For Your Viewing Pleasure. . .

My friends Brad and LaSandra Nickson dropped in last week on their way to the Joplin Route 66 Festival.   While we were all sitting around talking, I noticed Brad with his camera on a long pole walking around outside.  This is the result.  This is how Afton looks on a regular day when not much is happening.  That, of course, is most days. . .

Around the World

My day at Afton Station started off about 45 minutes before official opening time when five guys from Seoul, S. Korea arrived (unannounced) to film a documentary about Route 66.  The language barrier was rather prohibitive, but when they put a microphone up to my face and made a gesture of talking, I figured they wanted me to say something, so I gave a little talk about Afton, the cars, and Route 66.  I hope that's what they wanted!!  They were nice guys and they stayed for over an hour photographing every detail of every car, so I assume we'll have a prominent role in the documentary.

While my new Korean friends were there, a honeymoon couple from Venice, Italy arrived.

When I asked the Korean team to pose for a photo, they insisted that the Italian couple join in.  Made for a great photo, don't you think?

Before the Koreans left, they presented me with this beautiful pendant made of a quilted silk pillow and tiny gold knots.  It's such a magnificent gift!

As the day went on, I accumulated about 30 visitors.   This couple is from Barcelona, Spain. Why do all  my European visitors look like movie stars??  This couple has been married for just a year and are on their second honeymoon.

A motorcycle loaded down with packs then rolled in and this lady dismounted.   She just retired and is moving from Richland, WA to Knoxville TN so the big stuff has been sent ahead.  But she had enough gear packed on her motorcycle to manage a vacation " for as long as I feel like it", in her own words.  Adventurous lady!

Other visitors came from St. Louis MO, San Antonio TX, Independence MO, Donegal Ireland, Dublin Ireland, Columbia MO, and Monkey Island, Gorve, Bartlesville, and Afton, OK.

Playing Amid Packards on Route 66

Yesterday was a glorious day in the life of Afton Station.  Unfortunately, the photos I took aren't so glorious.  Therefore, I'm putting out a call to all the dozens of people who were snapping photos of the Road Crew playing at Afton Station -- please send me some good ones!

It was a very busy day right from the start.    Several Route 66 friends arrived early but couldn't stay for the concert since they had long drives ahead of them to get home after the Festival weekend.  Here are just two of them, Jim and Judy Hinckley from Kingman, Arizona.  Jim is a renowned author of many books, among them "Ghost Towns of 66" and the amazing "Route 66 Encyclopedia".

Both Robin and Marly arrived mid-morning and, along with Ron M., were invaluable at getting things ready for the band and the folks who would be coming to watch.  Meanwhile, I was getting a little nervous because it was raining so hard that the street was beginning to flood in front of the Station.  Oh no, any day but today!!   (The rain stopped in time for the water to subside, fortunately.)   A decision had to be made about where exactly to put the band and where to put the audience.  We had no idea what to do about either until Ron M. suggested we put the band between two Packards, in a temporarily empty spot in the front showroom.  That turned out to be the best idea of the day, because it made a very special photo op.

By the time the band arrived, we were ready for them.  Here they are setting up.

People continued to come in and out all day.  The best part, for me anyway, is that 90% of the audience was old Route 66 friends from afar, people I usually only see once a year.  The audience wasn't quite as large as anticipated (the torrential rain had something to do with that), but it was plenty big and plenty appreciative of the Road Crew.

The Crew played for about 90 minutes, all either Route 66 songs or oldies.  They're really GOOD!  They are perfectly suited to be the Official Route 66 Band, which they are.  Additionally, they are four of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet.  I was in heaven!

Jerry McClanahan (friend and author of the EZ66 Guide) was one among many taking photos.  (C'mon, Jerry, send me a few!)

A few of those who were enjoying the music were Mike and Carolyn Pendleton, Sharon and Mike Ward, and Bob and Kitty Harmon (all pictured above).  Do I dare mention others there, with the danger that I'll probably forget a lot of them.  I'll try to remember:  Melba Rigg, Renee Charles, Rick Zimmer, Bob Swengrosh, Madalyn Knudsen, Ron and Roz Jones, Don Gray and wife, Shellee Graham, Jim Ross, Steve Rider, John Schulz, Richard Talley, the Harlows, the Lockes, and. . . oh, this is an exercise in futility.  I'll never remember everyone, so just forgive me.  Maybe when I get some photos from others I'll be able to name more.  Only two citizens of Afton came.  No big surprise.  The others who were there represented states from coast to coast.  

Thanks to my friend PJ for making a video of the entire concert.  I can't wait to see it. Meanwhile, here's a bit I snipped from Ron Warnick's blog.  I believe it might have been made by the aforementioned PJ.

The Road Crew

It was WONDERFUL!!!

More tomorrow, plus probably more photos than you want to see.  Everybody had a camera, so I'll post the best ones along with a synopsis of my beautiful day.

Roadie Paradise... the eGroup Breakfast

The eGroup breakfast in Joplin, a part of the International Route 66 Festival, was outstanding, despite the 2 hour and 45 minute drive in the rain to Joplin in order to get there by 7 a.m.   We (Ron M. and I) were actually early!  The breakfast is my favorite Route 66 event  every  year, and I'm sad when I have to miss it.  As usual, Mike Ward from Phoenix was the Master of Ceremonies, which consists of conducting a huge drawing for door prizes which we all contribute, and as usual there were more prizes than people, so we had to go around twice.  I won a cowboy boot full of sunflowers from the Kansas Route 66 Association and a big duffel bag filled with all sorts of cool stuff from the City of Joplin!  Here's Mike in his pin-encrusted leather vest.

