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.

Route 66 Association of Missouri’s 23rd Annual Motor Tour, September 6, 7 and 8 2013

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will be “Rockin’ to the Devil and Rollin to the Saints” on its 23rd Annual Motor Tour. This Years tour will be held September 6th 7th and 8th. The tour will start in Carthage, MO and will end at Orchard Park in St. Clair, MO.

Tour registration begins on Friday, September 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Econo Lodge, located at 1441 W. Central Ave. in Carthage, MO, where a block of rooms has been set aside for tour goers. Tour Goers can register on Friday night until 10:00 p.m. There will also be information on activities and things to do in Carthage available at registration.

On Saturday, September 7, tour registration will resume at 8:00 a.m. at the Econo Lodge in Carthage, and the tour will depart at 8:15 a.m. (after the pre-tour meeting) from the Econo Lodge. On Saturday, tour goers will have the opportunity to make stops between Carthage and the midpoint destination outside Devil’s Elbow, MO. A Guide detailing places to look for on the way will be provided at registration. Among the places tour goers will be able to visit along the way will include Spencer, MO, Gay Parita, Halltown Mercantile, and the Greene County Museum. There will also be information about other suggested stops provided at registration.

The Saturday night midpoint destination will be the Montis Inn, located at the intersection of CR Z (Route 66) and SR 28 just north of Devil’s Elbow. A block of rooms has been set aside for tour goers at the Montis Inn . Saturday night’s dinner will be held at the Waynesville City Park, where we will be able to enjoy the excellent Bar-B-Que prepared by Sweetwater BBQ. There will be a silent auction and information about Sunday provided at the dinner.

On Sunday after the 8:00 a.m. nondenominational worship service, tour goers will proceed from the Montis Inn Eastward to St. Clair. Again, a Guide detailing places to look for on the way will be provided at registration. The tour will conclude with a lunch catered by Jim’s Country Catering, at Orchard Park just off Route 66 in St. Clair. Additional information on any planned stops or activities along the way will be made available at registration.

For more information and/or to obtain a registration flyer, contact Debbie Rhew (573)-433-9812; dprhew@windstream.net, or Kip Welborn, 314-776-7385, rudkip@sbcglobal.net, or download it here: 2013 Motor Tour Registration.

Here’s hoping that you can join us on this year’s Motor Tour!

4th Annual Route 66 Race to the Rocker to be held March 23, 2013 in Cuba, MO

Race to the Rocker, Cuba, MO

Route 66 Grant Season Now Open

From Kaisa Barthuli of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program:

“The National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Program is pleased to announce that the program’s 2013 Cost-Share Grant Season is now open. Applications will be accepted between now and March 29th, 2013. More information is
available at: www.cr.nps.gov/rt66/grnts.

We encourage you to spread the word, and contact our office with any questions or to discuss project ideas.”

Past grant recipients include:

Crestwood Bowl

Boots Motel

Wagon Wheel Motel

Luna Cafe

Donut Drive-In

Sunset Motel

Munger Moss Motel

Act Now to Save the Devil’s Elbow, Missouri Post Office

From Tonya Pike:

“66 Roadies:

I’m going to apologize upfront for the length of this post, but there are several things to tell.  Pursuant to postings on this e-group a couple weeks back, I attended the meeting Friday with the US Postal Service to discuss the fate of the post office in Shelden’s Market at Devils Elbow, Missouri.

There is good news and bad news to report:

First, there apparently has been a change of heart in the US Postal Service since the meetings last year about the Avilla, Missouri post office.  The USPS has finally come to understand that the post offices in these small, rural communities are the lifeblood of the community – and the communities are not going to let them go without a fight.  The USPS has greatly backed down from its planned closure agenda.

The bad news is that the USPS is still having financial issues, and must revamp operations to become more financially-solvent.  This means finding ways to cut costs -   especially in the small, rural post offices.

