GENERAL INTEREST (not specific to any one state)
Introduction (Ep. 1)
What happens almost 20 years after a New Jersey school teacher attracts national attention by having his students successfully bicycle over 2000 miles in the classroom aboard an exercise bike while learning all about Route66 with the school’s only computer connected to the Internet? The Route 66 Podcast!
Listen to this very first episode of The Route 66 Podcast to hear all about the program and a little bit about Anthony Arno, a 5th Grade teacher from New Jersey with a passion for The Mother Road.
Michael Wallis (Ep. 2)
He’s written over 30 books on the American west, but one of the earliest ones was simply titled Route 66: The Mother Road. He’s also one of the biggest Route 66 advocates that you’ll ever meet, and the voice of Sheriff in Pixar’s animated movie, CARS. Listen to the very first guest on The Route 66 Podcast discuss his earliest memories of Route 66, his role in the creation of CARS, and the not so famous past stories about The Mother Road.
Angel Delgadillo (Ep. 3 )
He’s the guardian of Route 66: Angel Delgadillo. At almost 90 years old, he’s been a fixture on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona since the day he was born. Angel formed the very first Route 66 Association in the world when he saw that the local economy begin to decline when the Interstate was opened.
During my talk with Angel, he talks about his earliest memories of Route 66, the reason why his parents unpacked the truck minutes before leaving for the promise of California, his daily encounters with tourists all over the world visiting his shop in Seligman, and why Route 66 is so important to him.
At the very end of the show, Angel’s daughter, Clarissa, shares her own personal thoughts on what makes her dad so very special.
NPS Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program (Ep. 6)
Administered by the National Park Service, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is the federal governments program to preserve and educate the public all about historic Route 66.
The Burma Shave Story with Clinton B. Odell (Ep. 7)
Burma-Shave was a popular brand of brushless shaving cream, made famous by a brilliant advertising campaign that featured a series of witty rhyming poems appearing in a sequence of roadside signs that would entertain the motorist driving down the road.
In this episode of The Route 66 Podcast, Anthony Arno interviews Clinton B. Odell, grandson of the founder of Burma-Shave. This episode begins with over twenty Burma-Shave jingles professionally recorded to give the listener a brief background of some of the earliest jingles, the most humorous, those promoting road safety, and even those that were released during the war years to unite the country.
The Tattoo Man of Route 66 (Ep. 8 )
Are you a dedicated fan of Route 66? What makes you think so? Do you have tons of Route 66 memorabilia in your home? A wide assortment of Route 66 t-shirts? Something special that screams out Route 66 on your car?
Join host Anthony Arno on The Route 66 Podcast as he interviews the ultimate Route 66 fan, Ron Jones. Ron has over 150 tattoos on his body dedicated to Route 66.
Route 66 News Website (Ep. 9)
The Route 66 News website at www.Route66News.com is a clearinghouse of news and historic events taking place along The Mother Road. Join The Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he interviews the curator of Route 66 News, Ron Warnick.
The Muffler Men (Ep. 12 )
Joel Baker has a passion for visiting and restoring the remaining fiberglass giants that grace the roadside of America, including Route 66. Hear Joel talk about this travels around America in search of these giant roadside attractions.
The Road Crew America’s Route 66 Band (Ep. 14 )
The Road Crew – America’s Route 66 Band takes the Mother Road to their audiences throughout the world. Founding member Joe Loesch talks about meeting his bandmate during the Vietnam War and how a series of albums honoring Route 66 came about.
The 1928 Bunion Derby with author Charles Kastner (Ep. 16 )
In order to promote the newly created highway, a transcontinental footrace took place from LA to NY, partly along Route 66. It was nothing short of a carnival with CC Pyle running the show, often compared to PT Barnum.
The Fred Harvey Company with author Stephen Fried (Ep. 25)
Stephen Fried is a past editor of Philadelphia Magazine and has written Thing of Beauty: Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father. For the Route 66 community, Fried has written the ultimate Fred Harvey book, Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West, which took five years of continuous research.
A talk with former Harvey Girls (Ep. 27)
The final segment of a three part series featuring The Fred Harvey Company. Route 66 Podcast talks with former Fred Harvey employees, including twins Bernette Jarvis (left) Beverly Ireland (right) and Toni Pachinko.
