The Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., has applied for the state’s last remaining permit for a horse-racing track and casino that would be on the Mother Road, reports the Quay County Sun.

The ownership would be a joint effort between the county, Tucumcari and the nearby towns of House, San Jon and Logan.

The projected $40 million project — with no taxes involved — would be on 250 acres on Route 66 between a Kmart store and a Holiday Inn.

The newspaper said the project would be modeled after SunRay Park in Farmington.

Developers for a proposed theme park outside of Williams, Ariz., brought out a leaner, revised plan during the City Council meeting on Thursday night, reports the Arizona Daily Sun.

[I]t appears the land on which the project will be built has been secured and financing from private investors — to the tune of $250 million — is also in place.

Now, members of Grand Canyon Northland Amusement and Entertainment plan to approach Coconino County officials and share their proposal in order to create a special taxing district to secure another $500 million for the project. […]

The amount is a departure from the original $1 billion the project originally sought to borrow through the passage of the law, and the amount from private investors is about half of what legislators said would be necessary as proof the group could raise cash on its own. […]

Cordova said he wants to have the bond package together by the end of the third quarter this year. He then anticipated another nine to 12 months to establish a credit rating.

He estimated the project would break ground by late spring or early summer 2008. […]

There will be a Route 66 element, a Grand Canyon element, an Arizona Country frontier town and a tribal village, with “flex space” anchored by Renaissance in the Pines. Additionally, on the 22-acre parcel, there will be a themed auto service, rental, sales and RV park component, which was formerly headed by Buitenhuis.

Grand Canyon Northland Amusement’s Web site is here. As complex as the financial and governmental arrangements are, I’d be quite surprised the project breaks ground in its projected early-2008 time period.

This is basically a slide show with classical music in the background (it sounds familiar, but I can’t place the composer).

But the images aren’t ordinary. Oh my.

This is why many people love the Southwest.

The YouTube poster described this clip as such:

From Nevada Red Rock Canyon to Zion, Bryce, North Rim, Glen, South Rim and Western Grand Canyon, Sedona Red Rock State Park and a little of Historic Route 66.

Most of the Route 66 images are from Oatman Road in western Arizona, by the way.

A few months ago, the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects old Route 66 from Madison, Ill., to north St. Louis closed its parking lot on the Missouri side because of vandalism and burglaries.

Trailnet, the nonprofit group that runs the bridge as a walking and bicycling trail, has announced that the Missouri-side parking lot will reopen on April 1 through Nov. 1, with monitored attendant parking from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays during the aforementioned peak season.

Fees will be $3 for regular vehicles and $10 for passenger vehicles that carry 15 or more.

Trust me: The three bucks is worth it to walk across that bridge, and Big River, too.

Trailnet also points out that there is free parking on the Illinois side of the bridge. Because it’s in a sparsely populated area, that side of the Chain of Rocks sees less crime, too.

The good folks of Atlanta, Ill., have been working to renovate the historic Downey Building in downtown, which is part of old Route 66.

The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that a circa-1938 Palms Grill Cafe will be part of the complex and a local history museum.

Around 6:30 p.m. April 24, the replica Palms Grill Café neon sign will be lighted officially in a small ceremony. The event will include local officials and representatives from Route 66 organizations.

The first phase of structural work, which cost about $150,000, is about done. Fund-raising efforts for the second phase will begin in May, he said.

That phase will include adding a 40-foot-wide, two-story addition to the back of the Downey building that will include an elevator, exhibit space and a climate-controlled space to store artifacts.

Longtime readers know that Atlanta has been working for several years on getting the Palms up and running again. It’s good to see this project progressing.

Redforkhippie has composed a thoughtful photo essay about the deteriorating ruins of John’s Modern Cabins along old Route 66 west of Rolla, Mo.

The Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff reports that the Williams City Council will provide an update Thursday evening about a proposed theme park.

