The city of Joliet, Ill., wants to draw more tourists into its suburban Chicago town.

One of the ways it hopes to do this is by building a fiberglass statue of the Blues Brothers on Route 66, according to United Press International. 

The Blues Brothers was a “Saturday Night Live” routine by the Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi that eventually produced a movie and at least a couple of albums. The Blues Brothers were patterned mostly after the Memphis soul act Sam and Dave.

The city also is considering neon signs to guide travelers to area attractions, the report says. The city has pledged $105,000 for the project, with another $83,000 anticipated from the state.

The Daily Southtown gives a few more details:

According to a city memo, the Blues Brothers statue, an information kiosk and directions to the historical museum will be placed at the Broadway Greenway Park along Illinois 53 and neon lighting will be added to the vintage Rich & Creamy ice-cream stand nearby.

The lobby of the historical museum on Ottawa Street will be transformed into a Route 66 Welcome Center complete with a mural, a 3-D photo opportunity display, more neon sings, a mock hotel room and drive-in and information on Joliet and the historic route.

Plans also call for vintage gas pump replicas that will serve as educational markers explaining key downtown sites such as the Rialto Square Theatre. […]

If the funding is approved soon and the city’s plan proceeds on schedule, residents and visitors will see most of the Route 66 improvements by summer.

The Lincoln (Ill.) Courier has a couple of good stories about tourism.

One is about how towns close to Springfield want to cash in on the overwhelming success that is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The towns on Route 66 seem to be doing well, but they certainly want to take advantage.

The other story is about the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Geoff Ladd of the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County advocates nominating Route 66 to the state’s new “Seven Wonders of Illinois” initiative. Ladd isn’t the only one with that idea, either.

“Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 are still the big draws,” he said, “second only to Chicago.”

Ladd said the state is also putting a lot of effort into international tourism with new marketing designed to draw more and more international visitors.

“Our strong suite there (also) is Route 66,” he said. “There is a lot of competition for international tourism.”

The article also contains interesting comments from tourism officials about the Lincoln museum and about how other historical Lincoln sites around Illinois are benefiting.

While reading Carol O’Connell’s “Find Me,” the latest in a series of novels featuring detective Kathy Mallory, a realization struck me:

“Find Me” (352 pages, Putnam, $24.95) is the first novel by a major, bestselling writer that takes place on modern-day Route 66.

That alone tells you how far Route 66 has come. About 15 years ago, Route 66 was all but left for dead. But the legend and popularity of the Mother Road continued to grow, culminating with a wildly popular movie last summer, “Cars.” Now, O’Connell’s book, nearly all of which occurs on the historical highway, promises to reach to thousands of readers — and potential Mother Road tourists.

The book’s main protagonist is Mallory, whose blond-haired beauty is matched by her ruthless efficiency. Fellow New York cops call her a “sociopath,” and those are the ones who admire her. It’s apparent the only reason they tolerate her deep flaws is because she’s a brilliant detective. Mallory doesn’t have much likability, but it’s a tribute to O’Connell’s writing skills that her femme fatale remains a compelling character. “Find Me” is the ninth Mallory novel.

In “Find Me,” a body is found in downtown Chicago, with a hand pointing west at Adams and Michigan, the start of historic Route 66. Back in New York City, a dead woman is found in Mallory’s apartment. Mallory is driving Route 66 in a souped-up Volkswagen Beetle, guided down the road by a set of ancient letters. We soon discover that bodies of children are being found along the Mother Road, and that the killer is still active. Complicating matters are turf battles between law enforcement groups, a caravan of the missing children’s parents, and signs that Mallory is cracking up.

Not much more of the plot is going to be revealed, as one of the pleasures of “Find Me” is finding how the story develops. Reading “Find Me” is like an onion — you peel off a layer, and you find more layers underneath. Some may quibble about the novel’s pacing at times, but there’s a method to O’Connell’s — and Mallory’s — madness. It sets up the last 50 pages, which are as gripping and unexpectedly satisfying as any I’ve read in years.

