April 2013 Meeting to be held at Pietro’s Restaurant in St. Louis

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will meet on April 13, 2013 at Pietro’s Restaurant in St. Louis, 3801 Watson Road.

Luch will be served at 12:00 PM with the general meeting following. Author Joe Sonderman will be our guest speaker, presenting a slide show about Route 66 in the St. Louis area. There will be a board meeting at 10:00 am.

For more information, directions, and a form for reserving lunch, please download the
April 2013 Meeting Notice. You must reserve lunch by April 4, 2013.

Saratoga Party for ModernSTL Members, Nov. 28, 2012

2nd Anniversary Bowl-A-Rama and annual meeting at Saratoga Lanes, 2725 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO 63143. Wednesday, November 28. Unlimited bowling, shoes and billiards! Snacks provided but feel free to bring your favorite pizza or carryout. This is a members (and plus one) only event, but the non-initiated are welcome to join Modern STL at the door. Maplewood’s historic Saratoga Lanes was established in 1917 and retrofitted with one of the grooviest, most intact 1950s era interiors in the region. Don’t miss out! If you have questions contact modernstlinfo@gmail.com.

Goulash Festival in St. Louis on November 4, 2012

“Saint John Nepomuk Chapel at 12th and Lafayette in Saint Louis will be holding their world-famous Goulash Festival on Suncay, November 4 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Enjoy homemade goulash and noodles or baked chicken with sides, dessert, coffee or tea for just $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids. There will be fun and games and tours of our historic church (est. 1854). There’s no Rams game this Sunday so why not join us?”

Crestwood Bowl Neon Sign Relighting on October 20, 2012

Special Announcement!

Crestwood Bowl Sign on Watson Road in St. Louis County

A relighting of the vintage Crestwood Bowl neon sign in Crestwood, MO is scheduled to take place on Saturday evening, October 20th, 2012. Each of you are cordially invited to attend this special event to celebrate the restoration of this neon sign along Missouri Route 66 in southwestern St. Louis County, MO.

Since 2008, a fall relighting ceremony of one of our classic Route 66 neon signs has become an annual event. Our past 4 projects, under the direction of the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee (NHPC) within our Route 66 Association of Missouri, have included the Donut Drive-In in St. Louis, the Sunset Motel in Villa Ridge, the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, and the Luna Cafe in Mitchell (IL). With each subsequent year, these relighting events grow in interest and attendance as we support the preservation of these wonderful examples of commercial art along America’s Main Street.

Here are the details at this time for the Crestwood Bowl event on 10/20:

Crestwood Bowl is located at 9822 Watson Road, Crestwood, MO 63126. It is located on the south side of Watson approximately halfway between Lindbergh Blvd to the west and Sappington Rd to the east. Watson Road was the primary Route 66 pathway west coming out of the city of St. Louis in the heavy post WWII travel era.

The relighting (throwing of the switch!) will take place near dusk… estimated to be in the 6:30 to 6:40 PM time frame. However, you may want to plan for a bit earlier time should we have an overcast day. You are welcome to arrive an hour or so earlier, in order not to miss the speakers and presentations leading up to the actual relighting of the sign.

Current owners Mike and Ray Bluth welcome all to attend this event and are planning to serve refreshments. As noted above, we will have several speakers that evening, including representatives from the communities of Crestwood and Sunset Hills.

The bowling alley has a parking area out front of the building, which may be quite limited space-wise that evening, but also another parking lot behind the building as well.

Crestwood Bowl was the recipient of a $9,500 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to assist in the restoration of this sign. It is one of only three signs in St. Louis County to earn designation as a “County Landmark” by the Historic Buildings Commission of St. Louis County.

Please join us this special Saturday evening in October to welcome back this Route 66 beacon of light!

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact myself or Jim Thole, our NHPC Chairperson, at 66thole@sbcglobal.net.

Hope to see you in Crestwood!

Tropicanniversary: 50 Years of Tropicana Lanes

Right Up Your Alley: The Tropicana turns 50, so let’s honor its MCM fabulousness!

Wednesday February 2 from 6 – 9 pm
Tropicana Lanes, 7960 Clayton Road

All are welcome!

• The Tropicana owner, Tino DiFranco, is turning over 26 lanes to Modern STL fans and lowering the price!

• Half price drink specials on White Russians!

• Atomic-centric raffle items!

• Tino and our President, Michael Allen, will present a program on the history of the Tropicana and bowling culture in St. Louis!

• Modern STL swag will make its debut (and if you’re already a member, it’s deeply discounted)!

If you have not already joined Modern STL, this event is a great opportunity to do so while meeting fellow lovers of mid-century modern design.

See the Modern STL web site for more details.

Volunteers and Sponsors Needed for Upcoming Route 66 is 85 Art and Writing Competition

In order to raise awareness about Route 66 in the St. Louis area, St. Louis Transitions and Metro South Arts Council are sponsoring an upcoming art and writing contest for students in the Metro St. Louis area who will be in Middle School (6^th through 8^th graders) and High School (9^th through 12^th graders) as of September 30, 2011.  The contest will be open to students in all 17 Metro St. Louis counties and includes public, private and home schooled students.

