The Route 66 Chick

With the 2017 Route 66 event season in full swing, my pertussis quarantine over, and an itch to go places in the new van, June proved to be a busy month. Between St. Louis and Chicago, I gave a program, attended a program, went to the Route 66 exhibit at Missouri History Museum twice, drove across the Chain of Rocks Bridge, sold and signed books, and, with my BCC colleagues, produced the third annual Blue Carpet Corridor festival weekend. Here's a brief rundown of my June: June 1 - At Jubelt's  in Litchfield, I met up with Bill Kelly, Executive Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, and Dave Tucker, Vice-President of Blue Carpet Corridor, for hand-off of materials for Blue Carpet Corridor weekend. Lunch was terrific as always at this long-standing cafe-bakery. June 4 - I drove to Greenville to record a podcast for Creekside with Don and Jan at Owl Creek  with the lively and fun Don and Jan Stover. We talked Route 66, the upcoming Blue Carpet Corridor event, and my n...

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...