TUCUMCARI TONIGHT CEREMONY
The dedication ceremony at Tucumcari started early on May 17 with
a Route 66 bicycle cruise to Glenrio. Vintage cars were on display in front
of the Convention Center and a marvelous art show, the Cultural Corridors
Invitational Art Exhibition provided plenty of looking around. In the
bright New Mexico sun, the Dedication ceremonies were made before the pedestal
of the artwork that had not arrived. It was on its way and the crowd waited
for the stainless steel Cadillac fin. Tom Coffin, the artist designing the
piece of course, was none too happy, but the day was still filled with the
purpose of what Route 66 meant to each person. The highlight of the
afternoon was the reading of "Auto Poetica" epic by Judyth Hill,
who had traveled from Gallup to Grants, through Albuquerque, eating at the
66 Diner and on to Moriarty and Santa Rosa, finally ending up at the Blue
Swallow in Tucumcari. At each stop, Judyth met with local poets, received
input from them as well as from her fellow travelers and then put together
a dynamic whole. We hope to publish at least part of it in a future newsletter.
This story came out with a happy ending. About 12 days after the dedication,
the art was shipped, polished to perfection, and set in place. |
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Member News
Renewals come in ã yes, it's been over a year since
our reorganization meeting. Francis and Katherine Bevans of Wilmington,
DE were first to renew. They belong to all eight state associations. Also
renewing were Marta Weigle of Santa Fe and Ron Bahm of Albuquerque, who
also took out a business ad. We welcome the renewal of long time members
Roberta and Sherwood Stauder of Navajo Lodge, near the Continental Divide,
as well as Bob and Sally Noe of Gallup NM, Jack L. Palmer of Battle Creek,
MI and Steven and Marcia Macaffee of Provo, UT. Thanks to each of you! We
appreciate our supportive members. John Marbury of the Ranch Kitchen in
Gallup, NM renewed his business membership and invites members to stop in.
We continue to get out the good news about New Mexico Route 66 Association
because of your support. Members Bill and Mary Watts have made available
for New Mexico Route 66 Association members a copy of the video, "Route
66, The Road That Built America." This excellent film was first shown
on KNME and covers the road spanning from Chicago to Los Angeles. Call 298-2809
if you are interested in borrowing a copy.
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New Member News
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| Welcome to two new business members from Santa Rosa, NM: the Best Western
Santa Rosa Inn and Maria Elena Ross of the Silver Moon Motel. Remember to
give your patronage to our business members when passing through their area.
In Albuquerque, we are pleased to add Rush Dudley, manager of the historic
KiMo Theatre as a member. Rich and Linda Henry of Staunton, IL own Henry's
Old Route 66 Emporium and love the entire route and the people that travel,
live and work along it. They fell in love with New Mexico when they visited,
especially Tucumcari and The Blue Swallow Motel. Judy Wallmark, from
the "Show-Me State," Missouri, has been working to preserve the
NAME of her street, which she still calls Route 66 and visits the Missouri
Legislature to make it official. She writes, "Just out of curiosity,
do you have any idea whether other names have been assigned to New Mexico's
portion of Route 66 as has happened in Missouri?" Yes, Judy, State
Highway officials in New Mexico assigned many threes where our favorite
sixes used to be. One highway official once said he couldn't understand
why any group placed so much emphasis on two numbers ã 66. We do
because, to us, Route 66 stands for much more. Continue your fight in Missouri;
you can show them what the best name really is. Jim Gilbert from St.
Louis, MO is interested in preservation, promotion |
and traveling Route 66, and he offers help from that area. Catherine Dau
of Rio Rancho, NM is interested in New Mexico in general. Welcome to Jim
Coleman, former resident of Albuquerque, who now lives in Lake Jackson,
TX. Vern Kaufman of Huntington Beach, CA holds a special interest for Route
66, especially from California to Texas. Harvey Steinacher of Scottsdale,
AZ travels as a salesman in both Arizona and New Mexico. You may have noticed
him driving through the state with his personalized Route 66 license plate.
Welcome to Stevan Kells of Albuquerque and to John J. Snoble, Jr., who
last year traveled from Pontiac, IL to Needles, CA. He attended the "Run
to the Heartland" event in Landergin, TX last October and also enjoyed
side trips to Monument Valley, AZ and the great Grand Canyon. He and his
wife plan to take a similar trip in October, 1998. They have owned a 1957
Pontiac for the past 26 years, which has made their Mother Road journeys
memorable. We welcome Harry B. Tellyer of Las Cruces, NM, who sends
greetings to those of us living in the north country of New Mexico. Also,
new members Marty and Ed Prinsep of Auckland, New Zealand will be driving
Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles during July and August.
Here's wishing wonderful driving to each of you. |
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