The latest episode features the release of the book, ABC, What Do You See? Rolling Along Route 66 with author Annette Murray and illustrator Joyce Cole.
Don't mistake this book as a simple picture book for pre-schoolers! ABC, What Do You See? Rolling Along Route 66 is full of whimsical illustrations and lyrical language, having true appeal for both young and old fans of Route 66. The book is educational, introducing readers to geography, art, architecture, weather, wildlife and many other wonders waiting to be discovered on the 2,448-mile highway.
Highlights include:
- Earliest memory of Route 66
- Joyce's role with the Route 66 Passport
- Annette's teaching career and early love of reading
- Origin of ABC, What Do You See? Rolling Along Route 66 and how the author and illustrator met
- Annette reads from her favorite page
- Joyce shares her favorite illustrations
- The planning phase during a worldwide pandemic
- Writing a Children's book versus and Adult book
- Writing Challenges in relating Route 66 in ABC order instead of traveling from Chicago to Santa Monica
- The challenging letters along Route 66: Q, X, and Z
- Are there any stops in the book that would be new for the typical Route 66 fan?
- Settling on a cover image for ABC Book
- Sequence of book drafts before being finalized for printing
- The book publishing process
- When Annette and Joyce met for the very first time
- Promotional game plan for ABC Book
- Book publishing challenges and rewards
- Annette's family connection to Tulsa Mayor
- Visiting Route 66 Visitors Museum & Gift Shop in Pontiac
Website: authorannettemurray.com
A 3-part interview, featuring the popular U-Drop Inn (Conoco Tower Station), a 1936 service station and café constructed in 1936 with a very unique art deco style for the Texas panhandle region. The architectural style of the U-Drop Inn would later serve as an inspiration for Romone’s automotive body and paint shop in the animated Cars movie.
Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he speaks with Crystal Hermesmeyer (Shamrock EDC Director), 87 year old Hazel Jannsen (U-Drop Inn ambassador), and Baldo de Leon (U-Drop Inn café entrepreneur).
Featured highlights:
Crystal Hermesmeyer (Shamrock EDC Director)
- Early history of Shamrock, TX
- Local attractions: Blarney Stone, Water Tower, US Hwy 83
- U-Drop Inn name origin
- Newspaper Account: Name selected for Highway Cafe
- Architectural style of U-Drop Inn
- Newspaper Account: Much Praise to Shamrock Architect
- Pixar visits U-drop Inn and inspires Cars movie
- Local appreciation of the U-Drop Inn
- Chamber Office resources for Route 66 traveler
Hazel Jannsen (U-Drop Inn Ambassador)
- What has made Hazel so popular with Route 66 travelers?
- Earliest memory of Route 66
- Origin of Huggin’ Hazel nickname
- Professional career – reflecting back
- U-Drop Inn hires Hazel as an ambassador
- What is so special about U-Drop Inn?
- Shamrock Information Center at the U-Drop Inn
- A typical day at the U-Drop Inn for Hazel
- What’s next on Hazel’s bucket list?
Newspaper Account: U-Drop Inn to Offer Public Finest in Foods and 24 hour Service
Baldo de Leon (U-Drop Inn café entrepreneur)
- Moving to Shamrock as a child and parents opening a local restaurant
- Full circle moment: Parents passed on U-Drop Inn Café opportunity 25 years earlier
- Early history of Café and Elvis association
- Newspaper Account: That’s an Awful lot of Coffee, Mr. Nunn
- Café Inventory upon arrival
- First walk through behind the counter and kitchen area
- Updating the café menu
- The infamous Elvis Booth and San Dollar Motel on ‘66
- Earliest conversations about revitalizing the café and ideas
- Opening Day memories
- Most popular item on the menu
- You don’t know what you don’t know in operation the café
- Understanding the Route 66 community
Thank you to Route 66 Podcast & Scholarship supporters!
- MidPoint Cafe, Adrian, TX – Featuring both their Ugly Crust Pie and one of the most popular photo ops along Route 66, located exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica in Adrian, Texas.
- Gilligan’s Route 66 Tours featuring tours of Route 66 in Ford Mustang convertibles, stays at historic Route 66 motels, and daily breakfast.
- Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ – Probably one of the most iconic curio shops along Route 66, the famous Here It Is billboard and fiberglass jackrabbit in front of the store is reason enough to stop…. and say hello to Cindy and Antonio.
- Jeff Buschell, Illinois
- Reed Coles – Nebraska
- Jim Crabtree – California
- Route 66 author and photographer – Shellee Graham and also my guest on Episode # 10 where she talks about her book, Tales from the Coral Court Motel.
- Kristin Haakenson – Washington
- Rich Havlik – Minnesota
- Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania
- Brian Sawyer – Indiana
- Evan Stern – New York
United Kingdom
- Charli Beeton
The Netherlands
- Jim Rensen
Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon.
At the middle school level, the winning entry was submitted by a former virtual student of mine, Kiera. Kiera's design (pictured above) includes the outline of a shield containing four Route 66 related images inside. Kiera says that she spent few weeks working on the shield and her first step was listening to past episodes of the podcast for ideas. It was during her research Kiera discovered the Wigwam Motel completely on her own, as the podcast has not yet featured the iconic motel on the show.
