The Ozark Whirlers is a square-dance club that has been based in Eldon, Mo., for 52 years, and the group still meets for dances at least twice a month, according to a feature article in the Lake Sun Leader of Camdenton, Mo. Many members are in their 70s.

And the dancers must have had some pull to do this:

John and Eleanor are both full of stories about their years of square dancing. John Stover recalled a particular event in Lebanon, Mo., when sections of Route 66 were blocked off so the dancers could get a couple of quick rounds in on the pavement.

Wikipedia contains an interesting historical overview of square dancing. Because square dancing is linked to Western swing music, it’s seen its ebbs and flows in popularity over the decades. I suspect square dancing has creeped into a “so square, it’s cool” category, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it makes a comeback one of these days.

Microsoft, as just about anyone who owns a computer knows, is one of the biggest companies in the world.

Did you know it has a connection to Route 66, albeit peripheral?

Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in an office building barely a block off Route 66 in Albuquerque, at 6320 Linn Ave., and operated there from 1975 to 1979. Now, one of the offices in the complex is for sale.

The listing is here, by Maestas & Ward. The price is $82,950 for 1,185 square feet.

According to The Channel Wire:

In January 1975, Gates called MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the company that was developing the world’s first PCs, offering to sell them software.

MITS, which occupied the building at the time, told Gates to come back in a month. During that time, Gates and Allen wrote the first version of Microsoft BASIC, and then moved to Albuquerque and set up shop in the building.

Today, the surrounding neighborhood, which has been “a little downtrodden” in recent years, is on the rebound, due in part to its proximity to the University Of New Mexico and Nob Hill district of the city, according to a representative from Maestas & Ward.

Paul Allen bought the building four years ago with the intent of using it as the site of a Microsoft history museum, but later scrapped the plan and sold the building. However, Microsoft recently placed a plaque outside the building that acknowledges the historical significance of the site in the annals of IT industry history.

Too bad Allen’s museum idea didn’t happen. Even if you loathe Windows operating systems, there’s no doubt the building contains a ton of historical significance.

Dwayne of New Zealand posted a bunch of videos weeks ago from his summer Route 66 trip, but I missed this one.

Here, he talks to Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., as he’s about to install new neon lighting in July. The previous neon was destroyed by a severe hailstorm last spring.

Kinder also provides a number of interesting historical tidbits as he works.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum in Joliet, Ill., was given a Superior Achievement Award — the highest ranking possible — from the Illinois Association of Museums for its Route 66 Experience exhibit.

The Joliet museum received the award last month. Route 66ers John and Lenore Weiss alerted me to this information.

Finally found a video of Del Reeves singing his biggest hit, “Girl on the Billboard,” that I could embed here.

This clip is from 1965. Listen closely for the Route 66 reference near the end.

I couldn’t find Charley Pride performing “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” on YouTube.

But I did find Buck Owens covering it. And that’s Buck’s longtime cohort, Don Rich, playing fiddle and providing backup vocals.

“Here I am walking down 66, wishing she hadn’t done me that way …” 

KOTV in Tulsa caught up with Ezra Cooley, the cowboy who wants to circle the globe on horseback and raise money for the National Children’s Cancer Society. Much of his path is on Route 66.

The video segment is here. The story is here.

Here’s a fast, sweaty and rollicking version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” performed by British rock band Dr. Feelgood.

This is one of the best versions of that song I’ve heard, if for no other reason than because it rocks.

Here’s an Illinois Lottery television commercial from 1994. Route 66 plays a significant role in the jackpot fantasy.

Dan O’Neil, the mayor of Edmond, Okla., wrote an opinion piece for the Edmond Sun. In it, O’Neil announced the city was selected by the Mayors’ Institute of City Design to participate in a study. The group tries to resolve urban design problems.

O’Neil lays out what he thinks needs to be addressed:

What project in Edmond did we pick for the mayor’s to study? I chose Route 66 east of I-35 to study. Edmond’s 5 miles of Route 66 looks nice, but it lacks the look of Route 66. We are building a new community softball park there and it would be nice to capture the Route 66 feel at the park and also improve the curb appeal along Arcadia Lake.

