Latest news with #ghosttown
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
A Route 66 ghost town was ‘frozen in time'. Is it on the brink of a comeback?
The tiny desert cafe, caught in a desolate middle between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, had only been open for five minutes when the first customers of the day ambled in from the already blistering heat. It was a Friday morning in June, sand swirling outside across the cracked street and towards the Bagdad Cafe's front door. In the same parking lot, a 1950s-era sign advertised a motel that no longer exists. In the distance, only a few surviving businesses remained: a small community center, a veterans organization and a long-standing roadhouse bar popular with locals. A few miles to the north, an entire neighborhood was abandoned in the 1990s after mounds of blowing sand swallowed it whole; today, only rooftops and chimneys peek out from the towering sand dunes. Despite the general ghost town-like atmosphere, the cafe's early-morning visitors were giddy. Neilson Lopes, a tourist from Brazil, happily perused a rack of neon T-shirts and snapped photos of the dimly lit cafe. He and his wife had flown and driven, on the back of a motorcycle, thousands of miles to be there, in the middle of nowhere. 'I've planned this trip for 10 years,' he said. 'For decades, maybe.' Because while this Mojave Desert outpost – a tiny settlement of 2,000-some people called Newberry Springs– may look deserted to the uninitiated, it's positioned on one of the most famous roads in the world: Route 66. The roughly 2,400-mile (3,900km) route stretches from the California coast to Chicago, connecting both small towns and sprawling metropolises across the country. For many, the road embodies a sense of quintessential Americana, from its quirky roadside kitsch to its historic roots. And next year, Route 66 is turning 100 years old. Nationwide preparations for the big anniversary have been underway for years: caravans of people are planning to drive the entirety of the route, and Congress even created a Route 66 Centennial Commission in 2020 to commemorate the milestone. In small towns such as Newberry Springs, and an even tinier neighboring community 10 miles west called Daggett, residents are hoping the anniversary will bring in a flood of extra visitors. The Bagdad Cafe, where the 1980s cult classic film by the same name was shot, currently sees about 6,000 tourists each month. Locals anticipate that those numbers will double in 2026 – and they're planning other ways to capitalize on the centennial, too. 'We're a teeny, weeny, little slice of Route 66,' said Renee Kaminski, a co-owner of Newberry Spring's historic bar. 'But we're a mighty one.' Out in remote Newberry Springs, an unincorporated community that lacks an official mayor or city council, a handful of residents have instead informally banded together to start sharing ideas for Route 66's centennial. One of them, Karla Claus, has become a de facto ambassador for the town. Wearing a Route 66 crown atop an American flag cowboy hat, unbothered in a pair of jeans even as the thermostat topped 100F (38C), she described her grand plans for the centennial one recent summer afternoon. This anniversary, she said, is a chance for Newberry Springs to be reborn. 'My vision is that we're going to be one of the go-to destinations for those caravans [of Route 66 fans],' she said. 'That we're saying to those people: 'Make sure you come here.'' To make that vision a reality, Claus, who is also the vice-president of the local chamber of commerce, recently received a micro-grant to start leading custom, history-focused Route 66 tours. And there's a lot of history to be shared. In 1926, as millions of Americans were buying their first car and taking to the open road, Route 66 was created as part of the nation's first federal highway system. Car ownership had newly exploded; the Model T had only been introduced about two decades prior. The route was famously dubbed 'Mother Road' by John Steinbeck in his classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. At the time, before the route became better known for its flashing neon signs, old-school diners and eccentric roadside attractions, the road was a migration route for climate refugees fleeing the Dust Bowl. Hit hard by severe drought, dust storms and the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of people funneled out of the Great Plains via the now-celebrated route and headed west. In Newberry Springs, Route 66 brought about a kind of heyday in the 1950s. Because of the constant flow of traffic, its main street was bustling: there were more businesses, a couple hotels and a popular rest stop with an expansive swimming pool. But when interstate I-40 came along in the 1970s, it spelled disaster for Newberry. The newer, faster freeway was laid parallel to that stretch of Route 66, meaning that drivers would now fly right by the small town without ever noticing it. The development was a death knell for other tiny towns across the state – and throughout the country. The animated movie Cars even spotlighted the issue by creating the fictional Radiator Springs: a forgotten town on Route 66 that withered away after it was bypassed by the interstate. Rose Beardshear, the chamber of commerce's treasurer, said the film is bringing the plight of Route 66 to life for the younger generation. Beardshear was driving through the nearby town of Daggett with her granddaughter when the nine-year-old suddenly said: 'This is like the movie with the cars.' But the boom-and-bust cycle for Newberry didn't end with the interstate. The indie film Bagdad Cafe, about a dilapidated desert cafe and a stranded German tourist who finds an unexpected community there, brought waves of international tourists to Newberry; the movie was a massive hit in France and Germany. When the pandemic halted tourism, especially from other