At the college level, Deanna DeValve was selected to receive a $1000 college scholarship. Deanna is from Catoosa, Oklahoma, which is home of the Blue Whale along Route 66. In addition to attending Oral Roberts University Deanna works part time at the Route 66 Native Arts Alliance in Catoosa. Deanna submitted an original song, Remember, and was able to connect her Cherokee heritage in music and words with the verse below:
Don't forget your history
I listen to the beckoning
The overall goal of the scholarship program is to promote the spirit of Route 66 with a younger generation of students who were born long after the highway was decommissioned. I want to thank everyone who helped promote the scholarship program, including many of the local school districts and colleges along the route.
As always, thank you to my Patreon supporters who are the ones providing support for the scholarship program. Patreon supporters for The Route 66 Podcast include:
- MidPoint Cafe Adrian, TX – Featuring both their Ugly Crust Pie and one of the most popular photo ops along Route 66, located exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica in Adrian, Texas.
- Gilligan’s Route 66 Tours featuring tours of Route 66 in Ford Mustang convertibles, stays at historic Route 66 motels, and daily breakfast.
- Jack Rabbit Trading Post Joseph City, AZ – Probably one of the most iconic curio shops along Route 66, the famous Here It Is billboard and fiberglass jackrabbit in front of the store is reason enough to stop…. and say hello to Cindy and Antonio.
- Jeff Buechel - Illinois
- Reed Cole - Nebraska
- Jim Crabtree – California
- Route 66 author and photographer – Shellee Graham and also my guest on Episode # 10 where she talks about her book, Tales from the Coral Court Motel.
- Kristin Haakenson – Washington
- Rich Havlik – Minnesota
- Maureen Holt - Arizona
- Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania
- Evan Stern - New York
United Kingdom
- Charli Beeton
The Netherlands
- Jim Rensen
Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon. Patreon members at the Will Rogers level received a 2022 Route 66 wall calendar.
There are a few documentaries featuring Route 66, and two of the most popular ones were produced by Katrina Parks. Parks produced The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound in 2014 and her latest release features Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on The Mother Road.
Join Anthony Arno as he talks with Parks about her career as a documentary filmmaker, from her first project as a college student to her upcoming projects.
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Developing an interest in storytelling
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How a college assignment led Katrina into filming her first documentary, Wrappings
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Wrappings wins an award through the United Nations
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Documentary vs. typical Hollywood movies
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Early work with History Channel
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A Summer in Vietnam
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Importance of Research
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Use of actors in documentaries
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Past and Future Podcasting Projects
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Route 66 Documentaries: Fred Harvey & Women of The Mother Road
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Behind the scenes in preparing a documentary
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The "Katrina Parks" rule in producing documentaries
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Recollecting Katrina's first exposure to Route 66
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What comes first: Website or Documentary?
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Women of The Mother Road themes:
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Archeology & Anthropology
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Boosters & Travelers
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Creatives
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Entrepreneurs
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Family & Business
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Politicians
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Waitresses & School Teachers
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Wartime
Website: Route 66 Women
Website: Route 66 Women Facebook Page
Thank you to Route 66 Podcast & Scholarship supporters!
- MidPoint Cafe, Adrian, TX - Featuring both their Ugly Crust Pie and one of the most popular photo ops along Route 66, located exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica in Adrian, Texas.
- Gilligan's Route 66 Tours featuring tours of Route 66 in Ford Mustang convertibles, stays at historic Route 66 motels, and daily breakfast.
- Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ - Probably one of the most iconic curio shops along Route 66, the famous Here It Is billboard and fiberglass jackrabbit in front of the store is reason enough to stop.... and say hello to Cindy and Antonio.
- Jeff Buschell, Illinois
- Jim Crabtree - California
- Route 66 author and photographer - Shellee Graham and also my guest on Episode # 10 where she talks about her book, Tales from the Coral Court Motel.
- Kristin Haakenson - Washington
- Rich Havlik - Minnesota
- Mary Nicholson - Pennsylvania
- Brian Sawyer - Indiana
- Evan Stern - New York
United Kingdom
- Charli Beeton
The Netherlands
- Jim Rensen
Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon.
In 1967 American entrepreneur and land developer Robert McCulloch proposed purchasing the 136 year old London Bridge on the River Thames from the city of London as a publicity stunt. His goal was to attract potential land buyers to this remote region that today has a population of 50,000 residents and a wide range of recreational water activities. Many people thought McCulloch was a bit of an oddball to spend almost $10 million to purchase and reconstruct the historical bridge10,000 miles away from its original construction site, but his hunch paid off. The London Bridge is the second largest tourist attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon, and not too far from Route 66.
Robert McCulloch
The episode features a talk with both McCulloch's grandson and a leading Lake Havasu tour guide, providing insight into the wisdom of McCulloch who earned an Engineering degree from Princeton University and was a millionaire by the age of 30. While the Lake Havasu London Bridge stood over the River Thames for 130 years, earlier versions of the bridge date back to Roman times and one iteration housed several hundred residents and featured a display of beheaded criminals to at the tollgates.