Folks in Sayre, Oklahoma, are helping the owners of the Western Motel raise money to restore its long-dark neon sign. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association reports that Chetan “Charley” Patel and his wife Chhaya, who have owned the Route 66 motel for over 15 years, applied for and were awarded about an $18,000 Neon Sign Grant from the association in 2024, which would cover about half the cost.

A new developer has recently come forward to propose spending about $100 million to renovate the long-closed Herring Hotel in downtown Amarillo and convert it into a boutique hotel. Todd Harmon, a developer with Herring Hotel Partners, and John Campo, founder of Campo Architecture, presented their plan during a recent Amarillo City Council meeting, reported KAMR-TV. The proposal calls for a four-and-a-half-star hotel featuring 226 guest rooms, two restaurants, a pool deck, and a rooftop bar with views of the downtown.

The Old Town area of Albuquerque recently unveiled a new neon sign along Route 66. The Scene ABQ posted an image of the sign, which was paid for with a state tourism grant, on social media: For those unfamiliar, Old Town is the historic original town site of Albuquerque, established in 1706 by territorial Gov. Francisco Cuervo y Valdés. On a related note, …

The California Historic Route 66 Association, the official organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of California's Route 66, announced the appointment of Beth Murray as its new president, effective Oct. 4. Murray will lead the association in its mission to promote Route 66 for future generations beyond the highway's 2026 centennial celebrations. Murray succeeds Scott Piotrowski, who served seven years and is leaving a legacy of guiding the association through the COVID-19 pandemic and balancing the Americana history of Route 66 with contemporary experiences found along the Route 66 in urban communities.

A six-story mural was recently painted on an apartment building along Route 66 at a prominent intersection in Springfield, Missouri. KY3 in Springfield reported: The massive artwork stands on the east side of Jefferson Avenue at St. Louis Street, featuring elements that pay homage to both Route 66 and the region’s outdoor heritage. The mural depicts a woman hiking alongside native Ozarks wildlife, including a deer, turtle, rabbit, and bobcat, surrounded by local flora.

The historic Rancho Court motel along Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, abruptly met its end after the city declared it a nuisance and approved a demolition permit. KY3 in Springfield in its report on Thursday showed an image of rubble where the motel at 1544 E. Kearney Ave. (aka Route 66) stood. The station reported: The structure was one of the last remaining examples of Giraffe Stone architecture, characterized by large rocks on the building’s exterior.

The ownership of the historic Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma, has filed for a specific use permit from the city for a 160-acre complex. According to The Luther Register newspaper, Threatt Legacy LLC wants to rezone the tract on Route 66 and Pottawatomie Road for a mixed-use development that would include a museum, campground, sports fields, and a future restaurant, tavern, retail and housing.

The unique contents of the nearly century-old Museum Club in Flagstaff, Arizona, are scheduled to hit the auction block on Nov. 8. The historic site itself along Route 66 was already facing an uncertain future after it had been put up for sale this summer for $2.3 million. Stuber Auction Company in Flagstaff announced that previews for the auction would begin at 8 a.m.

The Gathering Place, a huge park along the Arkansas River in Tulsa, is partnering with other groups locally and across the country to honor Route 66's centennial in 2026. According to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association: The park will feature a robust calendar of programs and activities that bring the nostalgia of Route 66 to life. Highlights include a Route 66 Festival, a sneaker decorating contest inspired by iconic Americana, a retro “drive-in” movie night, sand sculpture showcases, and themed fitness classes like swing and western dance.

Gary's Gay Parita Station in Paris Springs, Missouri, recently won the Tracy Kimberlin Hospitality Award given by the Missouri Division of Tourism. According to Missouri Tourism, the annual award "recognizes an individual, business, or organization that has demonstrated excellent customer service." The award was presented during the annual Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Oct. 7-9 in Lake Ozark.

Highway Hot Dog has opened along Route 66 in the century-old building that was once known as Historic Seligman Sundries in Seligman, Arizona. The recent opening of the restaurant at 22395 W. Old Highway 66 was announced in a post on the Doing Life in Seligman Facebook page. It specializes in all-beef hot dogs and a few sandwiches. It also serves espresso, cappuccino and gelato.

The broadcasting team for NBC-TV's "Today" show spent Friday in Tulsa to explore a few of the city's Route 66 sites and adjacent attractions. Here's the third hour of the show that delves into Route 66, where among the places they explore Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios on 66, Mother Road Market and Cain's Ballroom. More from the national broadcast: ---

A couple of weeks ago, the Oklahoma Route 66 Association uploaded a 25-year-old promotional video about the Will Rogers Highway Memorials that are sprinkled along Route 66 and the memorials' namesake. The association wrote: In the 1990s, Darrell Ray of Joplin had an idea to help promote the revitalization of Historic Route 66 by reviving one of its nicknames, 'The Will Rogers Highway'.

