Quite a Mix
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Day 6: June 4, 2022 Quite a Mix Comment via blog |
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When the JHA learned that there had once been a business named Jefferson
Highway Cafe and that the building still stood, they decided to erect one
of the new signs there. When word of the plan got out, the granddaughter
of the cafe's owner contacted the JHA to let them know she had a picture
of the place in operation. When a group of us showed up the dedicate the
sign out front, the current owner appeared to let us inside. Sandy Myers
then shared pictures of her grandfather's cafe circa 1923. As Roger Bell
told about the cafe's history and Sandy contacting him just days before
the conference, Luring Miller asked for a few minutes of time. He then
launched into a performance of "How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the
Farm" with new lyrics celebrating the Jefferson Highway and the
Jefferson Highway Cafe. Loring does more than sing about the signs. He
conceived of the historic sign program and chairs the committee that
operates it. What a great setup for the subsequent dedication with the
building's current owner standing beside Sandy, the sign, and Roger.
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I used the time between th sign dedication and the parade of antique and
classic cars to visit the staging area. The typical American muscle cars
were represented as were the not so typical. The Ford Model A was the most
common car in the lot so there were plenty of flying quail around. The
single Goddess of Speed was greatly outnumbered.
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I made it back to a good viewing spot despite the parade starting a little
early. The cars were sequenced by age with a couple of Ford Model Ts
starting things off. That chrome goddess and her attached Packard came
next followed by all those Model As. I'm showing just a tiny portion of the
many cars that cruised by. The maroon cars is a Plymouth, the yellow one
a Cord, and the pickup is a Chevy. I don't know the model year of any of
them.
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Pittsburg is known for its fried chicken with several restaurants
specializing in it. Chicken Annie's is where Friday night's meal came
from. Pulling over to photograph Chicken Annie's gave me an opportunity to
photograph a Military Road marker and stopping at the marker set me up for
photographing one more gorilla.
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I had previously reserved a room for the night. It was on Historic Route
66 but I thought I might have to use the expressway to get there on time.
I left Pittsburg short after the parade of cars had passed and quickly
determined that I was not pressed for time as I had feared. I headed
directly south to reach the other historic route in Riverton, Kansas.
Eisler Brother's
was my first stop on Sixty-Six.
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From Riverton, I headed east on Historic Route 66 but had to skip a bit of
it for a car show in Galena. I found Cars on the Route closed then snapped
a few pictures around the corner at a collection of Sixty-Six related
displays I'd not seen before. Among them are a pole mounter cruiser and
Luigi's Pit Stop. There is also a memorial to a bicyclist killed on the
route in 2019. Beyond the "ghost bike" stand the charred remains
of a 19-foot-tall statue that was accidentally set ablaze during repairs
in March of this year.
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This is the first time I've driven this section of Route 66 eastbound
which means it's the first time I've seen the drive-in before the town of
Carthage, the west side of the G & E sign before the east side, and
the cop hiding behind the sign before the sign. By the way, I remember
when both of the car companies on the G & E sign were in business.
When I saw it for the very first time, one of them still was.
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Knowing that Boots
Court had changed hands and that a major renovation was in progress, I
anticipated nothing more than maybe a drive-by photograph. However, once
I'd stopped to shoot the Lowell Davis installed police car and sign, I
decided to walk over and grab some pictures from the front of the
property. On the way, I exchanged waves with a man on a tractor, and as I
headed back to my car, he emptied the front loader scoop, switched off the
engine, climbed off the tractor, and walked toward me. This was one of the
new owners and we were soon chatting about the motel. As we talked, I felt
a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Mike Curtis whom I'd last seen
when I left Pittsburg. Although it wasn't exactly expected, neither was it
a complete surprise. We were both headed to the same historic motel so
were following similar paths. Mike joined the conversation, and the two of
us were soon being given a tour by another of the extremely friendly
owners.
The previous owners had saved the motel from demolition and restored the iconic flat roof and architectural neon. The new owners continue the preservation with even deeper restoration to assure the structure's future. The rooms have been emptied, walls stripped inside and out, and new windows installed everywhere. Neon tubes have been carefully removed and await remounting in one of the rooms. Items to refurnish the motel have been acquired and are stored offsite. There is realistic hope that the motel will be partially open and serving guests in July. In the back building, one room has its headboard in place, the bed made, and the alarm clock -- and radio! -- waiting. There will soon be others. |
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Continuing on Historic Route 66, I made a very brief stop in Spencer.
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Then a not so brief stop at Gay Parita. Just as I reached the faux gas,
station a group of motorcycles approached from the other direction. While
the Eagle Rider group pulled onto the gravel in front of the station, I
changed plans and parked on the other side of the road. Before I could
cross the road, a late 1940s Frazer drove by. Pretty typical traffic for
old 66. And check out the terrific shield repainted by Roamin' Rich and
friends just about a week ago.
The place is looking great. As it usually did in the past, Gary's desk holds a copy of Images of 66 opened to the Gay Parita photo. Gary Turner died in 2015 but his daughter and son in law have kept things going pretty much as he did. A brief stop here is quite impossible. I exchanged hellos with Barbara as we passed then chatted with George as he sliced watermelon behind the station. This is about the only place in the world where I even eat watermelon and definitely the only place were it tastes this good. I hit the road as the motorcyclists begin to work their way back to the shelter and the melon. |
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Mike beat me to the Rockwood Motor Court but not by much. Phyllis soon had
us checked into adjacent rooms. Here's mine, and
there's a brief history lesson here. I have
wanted to stay here since it reopened, almost in synch with the arrival of
COVID, in early 2020. I was not disappointed at all. On the way to dinner
at Bambino's, Mike humored me with a stop at Mother's Brewing. A private
party had kept me out of the brewery on a previous visit.
The last picture is of the showing of a recent Route 66 documentary behind the cabins. This was a first but showing of 66 related videos will likely become a regular summertime feature here -- with popcorn included. Pretty cool. |
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