Here’s a story from The Oklahoman about the Saturday opening of the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler, Okla.

Choice excerpt:

Anthony McDermid, principal designer at Tap Architecture of Oklahoma City, said they didn’t want the center to be a morgue for old memorabilia. It was designed to complement other Route 66 stops, but be completely different than anyone would expect, he said.

The idea of putting beds in the center was the butt of coffee shop conversations for months, said Sandra Bailey, who worked on the project.

“A lot of people thought we were crazy, and it was joked about quite a bit,” said Bailey of Chandler. “Now it makes sense, seeing it all together.”

One time, while dining at a dairy bar on Route 66 in Commerce, Okla., I chatted with this older gentleman who was traveling through the region. We started talking about vintage businesses along the Mother Road.

“Just down the street, there’s a place that when I walked in, it was like being in my hometown’s grocery store back in 1947,” he said.

He was referring to the Star Cash Grocery at 209 Commerce St. (map here), on an old alignment of Route 66 that goes through downtown.

Star Cash Grocery has been there since 1937. The “Cash” in its name came from the original owner refusing to accept credit for purchases. As a result, it was the only grocery in Commerce that survived the Depression.

Not only does Star Cash look like something from the 1940s or ’50s from the outside, but the inside, too. It still uses wooden shelves for its goods and some produce:

You just know that Mickey “The Commerce Comet” Mantle shopped here.

Check out the retro-styled lettering on this cooler for the perishable produce:

Here’s the old-style meat counter:

I’m not sure what Soft Goods were 40 years ago, but today it is for chips:

This is an old display for food dyes, still being used:

This is a collection of knickknacks. Artwork and other collections are all over the store:

The Star Cash Grocery is surely one of the oldest grocers on Route 66. It’s a well-stocked store and sells a bit of hardware in addition to food items. In the winter, it sells locally made peanut clusters and other candy near the checkout.

And on the day I was there, I bought a cold, 24-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew for 99 cents. So there are bargains to be found.

Star Cash Grocery is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day but Sunday, when it is closed. Its phone number is 918-675-4401.

There’s been a lot of discussion on the Internet about the Associated Press story about neglected historic motels along Route 66.

Yesterday came this plea on the Route 66 yahoogroup from Bob Kelley, owner of the Grand Motel in Williams, Ariz.:

I have seen the same problems others have that own older Route 66 motels. I have ran out of money to finish restoring the rest of the way so I am limping along trying to compete with Econolodge, Roadside Inn, etc. With only 16 rooms it is hard. If everyone who wants to see our old gal continue to exist would send me $2, I would put it into a restore fund to do so. Please help us! Send $2 to Grand Motel Preservation fund, 234 E. Route 66, Williams, AZ
86046.

Kelley figures if enough people respond, then those little $2 donations can end up being substantial money. But if I were him, I’d also apply for a cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which can cut his costs in half.

Mark Schultz is a platinum-selling and Dove Award-winning Christian musician. Right now, he is undertaking a bicycle tour across America — part of it on Route 66 — to raise money for the James Fund to help orphans and widows.

The Gallup (N.M.) Independent caught up with him over the weekend. Apparently the bicycle trip hasn’t been just a Sunday ride:

Not only did he just bike from Holbrook, Ariz., and have to cope with six flat tires in 50 miles, he performed in concert that night before a packed house in Gallup and then got up the next morning and hit the highway again for a bike ride to Grants, N.M.

Schultz has a blog to document his experiences, along with videos. Here is a photo gallery.

Here’s a promotional video about Schultz’s ride:

If he’s in your area, you can ride along with Schultz as long as you read this first.

According to his schedule, Schultz has a show in Las Vegas, N.M., on Thursday and will be riding through Tucumcari on Friday. After that, he veers away from Route 66, but does perform in the Mother Road town of Joplin, Mo., on June 1 and rides through Springfield, Ill., on June 14.