Trucking Along Route 66 (Ep. 28)
Tom Peters is the Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University, and an oral historian. Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno as he talks with Tom about his interviews with twenty two individuals directly associated with the trucking industry along Route 66.
Roamin’ Rich (Ep. 37)
Roamin’ Rich represents the newer generation of Route 66 preservationists and talks about the popular Route 66 shields he’s painted on the roadway, a key member of the Painted Desert Trading Post cooperative, and his role as president of the Route 66 Missouri Association.
ILLINOIS
Dylan Wallace (Ep. 4)
This episode features a talk with the youngest generation of Route 66 historians, Dylan Wallace, a high school senior who painted a Route 66 mural on the side of a Wilmington, IL, antique shop.
The Launching Pad Drive-In & Gemini Giant (Ep. 23)
The original Launching Pad Restaurant opened in 1960 by John Korelc under a different name, and while attending the National Restaurant Convention, Korelc paid $3500 for a fiberglass Muffler Man to draw attention to his restaurant. Korelc had his newly purchased fiberglass giant updated to keep in line with the 1960’s space race as an astronaut with helmet and rocket, and renamed the restaurant, as the “Launching Pad”. There was a naming contest and the fiberglass giant soon became known as The Gemini Giant which has always been a popular photo opp for many traveling through Wilmington, just 60 miles out of Chicago.
MISSOURI
The Coral Court Motel (Ep. 10)
The Coral Court Motel opened in 1941 and had an unusual art deco design and each room had an adjacent garage for travelers to park their automobile. Join Shellee Graham, author of Tales from the Coral Court, talk about the fascinating history of The Coral Court and the man behind this fabled hotel, John Carr.
Meramec Caverns (Ep. 17)
Meramec Caverns is one of the most famous sights along Route 66 and consists of almost 5 miles of a cavern system outside St. Louis, Missouri. Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with the grandson of the founder of the caverns, Les Turulli.
The Wagon Wheel Motel (Ep. 19)
The Wagon Wheel Motel is the longest, continuously operated motel along Route 66. Route 66 Podcast host Anthony talks with Connie Echols, owner of The Wagon Wheel Motel. Connie purchased the hotel at an age when most people prepare for retirement, and Connie has been busy ever since.
Times Beach (Ep. 20)
Times Beach, Missouri, contains both the biggest environmental disaster and story that most people are not familiar with along Route 66. Yet, during the 1980’s the plight of Times Beach reached international attention.
The Munger Moss Motel (Ep. 45)
Ramona Lehman is just as iconic as The Munger Moss Motel and recently celebrated 50 years as the owner and operator of a Route 66 must see stopover along The Mother Road.
KANSAS
OKLAHOMA
Miami, OK: Royal Air Force Cadets final resting place along Route 66 (Ep. 44)
During the early days of WWII, the Route 66 community of Miami welcomed over 2000 British Cadets as part of a training program to prepare pilots for combat over their homeland of England.
The Blue Whale of Catoosa (Ep. 32)
Blaine Davis (78 years old) talks about his fathers life long work as the director of the Tulsa Zoo and what prompted him to construct a life sized replica of a blue whale as an anniversary gift for his wife.
The Tulsa Race Massacre (Ep. 43)
Just before the birth of Route 66, the single worst incident of racial violence in American history took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Within 24 hours, more than 35 square blocks in the Greenwood section of Tulsa were burned, causing 10,000 residents in one of the wealthiest black communities in America to instantly become homeless.
Fort Reno W.W. II POW Camp (Ep. 13)
Fort Reno in Oklahoma was once the home to 1300 German Prisoners of War (POW’s) during World War II. Carolyn Barker shares some of the most fascinating (and unknown) stories about the Fort Reno POW camp.
The Will Rogers Memorial & Museum (Ep. 15)
Just who was Will Rogers and why is Route 66 often called the Will Rogers Highway? Hear my talk with the Director of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum talk about the life of this cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, columnist, and movie star who is otherwise know as Oklahoma’s favorite son.
The Rock Cafe (Ep. 24)
The proprietor of The Rock Cafe, Dawn Welch, is a Route 66 icon and was the inspiration for the character Sally Carrera in the CARS movie. The Rock Cafe was constructed in 1939 from leftover sandstone rock that was used to construct Route 66.
