American Road Trip Talk

In Tacoma, WA, summer 2013 ended with a Blast From The Past at the LeMay Family Collection. What began, as a personal collection of vintage cars more than 40 years ago is now the largest private collection in the world with 2,200 vehicles according to the Guiness Book of World Records. The Blast from the Past annually raises funds to help local charities and serves as a showcase for the highlight of the upcoming Annual LeMay Car Show, Auction & Swap Meet around Labor Day weekend. According to our guest Stacy Rushton, Office Manager for the LeMay Family Collection, in 2013 the Blast from the Past featured a very unique restored item from 1961. LeMay Family technicians normally specialize in revitalizing Edsels, Packards and Duessenbergs but I guarantee that you will never guess what it was that they restored in 2013. Don’t miss this fascinating peek at a unique charity event at a very special spot on the American Road.

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The summer 2013 issue of American Road Magazine focused on: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. Dave Hutson, our guest in this podcast, is the man who brings the warmth of yesterday back to those glowing gas sentinels. He is the owner of Neon Time, a company in suburban St. Louis, MO that specializes in restoring neon signs. He is also part of the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee that was formed by the MO Route 66 Assoc. in 2008 to save endangered historic neon signs along the Mother Road. In this second of two conversations, Dave shares some of the secrets to resurrecting the glow back in a motel’s marquee and restoring the allure of an historic St. Louis donut shop. You’ll find that the skill of “bending glass” and giving it the perfect hue is a precise and rare skill.

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Our summer 2013 issue of American Road Magazine is focused around: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In this podcast we meet Dave Hutson, the man who brings the warmth of yesterday back to those glowing gas sentinels that once beckoned us to spent the night or to enjoy some homemade comfort food along the American Highway. Dave is the owner of Neon Time, a company that specializes in restoring neon signs in suburban St. Louis, MO. He is also part of the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee that was formed by the MO Route 66 Assoc. in 2008 to save endangered historic neon signs along the Mother Road. In this first of two conversations, Dave shares the challenges of putting the glow back in a motel’s marquee and restoring the allure of an historic St. Louis donut shop. Listen closely and you will learn the art of creating that special Neon glow.

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The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm blew through St. Louis, MO and nearly tore down a neon sign, which had been a local landmark. Jim Thole and his fellow committee members sprang into action and the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee began its crusade to turn historic neon lights back on Route 66. In our final podcast in this series, Jim Thole will introduce us to the other members of the Neon Heritage Committee, reveal how they get the sign owners to allow their signs to be restored and look to the future of preservation.

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The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote an article about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm in St. Louis, MO nearly tore down a neon sign, which had been a local landmark. Jim and his three fellow committee members sprang into action and the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee began its crusade to turn historic neon lights back on Route 66. In this second of three podcasts Jim outlines the ambitious projects that he and the committee have accomplished during the last 5 years.

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The summer 2013 issue of our magazine features the theme: Neon Sights that Keep the Night Bright. In the Motoring the Mother Road column, I wrote an article about an ambitious Neon Heritage Preservation program led by Jim Thole, a member of the board of the Missouri Route 66 Association. Be sure to check out the magazine issue for great photos and more details. In 2008, a terrible windstorm in St. Louis, MO nearly tore down a neon sign, which had been a local landmark. Jim and his three fellow committee members sprang into action and the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee began its crusade to turn historic neon lights back on Route 66. In the fall of 2011, I met Jim while on a visit to St. Louis just after the lighting of the Crestwood Bowl in suburban St. Louis County. In this first of three podcasts Jim Thole focused the conversation on the restoration of the Crestwood Bowl sign.

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The last weekend of June 2013 in Kearney, NE marks the 100th Birthday Party for the Lincoln Highway, one of the first transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America. In Part 2 of our Centennial Celebration for the Lincoln Highway, Sarah Focke, of the Kearney Convention and Visitors Bureau gives you all the details on the upcoming celebration. Car buffs, Lincoln Highway aficionados and the Lincoln Highway Association are all gathering for a big week of celebration between Sunday, June 30 and July 5.

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The last weekend of June 2013 in Kearney, NE marks the 100th Birthday Party for the Lincoln Highway, one of the first transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America. In Part 1 of our Centennial Celebration for the Lincoln Highway, Sarah Focke, of the Kearney Convention and Visitors Bureau gives some of the background on why her fair city of 30,000 was chosen to host the party. Sarah will also fill us in on the history of this main line for autos across the heart of America. Don’t miss part two when she will give you all the details on the upcoming celebration.

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Perhaps no other roadside attraction is as closely identified with the American Road as the neighborhood drive in movie theatres that once dotted the US map. Sadly the ritual of warm summer evenings with the family piled in the car to watch the latest blockbuster has gone the way of the Edsel in most places. But the good news is that people like Jim Kopp of Stephens City, VA are hard at work keeping that tradition alive. Our guest on this podcast runs, the Family Drive In, a 500 car outdoor theatre the last remaining Drive In in northern Virginia about an hour west of Washington, D.C. Jim is not only passionate about keeping this unique entertainment experience alive but he has found a very special way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Drive In Theatres in America. He helped create a category for an upcoming episode of Jeopardy. The venerable game show will air a special, July 4th show featuring a category called At The Drive In. Jim will share all the details in this podcast.

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The rich earth of the Mississippi River bottom just east of St. Louis has long been a place to grow some of the best produce in the country. In particular, it was something of the tomato capital of the Midwest for many decades. What better monument to that juicy history than a massive catsup bottle, masquerading as the city water tower for Collinsville, Ilinois? In this podcast you’ll meet the Big Tomato himself, Mike Gassman, who along with his wife and many other volunteers have successfully fought to preserve their unique roadside attraction.

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