Storm-damaged “Here It Is” billboard for Jack Rabbit Trading Post is re-erected
Jenn is from southern AZ & is visiting her parents in Holbrook. She came out to offer any help needed with the “Rising of the Sign.” Photo via Facebook
From Route 66 News: That didn’t take long. One side of the iconic “Here It Is” billboard for the Jack Rabbit Trading Post near Joseph City, Arizona, was re-erected and secured just a few days after a monsoon storm Monday night blew it down.
Isabelle Jaquez, daughter of longtime Jack Rabbit owners Tony and Cindy Jaquez, posted this heartfelt and grateful Facebook reel of repair crews and volunteers helping get the downed sign back up:
Route 66 author T. Lindsay Baker dies in accident during Route 66 Centennial Caravan
From Route 66 News: T. Lindsay Baker, a historian and author of two Route 66-themed books, died Thursday morning in an accident on Interstate 40 near Flagstaff, Arizona, while participating in the Route 66 Centennial Caravan as a Texas representative. He was 79.
The Texas Old Route 66 Association stated in a Facebook post that Baker had been driving his 1930 Ford Model A “woody” station wagon in the caravan. He’d driven the vehicle on Route 66 four previous times.
The Strange History of Alligator Garden
From San Antonio Magazine: Imagine a place near downtown San Antonio where kids could ride atop an alligator for mere pennies.
Such a unique site existed in the Alamo City for over two decades.
Alligator Garden, a popular spot that had a roadside attraction appeal, entertained guests for 23 years just outside Brackenridge Park. The business closed during the summer of 1975.
Beloved Los Angeles diner closing after nearly 50 years. Here’s why
From KTLA: LOS ANGELES – A beloved San Fernando Valley diner that has served customers for nearly 50 years is closing for good, with its owners citing the rising cost of doing business as the primary reason.
Yuk and Sue Wong immigrated from China in 1969 and first worked at a relative’s restaurant to save money, with the goal of eventually owning their own business, their daughter told KTLA on Thursday.
“My parents came here with zero English, and they had literally $100 to their name,” Susan Wong-Young said. “They saved for 10 years and eventually saved up $10,000.”
Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger added to National Register of Historic Places
The Oklahoma Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Office has announced that Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger in Miami, Oklahoma has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
From Fox23: OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Office has announced that Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger in Miami, Oklahoma has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The organizations say the location has been listed for its historical significance as a commercial development along Route 66. Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger first opened in 1965 and its bold colors, swooping rooftops, and neon signs have attracted passing motorists along The Mother Road for years. Waylan’s is the last survivor of the Ku Ku chain that once had over 200 locations across the Midwest.
Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger is still fully operational and its owner, Eugene Waylan, mans the grill and sells burgers and shakes as he has for the last 50 years.
Editorial: A Charleston preservation group returns to its roots
Historic Charleston Foundation has sold the former filling station at 80 Ashley Ave. to owners who plan to use it as a small office building.
From The Post and Courier: Charleston’s many preservationists have long recognized that protecting the city’s vast collection of historic buildings involves more than mere maintenance: It involves ensuring that the city remains a desirable enough place to live and work that building owners are willing to make the significant, often sacrificial, investment to ensure older buildings are properly kept up.
As a result, the Historic Charleston Foundation and the Preservation Society of Charleston have gradually spread their wings to encompass all sorts of additional advocacy work beyond saving old buildings — work such as tourism management, climate adaptation, traffic and parking policies and recognition of history largely overlooked by previous generations.
Snyder man restored 1932 Sinclair station into roadside attraction
From KCBD: SNYDER, Texas (KCBD) – A vintage gas station on the corner of Coliseum Drive and 25th Street has become a roadside landmark, drawing attention nationwide and around the world.
Lynn Fuller restored the former Sinclair station in 2011 after the structure had fallen into disrepair. Built in 1932, the station no longer pumps gas — it now serves as a small museum and gathering place.
Fuller said the project crew well beyond his original plans.
“Meant to just repair it,” he said. “But one thing led to another, kind of like restoring a car, and there was nowhere to stop.”
Sony and Alamo Drafthouse announce plans to reopen the iconic Cinerama Dome
The famous Cinerama Dome movie theater in Hollywood has been closed since March 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
From the Los Angeles Times: Hollywood’s storied Cinerama Dome will soon be open for business again.
Following a six-year shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony Pictures Entertainment has stepped in to restore and reopen the historic Hollywood landmark. The dome, which will keep its Cinerama name, will be operated by Sony Pictures Entertainment’s theater chain, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the company announced in a statement Wednesday.
“There is no moviegoing destination anywhere in the world that commands the affection, history, and cultural significance of the Cinerama Dome,” Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Ravi Ahuja said in a statement.