About Those Resin Tables for Sunnyside-- Part 2: Quite an Ordeal Getting Them Out of the Garage

I just found out that those tables are resin, not rosin, tables.  Oops.  It was simply another Cutty Shark, Niagra Falls and Congradulations Thing for me.  An, I are colege edycated.  I went back and changed the spelling in the previous posts about the rosin, excuse me, resin tables.

Well, I immediately saw this to be a daunting task.  That area was pretty much like one of those storage units they open on one of those storage war TV shows where people can look in and then bid on the unit.  It was that packed.

And, sadly, I didn't see either of the tables up front, meaning, in back.  I had to clear a path back there.  Dangerous as things would fall.  I'd move something and then something else would fall.  Fortunately, I was not injured, but had a few close calls and a couple scratches.

I finally made my way to the back and found the tables, sadly at the bottom of the pile and more clearing out.  I got quite a few items out on the deck, front porch and patios that hadn't been there in years.  There were more than a few things I didn't remember having.  Some things I had no idea why I would even have gotten them or where they came from.  But, hey, I do tend to clutter.

Turned out that I had three tables, two four-person and one six-person.  The legs were off, but I managed to find them and had four extra legs.  I have no idea what happened to that table top.

Anyway, I loaded everything up into the truck bed for Sunnyside delivery.

Came Out Reasonably Unscathed.  --RoadEffort

About Those Resin Tables for Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg-- Part 1: The Old End-Of-The-Year Parties

As I said in the last post, since Illinois outside of Chicago, reopened its restaurants and bars yesterday for outside dining and drinking, I had told the owner of Sunnyside last Sunday that I had a couple resin tables I was no longer using and that she could have them if she wanted.

She did, so a couple days ago I went into the spare garage bay (we have four bays) looking for those tables.

Now, let me tell you, we used to use those tables at our end-of-the-school-year parties back when we were teaching.  We'd have teachers from both Liz's school, Ellis Elementary and mine, Magee Middle School, as well as other folks we knew come.

These were really big parties with as many as 100-140 people over the course of an afternoon and evening.  We'd go through as many as three kegs of beer, a pig roast and deep-fried turkeys.  We needed the table space.

But, we have not had an end-of-the-school-year party since 2006,that's 14 years.  And, I haven't cleaned out the garage since then (well, considerably before that either).  And, I tend to gather things and not get rid of things, so you might just get an idea of what I encountered.  Oh, yes, and did I say I tend to clutter.

What Did I See?  --RoadMyGosh

Well. At Least a Little Bit of a Return to Normalcy

Tomorrow, the restaurants and bars in our area (Northeast Illinois) reopen for outside eating and drinking.  I have not been in a bar or restaurant since March 17, St. Patrick's Day, when we went over the state line into Wisconsin for what ended up our last time in a bar (Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes).  Illinois had already closed all its restaurants and bars on the 16th, and Wisconsin was still open.  However, while we were there, we found out that Wisconsin was closing theirs in just a few hours.

It's going to feel strange here in Illinois.

Wisconsin opened their bars and restaurants to inside service about two weeks ago.  We have not gone as we're waiting to see if their is a jump in cases and deaths, but plan top go fairly soon.

On Sunday, I saw a vehicle parked in front of the Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsburg (about 4 miles away) where we had spent quite a bit of time back during normal times.  As a mater of fact, Sunnyside was the last bar in Illinois we had been to before the shut down.

I yelled inside and Amy, the owner, came out.  I told her this place looked familiar for some reason and so did she.  She was getting ready for Friday's opening (outside only).  I told her I had a couple resin tables that I no longer use and that she could have them for her customers.  We used to have huge end-of-the-school-year teacher parties, but not since we retired.  Sometimes with 125+ people and a pig roast and several deep-fried turkeys.

Now, the only problem is that those tables are in my garage and you know how garages can get, especially with someone like me who is a King of Clutter.  Just ask anyone.

Anyway, I plan on finding those tables and bringing them to her today.

That Is, If I Can Find Them.  --RoadClutter

Why I'm Here and Not in Indy Now-- Part 2: Thursdays It's American Legion, Main Street and a Band

THURSDAYS

The Indy 500 experience is everything I had hoped it would be and more.  It is now a 4-day drinking party.  When we first started going, Sue and Paul were still teaching, but got off Fridays and now that they are retired, we leave Thursday mornings and get to our RV spot at the American Legion, right across the road from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the race takes place around 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

After setup, we walk over to downtown Speedway (the track is in Speedway, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis).  There has been a lot of urban renewal to the downtown and it is turning into a fun destination on its own with lots of restaurants and bars.