To that end, a survey has been issued to the citizens of Devils Elbow, offering four solutions for their post office.  The first option is to leave the post office as-is, but reduce the window hours to four hours a day, Monday thru Friday.  Saturday hours would stay the same as they are now.  This is the most favored option, and leaves the greatest amount of postal services in place.  95% of the surveys already filled out had voted for this option.

The second option is do a “discontinuance study” and move all postal operations to roadside delivery.  The delivering postman then would provide most all of the services now offered thru the post office at Shelden’s Market, and no one in Devils Elbow would be able to have a post office box at the store anymore.  This is not a favored option because no one is comfortable leaving money for stamps or money orders in their mailbox, nor does anyone want to sit home all day and wait on the postman to arrive.  Less than 3% of the people filling out the survey already had voted for this option.

The third option is to still do a “discontinuance study” and find a suitable alternative location to move the postal operations too.  Since the post office at Devils Elbow is already located in Shelden’s Market, this option simply makes no sense.  Furthermore, there are only 2 bars and a canoe rental at Devils Elbow, none of which provide any better location for the post office than Shelden’s Market.  No one completing the survey thus far had voted for this option.

The fourth option is to do the “discontinuance study”, close the post office, and move all postal operations to another postal location.  The next closest post office is in St. Robert, Missouri, over seven miles away.  Devils Elbow residents are not fond of this option either.  No one wants to have to drive further from home to do their postal business.  Like option 3, no one thus far had voted for this option either.

This meeting was conducted by Michael R. Darling, Manager of Post Office Operations out of the Springfield, Missouri post office.  Unlike the other meetings I’ve attended in the past year regarding post office closures, this meeting was pretty calm.  Darling even commented at the end at how much he appreciated how professionally the citizens of Devils Elbow conducted themselves, as some of the meetings he’d conducted had turned very ugly.  Well over 80 of the towns 157 postal customers were in attendance at the 4 p.m. meeting.

Unlike a year ago, it is now up to Mr. Darling, not the Devils Elbow post office staff, to make recommendations as to what is to happen to the post office at Devils Elbow after this meeting with the community.  He will develop a “Post Plan” that will detail what he believes should happen to the post office.  He stated that it was his desire to leave as much intact as possible, wherever possible.

I raised the point that cutting the hours of operation at Devils Elbow could create a hardship for Route 66 tourists/tour groups that stop there and post mail, as not all of them might be coming thru during the proposed noon to 4 p.m. weekly hours.  Just like a year ago at the Avilla meeting, I felt that Mr. Darling was caught a bit off-guard when residents of Devils Elbow echoed my sentiments and told him how often they knew that foreign tourists used the post office there.

Mr. Darling went on to say that his “Post Plan” for the Devils Elbow Post Office is not cut in stone, and that public sentiment can sway what happens.  And folks, this is where we come in, and we need to be heard loud and strong.

Unlike a year ago at Avilla, the survey that was sent out to all Devils Elbow residents can be filled out by anyone, not just residents of Devils Elbow.  But the kicker is we have seven (7) days to fill this form out and mail it in.

DOWNLOAD SURVEY

When you print this one page survey out, fill in your mailing address at the top, and then chose option 1, which is the best option for leaving the Devils Elbow post office as intact as possible.  Then at the bottom, where it says, “Additional Comments”, please make a brief statement that you do not want to see operations at Devils Elbow altered, that it provides a special experience for Route 66 travelers and that reducing its hours could potentially limit that experience.

