The Route 66 Chick

October and November really got away, and my last blog entry was October 8th! I didn't forget about all you kind folks that read my rambling. Joe and I made a last big push to finish Route 66 in Illinois with a few more research and other book-related trips (Springfield, Pontiac, Joliet and Chicago, Jacksonville, Carlinville) and put in many more hours to complete it. Expected release by Arcadia Publishing is in May 2014. Also in October, I did book signings at Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford and Leclaire Parkfest in Edwardsville, made a trip to Wisconsin and drove a tiny bit of the Lincoln Highway on the way home, went to the exciting Vic Suhling Gas for Less neon sign re-lighting, and of course watched the World Series. Five Arcadia Publishing authors were invited for a group book signing at Lewis and Clark State Historic Site October 12-13. Front row left to right:  Dee Reed, Mary Westerhold, and Cindy Reinhardt. Back row left to right:  Roxann Read a...

Last Wednesday through Friday I was in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to get together with cousins and to visit the graves of my parents and other relatives. While in that general area, I thought I'd like to drive some of the Illinois stretch of the Lincoln Highway. The one day of the three without rain was Wednesday, which was filled by my travel north and my visit to the cemetery. Thursday was devoted to getting together with cousins at various locations, and it rained most of the day. On Friday, the weather wasn't good either. A heavy rainstorm was approaching the Rockford area (where I stayed) from the west, so I headed east. From I-39, I took the Lincoln Highway/Route 38. The first small town on my mini-adventure was Creston. Small, but interesting! The Village of Creston - population 600 - is a rural community with some active businesses in its tiny downtown. Grain trucks and farm equipment were on the move and the hair salon in a wonderful old building was op...

After three days in Springfield, Illinois, for the International Mother Road Route 66 Festival, we intrepid researchers - Joe Sonderman and I - headed back north again the very next day to the Lincoln Library on Seventh Street to immerse ourselves (again) in the wonderful Sangamon Valley Collection. Our first research trip for "Route 66 in Illinois" was on a bone-chilling, snowy day back in January. Since then, Joe and I have traveled up and down Route 66 throughout Illinois to ferret out amazing and intriguing vintage photos. We have made numerous trips to and through Springfield. The capitol is a great historic city in which I've had the privilege of living twice. Sometimes, memories from my childhood there combine with a historic image and I really want to just walk into one of those photo scenes...for just a little while, anyway.  I'm particularly intrigued with the Springfield of the 1920s and early 1930s, the Springfield that Route 66 first traversed when it...

Sunday, the last day of the 2013 International Mother Road Route 66 Festival in Springfield, turned out to be a relaxing day. By the last day of a festival, you've usually already caught up with friends, made most of your book sales, and eaten way too much festival food. We started the day with a great breakfast at Jungle Jim's Cafe on Peoria Road. This classic diner is decorated with speedway memorabilia. Four of us enjoyed good food, service, and conversation. Jungle Jim's Cafe on Peoria Road. (Joe Sonderman photo.) From there it was back downtown to finish off the festival. The crowd was much smaller on Sunday and the event was in serious danger of imploding by the middle of the afternoon. The Illinois Travel Expo officially closed at 2:00 pm and we were soon packed and on our way. On the way home, another visit to Weezy's Route 66 Bar and Grill in Hamel was in order for a late lunch. Or was that early supper? Original Tourist Haven sign inside Weezy...

This was the third year fellow author Joe Sonderman and I attended the International Mother Road Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Illinois, as "itinerant Route 66 book mongers," to quote a Route 66 friend's clever comment.  Kudos to Bill Kelly and Stacy Conn of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway organization for terrific planning and execution of the Illinois Travel Expo. And many thanks to them for taking Joe and me under their wing as we work on our new book, "Route 66 in Illinois," and in so doing help to promote Route 66 in the great state of Illinois - where the road began. The layout this year for the Illinois Travel Expo was great and we contributed some 'eye candy' to the intersection of Washington and Fifth Streets as Joe parked his '57 Chevy Bel Air next to our booth. The car would prove to be a magnet for a number of diverse photo vignettes during the weekend.  Our booth at the International Mother Road Route 66 Festival. (Joe Son...