TEXAS
Bob “Crocodile” Lile, Amarillo (Ep. 38)
Crocodile Lile talks about his early career as a car salesman and interest in art that eventually led him to open Lile’s Art Gallery in Amarillo, and the unique jewelry he creates using paint from the nearby Cadillac Ranch.
NEW MEXICO
The Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari (Ep. 31)
Perhaps one of the most popular motels along Route 66, The Blue Swallow Motel has been in operation since 1941 and still provides patrons with private garages for their vehicles.
The Tucumcari Route 66 Monument (Ep. 11)
Tom Coffin entered a design contest and would eventually become the artist behind the Route 66 Monument in Tucumcari, NM. Tom talks about his restorative work in NYC and the design behind the Route 66 monument.
Fireballs Legend George Tomsco (Ep. 5)
As the founding member of The Fireballs, George Tomsco talks about the bands early history while playing along Route 66, what it means to being credited with the sound of Surf Music, and what it was like having the biggest hit in America just before the Beatles arrival.
The El Vado Motel (Ep. 29)
Chadd Rennaker recently purchased a 1937 Route 66 motel and not only restored the motel to its original charm, but he also converted select rooms into a gathering space for area merchants. The result is a Route 66 destination that allows travelers not only a place to stay, but also a place to sample the local food and crafts from the region. Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno as he talks with Chadd about restoring the El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, NM.
ARIZONA
Angel Delgadillo (Ep. 3)
He’s the guardian of Route 66: Angel Delgadillo. At almost 90 years old, he’s been a fixture on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona since the day he was born. Angel formed the very first Route 66 Association in the world when he saw that the local economy begin to decline when the Interstate was opened.
Jack Rabbit Trading Post (Ep. 21)
The Jack Rabbit Trading Post is a convenience store and curio shop in Joseph City, Arizona. It was formerly a snake farm and became famous for a series of billboards that stretched from Missouri to Arizona, each bearing the silhouette of a jack rabbit featuring the distance from that sign to the trading post. In front of the store was another such billboard with “HERE IT IS” written underneath it. At the trading post, a large fiberglass jackrabbit can be mounted for picture taking and is considered a major Route 66 fixture.
The Wild Burros of Oatman (Ep. 22)
This episode of The Route 66 Podcast features my talk with Jackie Roland Murray, author of a popular book highlighting Oatman history and owner of Fast Fanny’s Gift Shop. Today, Oatman is one of the most popular Route 66 towns and is known for the wild burrows that roam the streets. Jackie shares with me many interesting stories from this town that once had a population of 10,000 residents during the gold rush years. Today, the population of Oatman is just 150 people and several thousand burros.
La Posada & Historic Fred Harvey Hotels with Alan Affeldt (Ep. 26)
Arizona based entrepreneur Allan Affeldt has successfully proven more than once that he can purchase old, abandoned railroad buildings along Route 66 that has had the Fred Harvey footprint and converted them into historically beautiful hotels in the southwest.
Navajo Code Talker Peter MacDonald (Ep. 37)
Peter MacDonlad is just one of four surviving World War II Navajo Code Talkers who was talks about his vital role during Iwo Jima and his later career as both an engineer for Howard Hughes and serving as Chairman for the Navajo Indian Nation.. This episode looks at the role of Route 66 in the recruitment of code talkers at the El Reno Motel in Flagstaff and efforts to create a code talkers museum.
CALIFORNIA
Goffs Mojave Desert Trails Road (Ep. 18)
Long before Route 66, travelers would take the Mojave Road 130 miles across the Mojave Desert. Join Anthony Arno as he talks with Dennis Casebier, founder of the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association, about his early attempts to create a hiking trail to preserve the Mojave Road.
END OF ROUTE 66: The Santa Monica Pier with Dan Rice (Ep. 41)
Dan Rice operates one of the most famous Route 66 souvenir shops along Route 66, located on The Santa Monica Pier. Dan is a past president of the California Route 66 Association and was instrumental in placing the famous End of the Trail sign on the Santa Monica Pier. This is the final episode in a 3 part series featuring The Beginning, The Middle, and The End of Route 66.