It is best to go there on Thursday as it gets really crowded Friday and  Saturday.  We especially enjoy going to a craft beer place and sampling.  Plus, there is a new Irish bar which we went to just a couple hours after they opened for the first time.

We walk back to the RV, on the Speedway Post 500 American Legion grounds and cook out and have a few more drinks before walking across the lot to the Legion and enjoying a band.

You Sure Can't Beat the Convenience.  Right Across the Street From the Indy 500.  --RoadDog

Why I'm Here and Not There in Indianapolis (Well, Speedway), Indiana-- Part 1

Normally, I would not be posting this weekend as I would not be home.  I would be in the state of Indiana getting ready for this big ol' car race Sunday.  And, that would be the Indy 500.  But, of course, there's that virus thing going around that got the race canceled until August 23 this summer...HOPEFULLY.

I have been going to this race yearly for the last eight or nine years.  Usually, this also involves being there for my birthday on the 24th, so Liz is happy this year that I am home for it, even though there is no where to go to celebrate it.

I have been going to the race with friends Sue and Paul and Paul's brother John.

I never thought I'd get interested in auto racing, but when they told me that they had an extra ticket and an RV, I decided to take them up on it and go.  I'd heard it was a good party and wanted to at least check it out once, and here was my chance.

I Took It.  I Went.  --RoadRace

The Dixie Highway Brought Paved Roads to the South-- Part 2: Carl Fisher, Man of Many Hats and the Dixie Highway.

The Dixie Highway began with an organizational meeting of 5,000 delegates in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 3, 1915.  There were representatives from some 100 towns in seven states:  Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

Four routes were mapped out for the new highway and all were completed by private landowners and local governments by 1927.

The Father of the Dixie Highway was Carl Fisher, the automobile, auto racing and real estate entrepreneur who had already spearheaded the nation's first intercontinental road, the Lincoln Highway, in 1913.  He became the first director of the Dixie Highway Association and he went through a lot to get the road off the ground, especially since it would be providing routes to a resort community he was developing in Florida called Miami Beach.  So, there was a definite method to his madness.

A photo of him accompanying the article is captioned:  "Carl Fisher made his name making auto parts, developing Miami Beach and helping create the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.

Miami Beach was incorporated on March 25, 1915.

--RoadCarl

The Dixie Highway Brought Paved Roads to the South-- Part 1: Now, the Road Is In Danger of Disappearing

From the April 2, 2015, Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat by Gerald Ensley.

Today (April 2, 2015) marls the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Dixie Highway which linked the Midwest to the South for the first time.  It is significant to Tallahassee because it passed through the city.

Georgia Public Broadcasting will air a documentary Tuesday at 8 p.m..  In addition, the Florida State Library at the R.A. Gray Building plans to have a display of books about the Dixie Highway.  There is also a Dixie Highway page on Facebook which has numerous historic and current photographs.

The really sad thing about all this is that today in the 2020 coronavirus times, the fate of the Dixie Highway seems to be its elimination because the word Dixie reminds certain people of slavery and, as such, is offensive and has to be removed.

This has already taken place along several stretches of the road in Florida.

It Will Be Too Sad To Lose Such A Vital Link With History.  --RoadDixie

Along 66, April 2020: Please Don't Feed the Burros (On the Roadway) and Expensive Popcorn

APRIL 10--  The wonderful lil' town of Oatman, Arizona, home of the insistent burros, has put up signs asking folks to not feed the burros on the Route 66 roadway through town.  Feeding them is a danger to the animals, humans and people in their cars as the burros just don't care where they have to go or what they have to do to get that food (they are particularly fond of carrots)

To say the burros are a big tourist attraction is an understatement.  Today's burros are descendants of the ones used in the local area's gold mines.  And, believe me, they ARE insistent.

APRIL 13--  The Route 66  Movie Theatre in Webb City, Missouri, will be selling concessions during the coronavirus closure.

A large popcorn costs $6.75 and a large drink will set you back $4.58.  (Still kind of expensive if you ask me.)

The theater is located at 24 S. Main Street (Route 66).

Here Burro, Burro.  --RoadDog

The Birthplace of Route 66 Park in Springfield, Mo.-- Part 3: The Mosaic Wall and Red's Giant Hamburg Sign

WHAT TO SEE

The first phase of the park was dedicated in 2014  Officials still work to raise money for other projects planned and wanted for the park.

**  One part was already in existence as there was a long wall on the other side of the street from the park that has a lot of mosaics using colored tiles, one of which is a large "66."