The owner of an RV park in Vega, Texas, has launched an online fundraiser to restore a 1950s Gulf station along Route 66 and convert it into a museum or visitors center. James Gorman, who operates the Walnut RV Park in Vega, has started a GoFundMe campaign for the station, with a goal of $1,500. Here's some local lore about the station:

On Oct. 9, 2005, this website hit the "publish" button for the first time. It existed at the time on the Wordpress.com platform. It has changed hosts and platforms several times since then, but its name has remained the same -- Route 66 News. The tagline also has been a constant: "A clearinghouse of news and events about historic Route 66, the Mother Road."

The neon sign for the long-closed West Winds Motel in Erick, Oklahoma, recently was hauled away by contractors so it could undergo restoration. The workers hope the restoration project will be finished in 30 days, reported the Beckham County Record. The City of Erick received an Oklahoma Route 66 Revitalization Grant of $35,710 from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission, administered through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, for the sign's restoration.

The Route 66 centennial and the Only In Your State website are joining forces to commemorate 100 years of the Mother Road.  The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership officially appointed Only In Your State as the exclusive Official Route 66 Centennial Publishing Partner, according to a news release. Only In Your State is a digital platform known for its storytelling, travel insights and cultural exploration of the U.S. 

Pat Smith, the director of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, is retiring later this month after 30 years at the facility. A going-away party will be hosted at the museum at 2229 W. Gary Blvd. (Route 66) at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, announced Jim Ross, a longtime Route 66 historian. The museum itself marked its 30th anniversary…

Tommy Pike, who was once president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri for about 20 years, has died. An obituary had not been posted as of Saturday. Greenlawn Funeral Home North in Springfield, Missouri, did not give details of Pike's death, citing privacy laws. However, a spokesperson at the funeral home confirmed it handled his arrangements. Two prominent Route 66 advocates also reported Pike's death to Route 66 News, the first on Sept.

Historic Hotels of America announced this week that Stephanie Stuckey will receive the 2025 Historic Hotels of America Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award. Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels in the United States. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence honors historic preservation and timeless hospitality at historic hotels in various categories each year.

Rosie the Riveter, a variation on the UniRoyal Gal model of fiberglass giants, arrived in Tulsa on Thursday and was erected along Route 66 in the Meadow Gold District. Local entrepreneur Mary Beth Babcock, who shepherded the creation of Rosie and other Muffler Men in the area, was there with her camera: Local photographer Mike Simons was there, too: Rosie is just west of the iconic Ike's Chili restaurant on 11th Street (aka Route 66).

City of Tulsa officials provided more details Wednesday about the Route 66 Capital Cruise: World Record Classic Car Parade, set for May 30, 2026, during the Route 66 centennial. The Tulsa World reported: Cars will stage at Expo Square, with the official 5.5-mile spectator's route beginning at Yale Avenue and 11th Street. Cars will travel west along 11th Street and pass through the roundabout at Elgin Avenue, where the road becomes 10th Street but is still aligned with historic Route 66.

The future of the closed New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari has become more uncertain in recent weeks. A local lawyer representing the museum recently filed an amended lawsuit against four members of its board of directors, alleging "willful misconduct, recklessness and fraud." The suit requests actual and punitive damages. In August, Warren Frost, the lawyer, was granted his request for a temporary restraining order against museum board members David Shine, Eric Shine, Ken Christian, and Flora Cordova from moving the museum's contents out of the county.

Tulsa will have yet another fiberglass giant coming to its Route 66 corridor. This time, it's a 19-foot-tall, Rosie the Riveter/UniRoyal Gal model that will be erected sometime Thursday morning just west of Ike's Chili in the Meadow Gold District, announced Muffler Man champion and entrepreneur Mary Beth Babcock. She wrote: "Rosie the Riveter" refers to both a cultural icon and specific women from Tulsa who contributed to the World War II effort.

Work began last week on what will be the 64-foot-tall Route 66 Eagle’s Nest artwork in the Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park in Edmond, Oklahoma. The park sits along Route 66 at the northwest corner of Coltrane Road. Here are photos of the first piece of the Eagle's Nest going up: According to KFOR-TV in nearby Oklahoma City: The 64-foot landmark sculpture, designed by award-winning architect Rand Elliot, also known for the 66-foot pop bottle at Pops 66 in Arcadia, will sit atop one of Edmond’s highest points and be made from steel pipe and weather-resistant corten plate.