By Peter Glaser: Adventures in an automobile are a lot of fun: drive-in restaurants and theaters, streets of neon, and drive-through trees come to mind. And then there are magnetic or gravity hills—natural ‘road’ wonders—the most famous of which is in Moncton, New Brunswick (the geographic center of the Maritime Provinces).
Recorded Wednesday, April 22, 2026: Join author and historian Rhys Martin as he shares the journey of the road itself from the early days to the so-called golden era to the modern revitalization movement. He will also share how the uniquely American road trip experience appeals to audiences from around the globe and what ultimately led him to become involved in the greater Route 66 community. Watch Video
The Story Behind the Smile
By Lynn McMahon
Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Globe Pequot, 2023
Softcover, 166, 27.95
Reviewed by Harold Aurand Jr.
In 1933, Bob Wian sold his DeSoto roadster to buy a 10-seat hamburger stand in Glendale, California. Soon, he created a double-decker hamburger and adopted a chubby, cartoon kid with red-and-white checked overalls as a mascot. The Big Boy chain was born.
Unlike modern franchises, which build identical stores everywhere, Wian sold regional rights to use his iconic burger and advertising imagery to different people. You could get a Big Boy at Elby’s in West Virginia, or Shoney’s in the South, or Frisch’s in Ohio.