These forms are to be mailed to the postmaster at Stockton, Missouri who is tabulating everything for Mr. Darling for the more than 400 post offices he is responsible for.  Remember that time is of the essence here and when you have the form complete, please mail it to:

Melissa Vest Postmaster, Stockton 406 East Street Stockton, MO  65785-9998 USA

IF YOU ARE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, WE ESPECIALLY NEED YOUR HELP!!  Obviously, if you mail the form from a foreign country, it probably won’t reach the Stockton postmaster in 7 days.  However, your input is STILL very important and much needed!!  If we can prove that this post office is valuable to those of you outside the USA, there is a small chance that Mr. Darling might rule to leave it as-is, with no alteration in hours.  But he must hear from those of you outside the USA to know that you do exist, you have used that post office or been in Shelden’s Market, and don’t want to see it closed.  Closure of the post office could potentially mean the end of Shelden’s Market as traffic to the post office creates a lot of Shelden’s business traffic.

I was assured, that even if the forms from a foreign country arrive late, there will still be a record they arrived and where they came from.  Getting forms from every roadie we can in the USA is important, but getting ones from those of you in foreign countries gives extra leverage to the argument that the Devils Elbow post office must be left open as-is because of the unique experience it affords on Route 66, particularly for non-Americans.

The Route 66 community came thru a year ago for the Avilla community in their quest to keep their post office open.  I’m told they received a large number of letters from Route 66′ers and that it did have a positive influence on their operations.  They are still open, and as far as I know, operating as always.  This time, I’m not asking for 4 letters sent to 4 different places (as was the case with Avilla), just one survey form sent to one person.  So please everyone, take 10 minutes to do this.  If you have ever been to Devils Elbow and been in Shelden’s Market you know what a special place it is.  This is your chance to be heard and help have a voice in something that, to lose it, could spell death for a whole Route 66 community.  Thank you for your help!!

Tonya Pike”

Route 66 and The Rise of Pop Culture

Chappell House will be hosting the art exhibit ROUTE 66 AND THE RISE OF POP CULTURE on June 9th from Noon to 6pm. The exhibit will feature many Route 66 inspired paintings as well as photography by artist Jay Fleming. All are welcomed to the event which is free of charge and will feature jazz and refreshments. Chappel House is located near the corner of Dunn and Washington just yards from Old Route 66 at 4560 Washington Street, Florissant, Missouri.

Fleming will also be signing copies of a book of Route 66 inspired works. The exhibit runs through July 1, 2012.

Lile Art Gallery has New Location in Amarillo, Texas

LILE ART GALLERY (owned and operated by Route 66 enthusiast Crocodile Lile), has moved from Sunset Center Art Galleries to Old Route 66 in Amarillo, the new address is:  2719 SW 6th Avenue in the Historic San Jacinto District.  The new location is just one half block west of Georgia Street on the south side between the 6th Street Antique Mall & Amarillo’s Route 66 Store & directly across the street from the Amarillo Coin Exchange.  Lile is looking forward to meeting Route 66 tour groups as well as individuals, families and local shoppers. 

 

Artists represented:  World Renowned Sculptor LINCOLN FOX; Muralist/Photo-Realism painter DOUG QUARLES; Pastel Painter SHARON QUARLES; Watercolorist PETE MORRIS; BOB WALDMIRE’S Route 66 Prints; Photographers JIM HINKLEY & GORDON RADFORD.  LILE is an Abstract Colorist Painter and is known internationally for his Route 66 X-Ray Giclee Prints & Cadillac Ranch Collages, his work is in collections in Australia, Japan, Europe and several states. 

 

Lile began his art career in 1968 under the tutelage of DORD FITZ and studied with Fitz until his death in 1989.  Workshops attended include:  Famed Sculptor LOUISE NEVELSON, Painters ELAINE DEKOONING, MACK STEWART, ROBERT DASH, NICK KRUSHINICK, HEDDA STERNE & LAWRENCE CALCAGNO.

 

In addition to Fine Art, Lile Art Gallery will also handle Route 66 Jewelry, ‘Buffalo Road’ Conchos & Snaps for the discriminating biker, TAW Promotion’s Route 66 Caps & Tee Shirts, Route 66 Chambray Shirts as well as other Route 66 Merchandise.      

 

ROUTE 66 … An adventure for the whole family

People come from around the world to experience the thrill of traveling the most famous of all highways, Route 66.

