant’s time at the location is coming to an end, because Argyres said, he was unable to come to an agreement over his lease.

It will end Argyres’ nearly 50-year association with that patch of Central, tucked between Route 66 landmarks like the De Anza Motor Lodge and the Aztec Motel. [...]

Argyres says there’s still a chance the restaurant - a family operation that includes his wife, Katherine - will be resurrected, along with the cow.

He knows the location, calling it only “somewhere between here and the mountains.” But he’s just not sure yet. He’s discouraged by modern-day regulations on people who sell alcohol.

Many of you probably have noticed a sudden change in the look at this site. I’m surprised about it, too.

Apparently it’s a problem at a number of WordPress.com sites. I’ve contacted WordPress.com about the snag, and it’s hoped it will be resolved soon. At least it isn’t hurting the functionality of Route 66 News.

From the Windy City, there is an a female, a cappella, “corporate entertainment” quartet that calls itself Route 66.

Route 66 reminds me of the Andrews Sisters, but it also sings more contemporary pop songs such as Queen, James Taylor and Creedence Clearwater Revival (Mp3 samples of Route 66’s songs are here). I didn’t see Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ among the samples, but it is among the group’s repertoire.

According to its history, Route 66 started in 1994 in the Netherlands and eventually moved to Chicago. Don’t look for the group to go on tour; it sticks close to Chicagoland.

Here’s a video clip of footage from Route 66’s gigs (embedding of this video wasn’t allowed).

In the past day or so, I snatched up another domain name that directs Internet surfers to this site.

Not only does the long-established Route66News.org direct you to here, but so does Route66News.com.

Other than that change, you’ll still get news from the Mother Road nearly every day, as usual.

Nasty wind gusts Sunday afternoon knocked off part of the decorative scrollwork of the main sign of the Rialto Square Theatre, located on Route 66 in Joliet, Ill., reported the Herald-News.

Fortunately, no one was hurt when the sign chunk came crashing down, although an adjacent street was closed. Workers were already busy repairing the sign Monday. Click on the newspaper link above for plenty of photos from the scene.

It appears to be a mix of both, actually.

Richard Etchells recently posted these photos on the Route 66 yahoogroup of what appear to be harvesters planted into the ground at an angle. This is a few miles south of Route 66 near Amarillo, Texas. It appears to be a homage to the “tractor tippin’” scene in the movie “Cars” and a tribute to Cadillac Ranch off Route 66 west of Amarillo.

Etchells tells me its on the north side of the road of FM Road 1151, just east of FM Road 1258 (map is here). He isn’t positive on the location, nor does he know who the landowner is. I didn’t find anything about it on Roadside America, either.

I guess all of that flat ground inspires people in the Panhandle to do eccentric things: You have Cadillac Ranch, Bug Ranch and the Big Cross, all within a 25-mile radius or so.

UPDATE 4/26/07: Crocodile Lile, president of the Texas Old Route 66 Association, tracked down the owner of the Combine Ranch and is writing a story about it in the next issue of Route 66 Pulse.

A recent banquet in Commerce, Okla., to raise money for a statue and other attractions paying tribute to native son and Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mickey Mantle cleared about $12,000 in profit, reported the Miami (Okla.) News-Record.

More than 350 people attended the event. I’m certain the appearance of Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins drew a crowd.

The Mickey Mantle Trust Authority also received $75,000 from the Oklahoma Centennial Commission.

The article also provides some details about the Mickey Mantle proposals for Commerce:

The trust voted to earmark the $75,000 for expenses specifically related to a statue of Mantle that is to be placed at the front entrance to five Little League baseball fields on Route 66 in Commerce. [...]

The five fields are part of the first phase of a project that architect Tom Ernst recently completed as a final master plan. A museum, gift shop, batting cages and parking areas with a main entrance are also planned in the first portion of the project.

Other phases include a replica of a 1956 Yankee Stadium, kitchen, banquet room, plaza, children’s playground and jogging trail.

The Mantle family has to approve the plans before they proceed. Mantle died of cancer in 1995.

I’ve posted a few dozen versions of “Route 66″ on this Web site.

But this is the first I’ve posted by the composer of “Route 66″ himself, Bobby Troup. Here he is in 1964, showing his jazz chops on piano during a segment of “The Julie London Show.”

The Ambler’s Texaco Station in the Route 66 town of Dwight, Ill., has been restored to its 1940s appearance, reports the Morris (Ill.) Daily Herald.

Part of the restoration was covered by a cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. A plaque from the National Park Service commemorating the restoration will be dedicated at 2 p.m. today.

Here’s a recent photo of Ambler’s Texaco Station.

UPDATE 4/25/07: The Pontiac Daily Leader has a story about the restoration, along with a photo.

The Uranium Cafe, a Route 66 landmark in Grants, N.M., with a classic neon sign, closed about a month ago, according to a Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman.

The latest incarnation of the restaurant lasted about a year. It called itself Five Brothers Uranium Cafe. The previous owner for a number of years sold the restaurant after a divorce.

No one I talked to at the chamber or a nearby real estate office associated with the cafe’s recent tenant seemed to know what lies in store for the restaurant now. The building’s owner lives out of state.

The Route 66 town of Kingman, Ariz., made the final cut in Relocate America’s Top 100 Places to Live in 2007.

Here’s the criteria:

Throughout the calendar year, we accept nominations for cities & towns throughout the country to be considered as a “great place to live”. The nominating parties must include their own reasons why they feel their city should make the list. The nominations, along with key data regarding education, employment, economy, crime, parks, recreation and housing are reviewed, rated & judged by our editorial team.