As a matter of fact, the first time we were aware of the Birthplace Park and went looking for it, we missed it because we were looking at the mosaic wall.  It had to be there.  Where was it?  So, we back-tracked and sure enough, there it was across the street.

The mosaic wall was a project by local artist Christine Schilling and was completed with help from children of the community.  This was dedicated in September 2001 in time for Route 66's 75th anniversary.

I would however, like to see some landscaping above the wall as I remember that area being a bit scruffy.

OTHER THINGS IN THE PARK

**  A replica of the  locally famous "Red's Giant hamburg sign

**  Walking path and picnic tables

Looking for More Route 66 Stuff There,  --RoadDog

The Birthplace of Route 66 Park in Springfield, Mo.-- Part 2: It was a Woodruff-Avery Thing

The park celebrates the iconic Route 66, which was born just a few blocks away at the Colonial Hotel in Springfield, Missouri, when local businessman John T. Woodruff along with Cyurus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma proposed in 1926 the idea of a highway connecting Chicago and Los Angeles.

They had hoped for the name to be U.S. 60 (the major east-west U.S. highways were numbered with most important ones ending with a 0).  But, when they couldn't get it, settled on 66 as even having a better ring to it.  (Good choice.)

At a 1927 meeting in Tulsa, Woodruff was elected  the first president of the Route 66 Association.

And, the rest, as they say, was history.

That's How We Got Good Ol' Route 66.  --Road66

Those Wild and Crazy Kids in Their Automobiles in Malta, Illinois in 1945

From the May 13, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1945. 75 Years Ago.

"Although every effort is being made to protect  the youngsters of Malta there seems to be considerable comment  about the reckless driving of youths in automobiles.

"The wild driving is not confined alone to crossing the railroad track but is also noted as  the drivers cut through yards and alleys, as well as on the main streets."

Those wild and crazy kids.  I thought there was gasoline rationing on at the time.  Malta is a small town just west of DeKalb on the Lincoln Highway.

Zoom, Zoom, V-Room!!  --RoadDog

The Birthplace of Route 66 Park in Springfield, Missouri-- Part 1

From the May 15, 2020, Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader  "Little park pays tribute to Route 66 heritage" by Jan Peterson.

Places to go for a walk during this "CV" thing.  And, still keep your 6 feet you-know-what.  It's called "The Birthplace of Route 66" as Springfield likes to claim and probably so.  They have that big "Birthplace of Route 66" festival every summer (but perhaps not this year, you-know-what).

Well, this Ozarks park  is located right in Springfield, just a bit west of downtown on West College Street between Fort and Broadway avenues.

It is  free and open between sunrise and sunset.

--RoadDog

Famous People Buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery,Ca.-- Part 3: Larry to Lone

Looking at this list, I'd say this cemetery is definitely one to visit when in the L.A. area.


Robert Young

Larry Fine  (Larry of the Three Stooges)

McLean Stevenson

Lon Chaney, Sr.

Ricky Nelson

Joe E. Brown

Clayton Moore  (The Lone Ranger)

Joan Blondell

Norma Shearer

Lee Van Cleef

Irving Thalberg

Aimee  Semple McPherson

Kenan Wynn

Paul Winfield

--RoadDog

Famous People Buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ca.-- Part 2: W.C. to Ozzie

I guess this must be an A-List place.

Gene Autry

Steve Allen

W.C. Fields

Charles Laughton

Buster Keaton

Fay Ray

Gracie Allen

Carole Lombard

Mary Pickford

Ozzie Nelson

Harriet Nelson

Sam Cooke

James Arness

Dorothy Lamour

Robert Taylor

David O. Selznick

Forrest Tucker

--RoadDog

Famous People Buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in California-- Part 1: Lucille Ball and Clark Gable

In the last post, I mentioned that Anita King was buried at this cemetery.  Whenever I find out where someone I am writing about was buried, I look up the cemetery to find out who else is buried there that I might have heard of in the past.

When I looked up this cemetery, WOW!!

A whole lot of famous people are buried there.  Here is a partial list.

From Ranker "Famous People Buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park."

Michael Jackson

Elizabeth Taylor

Lucille Ball

James Stewart

Clark Gable

Bette Davis

Humphrey Bogart

Jean Harlow

Stan Laurel

Liberace

Rod Steiger

Sandra Dee

More.  --RoadStar

Anita King-- Part 6: Later Years

Anita King appeared in fourteen films at Paramount while she was there, including four with major star Wallace Reid.  In 1918, she left and went to work for Triangle Film Corporation and other film companies.