The council will hold a behind-closed-doors executive session at 6 p.m. regarding the “purchase, sale or lease of real property” for Grand Canyon Northland Amusements & Entertainment.

During the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m., City Manager Dennis Wells will provide a progress report on the project.

According to the Williams-Grand Canyon News, Mayor Ken Edes said:

“What they would like to do is have a work session before the council meeting so they can present what they’re talking about and if you remember on the theme park ­ it’s actually a work in progress ­ where we (are) actually dictating to them some of the things we’re requiring and this is that moment where they’re going to come with their ideas and we’re going to try and hammer some things out.”

Edes said the meeting would offer a chance for some discussion on where Williams may be headed in the future.

“Because it’s dealing with real estate and the real estate issues that they can’t make public, they have asked me if we can do an executive session before our regular meeting and then we’ll present their plan at the regular meeting,” said Edes. “We can talk about what we’d like to see, where we’d like to go and grow and things like that and then they’ll present their findings to the public after the executive session.”

The theme-park project has been bandied about since 2005, with few details except for these from the Daily Sun:

The proposed park is slated to have a combination of attractions featuring Route 66 themes, a Fab ’50s town, a Western town, a Navajo Learning Center and Asian Gardens.

It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s an announcement Thursday that the theme park will finally break ground. If nothing else, it sounds like the theme park is closer to reality.

We’ll see.

Diane Avila, owner of the Route 66 Malt Shop at 1720 Central Ave. in Albuquerque, misinterpreted a legal document she received and thought she was being evicted by a landlord that is redeveloping the area.

However, the restaurant is closing only temporarily as the building it occupies is renovated, reports the Albuquerque Tribune.

Chris Calott of Infill Solutions, the Albuquerque company that is redeveloping the property, said the malt shop will have to close as the building is renovated over a period of two to three months.

But his company has assured Avila that her restaurant is more than welcome to come back.

“We met with them (Monday) morning and confirmed our desire to keep them (Avila and husband, Eric Szeman) in the space,” Calott said. “They won’t be out for more than a month or two.”

And when they return, Avila and Szeman will get a “fixed-up, shiny white space with a fixed-up interior and improved patio,” Calott said.

The redevelopment is part of the former Horn Oil Co. Part of the structure will be torn down, but other parts will be renovated into office and retail space into something called Country Club Plaza.

And Avila says she’s more than happy to return to a renovated space — especially with an outdoor patio for dining.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk was opened to reporters and dignitaries on Tuesday. It will be open to the public March 28.

For those unfamiliar with it, the Skywalk is a gigantic, horseshoe-shaped structure made of steel and glass that juts 70 feet into the yawning canyon. You can actually see through the floor to 4,000 feet below.

Backed by a Las Vegas developer, the Hualapai Indians hope the development will provide much-needed dollars to their impoverished tribe.

Here’s the story from the Associated Press.

Here’s a story from the Arizona Republic.

Here are a bunch of photos from the newswires.

Here’s a CNN report from a week ago:

Here’s a video about the Skywalk’s construction:

This Associated Press story tells about Oklahoma’s Scenic Byways program and how its federal funds can benefit towns and attractions along Route 66.

It sounds like ideas are being kicked around, such as a Will Rogers statue in Bethany and an information kiosk in El Reno that looks like a vintage gas station.

The more substantial part of this story is that University of Oklahoma architecture students trying to help with Route 66 tourism efforts.

The students want to make it easier for pedestrians to walk around downtown Bethany and take advantage of the city’s antique stores and downtown shops, but they say the area needs more restaurants, entertainment venues and living spaces.

“There is nothing in the area to give people a reason to stay after they shop,” said Craig Wilson, 24, an OU graduate student from Columbia, Mo.

The students’ SH 66 corridor plans will be presented to the Bethany City Council in May.

This is an effort that should be replicated across the state. It’s good to have a fresh set of eyes looking at Route 66 to try to come up with new ideas.