Detailed guidelines will be released on April 30, 2011 and students will have the summer to research Route 66 and work on their entries. Entries will be due September 30, 2011. Judges include Linda Green-Metzler, Luanne Rimel, Connie Copley, Judy Moticka, and Dr. John Oldani. Many of the entries will be displayed at the Metro South Arts Council space at Crestwood Court .Winners will be announced at a reception celebrating Route 66’s 85^th birthday on Friday, November 11, 2011.

Help from the community is needed: Sponsors are needed for the 12 prize categories, tentatively set at the $125 to $500 range. In addition, donations are needed to help with the contest and reception expenses. Please make your tax deductible donation payable to Metro South Arts Council (memo Route 66 contest) and mail checks to: Metro South Arts Council c/o Lindbergh High School 4900 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63126.  Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated.  We also need a few volunteers to help with fundraising, mailings, answering questions from schools, and to help with the reception.

Route 66 Art prints for sale: As another way to raise funds for the contest, St. Louis Transitions has just released The Route 66 St. Louis Landmarks Series, a limited edition set of 100 art prints. The set features six local Route 66 treasures, some still standing and others only a memory: the Chain of Rocks Bridge, Ted Drewes, the Coral Court, the 66 Park-In Theatre, the Red Cedar Inn, and the Diamonds. St. Louis Transitions commissioned the paintings by Canadian artist Adam Connors in conjunction with the release of the book, Route 66 St. Louis: From the Bridges to the Diamonds. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The prints are $25 each and may be purchased individually or as a complete set by visiting www.route66stlouis.com.

For more information on the contest, sponsoring one of the prize categories, or how you can help, please contact Norma Maret Bolin at 314-749-3970 or norma@route66stlouis.com.

New Book About Route 66 in St. Louis Now Available on Friends of the Mother Road Web Site

by Kip Welborn

Things to Look for On Route 66 in St. Louis Our organization is offering for sale a book I penned called “Things to Look for On Route 66 in St. Louis.” It is a book that I hope will guide you down the many alignments that Route 66 takes through the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County-from the Illinois suburbs on the “Eastside” to the Franklin County Line (and will hopefully compliment the new signs that you will find cruising Route 66 in St. Louis courtesy of the Route 66 Association of Missouri). It also points out various “places to look out for” while you are cruising the different alignments, as well as other tidbits about Route 66 in St. Louis. The Book is divided up into the “Salisbury” alignment (which crossed the McKinley Bridge), the “Chouteau” alignment (which crossed the Municipal/MacArthur Bridge); the “Official/Bypass Route” (which crossed the Chain of Rocks Bridge and went around St. Louis); the “City” Route (which crossed the Chain of Rocks and Municipal/MacArthur Bridges and went through the City of St. Louis.); and the later Routes which crossed the Veterans and Poplar St. Bridges. While not every twist and turn in these alignments is covered, you will hopefully see not only most of Route 66 in St. Louis but also a lot of what this great City has to offer. The book sells for $10.00. Mailing costs are an additional $2.25. A couple of bucks will go towards putting the book together, and the rest will go to Friends of the Mother Road, Inc. for preservation efforts (including its efforts to preserve the Luna Motel Sign in Mitchell, IL). It is in black and white and bound so that it is easy to flip the pages while you are cruising. Here’s a chance to figure out Route 66 in St. Louis and how to help icons on our Beloved Mother Road all at once. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Friends of the Mother Road, Inc., thanks you for your patronage and your contribution to its preservation work….Kip Welborn, Friends of the Mother Road, Inc. Visit web site to buy

Upcoming Meeting in St. Louis, April 17, 2010

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will meet on Saturday, April 17, at Grbic Restaurant in St. Louis.

Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm, with the general meeting following. The meeting guest will be Kaisa Barthuli, Acting Program Manager, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Office. Plans are to attend a presentation by Kaisa, to Association Member Michael Griffin of Walter’s Market, for building restoration efforts in connection with the cost-share grant program.

Download the meeting notice and lunch registration form.

National Trust for Historic Preservation Selects St. Louis for 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destinations List

Since 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destination program has recognized cities and towns that offer an authentic visitor experience by combining dynamic downtowns, cultural diversity, attractive architecture, cultural landscapes and a strong commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization. In each community, residents have joined together and taken action to protect their town’s character.

See this web page for details, and to vote for St. Louis!

http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/travel/dozen-distinctive-destinations/

Program Announced for St. Louis Route 66 Festival

Celebrate the Mother Road at the second annual St. Louis Route 66 Festival to be held Saturday, October 3, at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, 10950 Riverview Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63137.   The event offers an afternoon of FREE fun and activities on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the Bridge from 11:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Classic cars will span the length of the bridge. “A honk-off will start the festivities,” said Laura Cohen,  Confluence Partnership Director. “The signal will be ladies and gentlemen, honk your horns!” Visitors will be able to vote for the Fan Favorite Award, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Come visit The Route 66 Association of Missouri’s booth at the Festival!

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