She made her last film in 1919 and with rapid changes in the automotive technology plus new and more spectacular racing events, she faded from the public eye.  According to family members, she did not make "talkies" because she had too low of a voice from years of cigarette smoking.

Her first marriage was to James Stuart McKnight, a National Guard officer serving in Paris, France where they got married.  Her husband worked with future President Herbert Hoover  with American food relief work.

In the early 1930s, she married Thomas Morrison McKenna, a wealthy steel maker.  Widowed in the 1940s, she became part of the Hollywood elite, joining such others as Louis B. Mayer,  and William Goetz as owners of  thoroughbred horses.  In 1951, jockey Johnny Longden rode her colt Moonrush to victory in the Santa Anita Handicap.

She died of a heart attack in 1963 at her home in Hollywood and is buried  at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.  There are a lot of notable people buried there.

Quite a Life.  --RoadDog

Anita King-- Part 5: Now a Celebrity, Then Charity and WW I Effort

Her accomplishment made her a national celebrity and Paramount Studios was quick to capitalize on it and began a movie of her feat with director George Melford of a movie version of the trip titles "The Race."  Anita King made numerous appearances on behalf of the studio, Kissel Kars and Firestone tires.

She did daredevil stunts and posed  with the likes of Barney Oldfield driving his famous Golden Submarine.  She used her fame to do charitable works and helped organize  a recreation club for young girls trying to get a start in the film business.

In 1918, after the U.S. entered World War I, she made a national speaking tour on behalf of the war effort, driving alone across the southern part of the United States from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and the roads weren't much better than her first cross country trip.

--RoadDog

Anita King (1884-1963)-- Part 4: American Stunt Driver, Actress, Cross-Country Driver and Thoroughbred Race Horse Owner

I finally became aware that I hadn't finished this account of an amazing woman whom I had come across while writing about Kissell Kars, an early American automobile.

I started it back on May 21 and 22, 2018.  You can go back to those entries by clicking on the Anita King actress label below.

She started her trip by driving north to San Francisco from California in 1915 on August 25.    She spent several days doing publicity appearances in the Panama-Pacific World's fair.  With even more fanfare, saying  that "if men can do it, so can a woman," she headed east.

After many promotional stops  along the way and coverage by major newspapers on October 19, 1915, after 49 days on the road, she reached New York City.  This means she was driving the famous Lincoln Highway, which was just two years old at the time and not in particularly good shape, a major accomplishment for a woman at the time.

She received a hero's welcome in New York City.   One newspaper related that she had arrived with California air in her tires.

In his book "A Reliable Car and A Woman Who Knows It:  The First Coast-to-Coast  Trips By Women, 1899-1916," Curt McConnell devotes a whole chapter to Anita King, noting that she was the first woman to accomplish this without accompaniment.

An Amazing Woman.  --RoadDog

Along 66, April 2020: Illinois Motor Tour Cancelled, Apache Motel to Reopen

These items are taken from the Route 66 News site.  This is the best site to go to to find out what is happening along the Mother Road.  I only take the stories I am most interested in.  The site has a lot more items and pictures.  So, check it out.

**  APRIL 3--  The Route 66 Association of Illinois' 2020 Motor Tour scheduled for this June, has been cancelled because of you-know-what.  It will be held next year on the 30th anniversary of the group.

Always new stuff to see on this trip.

**  APRIL 7--  The Apache Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, is to be restored and plans right now call for reopening by late summer by the new owners.

It has been long-closed and has rustic southwest decor and one of the larger signs.  The 22-room motel was built in 1968.

Anytime an old-run-down motel on 66 gets a reprieve that is a good thing.  Hoping you-know-what doesn't impact them too much.

--RoadDog

Gallup, New Mexico, Is Locked Down Because of the Coronavirus

From the May 4, 2020, CNN News "Lockdown is extended to slow COVID-19 outbreak" by Hollie Silverman.

An emergency declaration to lockdown Gallup was issued this past Friday set to expire at noon on Monday.  On Sunday the New Mexico governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, extended it until at least Thursday to help quell the spread of the disease.

Gallup sits along historic Route 66 (and was featured in Bobby Troupe's famous song)m about twenty miles east of the border with Arizona.  Due to the high case count, the governor invoked the state's Riot Control Act to shut the town down.

"The spread of this virus in McKinley County is frightful," said Grisham.  "And it shows that physical distancing  had not occurred and is not occurring.  The virus is running amok there.  It must be stopped, and stricter measures are necessary."