countries, the real-life Bagdad Cafe shuttered. It only reopened again recently (without serving food), after the owner started a GoFundMe to make necessary repairs on the building. Part of Newberry's appeal for visitors now is that it feels removed from the 21st century; the town looks 'frozen in time', Claus said. Still, there are lots of improvements to be made before the centennial. Beardshear, for one, is hoping to transform a short stretch of the route into a 'musical highway'. If all goes according to plan with the county, grooves or markers would be added to the side of the road, creating vibrations that sound like a song when drivers pass over them. Kaminski, the owner of the town's bar called The Barn, has plans to host monthly themed events in 2026, including car shows and live music, and to create a campground of vintage trailers for tourists who are passing through. The Barn is also a landmark in itself; it first opened in 1952 and is reportedly one of the oldest continually licensed bars on Route 66 in California. 'I think Newberry really illustrates that whole mantra of 'Mother Road',' Kaminski said. 'We will take you in and make sure you're safe on Route 66.' West of Newberry lies Daggett, the minuscule village that Beardshear's granddaughter thought could be the set of Cars. Daggett has another claim to fame for a different generation: Steinbeck briefly mentioned it in The Grapes of Wrath. Today, at first glance the community looks neglected. Only a few hundred people live in the area, and crumbling or forgotten homes abound. But one man named Daryl Schendel, who owns an auto repair shop in nearby Barstow and spends his nights and weekends on historical preservation projects, sees far beyond that. 'It may look junky when you go through it, like a little has-been town,' he said recently, driving through its small collection of streets. 'But people don't realize the history that was here.' The town itself is like a living museum: there's a blacksmith shop that dates back to the 1890s on one corner, another pioneer-era hotel still standing a block away. For years, Schendel and others have collected thousands of historical artifacts related to Daggett, from old journals to glass bottles to the actual clothes that nearby miners wore in the 19th century. Much of that history has been out of public view as Schendel and a small team work together to organize everything. But the Route 66 centennial has motivated him to move faster on at least one project: reopening a historic welcome center for the anniversary caravans passing by Daggett, where some of the artifacts he has stockpiled will be on display like a museum exhibit. Schendel received a Route 66-themed grant from the National Park Service last year to help make the project happen. 'I'm imagining this being a major new thing happening on Route 66,' he said. 'And it'll open up so many doors to the history of the area.' Both Schendel and the women from Newberry want their towns to become more of a destination for Route 66 fans – but they also don't want things to change too much. Visiting somewhere that feels completely off the grid, they say, is part of the charm. 'I can't imagine anyone wanting Newberry to change into some city,' Beardshear said. 'We want to maintain our rural character.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
A Route 66 ghost town was ‘frozen in time'. Is it on the brink of a comeback?
The tiny desert cafe, caught in a desolate middle between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, had only been open for five minutes when the first customers of the day ambled in from the already blistering heat. It was a Friday morning in June, sand swirling outside across the cracked street and towards the Bagdad Cafe's front door. In the same parking lot, a 1950s-era sign advertised a motel that no longer exists. In the distance, only a few surviving businesses remained: a small community center, a veterans organization and a long-standing roadhouse bar popular with locals. A few miles to the north, an entire neighborhood was abandoned in the 1990s after mounds of blowing sand swallowed it whole; today, only rooftops and chimneys peek out from the towering sand dunes. Despite the general ghost town-like atmosphere, the cafe's early-morning visitors were giddy. Neilson Lopes, a tourist from Brazil, happily perused a rack of neon T-shirts and snapped photos of the dimly lit cafe. He and his wife had flown and driven, on the back of a motorcycle, thousands of miles to be there, in the middle of nowhere. 'I've planned this trip for 10 years,' he said. 'For decades, maybe.' Because while this Mojave Desert outpost – a tiny settlement of 2,000-some people called Newberry Springs– may look deserted to the uninitiated, it's positioned on one of the most famous roads in the world: Route 66. The roughly 2,400-mile (3,900km) route stretches from the California coast to Chicago, connecting both small towns and sprawling metropolises across the country. For many, the road embodies a sense of quintessential Americana, from its quirky roadside kitsch to its historic roots. And next year, Route 66 is turning 100 years old. Nationwide preparations for the big anniversary have been underway for years: caravans of people are planning to drive the entirety of the route, and Congress even created a Route 66 Centennial Commission in 2020 to commemorate the milestone. In small towns such as Newberry Springs, and an even tinier neighboring community 10 miles west called Daggett, residents are hoping the anniversary will bring in a flood of extra visitors. The Bagdad Cafe, where the 1980s cult classic film by the same name was shot, currently sees about 6,000 tourists each month. Locals anticipate that those numbers will double in 2026 – and they're planning other ways to capitalize on the centennial, too. 'We're a teeny, weeny, little slice of Route 66,' said Renee Kaminski, a co-owner of Newberry Spring's historic bar. 