On June 8-9-10, the Route 66 Association of Illinois will provide to you an opportunity that others can only dream of.

The Illinois motor tour of Route 66 is a once a year opportunity to experience life in the slow lane. You can virtually step back in time. Visit people and places that the song. “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, was written about. The cruise is available to any kind of vehicle of any year. The tour begins at the Missouri border on the Mississippi river and ends at the delightful town of Elwood, Illinois. That is just south of Joliet, Illinois. These towns are famous for Jake and Elwood, the “Blues Brothers”.

Friday June 8th is the start of this adventure. It begins in Edwardsville, Illinois. This town will welcome you and show you how to party, dance, sing and eat. After registration on Friday night we will get together for a short drive to the Luna Café for the second grand relighting of the old neon sign, which was just restored. Sunday June 10th the tour will end with a fantastic thank you party. Live foot stomping music, great food and more fun. Your final ride home will be very pleasant as you reminisce about all that you did, along with remembering all the people and places you visited.

You will long remember this weekend tour of Route 66. For information and registration… contact;

Jerry Law – 314-440-0040 or Email – thelaw1@sbcglobal.net
Marty Blitstein – 708-444-1312 or Email – blitz@earthlink.net
You can print out a application for the motor tour at http://www.ilassoc.org

The historic Mother Road is expecting you!

Route 66 Association of Missouri Invites You to Annual Motor Tour

The Route 66 Association of Missouri is heading “Westward Ho!” on its  23rd Annual Motor tour. This year’s tour will be held September 7th, 8th, and 9th., starting east of Carlinville, IL and ending in Lebanon, MO. Tour registration begins on Friday, September 7, at 4:00 p.m. at the Magnuson Grand Hotel, located just off I-55 at Exit 60 (Carlinville exit) east of Carlinville, MO, where a block of rooms has been reserved for tour goers. Registration will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Hotel. Also, on Saturday night, there will be lots of activities, including a car show and complimentary Hors D’oeuvres for tour goers to enjoy. More information on activities will be available at registration.

On Saturday, September 8, tour registration will resume at 7:45 a.m., and the tour will depart at 8:00 a.m. from the Magnuson Grand Hotel. Tour goers will be provided a pamphlet at registration containing recommended but in no way mandatory stops between Carlinville and Lebanon. This will give you the opportunity to select your own stops and proceed at your own pace. Additional details on what to see on the way will be included in your Motor Tour Agenda Folder available at registration. In addition, tour goers will have the opportunity to cross the Chain of Rocks Bridge, at a cost of $5.00 (you must pay in cash at the bridge to cross). If you want to cross the Bridge, you must be at the Illinois entrance to the Bridge by 11:30 a.m. Tour goers will proceed from the Magnuson Grand Hotel, through St. Louis (passing Ted Drewes) to the Meramec Caverns Motel at Meramec Caverns (aka Jesse James’ hideout), located 3 miles south of Stanton, MO on CR W. We have arranged for a block of rooms to be held at the Meramec Caverns Motel, and Saturday night’s dinner will be held at the Caverns, where tour goers can chew the fat about the days events.

On Sunday there will be a nondenominational worship service at 8:00 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., tour goers will leave Meramec Caverns and proceed to Waynesville (recommended stops will be included in the pamphlet). Here we will tour the Pulaski County Historical Society Museum and possibly other locations, and otherwise congregate to proceed, caravan style, to D. C. Decker’s Cowboy Emporium, located in the former Wrink’s Market in Lebanon. There we will end the tour in true cowboy style with a chuck wagon lunch featuring cowboy stew and biscuits. The Caravan to Decker’s will commence from Waynesville at 12:00 p.m., and we will have lunch at Deckers at 1:30 p.m.

