Route 66 Podcast

The Route 66 Podcast Scholarship winners have been announced, and they are featured on the current episode of The Route 66 Podcast.

The program invited students in grades K - 12 to submit original work that promotes and preserves our beloved highway, Route 66. The program this past year included a total of $175 in awards, and applicants were invited to submit almost any medium that would express their interest in Route 66, including:

• Art Work
• Photographs
• Crafts
• Interviews
• Theatrical Performance
• Music
• Videos
• PowerPoint, Prezi, Canva, Google Slides,
• Multimedia Presentation

You can see the winning entries on our website at Route 66 Podcast.com.

In addition, the show introduces the Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Patreon program, where you can support efforts to promote and preserve Route 66. Patreon supporters can sign up to receive a washable Route 66 face mask, early release of podcasts including extended episodes, promotional materials related to Route 66, and the opportunity to vote in the 2021 Scholarship program.

For more than three decades Jim Hinckley has been telling people where to go and sharing the adventure. His passion for Route 66, the back roads of America and the automobiles he has shared through books, feature articles, blog posts, video, Facebook live programs, and presentations.

Published work includes nineteen books on topics as diverse as The Illustrated History of the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company, Ghost Towns of Route 66, Travel Route 66, The Big Book of Car Culture, and The Route 66 Encyclopedia, and most recently Murder and Mayhem on Route 66.

Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with Jim about his extensive book writing career featuring Route 66, and Jim gives personal feedback from some of his most favorite places along Route, his work in his home community of Kingman, AZ, and his early encounter with Jay Leno.

The life sized Blue Whale in Catoosa, OK, is one of the most recognized structures to be found along Route 66. Hugh Davis built The Blue Whale as an anniversary gift to his wife Zelta back in the 1970's. At its peak The Blue Whale was. a popular swimming. spot, drawing well over 100 locals on a hot summer day.

Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno, as he talks with Blaine Davis (78 years old) about his fathers life long work as the director of the Tulsa Zoo, growing up with parents who appreciated the outdoors, and what prompted Hugh to construct The Blue Whale upon retirement despite not having any welding experience or working with cement.

In addition, Linda Hobbs, The Blue Whale gift shop manager and author of a children's book featuring this Oklahoma icon also joins the conversation as she talks about the importance of The Blue Whale, what it was like working with Hugh, and why Route 66 is so important for the younger generation of children who visit this popular Mother Road destination.

Perhaps one of the most popular motels along Route 66, The Blue Swallow Motel has been in operation since 1941 and still provides patrons with private garages for their vehicles. Originally received as a wedding gift from her fiance, Lillian Redman ran the motel for over 40 years before stepping back from the hospitality business in her late 80's. Since that time, there have been other owners, but Kevin and Nancy Mueller have maintained the true character of The Blue Swallow since 2011 that would have made Lillian proud.

Named by Smithsonian Magazine as "the last, best and friendliest of the old-time motels", The Blue Swallow Motel has caught the attention of everyone from Pixar films to Bob Dylan. Featured in the classic movie Cars, The Blue Swallow's neon is a wink in the movie to The Cozy Cone Motel, which displays in neon, "100% Refrigerated Air" slogan.

Join The Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with Kevin Mueller about maintaining and operating one of the most popular destinations along the Road. The episode features talks about:

• Kevin and his wife looking for a semi-retirmement career along Route 66
• What the Mueller's didn't know about Route 66 and The Blue Swallow Motel
• Truly understanding the appeal of The Blue Swallow
• Transitioning from a corporate executive to managing an iconic Route 66 establishment
• Behind the scenes renovations at The Blue Swallow
• What the Mueller's wish they knew before taking over The Blue Swallow
• A typical day at the motel
• The life of Lillian Redman, early proprieor of The Blue Swallow (1958)

Long before the glory days of Route 66, the Route 66 town of Dwight, IL, was the center of the world thanks to a Civil War surgeon who established the world's first treatment center for alcohol and drug addiction. Dr. Keeley's method involved having patients ingest flecks of gold dust, which was very secretive at the time.

Join Dr. Timothy Hickman, from Lancaster University (United Kingdom) as he talks with Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno all about a little known treatment center that continued to exist well into the glory days of Route 66.

By the 1900, Dr. Keeley was perhaps the most famous physician in the world that people loved to hate because of his methodology. Many thought that he was a real "quack," but he was certainly a pioneer in treating addictions with over 200 treatment centers around the world by the beginning of the 20th Century.

Don't miss one of those episodes about Route 66 that truly contains a bizarre but true story about life along The Mother Road.

The El Vado, a 1937 Route 66 Motel, was recently purchased by Chadd Rennaker and not only restored the motel to its original charm, but he also converted select rooms into a gathering space for area merchants. The result is a Route 66 destination that allows travelers not only a place to stay, but also a place to sample the local food and crafts from the regions. Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno as he talks with Chadd about restoring the El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, NM.

Tom Peters is the Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University, and an oral historian. Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno as he talks with Tom about his series of interview with twenty two individuals directly associated with the trucking industry along Route 66.

Tom talks about the the importance of trucking

The final in a three part series featuring The Fred Harvey Company. This episode features a talk with three women who worked for The Fred Harvey Company during the final days of the company, 1958. In addition, episode features a talk with Katy Miller, great, great, great granddaughter of Fred Harvey.

Arizona based entrepreneur Allan Affeldt has successfully proven more than once that he can purchase old, abandoned railroad buildings along Route 66 that has had the Fred Harvey footprint and converted them into historically beautiful hotels in the southwest.

Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno, as he talks with Allan Affeldt, who has dedicated his life to restoring Route 66 buildings successfully proven to grow the local economy beyond what anyone had ever imagined. Allan begins talking about various social causes he promoted as a college student that gained international attention to stumbling upon a dilapidated 1929 hotel in Arizona that was once a Fred Harvey station.

In addition, Allan also talks about his restoration of historic hotels in Las Vegas, NM, including his latest project restoring the 1898 Fred Harvey hotel, La Castanada.