We all know East Edmond is changing rapidly and it is my hope we also could do a few things to help preserve and enhance the driving experience along Historic Route 66. 

I’ve been critical of Edmond before, but I’ll try to be constructive this time.

Here goes. Edmond faces two big problems.

First, there are few historical landmarks left on Route 66 to preserve, save for parts of downtown. Edmond did jump on the Route 66 bandwagon, but was more than a decade too late. Many Mother Road landmarks are long gone.

Second, Edmond looks like Anyburb, U.S.A. It is rife with featureless strip malls, fast-food restaurants and ubiquitous chain stores. If you plopped someone from a typical retail sprawl town like Fairview Heights, Ill., into the middle of Edmond, they wouldn’t tell much of a difference. Route 66 travelers — and most tourists in general — don’t want to see stuff you can see just about anywhere else.

My suggestions: Preserve the few historical landmarks that are left and adopt strict architectural zoning on the Route 66 corridor. Require businesses to employ designs that are more retro and distinctive than the typical boxy look. Encourage the use of neon signs. Offer incentives to draw unique or locally owned businesses.

Allow it to evolve into something funky and different, like Nob Hill in Albuquerque, the Blue Dome District in Tulsa, or the Asia District in Oklahoma City.

And Fontana, Calif., is gaining notice for converting parts of Route 66 into mixed-use developments designed more for walking than driving.

Edmond’s population is growing like crazy, so it should be able to adopt these policies from a position of strength. Businesses will grumble about the stringent rules, but they’ll shut up when a destination area is created in the process.

Artist Victoria Taylor-Gore shows pastels from her “Route 66 series” in a slide show on YouTube. These works are inspired by motels from the 1940s to 1960s.

Music is by jazz legend John Coltrane.

Here’s country star Dave Dudley, singing his signature hit “Six Days on the Road” during a 1970 television show. It was a big hit in 1963, and spawned many other truck-driving songs.

Trailerdancer, a poster on YouTube, has recorded his version of Fred Eaglesmith’s song, “White Rose,” the story of a small-town filling station that was abandoned when it was bypassed by the interstate.

The song doesn’t specifically take place on Route 66, but the sad story is familiar to those who live on the Mother Road.

“White Rose” recently was covered by country star Toby Keith.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer today published an excellent story about Ed Gardner, one of the runners in the 3,400-mile transcontinental footrace, famously called the Bunion Derby, that took place on Route 66.

As many Route 66ers know, Oklahoma native Andy Payne won the race and its $25,000 prize. But few know of Gardner, who was one of five black entrants and the only one who contended.

Runners had to deal with heat, cold, primitive conditions, a grueling pace and oncoming traffic. Gardner had to deal with all that and more:

In McLean, Texas, an angry white mob surrounded his tent and threatened to burn it. In Western Oklahoma, a farmer with a shotgun rode a mule behind him all day threatening to shoot if Gardner passed a white man.

“Later (the man) who won the race was talking to a historical group and said Ed could have easily won the race if he didn’t have so many followers in each town,” said Geoff Williams, an Ohio-based Bunion Derby historian, noting he was also slowed by adoring fans.

Gardner told the P-I he dined on washtubs of beans and used whatever shoes he could get. He went through 14 pairs.

“I can’t imagine doing that now,” said Seattle runner Phil Kochik, who last year was ranked among the nation’s top five ultra marathon runners. “Most people don’t run more than 10 hours in a day.”

Even though he won more stages than any runner, Gardner finished eighth.  He split his $2,500 prize money with two sports promoters.

After his running days were over, Gardner worked as a repairman at a Seattle shipyard and as a janitor. He died in 1966.

If you want to read more about Gardner and the Bunion Derby, read Geoff Williiams’ excellent book, “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race.” My review of the book is here.

Winter is the time in which I try to update the Schedule of Route 66 Events as much as possible for the coming year.