Additional information on any planned stops or activities along the way will be made available at registration. For more information contact Kip Welborn at (314-776-7385), rudkip@sbcglobal.net, Jane Dippel at 314-843-7132, vestaon66@cs.com, or visit our website (where you will find a registration form you can download) at www.missouri66.org. Here’s hoping that you can join us on our trek Westward Ho! on Route 66!

Travelin’ Main Street USA, the Dream of His Life

The following account was submitted by Bob Swengrosh.

“Last week I had the privilege to be the driver for Gary Turner, caretaker of Gay Parita, Sinclair Station on a Whirl-Wind trip out West on the Mother Road to the border town of Glenrio, Texas.

On a short trip two months ago, we motored west to Tulsa, OK. On that drive, special stops were standouts for Gary, Eisler Brothers – Scott Nelson, Marsh Arch Bridge – Dean Walker, Visitor Center, Café on the Route, Angles on the Route – Baxter Springs, the Coleman Theatre Tour, the Sidewalk Highway, the always special stop at Afton Station – Laurel Kane, Totem Pole Park, Molly’s (the new bridge entrance) and the Blue Whale – Gary wanted to go skinny dipping (I was glad it was to cold) I want to Thank everyone for the warm welcome that we received.

So this trip started west of Tulsa on both the 1926 and later Route in Sapulpa passing the closed Frankoma Pottery, with the drive on the Ozark Trail, Gary told a number of stories about when he was a young back seat driver in his parents’  ’50 Chevrolet going west on Route 66 to California. We stopped to walk around the wonderful old gas station in Depew, it is sad that most road warriors miss this town. In Stroud at the Rock Café, Dawn Welch had a nice talk with Gary, then on to a warm welcome by McJerry at his gallery and home in Chandler, we took the time to site seeing in Chandler, then on to the great motor cycles at Seaba Station with the 1920′s restroom building, this is a must stop.

On the drive down the private Portland Concrete west of Deep Fork we found one of Rich Dinkela painted Route 66 shields, a stop at Johns Oklahoma County 66 east of Arcadia should not be missed, the Round Barn was closed, but Pop’s was busy with customers. Gary knew how Lucille must have felt when the super highway passed her by. We toured the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, then on to the “WOW” stop – the Sand hill’s Curiosity Shop, Harley and Annabelle put on a show for Gary, it was a great stop.

Entering the State of Texas, we found rain and heavy fog, we did stop in Shamrock to view the complete town, because of the weather we motored slowly to Amarillo to meet up with Bob Lile and have dinner with Rich Dinkela – Bob Lile hospitality was over the top, Thank You Bob. Bob got into the Tahoe and the three of us motored west on to Vega for a tour of the town, Adrain was next and Fran Houser was at the Midpoint Café, Gary enjoyed talking to her and looking at her gift shop. Our next stop was the ghost town of Glenrio, TX and GlenRio, NM. I had the joy to once again talk to Roxann Travis; she has had a hard life being the only one living in the ghost town of Glenrio. She is now working at the new welcome center on I-40 west bound in New Mexico. The stories that she can tell about her ghost town.

On the return trip east, we stopped in Groom, I took special interest in the old Phillips 66 gas station that Jack and Bettye West owned. The gas station and the Golden Spread motel across the street were in the movie “Leap of Faith” with Steve Martin. Our next stop was Mclean, Texas for a wonderful dinner at the “Red River Steak House”. Gary enjoyed talking to “WILL” and his mom and dad. The Red Mud, Bar-B-Q sauce is to die for.

Now, back to my opening statement “Whirl Wind Trip” around Amarillo, the wind was blowing about fifty miles per hour – plus – we drove thru two dust storms so bad we could not even see the front of the Tahoe hood; this was a true “Grapes of Wrath” experience.

I was able to return Gary back to his beloved wife in one piece, he was tired, but he enjoyed every minute of the trip. I took pictures of Gary all along the way and will be putting together a photo album for him. As Gary always states: ” Travelin’ Main Street USA, the Dream of His Life.“