... a time to build

Today's sunrise was so pretty that I had to stop twice to admire it.
Sunrise over the Rose Bowl, Tulsa Route 66

A little later -- sunrise reflecting on the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, Catoosa Route 66

David arrived at Afton Station early and took away the finished Citroen 2CV. He leaves tomorrow to take it to the Concours d'Elegance in Greenwich, CT. Here 'tis, with it's proud owner. Greenwich Concours d ' Elegance

My day was made joyful by Betty, who arrived early and kept me company all day. She's always a well of knowledge about the people and places around here. We learned a lot from our guests today, too. Three guys from Miami, OK came in during a break from framing out a new house here in Afton. A new house being built in Afton?? Really? Sure enough! I went to check it out on my way home and took this picture. It's right next to the school, and the guys said the new owner is moving from out of town. We were in shock. Could Afton be making a comeback?

A trucker from Arkansas was originally from Detroit, and he told me he has a photo of his mother in front of the old Packard plant when she worked there during WW II. He's going to send me a print! I'm very happy!

A visiting sign maker from Grove verified that renting a billboard on the Interstate to advertise Afton Station would be ridiculously expensive. I love the idea, but I knew the answer even before he told me. He also told me about the red tape necessary to erect a billboard on that right-of-way, so I gave up on that pipe dream. I guess I'll stop fantasizing about luring folks off the Interstate and continue to concentrate on those folks that prefer the back roads. They're more fun, anyway.

There were also visitors from Shadyside OH, Galena KS, and right here in Afton, 14 in all. And then, as I was getting ready to leave, a couple stopped in on their way home to Stillwater OK from a visit to the husband's mother in Lexington, KY. Well.... when I heard that, of course I had to ask about his Lexington connection, and it turns out we went to the same high school in Lexington and we both went to the University of Kentucky! He's a bit older, but even so, we were able to do some reminiscing. Although I didn't know him then, we established that he lived fairly near me, and we had mutual memories of several teachers. I love it when that happens! Another great day.

The Tulsa Rose Bowl

Old postcard of Rose Bowl. How '60s is that!!! It's now painted it's original pink.

I just got back from an interesting meeting. I wasn't in Afton today, but this afternoon a representative from Tulsa Urban Development and I met with the new owner of Tulsa's Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl is a very unique piece of architecture, a former bowling alley built in 1962 on Route 66 in East Tulsa. It burned several years ago, then remained vacant for a long time. The new owner bought it with the idea of turning the huge expanse into an events center. It can't be a bowling alley any more because of a non-compete agreement. Knowing how much time and money it has taken just to restore our little gas station, I can only imagine the money that has been (and is still being) poured into this project. But the owner is very enthusiastic and we encouraged him to keep moving toward his goal. He's already done quite a bit, and Julie (from Urban Development) assured him that there are grants and loans available for a project such as his. I was basically there just to give support from the Route 66 community.

It's encouraging to know that the Rose Bowl has already been booked for a number of events in the coming year. They are set up beautifully for concerts, car shows (yes, the interior is large enough for a good sized car show), and large private parties. When all the fire prevention is installed, they'll be approved to hold up to 3,000 people.

Love this sign. The new owners plan to keep it and add a HUGE Route 66 shield (about 10 feet tall) that he bought on Ebay.

This is the bar area. The glass brick is original.

This picture doesn't even begin to show the size of the place. The floor under the table is made from the old alleys.

The last time I visited the Rose Bowl it was before the fire. Ron McCoy took some photos from that visit. You can view them here: http://collectingbuzz.com/rosebowl/rosebowl.htm. They give a very good overview of what the Rose Bowl looked like when it was still a bowling alley.