If there is a 2008 event in your town that you think would be of interest to Route 66 aficionados, e-mail me at route66news(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Look over the link above to see whether your event is already listed. If not, send it to me, and be sure you include a link or phone number so people can find more information about it.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge carried Route 66 over the Mississippi River from Madison, Ill., to St. Louis for decades. Those structures you see in the river are water intake towers. And that roaring sound in the video is water rushing over the natural chain of rocks near those towers.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is now the world’s longest pedestrian bridge.

I e-mailed longtime Route 66er Jerry Ueckert of Edgewood, N.M., this week on another matter, but decided to ask him about his Valentine diner restoration project.

Ueckert purchased the diner, originally located in Magdalena, N.M., early last year and moved it to Route 66 in Edgewood. It’s an eight-stool Aristocrat model, first designed in the 1940s.

If you want to see a “before” photo of Ueckert’s diner, click here. The photo above is what is looks like now. Obviously, it looks a lot better.

I asked Ueckert whether he had a timetable on finishing the restoration:

I’ve gutted the interior and the project of hanging a floor in there has taken many directions. Much has to do with how to move the critter again, if need be, and with that particular job impending, it occurs to me that I’d like to pick it up on a whim and transport it to car shows, events, parades, etc. Now considering that I am getting somewhat older with each passing year, I would like to make that job as easy as possible. [...]

I am amazed that this rusting hulk still has substantial structural integrity. [...]

… I have gathered practically every element I need for the inside appearance, from stools, counters, menu board and antique register and phone. That part of the project should go fairly easily — at least a lot easier than working on this undercarriage, which was pretty much bent and distorted by previous moves.

So I guess the answer to your question is: Hmmm, I’m not sure. Just as soon as I can get there.

(Photo courtesy of Jerry Ueckert.)

Yesterday, I e-mailed Ned Leuchtner, owner of the restored Cool Springs Camp on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, Ariz., to ask him how things were going with Mohave County and his zoning troubles with the business. The county was giving him static because he was building a replica lodging cabin next door, to be used only as parking.

Leuchtner wrote:

We are going to have our final hearing with Mohave County for our zoning revision. We are told that it looks good to be reviewed and formally approved. I had to write a short story about what we are all about at Cool Springs and submit this the county fathers.

We have strived hard to promote Route 66 and be a positive reflection upon the county. But needless to say, you still have to go through the same process that anyone else goes through for zoning review and approval.

Thank goodness for our spirited team and our commitment to the cause.

We look forward to getting through this phase and becoming better than ever.

Leuchtner’s restoration of Cool Springs Camp received a Cyrus Avery Award for preservation. Cool Springs Camp was built in the 1920s and was severely damaged by fire in the 1960s. The remains of the long-closed business were literally blown up in 1991 during a movie shoot in for “Universal Soldier.”

Bennetts insurance of the United Kingdom conducted a survey to see what are the most desired places in the world for motorcyclists to drive, according to Motorcycle News.

The winner was the Great Ocean Road, a 250-mile stretch along the southeastern coast of Australia.

Not far behind in second place was Route 66.

Not the Pacific Coast Highway. Not Highway A1A in Florida. Not even any the spectacular coastal highways of Europe.

It was Route 66.

That’s great. But next time, we need to take it to No. 1.

The Route 66 Cellars winery in Needles, Calif., held its second annual grape stomp, reports the Mohave Daily News, where customers could crush the fruit with old-fashioned way — with their feet.

The article gives some background on the relatively new business:

Route 66 Cellars opened its doors in March of 2006 and they are currently producing about 10,000 bottles a year. They sell about 14 varieties including a signature jalapeno wine, an award winning orange muscat and an award-winning port.

Boyd said that the prices for his wine average around $12-$16; “what we offer for $12 is the equivalent of what you’d get in Paso Robles for $24 or Napa for $50.”

“My everyday is the equivalent of a big vineyard’s custom reserve,” said Boyd. He said that because he’s brewing smaller quantities, he can pick out the best fruits that the vineyards have to offer.

Regrettably, Route 66 Cellars won’t use the grape juice from the stomp event for winemaking.