Here's Joe Loesch of the Road Crew, reminding everyone of the two concerts upcoming, one in downtown Joplin tonight and the one at Afton Station tomorrow at 1 p.m.   (By the way, looks like lots of people will be at the Station for the concert tomorrow.... I'm psyched!)

Marty Bilecki spoke briefly about the ever growing popularity of Route 66.

It was a wonderful occasion, but all good things must end.  Knowing that I'd see most of these folks tomorrow at Afton Station made it easier to leave.  It was the largest and best breakfast of all, but I wanted to get back to the Station to relieve Robin and finish the day.  

We stopped only once, in downtown Joplin to see the new murals.  Ron snapped a quick photo.

Once back in Afton, we had an afternoon full of interesting visitors.  Another beautiful European honeymoon couple came in first.  They're from Genoa, Italy.

Bill Catlett stopped by. He's a gentleman who stopped in to Afton Station last summer on his bicycling adventure on Route 66 in which he cycled all of the Route, gave 100% of donations to charity, and then wrote a book about it.  He came in this year specifically to give a copy of the book to Robin and Phil, whom he described as "the nicest people to greet  him on the route."   I wasn't there that day, but apparently Robin and Phil were so gracious that their photo appears in the book with a very kind comment.    Good to know that my place is being so well-watched when I'm gone.

My good friend Joe Paul stopped in with his wife Glenda and son Tyler.  They thought the concert was today, but their mistake was fine with me because I got to chat with them for about an hour.  

Other visitors today came from Pryor OK, Seneca OK, St. Louis MO (Joe Sonderman's wife), Uvalde TX,  Rancho Cucamonga CA, Ketchum OK, and Owasso, OK.  

I can't wait for tomorrow!   You'll hear all about it as soon as I recuperate from the excitement!

Glad You Came Back

I promised I'd be back today with all the scoop on yesterday at Afton Station.  It was such a great day that it wore me out, but I'm all rested and ready to fill you with all the news of who visited yesterday.  It consisted of old friends and new, an unexpected tour group from France, and even a honeymoon couple from Spain!

The day was chaotic but wonderful.  Quite a few Route 66 friends, both old and new, stopped by on their way to the International Route 66 Festival in Joplin.  I was thrilled by that, since I'll only be at one of the Festival activities and I wouldn't want to miss seeing some folks.

The surprise was the visit from a tour group from France, 14 people who were mostly from Paris and its environs.  Once again, I had a chance to practice my dozen French words.  (Some day I may recall a few more from my 8 years of French language lessons.)  

We thought this fellow took on a very "American" look when  he tried on a Route 66 do rag.  Don't you think he looks right at home amidst pink flamingos and a Burma Shave sign!

The women from France were intent on buying momentos.  I like that!

This gorgeous couple from Zaragosa, Spain arrived before the crush, which is good because we had more time to spend with them.   They are on their honeymoon!   Two weeks married, they are touring a good bit of America, including Route 66, of course!

Other visitors came from St. Louis MO, Soldotha AK, Fox Lake IL, Magnolia TX, Denton TX, Skokie IL, Bixby OK, Glenwood IA, and Dodridge AR.  Here's a couple who came all the way from Soldotha, Alaska!

Now for the folks heading for the Festival. . .

. . . Brad Nickson (Tulsa) and wife LaSandra.  Here's Brad showing me the beautiful poster he made from his photos of the Blue Whale mushrooms.  He'll be giving a copy of it as a door prize at Saturday's breakfast at the Festival.  Others in the photo are LaSandra (hiding behind the poster), Steve Rider from Albany, NY, and Roz Jones, Tattoo's wife from Bartlesville, OK

Steve and Roz chat with Tattoo Man.  Steve is a noted postcard collector so we always have a lot to talk about.  His collection is incredible.  

Bob and Robin Swengrosh who own a mom 'n pop motel on Lake of the Ozarks also stopped by on the way to the Festival.  Others who didn't get photographed were Jane Dippel (St. Louis) and 11 members of her family (when she goes to an event, she brings a crowd!), Jim Faber and wife from Santa Monica, CA (he's heavily involved with the Autrey Museum which is mounting a Route 66 exhibit in California and he brought a notebook to show it off), Mike Wallace from Cincinnati, Ohio who rode in on his motorcycle, folks from Long Beach, CA who are involved with the California Route 66 Museum, and Mark Potter, long time Route 66 enthusiast from Lawton, OK.  

Thanks to Ron M. for helping me with crowd control (haha!). If I've forgotten anyone, I do apologize.    For the rest of the weekend, it's "iffy" whether I'll have time to do much posting on the blog, but I'll sure try.  I'm sure there'll be much to report on. 

Come back tomorrow, please.

I am going to take a pass on writing a blog post tonight.  I'm tired but happy.  I got home late after an amazing, fabulous, fantastic day at Afton Station, and like so many of the most fabulous days there, it left me totally exhausted.   In a few words. . .  55 visitors, not counting the 14 French folks in a tour group.  And the icing on the cake was that most of those 55 visitors are my Route 66 friends I haven't seen since last year  who dropped in on their way to the Joplin Festival.  We had our own mini-Festival right there at the Station.  I loved it!  

Lots of pictures, but I'll post them tomorrow along with all the details about this great day!

Night!