Winter 2013 E-Newsletter

[beckyrepp]

In this issue...

Festival of Cranes in Decatur, Ala.
Tubbs! Fountain Sculpture Searching for Home
Santa Climbs Catsup Bottle in Collinsville, Ill.
A Word from Our Sponsor: Gone With The Fins Ebook by David Rucker

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Winter 2013 Newsletter
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Greetings from all of us at American Road® magazine!

Water wields magic over the traveler and inspired the Winter 2013 issue of American
Road®.

American Road's excursion begins on the north bank of the Columbia River at the
turn of the twentieth century. "Bank Shot: The Winding Ways of Old Washington State
Road 8" tells the story of Sam Hill, millionaire road promoter, who believed in
scenery, sovereignty, and the means of tying both together. Through an odyssey that
involved serpentine stage dancer Loie Fuller, French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and
Queen Marie of Romania, Hill orchestrated a promotional coup in support of a river
road that still splashes horizons with splendor.

"American Road's Water Works" examines California's Wave Organ, Michigan's Cascade
Falls, Alabama's Lady in the Lake, and other sites around North America that go
with the flow. On US 40, American Road staff chew saltwater taffy; on US 1, Pop
Amherst descends into the History of Diving Museum; on US 66, author Jerry McClanahan
strolls around Lake Overholser; and on US 20, Executive Editor, Thomas Repp pauses
to ponder the meaning of all things at the Plumbing Museum. Ultimately, this issue
of American Road® magazine brings readers the results of our second annual travel
photo contest in "Waterways." This year, American Road® asked artists to focus their
cameras on waterways, waterfalls, beaches, bridges, and other sites that leave senses
wet.

Pack a swimsuit and bring a beach towel. This issue of American Road® is sure to
make any road trip a splashing success!

Preview the current issue of American Road® magazine

We hope you enjoy the newsletter.
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Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukkah - Joyous Kwanzaa
Happy New Year!
We would like to take this time to extend our appreciation to you for being a part
of the American Road® family. It is our hope that you have the opportunity to create
cherished memories with family and friends during this time of celebration.
We wish you a safe, healthy, and happy New Year and many great road trip adventures!
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Our Sponsors

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City of Lawrenceburg

Downtown Convention Center

Opening in spring 2014, Lawrenceburg's Downtown Convention Center will offer premier
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a city featuring a historic Main Street, cultural and outdoor activities, and a
short drive from Cincinnati, it's the best of work and play.
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Enter to Win

Congratulations to our Autumn 2013 American Road Trip Sweepstakes Winners:

Stay in Williamette Valley Wine Country

Total Value: $350

Martha Carver

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

$100 Gas Card

David Lale

Pocatello, Idaho

ENTER TO WIN WINTER 2013 Road Trip Sweepstakes

TWO WINNERS WILL BE DRAWN FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PRIZES:

- $300 Lodging at Americas Best Value Inn

- One $100 Gas Card

Brought to you from American Road and these great sponsors:

Alabama's Coastal Connection Scenic Byway

Americas Best Value Inn

Canadas Best Value Inn

Carthage (Mo.)

Heritage Corridor (Ill.) CVB

 

Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition

Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway

Joliet (Ill.) VB

Marinette County (Wis.) Tourism

Natchez Trace

 

Pahrump (Nev.)

 

Pioneer Country (Idaho)

ENTER HERE

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Costumes of Downton Abbey, Major Exhibition Opens at Winterthur Museum, Garden &
Library
Forty designs from award-winning TV series to be showcased from March 1, 2014, through
January 4, 2015
Provided by Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Wilmington, Del.
Forty costumes and accessories worn upstairs and downstairs on the period drama
TV series will be displayed in Winterthur's galleries. The costumes are lent by
Cosprop, the world's leading costumer to film, television, and theater productions.
Among the highlights will be Lady Sybil's harem pants, Lady Mary's engagement dress,
and Lady Edith's wedding dress. H.F. du Pont's Savile Row evening jacket and the
du Pont family's 1874 Tiffany silver tea service will also be on exhibit. Winterthur
will host a wide range of lectures, workshops, and events, including programs for
adults and families focusing on entertaining and country house life in Britain and
the US. Visitors will enter past a working re-creation of the bell system of Downton
Abbey. Read more.
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track="on" >App Store Logo</a>
Attention road trip enthusiasts: Reading American Road magazine has never been easier!
American Road is now available through iTunes with an app for your iPad. CLICK HERE. Using your iPad, eReader, or PC, you may also read our
online American Road magazine digital edition.

 

 

Go MOBILE with American Road!
Take American Road with you everywhere you go! Search the index of back issues,
find motels and diners, preview the current issue, and so much more. Click here or visit americanroad.mobi on your mobile device, best viewed with a smartphone.

