August 14, 2014
A year ago today I got wind of the International Route 66 Festival being held in my hometown of Kingman, Arizona and I decided if I was ever going to write a book about growing up on Route 66, this would be my shot.
I woke up this morning mildly shocked that not only had I produced a book, but a video and created a multi-media art exhibit as well. My day started early with a stop at KGMN radio in downtown Kingman as a guest on the Chicken Fried Morning Show. Here I am in a familiar spot talking it up with Dan-o the morning drive guy:
Dan-o from Detroit who gave me a wonderful forum to talk about growing up in Kingman and a ton of plugs for the Powerhouse Museum show and, of course, the book.
Got back down to the museum at 9 and the director Josh Noble and I finished putting up the show. Here I am placing the last cutline on the last painting, on the last wall:
The Night Man series, original painting in the Powerhouse exhibition for "The 66 Kid."
We opened the exhibit up at noon and here are the first people taking a gander at the first wall panel, featuring the 26-minute video:
The first wall of "The 66 Kid" exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum
Lots of Kingman kids (former kids!) showed up including Punchy, Hubby, Tommie, Harsh, Bugs, Wally Wallapai and this beautiful woman:
The formidable and legendary Mary Jane Rutherford
She is featured in the book, on page 148, as the older, high school girl I danced with when I was in sixth grade, attending a Rainbow Girls dance at the Elks. Sadly, as I related in the book, I only came up to her sternum and I was mortified to be staring at her impressive, crinoline rack. Her first comment to me today was, "Well, you've grown some." Ha. That was worth the trip right there.
"It's impossible to write ancient history because we lack source materials, and impossible to write modern history because we have far too many."
—Charles Peguy