According to the Kingman Daily Miner, the city made the top 100 for the first time.

Other Route 66 towns that made the list were Chicago (which finished in the top 10), Edmond, Okla., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

However, I have a hard time taking seriously any list that doesn’t include even one town from the gloriously beautiful and culturally rich state of New Mexico.

Matt Land, national sales manager of the Magic Circle Corp. lawn mower manufacturer in Coatesville, Ind., is going to travel 2,000 miles from Indiana to Sacramento, Calif., in one of the company’s Dixie Choppers, according to the Indianapolis Star.

He’ll travel mostly on Route 66. Where interstate travel is unavoidable, he’ll put the lawn mower in a trailer.

… [T]he lawn mower Land will ride to the California capital is environmentally friendly propane-powered.

Maybe he can trim the weeds from some roadway edges while he’s at it.

A four-alarm mulch fire at Route 66 Landscape Supply Center in Pacific, Mo., closed down the Mother Road part of Sunday afternoon, reports KSDK-TV in St. Louis.

More than 100 firefighters from 12 departments battled the blaze, which was difficult to extinguish. Smoke could be seenn from more than 10 miles away. Firefighters expect to be on the scene until at least early Monday morning.

According to KMOV-TV in St. Louis, the fire also closed down railroad service for Amtrak, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern.

No cause of the fire is yet known.

C.H. “Skip” Curtis, a longtime historian and booster of Route 66 in Missouri, died Saturday night at his home in Springfield, Mo., reports Tommy Pike, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri.

I don’t have any funeral arrangements yet. I’ll pass them along and other details as I get them.

Curtis was a contributing writer to Route 66 Magazine and previously was an editor of Show Me Route 66, the magazine of the Missouri 66 association.

He’s probably best-known for two books about Route 66. One is “Birthplace of Route 66 — Springfield, Mo.,” which argued that the Mother Road was essentially created there. The other is “The Missouri U.S. 66 Tour Book,” which is a terrific resource of history, photos and directions to the Mother Road in the Show-Me State. It was published in 1994, shortly after the renaissance of Route 66 began. I still use that volume for reference purposes.

Curtis lived in St. Louis for decades, owning an advertising and marketing company. A few years ago, he moved back to his hometown of Springfield to live in a historic, renovated fire station. Curtis had a bout with cancer a couple years ago, but the last I’d heard, the treatments went well.

I met Curtis only one time that I can recall. (For some reason, he didn’t go to many of the usual roadie gatherings.) We were touring Route 66 in Missouri when we stopped in St. James at Johnnie’s Bar, a great old tavern that’s been there for many years at Route 66 and Jefferson Street, the main north-south drag through town. In addition to an old Stag beer sign at the entrance, Johnnie’s contains a collection of American Indian arrowheads and other artifacts.

Curtis was there helping the owners move some heavy stuff around. We were there only long enough to exchange brief greetings because he was busy and we were behind schedule on Route 66, as usual. But I do remember complimenting him for his Route 66 tour book, which he appreciated.

If any of you want to post memories about Skip Curtis, use the comments section of this post.

UPDATE 4/23/07: I called the funeral home, which is Gorman Scharpf. The service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First & Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield at 820 Cherry St. (map is here).

Burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday (yes, before the service) at Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield.

Memorials should be given to:

Springfield-Greene County Library
4653 S. Campbell
Springfield, MO 65810
link

UPDATE2: Tommy Pike has more for the roadies:

Immediately following the service there will be a celebration in honor of Skip at the family home, 1314 E. Walnut (map). The family invites you to join in this celebration and bring your best “Skip” story to share.

You may send expressions of sympathy to Karla Curtis at 424 South National Ave., Springfield, Missouri 65806. Please keep Karla in your prayers as she goes through this very difficult time.

UPDATE 4/24/07: Tommy and Glenda Pike sent me the text of Curtis’ obituary:

C.H. Skip Curtis

Skip Curtis died April 21, 2007, of cancer at the age of 63 at Old No.3.

Skip was born November 22, 1943, in Springfield, Missouri, the son of EC and Eula Mae (Sence) Curtis. He attended Drury University and Missouri State University in Springfield, and Washington University in St. Louis.

He headed his own advertising company for over 30 years. He was an author, artist and historian. He wrote a series of books on Route 66. He served on boards of several associations, including the Route 66 Association. He greatly enjoyed directing family and friends down parts of old Route 66 and retelling historical stories he had uncovered in his research.

In his childhood, Skip dreamed of living in the local firehouse. In 1999, he and his wife Karla made that dream come true. Skip took great pride in his self-designed renovations of Old No.3 and the memorabilia which covers the walls and tells many tales of history.

Skip served in the United States Marine Corps, was affiliated with Kappa Alpha fraternity, and was an avid outdoorsman and sportsman. As a youth, Skip was a champion swimmer, diver and golfer.

Skip was preceded in death by his beloved “Pop,” EC Curtis, his mother Eula Mae, sister Beckey, and brother Art. He is survived by his wife Karla, step-daughter Susan Wilkerson, brother Steve and wife Susan of Tamarindo, Costa Rica; seven nieces, two nephews, and four cousins who grew up together, Karla’s family and his faithful friend to the end, Trey.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church, with Reverend Alf Halvorson officiating. Private interment will be in Hazelwood Cemetery under the direction of Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to Greene County Public Library or the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County.

“Uncle Skip” is remembered for his love and devotion toward family and friends and for his great sense of humor.