As for the Route 66 connections, there are plenty in “Find Me.” According to her publicist, O’Connell drove the entire route during her research for the book. Roadies will find brief descriptions of these Route 66 icons during Mallory’s cross-country tour:

• The Bunyon Statue, which was moved from a Cicero restaurant to Atlanta, Ill.
• The Gemini Giant of the Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Ill.
• Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, Ill.
• Our Lady of the Highways
• Rainbow Bridge in Kansas
• Mickey Mantle Boulevard in Commerce, Okla.
• The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Okla.
• The Cherokee Trading Post in western Oklahoma
• U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas
• The closed Club Cafe of Santa Rosa, N.M.
• El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M.
• The Painted Desert
• The Crookton Road exit in Arizona
• The old Black Cat bar
• The Seligman Loop
• and, of course, the road’s symbolic end at the Santa Monica Pier.

The book also contains a memorable scene involving a light show and a Kate Smith recording during Mallory’s tour of Meramec Caverns in Missouri.

And the real-life Fran Houser of the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, chats it up with detectives on several pages.

O’Connell also shows awareness of the Mother Road’s history by referring to the Santa Fe loop from the 1920s and ’30s. The only error I found was that the U-Drop Inn was described as a former saloon. To my knowledge, U-Drop Inn was only a filling station and restaurant.

I think the trip down the Mother Road turned O’Connell into a permanent roadie. Here’s the book’s dedication:

This book is dedicated to historic Route 66, the Mother Road. One day it will be gone. Pieces of it disappear as I write this line. And when it dies, among its remains will be many tales and memories of the way it never was, and that’s all right; for the road is mythic, and myths tend to swell with each telling. From now on, let every tall story begin: Once upon a time, there was a great highway …

And that part is true.

Recommended.

Rory Schepisi, the CMT “Popularity Contest” runner-up who is building a restaurant on Route 66 in Vega, Texas, is set to appear on another reality TV series on the Food Network.

Schepisi will appear on the third season of “The Next Food Network Star 3,” which premieres on Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. EST, according to Reality TV World.

In each episode, contestants will be tested in a series of challenges and will be judged on “personality, performance and food knowledge,” with their skills being evaluated by a rotating panel of culinary experts, including Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Cat Cora, Duff Goldman, Robert Irvine, and season two winner Guy Fieri, among others.

Once the judges narrow the competition to its last two finalists, home viewers — voting online or via text messaging — will get to determine who comes out on top and wins the competition.  The Food Network will air the winner’s six-episode television series in Fall 2007.

“We’re upping the ante on this season’s challenges, making them more difficult and demanding, so that we and our viewers can judge who should truly be our newest star,” said Bob Tuschman, The Food Network’s senior vice president of programming and production.

Schepisi was a successful restaurateur and chef in New Jersey before she moved to Texas, so she’s well-qualified for a cooking competition.

Schepisi told me this in an e-mail about the production:

I talked a lot about Route 66 and how people need to stop taking the major highways when they are traveling, ’cause they are missing out on all the greatness of Route 66.

She says she’ll have more information in the next few days about her under-construction Boothill Saloon & Grill in Vega.

Gary A. Warner, travel editor of the Orange County (Calif.) Register, said that watching this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Picture was like taking a road trip without leaving town.

He had this to say about “Little Miss Sunshine”:

The locations: A story about a family road trip from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to attend a junior beauty pageant should be ripe for great travel scenes. The real route includes old Route 66, with its gigantic jackrabbit sculptures, Meteor Crater, and colorful towns like Gallup, N.M., and Seligman, Ariz. But this $8 million picture was filmed almost entirely in the Los Angeles area. The take-out chicken served in Albuquerque is actually from Dinah’s Family Restaurant in Los Angeles. The Arizona diner scene was shot in La Puente, with menus from Pann’s, the legendary L.A. “googie” style restaurant just north of LAX. A photo of Monument Valley in a motel room is as close to a Southwestern location as the main characters get. Even when the dysfunctional family arrives in what the movie says is Redondo Beach, it’s really Ventura. The quirky film is about the people in the old yellow Volkswagen bus, not the scenery outside.

Favorite scene: The infrequent “B-unit” shots of the bright yellow Volkswagen rolling through northern Arizona is as evocative as it gets. But anyone who has taken a long road trip will relate to the constant family bickering during the 800-mile drive.

I’ve seen “Little Miss Sunshine,” and Warner’s take seems accurate to me. For a more comprehensive taste of Route 66, in spite of its obviously fictional story, go see two-time Oscar nominee “Cars.”