'But we're a mighty one.' Related: A Route 66 town was dead. This man resurrected it into 'a classic desert destination' A desert town 'frozen in time' Out in remote Newberry Springs, an unincorporated community that lacks an official mayor or city council, a handful of residents have instead informally banded together to start sharing ideas for Route 66's centennial. One of them, Karla Claus, has become a de facto ambassador for the town. Wearing a Route 66 crown atop an American flag cowboy hat, unbothered in a pair of jeans even as the thermostat topped 100F (38C), she described her grand plans for the centennial one recent summer afternoon. This anniversary, she said, is a chance for Newberry Springs to be reborn. 'My vision is that we're going to be one of the go-to destinations for those caravans [of Route 66 fans],' she said. 'That we're saying to those people: 'Make sure you come here.'' To make that vision a reality, Claus, who is also the vice-president of the local chamber of commerce, recently received a micro-grant to start leading custom, history-focused Route 66 tours. And there's a lot of history to be shared. In 1926, as millions of Americans were buying their first car and taking to the open road, Route 66 was created as part of the nation's first federal highway system. Car ownership had newly exploded; the Model T had only been introduced about two decades prior. The route was famously dubbed 'Mother Road' by John Steinbeck in his classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. At the time, before the route became better known for its flashing neon signs, old-school diners and eccentric roadside attractions, the road was a migration route for climate refugees fleeing the Dust Bowl. Hit hard by severe drought, dust storms and the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of people funneled out of the Great Plains via the now-celebrated route and headed west. In Newberry Springs, Route 66 brought about a kind of heyday in the 1950s. Because of the constant flow of traffic, its main street was bustling: there were more businesses, a couple hotels and a popular rest stop with an expansive swimming pool. But when interstate I-40 came along in the 1970s, it spelled disaster for Newberry. The newer, faster freeway was laid parallel to that stretch of Route 66, meaning that drivers would now fly right by the small town without ever noticing it. The development was a death knell for other tiny towns across the state – and throughout the country. The animated movie Cars even spotlighted the issue by creating the fictional Radiator Springs: a forgotten town on Route 66 that withered away after it was bypassed by the interstate. Rose Beardshear, the chamber of commerce's treasurer, said the film is bringing the plight of Route 66 to life for the younger generation. Beardshear was driving through the nearby town of Daggett with her granddaughter when the nine-year-old suddenly said: 'This is like the movie with the cars.' But the boom-and-bust cycle for Newberry didn't end with the interstate. The indie film Bagdad Cafe, about a dilapidated desert cafe and a stranded German tourist who finds an unexpected community there, brought waves of international tourists to Newberry; the movie was a massive hit in France and Germany. When the pandemic halted tourism, especially from other countries, the real-life Bagdad Cafe shuttered. It only reopened again recently (without serving food), after the owner started a GoFundMe to make necessary repairs on the building. Part of Newberry's appeal for visitors now is that it feels removed from the 21st century; the town looks 'frozen in time', Claus said. Still, there are lots of improvements to be made before the centennial. Related: The road less travelled: don't miss these quirky stops along the famed Route 66 Beardshear, for one, is hoping to transform a short stretch of the route into a 'musical highway'. If all goes according to plan with the county, grooves or markers would be added to the side of the road, creating vibrations that sound like a song when drivers pass over them. Kaminski, the owner of the town's bar called The Barn, has plans to host monthly themed events in 2026, including car shows and live music, and to create a campground of vintage trailers for tourists who are passing through. The Barn is also a landmark in itself; it first opened in 1952 and is reportedly one of the oldest continually licensed bars on Route 66 in California. 'I think Newberry really illustrates that whole mantra of 'Mother Road',' Kaminski said. 'We will take you in and make sure you're safe on Route 66.' Preserving a living museum West of Newberry lies Daggett, the minuscule village that Beardshear's granddaughter thought could be the set of Cars. Daggett has another claim to fame for a different generation: Steinbeck briefly mentioned it in The Grapes of Wrath. Today, at first glance the community looks neglected. Only a few hundred people live in the area, and crumbling or forgotten homes abound. But one man named Daryl Schendel, who owns an auto repair shop in nearby Barstow and spends his nights and weekends on historical preservation projects, sees far beyond that. 'It may look junky when you go through it, like a little has-been town,' he said recently, driving through its small collection of streets. 'But people don't realize the history that was here.' The town itself is like a living museum: there's a blacksmith shop that dates back to the 1890s on one corner, another pioneer-era hotel still standing a block away. For years, Schendel and others have collected thousands of historical artifacts related to Daggett, from old journals to glass bottles to the actual clothes that nearby miners wore in the 19th century. Much of that history has been out of public view as Schendel and a small team work together to organize everything. But the Route 66 centennial has motivated him to move faster on at least one project: reopening a historic welcome center for the anniversary caravans passing by Daggett, where some of the artifacts he has stockpiled will be on display like a museum exhibit. Schendel received a Route 66-themed grant from the National Park Service last year to help make the project happen. 