As a result, all roads into the city, including Route 66, have been closed.  Other restrictions in Gallup now limit the number of people in a vehicle to two and all businesses are only operating between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

As of Sunday night, 1.144 positive cases in McKinley County.  That number represents 30% of the state's total positive cases and the highest concentration.

No Staying at the El Rancho for Me.  --RoadBanned

The Philip Sheridan Statue in Chicago-- Part 3: About Those Horses Statue Legs

For both the Sheridan statues in Washington, D.C.,  and Chicago, General Sheridan was riding his war horse, Rienzi.  Sheridan had to ride his horse at a full gallop from the town of Winchester to the battlefield 12 miles away to rally his troops.  There he led his troops in a successful counter attack.

Usual sculptor rules for a statue with a rider on a horse goes like this:  If the horse has one leg raised, its rider was wounded.  If two legs are up, then the rider was killed.  All four legs on the ground, the man escaped unscathed.

But, Borglan's statue's horse has one leg raised and Sheridan emerged from this battle unscathed.  This is one of the few equestrian statues in Chicago that does not follow the usual practice.

--RoadDog

The Philip Sheridan Statue in Chicago-- Part 2: Civil War and Post War Accomplishments

It was built to commemorate his accomplishments during the Civil War and afterwards, especially for his successes in Chicago.

Sheridan Road, a major north south route was also named for him.  It runs from Diversey Parkway in Chicago northward all the way northward to the Wisconsin state line and to Racine.  Along the way, it passes through Fort Sheridan, a major Army base that operated from 1877 to 1993, also named for him.

He was present in Chicago in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 and coordinated efforts to bring relief to the stricken city.

Again, click on the Gen. Philip Sheridan and Sheridan Road in Illinois labels below to find out more.

The Philip Sheridan Monument Association was formed to erect the statue and they hired Gutzon Borglan, sculptor of the earlier Sheridan monument in Washington, D.C., and the John Peter Altgeld Monument in Chicago.  He also was responsible for the Lee, Davis and Jackson figures on the side of Georgia's Stone Mountain, and, of course, Mt. Rushmore.

--RoadDog

The Philip Sheridan Statue in Chicago

I was writing about Chicago's and the North Shore's Sheridan Road back in 2015, and left this out.  So, here it is.

From the Chicago Park District.

LOCATION:  2045 N. Lincoln Park West  Chicago, Illinois

In Lincoln Park

LOCATION NOTES: North of W. Belmont Avenue and west of North Lake Shore Drive

ARTIST:  Gutzon Borglum  (also noted for Mt. Rushmore and Stone Mountain)

INSTALLED:  1923

Since it is not a Confederate monument, it is not likely to have to be taken down in the future.  Well, now that I mention it, he was involved in the Indian Wars and Removal in the west after the war, so his statue might have to be removed now.

To check out what I had previously written, click on the Gen. Philip Sheridan label below.

Must Not Offend   --RoadDog

Shamrock Cleanup Canceled

This weekend's cleanup planned for this weekend at the old Shamrock Motel in Sullivan, Missouri, has been called off by the Rt. 66 Association of Missouri because of you-know-what.

It is still for sale as far as I know, but I couldn't find out for how much.  When I first saw it was for sale a few years back for $125,000, I couldn't help but be a bit interested.  Not only is it Route 66, but also I am a huge fan of the giraffe stone exterior it has.  That is pure Ozarks to me.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep some of the units as a motel and then leaser out others for small businesses and perhaps live in several.

But my wife, Liz, soon changed my mind.  Probably for the better because as I get older, it is sure getting harder to do stuff.  Plus, running a motel is a REAL LOT of work.

Plus, Sullivan Is the Last Jack-in-the-Box Going West on 66 in Missouri.  --RoadNotBuyingIt

Along 66, March 2020: The You-Know-What and the DeAnza

These are taken from the Route 66 News website.  That is the place you want to go to get the latest news of what is going on along the Mother Road.  I just pick out posts of most interest to me.

MARCH 16--  Several Rt. 66 states tighten access to bars and restaurants.  Has it been that long ago.  Seems like forever.  It is even getting strange to see people dining at restaurants or drinking in bars on TV anymore.  Ahhh!  Life before the "V".  (BCV)

MARCH 17--  Coronavirus prompts closing of many Route 66 museums.  Again, when were museums open?

MARCH 18--  DeAnza Motor Lodge in Albuquerque to celebrate its grand reopening.  Great to have it back, but the timing couldn't have been worse.

Liz and I have Been Shelter-at-Home Since March 18.  --RoadDog