Friday morning found my fellow author Joe Sonderman and I headed for Springfield, Illinois, for the International Mother Road Route 66 Festival. We planned to take our time driving up the older alignment, shunning the interstate for the day. To my delight, Joe decided to drive his '57 Chevy Bel Air and had spent a couple evenings polishing, putting on new tires, and all the other things one might do to a classic car before taking it out on the road.  With our book stock and show equipment stowed in the trunk, we took off. First stop - Weezy's (the former Tourist Haven roadhouse, established in the 1930s) in Hamel. There, members of a car club were just getting ready to leave. We parked alongside some of the other classic cars and here's the lineup. (Joe's is the tropical turquoise.) Lunch was great  with good food and good service. Owners Karen Wiesemeyer and Coleman Weissman do a great job. From Hamel we headed north on Route 66 and from the Worden Wye we took t...

What started last Saturday as a photo-choosing and -culling session for our new book turned into a very pleasant afternoon in Litchfield and DeCamp Junction instead. We probably already have more than enough images at this point to turn "Route 66 in Illinois" into a two-volume project. But the mere thought of more vintage images waiting somewhere is always enough to cause us to jump in the car and head out after them.  We took 66 up to Litchfield - there's construction on I-55 right now, as if we needed an excuse. First stop, the  Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center . Inside we ran into Nick Adam of the Ariston Cafe and Martha Jackson, driving force behind the museum. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the exhibits since Joe had not been there since they opened, and I had not been there since opening day, which was so packed - plus I kept getting into conversations with hometown friends - that I really hadn't taken a good look. This was special for me...

Yesterday and today I spent in Williamsville and Atlanta, Illinois. Although still tired from the whirlwind Carthage MO trip over the weekend, I took off yesterday morning from Edwardsville. This trip, it was just me and my Prius. In Sherman, I met up with Josh and Wendy Friedrich at a newer restaurant, Fire and Ale , for an excellent lunch and good conversation. Then it was on up the road a few more miles to the Williamsville Historical Museum - the "Box Car Museum." Josh grew up in Williamsville plus earlier this year he researched and wrote the nomination for the Fawns family's service stations for the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame. Between Josh and the helpful staff at the museum, I acquired more information and photos for our (Joe Sonderman and me) upcoming "Route 66 in Illinois" book. Josh took me on both a walking and a driving tour. Here are a few scenes from small but charming Williamsville.     This morning I actually slept in. In fact, ...

On Sunday morning Steve and I had a leisurely breakfast and visited some more with Debye and Debbie Dee at the Boots. Here we are in our Boots Court t-shirts. We took a few more photos in the Central/Garrison "Crossroads of America" neighborhood, where Route 66 and the Jefferson Highway both once rolled through. Here are daylight shots of the Boots Court and, across the street, a credit union which was once the Boots Drive-In.  We stopped at the Conoco Station to put gas in the Prius and also to take photos of local artist Lowell Davis' "Crap Duster" (made from a manure spreader, among other things). From there, we drove to Red Oak II to check out Lowell Davis' recreated village. Everything is here - from metal sculpture to chickens (real) to a musical instrument garden to a church service (occurring during our visit) to a steampunk-style water fountain, all scattered here and there among houses, store buildings, barns, automobiles,...

When the alarm rang at 7:00 am, I was thinking more "relaxation" than "research." However, I had an appointment with Michele Hansford in the archives of the Powers Museum and I was looking forward to it. At the Pancake Hut, breakfast and coffee fortified us for some work. The  Powers Museum is located at the west edge of Carthage on West Oak Street. The museum was a gift to the city from Marian Powers Winchester in honor of her parents, and the institution just celebrated its 25th anniversary in June of this year. Director Michele really knows Carthage history and was of tremendous assistance. I listened, read, and scanned while Steve wrote on his projects for awhile before jumping in to assist with  my work so we wouldn't end up camping out in Michele's archives for another week or two. We finally packed up and left a little while before closing time, with lots of information, souvenirs, and a copy of each of Michele's Arcadia books on Carthage. ...