The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M., had an interesting visitor last week. Read this story from the Quay County Sun to see what it’s all about.

Here is a news release, straight from the U.S. Department of the Interior:

February 5, 2007

The National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is pleased to announce that its 2007 cost-share grant application cycle is now open. Grant applications may be submitted to the program office until April 27, 2007. Awards will be announced on or before July 6, 2007. The cost-share grant application with guidelines may be requested from the program office by calling (505) 988-6701. It is also available online at www.cr.nps.gov/rt66/grnts.

If you have any questions about potential project proposals or the application process, or if you would like to be removed from the program mailing list, please contact the program office at (505) 988-6701 or e-mail IM_Rt66@nps.gov.

Thank you for your interest in helping to preserve the important historic resources of Route 66.

Sincerely,

Michael Taylor

Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program

It’s an excellent program for owners of historical properties who need new roofs or other work to keep those distinctive buildings well-preserved.

The program has distributed more than $1 million in grants since it started in 2001. That doesn’t sound like much, but the office operates a small budget. And a $10,000 grant can make all the difference in keeping a historic building from succumbing to the elements. Those grants also have helped struggling or start-up businesses focus on their actual business instead of worrying about whether the roof will start to leak.

The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in Pontiac is seeking nominations for its Class of 2007, reports the Pontiac Daily Leader.

Nominations may be submitted to: Route 66 Association of Illinois, Attention: Hall of Fame Committee, 110 W. Howard St., Pontiac, IL 61764.

Deadline for receiving the applications is March 10.

Induction ceremonies will be on June 9 at Springfield at the Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center. […]

Hall of Fame honorees include people and businesses that helped Route 66 in Illinois create its flavor and character. […]

Nominations may be submitted regarding anyone or a business that contributed to the history and heritage on the “Mother Road,” the release said.

The nomination should be brief - not more than four pages, a fact-filled story about the nominee’s history along Route 66 in Illinois. Photos, news clippings and other memorabilia are welcome, but not required.

Current members of the Hall of Fame are here, but I’m also listing them here for convenience:

1990

Ernie Edwards, Pig Hip Restaurant - Broadwell
John Geske & J.P. Walters, Dixie Truckers Home - McLean
Francis Marten, Our Lady of the Shrine - Raymond
Francis Mowery, Illinois State Police - Pontiac
Russell Soulsby Shell Service Station - Mt. Olive

1991

Metha Paulsen Jensen Paulsen, (Carefree) Motel - Dwight
“Cotton” McNabney, Cotton’s Village Inn - Bloomington
Ed Waldmire Family, Cozy Dog Drive-In - Springfield

1992

Ariston Cafe and the Adam Family - Litchfield
Steve and Glaida Funk - Funk’s Grove - Shirley
Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket - Willowbrook
John Stonecipher - Stoney’s Service - Odell

1993

Chester D. Henry - Illinois State Police - Pontiac
Ervin Kolarik - Chicken Basket Restaurant - Willowbrook
Effie Marx - Waitress - Dwight
Bill Shea - Shea’s Finest Truck Covers - Springfield

1994

Hubert Henry - Truck Driver - St. Louis
Rodino Square and the Carmen Rodino Family - Pontiac
The Riviera Roadhouse and Restaurant - Gardner

1995

Grace Brown - Larry & Debbie Lucas - Howard E. & MariAna McAnarney -
Art’s Restaurant - Farmersville
The Benedict Family - McLean
H. Burt Parkinson - Editor - Gardner
G. J. Mecherle - State Farm Insurance - Bloomington

1996

Log Cabin Restaurant - Marjorie O’Brien - Brad & Debbie Trainer - Pontiac
Eddie’s Pure Truck Stop/Eddie’s Union 76 Truck Stop - Edward and Marjorie Baize - Towanda
Wilton Rinkel - Farmer - Edwardsville
Maurice Irvin - Irvin Brothers - Inc. - Bloomington

1997

Rev. Dean “Shug” Benton - Truck Driver - Bloomington
Albert Cassens & the Cassens Transport Company - Edwardsville & Hamel
Hay Brothers Garage - Ralph M. & Frank Hay - Divernon
Dick Jones Garage - J. Richard Jones - Odell