 

American Road Trip Talk Podcast

Listen to American Road Trip Talk
American Road Trip Talk, hosted by Foster Braun, is a podcast talk show that celebrates
travel across the two-lane highways of North America. This unique broadcast is an
extension of American Road magazine. Join Foster Braun, your host and guide, on
the American Road Trip Talk show.
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Festival of the Cranes Returns to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge for Second Year
Provided by Decatur/Morgan County CVB, Ala.
A day of nature walks, live raptors, and refuge tours is planned when the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge holds the second annual Festival of the Cranes. Set for January 11, 2014, the celebration
of sandhill cranes and whooping cranes will bring together experienced birders and
those who would like to learn about birding and other wildlife that call the refuge
home.

 

More than twelve thousand sandhill cranes along with several pairs of whooping cranes
spend the winter each year at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Hosted by the Wheeler
Wildlife Refuge Association, the Festival of the Cranes kicks off at 6 a.m. with
a sunrise breakfast in the Visitor Center classroom. Following breakfast, Refuge
Manager Dwight Cooley will lead an early morning birding walk to see cranes and
other waterfowl arrive in the fields to begin their day of feeding and loafing.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes and to bring binoculars
and a camera.

Throughout the day, the enclosed Wildlife Observation Building will offer views
of thousands of sandhill cranes, along with whooping cranes, ducks, geese, raptors,
and maybe a bald eagle. There will be bleachers and spotting scopes available along
with volunteers and staff members on hand to answer questions.
Additional activities include two showings of Hope Takes Wing, a film by and about
Operation Migration chronicling the history of the whooping crane, and two presentations
by Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center to teach about birds of prey and
offer an up-close look at owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles. There will be a pizza
lunch with proceeds benefitting the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association. The event
concludes at 5 p.m.

The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, located at 3121 Visitor Center
Road, Decatur, Alabama, covers 35,000 acres, is home to Alabama's largest winter
duck population, and supports the state's largest concentration of sandhill cranes.

 

Click for more details.
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Proposed Sculpture Needs a Home
Provided by artist Donald Lipski
Artist Donald Lipski is known for
his large-scale clever sculptural works, enhancing cities coast to coast. His Houston
percent-for-the-arts sculpture proposal would have cascaded through the Texas art
scene.

Artist rendering of proposed Tubbs! fountain
Photo Courtesy: Donald Lipski

However, not all projects arrive at their initial ports, even with everyone on board.
Such is the case with Lipski's proposed Tubbs! fountain, conceived as a splashy
entranceway piece to Houston's WaterWorks Education Center.
Comprised of seven clawfoot bathtubs mounted on pipes in a bouquet formation, a
cascade of water flows from tub to tub, then down to a central pool to be recycled
up and into the flow once again. Titled Tubbs! as a tribute to famed Texas Troubadour
Ernest Tubb, the fountain has yet to be realized. While the WaterWorks project did
open in 2009, museum officials state that the sculpture "was an art work whose time
had not yet come...."
But that doesn't mean the plug has been pulled on Tubbs! According to the artist,
he and the city are searching for another appropriate space for the fabulous fountain.
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Santa Is Back and Climbing the Catsup Bottle in Collinsville, Illinois

Photo Courtesy World's Largest Catsup Bottle, Inc.

A holiday tradition has returned to Collinsville as the World's Largest Catsup Bottle
is once again adorned with a giant Santa Claus Christmas decoration. The twelve-foot-tall,
400-pound Santa figure is wrapped in lights and colorful garland and appears to
be climbing the landmark water tower to deliver lots of holiday good cheer.
"Santa took an extended Caribbean vacation," said Mike Gassmann, President and CEO
and Big Tomato of the nonprofit World's Largest Catsup Bottle, Inc. "We're excited
to have him back." It has been more than ten years since Santa Claus last climbed
the Catsup Bottle. "People are loving it! Our social media sites are lit up like
a Christmas tree," said Gassmann. "Pun totally intended."
Click for more details about the historic Brooks World's Largest Catsup Bottle water tower landmark.
Tune in to hear more about this story in the American Road Trip Talk Podcast.
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hWinter 2013 Newsletter Classified - Gone with the Fins


A Word from our Sponsor
Gone With The Fins
Author: David Rucker
An e-book about the trails and highways of
the United States in the early and middle 20th century, specifically Washington's
Sunset Highway and the cross-country Lee Highway. The question "Quo vadis?" (Latin
for "Wither goest thou?") sets the tone for the books journey. 10,800 words. Many
pictures. $1.25.

Click for more details.
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