Route 66 Birthday Makes Way for Author's Contest

Author Norma Bolin of St. Louis Transitions announced two contests for middle and high school students in celebration of the 85^th birthday of Route 66, which is being celebrated November 11, 2011.

The contests are open to all public, private or homeschooled students enrolled as of September 30, 2011. West County students are among those eligible to participate in both the essay and art contests. $2,500 in merchandise will be awarded split between 12 winning students. You can visit Norma's website to download contest entry forms and rules and for a description of the awards.  

Bolin is the author of two books: The Route 66 St. Louis Cookbook: The Mother Lode of Recipes from the Mother Road and Route 66 St. Louis: From the Bridges to the Diamonds. I met her at last week’s Ellisville Farmers Market, where she happily autographed purchases of her books while manning a tent "all a flutter" with Route 66 memorabilia such as aprons, kitchen towels, pot holders and oven mitts. 

Bolin wrote her specialty books after falling in love with the history of Route 66.  The many small family owned enterprises that lined the highway reminded her of her own hard working parents. A chat with her quickly reveals the depth of her knowledge of St. Louis Route 66. Bolin continues to add to her research and has a list of requested information she would love to find. 

There is something magical about the route that conjures up memories of the past. When I think about Route 66, I recall a family vacation in the early 1960s that followed the road from north Texas to California. Although our itinerary didn’t include Missouri, it’s easy to share the nostalgia for the unique businesses that dotted the landscape of Route 66. We visited the most popular tourist sites of the day - The Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, The Petrified Forest and Disney Land.

On our way to California, I remember hoping to glimpse the Corvette of Route 66, featured in the fabulous television series that premiered in 1960. Every little town along the way offered unique restaurants, motels and businesses. A common sight in the West was the "Snake Farm" and the "Indian Trading Post." Many sections of the road were desolate; the further west you drove the more frequently you saw signs warning “last gas/water for 100 miles.”

All savvy travelers adorned the fronts of their cars with at least one canvas bottle of water in the event of engine overheating and loss of coolant.  In the sparsely populated West before the invention of cell phones, and with only an occasional car passing by, you wouldn’t risk traveling through the heat of the desert areas without being prepared for such an emergency. 

For those of you who grew up in St. Louis, I’m sure Norma Bolin’s Route 66 recipes and historical research focusing on the St. Louis section of this iconic road also elicit fond memories. Perhaps you have a memory to share about one of the many long lost Mom and Pop businesses that once occupied the St. Louis section of Route 66.

A peek at Norma’s book, Route 66 St. Louis: From the Bridges to the Diamonds, reveals a 2 ½ page section on the history of White Castle – how the tiny hamburgers came into being, the store’s culture, unique building materials, and the success of the Ingram family. Their forwarding thinking management practices have earned the loyalty of many employees.  She points out that St. Louis has the distinction of being the longest continuing White Castle market – since 1925.  This is just one of many stories from the book. 

If you know any middle or high school students interested in learning more about their local history while also competing for prizes, share this post with them. The contest deadline is September 30, so there is still time to download the rules along with the entry form and get busy creating a winning submission.

If you want to find some recipes from St. Louis Route 66 restaurants or want to read about the history of St. Louis Route 66 complete with archival photos, check out Norma’s website and consider purchasing either or both of her unique books.