1998

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge - Madison
Oasis Drive-In - Arline and Elmo Winterland - Lexington
Sky View Drive In - Litchfield
White Fence Farm - Hastert Family - Romeoville

1999

Casey’s Garden Shop - Bloomington
FitzHenry Oil Company - Joliet
Brandtville Restaurant - Robert D. (Bob) Johnson - Bloomington
Rialto Square Theater - Joliet

2000

Augusta “Gussie” Keller - Pontiac
Joe Edwards - Gas Station Operator - Lincoln
Launching Pad Drive-In - Wilmington
District 6 - Illinois State Police Headquarters - Pontiac

2001

Coliseum Ballroom - Benld
DeCamp Junction Tavern - south of Staunton
Standard Oil Gas Station - Odell
Watt Brothers Pharmacies - Springfield

2002

Gordon Gunderson - Gardner
Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant - Chicago
Polk-A-Dot Drive -In - Braidwood
Fred Schlechte Family - Worden “Y” Service Station - Worden
The Bill Shea Family - Springfield
Lenore & John Weiss - Wilmington

2003

Andy Granatelli - Chicago
Fassero Oil Company - Benld
Mt. Olive Union Miners Cemetery - Mother Jones Monument - Mt. Olive
Wishing Well Motel - LaGrange

2004

Forest Grey Family - Gas Station & Café - Braceville
Luna Café - Mitchell
Rita Erickson - Owner and Operator Odell Shelter Inc. - Odell
Streetcar Diner - Gardner

2005

Angelo Aggelopoulos - Wilmington
Chenoa Pharmacy, Chenoa
Ambler-Decker Historic Gas Station - Dwight

2006

Willie Anderson Trucking - Lexington
The Berghoff Restaurant - Chicago
Scotties (originally the Tourist Haven) - Hamel
Leland Storm, a retired Illinois State Police trooper - Litchfield

The Edwardsville Intelligencer reports that the city of Edwardsville, Ill., has begun preparations for its 11th annual Route 66 festival on June 8-9 in City Park.

According to Edwardsville and Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Kim Stevens, the group planning the event wants to add some new attractions.

She said a new walk and run, a second trolley and a longer car cruise maybe added to the schedule. […]

“The big thing is it is very family oriented. We are also adding the walk and run and other health fitness events.”

Other events being planned include: a dog show, musical performances, washer tournament, children’s area and Trailnet bike ride.

Stevens said all events scheduled should be finalized by the end of March.

Edwardsville also is scheduled to be host of the national Route 66 Festival in 2008. This year, it will be in Clinton, Okla., on June 21-24.

Ed Rust of Blogcritics Magazine has posted a review of American Road magazine, which covers news and features along America’s historic highways, including Route 66.

It’s a mostly positive review, but it quibbles about a few things:

A typical story from the Winter 2006 issue is about the “Bigfoot Scenic Byway,” a stretch of Route 96 in northern California near the Oregon border that stretches from Happy Camp to Willow Creek. One of my peeves about the magazine is that while it often shows some sort of map of the area in question, I still have no idea where that area is, and am forced to get out my tattered Rand-McNally road atlas to place a burg like “Happy Camp” relative to entities I can readily identify, like Los Angeles or the Pacific Ocean. A small state outline with a shaded area showing the spot under discussion would be appreciated. […]

The concept of American Road is a good one, but it’s a bit fuzzy in its execution. The focus in one article might be the history of a highway, and in the next it might be on some of the exotic shops or eateries along a highway in another part of the country. Another story might be about a local legend in a town, pretty much ignoring everything else. Quite a few of the articles are written by local historians or freelancers who seem to be so close to their subject that they strain to find interesting new angles - leaving the reader, presumably not from those parts, hungering for some basic information. For the actual rubber-on-the-road tourist driving into an unfamiliar area, recommendations for food, shelter and the like would be welcome sidebars.

Sometimes it takes a non-roadie to find shortcomings in our efforts. I confess to being out of the loop with American Road since moving from Illinois to Oklahoma. I’ll have to rectify that situation.

Which brings me to this subject: If you have a beef or suggestion for Route 66 News, let me know and I’ll try to resolve or do it (if humanly possible, of course).