Tuesday, June 4, 2013

If It's Tuesday ... This Must Be Waffles!

Some connectivity problems this morning ... so a special evening edition to carry us through tomorrow.  

re: AN ANNIVERSARY (OF SORTS):  
Kent, 
Just a reminder that coming up on Thursday, according to the song, was the day when the CB Radio craze came to fruition by way of C.W. McCall's #1 hit, "Convoy":  
-- It was the dark of the moon on the 6th of June ... The Vinyl Lark 
And, of course, YESTERDAY was the anniversary of Billie Joe McAllister jumping off The Tallahatchie Bridge!!! (kk)



 

re: THE ROUTE 66 RADIO TOUR:
We're closing in on the big day ... we've been talking about it for MONTHS now ...
The Route 66 Radio Tour ... FINALLY kicks off Thursday Morning (6/6 ... get it?!?!? At 6:06 AM no less!!!).
Here again is a short itinerary for anyone interested in hooking up during the run.
 
THE MOTHER ROAD RADIO TOUR 2013
WRLR 98.3 (U.S.) and Forest FM 92.3 (U.K.) are teaming up to travel and broadcast from world famous Route 66, The Mother Road. It all starts June 6th (6/6) from the route's original starting point at Adams and Michigan.
Our first broadcast will be live at 6:06 AM from downtown Chicago from the internationally famous Lou Mitchell's restaurant, with interviews with owner Heleen Thanas and her customers. The restaurant has served Route 66 travelers since the 1920s. Joining us will be Chicago based Route 66 historian and author Dave Clark, and surprise visits by Chicago area radio DJs who stop by in response to an open call put out by The Route 66 Radio Tour. Legendary DJ John Records Landecker will be there to sign his new book and chat with everyone.
WRLR’s award winning morning drive-time host Paul Lepek (Lepek & Co.) and Forest FM’s Paul Peters and Geoff Kemp (The Fabulous 50s) will be describing the history and flavor of Route 66 through on air interviews with people living, working and visiting the Mother Road. The music of the 50s and early 60s will be featured during the broadcasts. The tour on America's Mother Road in Illinois will take us from Chicago to Joliet, Pontiac, Atlanta and Springfield, IL and points in between. WRLR and Forest FM will broadcast live from many locations that are historical and tourist favorites. The remotes will be carried on WRLR, Forest FM and fed to the Dave Cash weekend show heard on BBC radio network in Britain. Famous Chicago radio DJ Clark Weber will be joining us on air (via phone), among others, to remark on the role radio played during the height of travel on Route 66. At least one broadcast will air from the Pontiac Route 66 Museum’s recreated studio exhibit, which has working vintage equipment from the 60s. After leaving Lou Mitchell’s we hit the road on our way to Joliet where we will stay a couple of nights as guests of Harrah's Casino and Hotel. While in Joliet we will do a morning remote from the Joliet Area Historical Museum and meet up with Tony Contos, its executive director. The following day the tour broadcasts from Paula Deen’s Restaurant at Harrah’s Casino & Hotel where we will interview other local leaders that are involved in the Route 66 story.
By mid afternoon we will be again on the road, this time to Lincoln to cover the annual Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame banquet and talk to longtime Route 66 historian and preservationist John Weiss, and other knowledgeable Route 66 enthusiasts like Ellie Alexander, Executive Director for the City of Pontiac Tourism Bureau and Cathie Stevanovich, President of the Route 66 Association of Illinois.
The next day we double back to Pontiac for our first broadcast at the town’s notable Route 66 Museum. Sharing airtime with us will be former radio station owner and local radio historian Lane Lindstrom. This will be followed by a live broadcast from the I & M Canal Antique Tractor Drive and the Knees in the Breeze Motorcycle Tour in Pontiac’s town center.
It’s then on to Atlanta, IL where the Route 66 Radio Tour will broadcast from the beautifully restored Palms Grill Cafe, right across from the Bunyon Giant, a longtime Route 66 icon. We will talk with this town’s dedicated preservationist and marketing guru William Thomas, the man behind the idea for Atlanta’s First Annual "Rt. 66 Reinterpreted" art project and contest. It’s like the Chicago Cows On Parade but with uniquely painted wood Route 66 shields (road signs).
We invite you to join the Route 66 Radio tour either on the radio or pack your bags and tag along with the broadcast crew! Check back here often. Updates will be posted as details become available. Contact
studio@wrlr.fm with any questions you have.
WRLR 98.3 FM / Forest FM 92.3

ROUTE 66 RADIO TOUR SCHEDULE 
(Dates and times subject to change)
 
June 6th (THU)
6 to 10 AM Route 66 Radio Tour starts in Chicago. Four hour broadcast from downtown Chicago at Lou Mitchell's Restaurant for food and interviews.
12 N to 6 PM Visit Route 66 sites between Chicago and Joliet.
6 PM Check in for 1st overnight stay at Harrah's Casino and Hotel (151 N. Joliet St) in Joliet.
 
June 7th (FRI)
9 to 12 N Live broadcast from Joliet Area Historical Museum.
1 to 5 PM Visit Joliet area Route 66 historical sites and conduct recorded interviews at Polka Dot Restaurant in Braidwood.
Second overnight stay at Harrah's Casino and Hotel (151 N. Joliet St) in Joliet.

June 8th (SAT)
8 AM to 12 N Broadcast from Paula Deen’s Restaurant at Harrah’s Casino & Hotel.
1 to 5 PM Head to Lincoln. On the way meet up with the Motor Tour (location TBD).
6 PM to 10 PM Attend and report on the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame banquet in Lincoln, IL. Overnight stay in Lincoln (hotel/motel TBD).

June 9th (SUN)
10 AM to 12 N Live broadcast from the recreated 1966 radio studio at Pontiac’s Route 66 Museum.
12:30 to 3 PM Live broadcast from I & M Canal Antique Tractor Drive and the Knees in the Breeze Motorcycle Tour in Pontiac’s town center. Overnight stay at Best Western (1821 W. Reynolds) in Pontiac.
 
June 10th (MON)
10 AM to 1 PM Arrive in Atlanta, IL. Live broadcast from Palms Grill Cafe.
2 to 8 PM Visit Atlanta area Route 66 historical sites and report on wood shields art contest, conduct recorded interviews (and venture out to the towns of Bloomington and Lincoln) Overnight stay in Atlanta area (hotel/motel TBD).

June 11th (TUE)
9 AM to 12 N Live broadcast from Atlanta Museum.
2 to 8 PM Visit Atlanta area Route 66 historical sites and conduct recorded interviews and head to Springfield. Overnight stay in Springfield (hotel/motel TBD).

June 12th (WED)
10 AM Depart from Springfield to return to Chicago. At will stops to broadcast and interview along the return trip.