'I'm imagining this being a major new thing happening on Route 66,' he said. 'And it'll open up so many doors to the history of the area.' Both Schendel and the women from Newberry want their towns to become more of a destination for Route 66 fans – but they also don't want things to change too much. Visiting somewhere that feels completely off the grid, they say, is part of the charm. 'I can't imagine anyone wanting Newberry to change into some city,' Beardshear said. 'We want to maintain our rural character.' Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Over FORTY empty shops lie deserted in our ‘dying' ghost town – tourists used to flock here but now it's unrecognisable
A POPULAR shopping centre is now a shadow of its former self – with more than 40 empty units sparking fears it has become a 'dying ghost town'. Walsall, in the West Midlands, known historically for its leather and saddle trade, was once a thriving retail destination. 8 8 8 8 But now, boarded-up shops, graffiti-covered storefronts, and shattered windows tell a different story. Walsall, recently rated the second-worst place in England to start a business, has been left reeling by years of decline. Around one in four residents are now economically inactive, and nearly a quarter of the town's 150 central retail units sit empty. Local businessman Harcharan Pala, who runs Revolution Records, said: 'I've been here eight or nine years and we've seen the big shops like Debenhams and M&S disappear. "The town is just desolate now, hardly anyone comes here.' Walsall's fall from grace has been long and painful. As big brands moved out, so did shoppers – many now heading to larger cities like Birmingham or retail parks in Cannock and Dudley instead. 'Without those big anchor shops drawing people in, there's no reason for people to come shopping here anymore,' Mr Pala added. "The amount of empty shops is sad to see.' Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down Despite the bleak picture, some still see potential. Damian Chapman, 30, is opening a trading card game store – The Card Loft – on July 26. 'I'd seen all the negativity around the town centre but it didn't put me off because this is where I grew up,' he said. 'I think when you have something niche and unique too, people will travel to seek it out.' Others are less hopeful. Window cleaner Paul Booth, 64, who's worked in Walsall for over four decades, said: 'There used to be a team of five of us. "Now I can do it all on a Tuesday. It's just empty and dying a death.' The decline, which many trace back to the 2008 recession, has eroded not just business, but community spirit. 'I used to know all the street cleaners, bin men, bus drivers,' Paul added. 'Now there's no sense of community at all.' Resident Jonathan Lovell, 42, said: 'Walsall had one of the best night life scenes going in the Midlands... now it's just depressingly dead. I don't feel safe to go out.' Others, like arcade boss Craig Marlow, blame the collapse of the market as the start of the downturn: 'Walsall is a really good community, but it's slowly dying because the destination is gone.' Industry leaders say the problems in Walsall mirror those seen across the country. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." Tom Ironside, of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Vacant properties have become an all too familiar sight… It is essential that Government reforms help make investment more viable.' Walsall Council insists change is coming. A £1.5 billion regeneration programme is underway, aimed at reviving the local economy and attracting more visitors and businesses. Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of Walsall Council, said: 'People's shopping habits have changed, and our town centres need to diversify. "The council is working to create an environment that attracts people into the town centre.' But for many residents, time is running out. Without urgent action, they fear the heart of Walsall could disappear for good. Walsall's decline is part of a wider crisis hitting high streets across the UK. Rising costs, changing shopping habits, and the shift to online retail have forced both big-name chains and independents to shut their doors in growing numbers. The Original Factory Shop is closing several branches, while Poundland, New Look and River Island are all scaling back. Even essential retailers like Asda and Morrisons have begun shutting stores, blaming high rents and falling demand. Claire's is also facing major financial trouble, with dozens of closures possible. The Centre for Retail Research predicts over 17,000 shop closures and more than 200,000 job losses this year alone. Experts say the outdated business rates system is making it harder for retailers to survive, especially in already struggling towns. The Sun has approached Walsall Council for comment. 8 8 8 8
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
A Route 66 ghost town was ‘frozen in time'. Is it on the brink of a comeback?
The tiny desert cafe, caught in a desolate middle between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, had only been open for five minutes when the first customers of the day ambled in from the already blistering heat. It was a Friday morning in June, sand swirling outside across the cracked street and towards the Bagdad Cafe's front door. In the same parking lot, a 1950s-era sign advertised a motel that no longer exists. In the distance, only a few surviving businesses remained: a small community center, a veterans organization and a long-standing roadhouse bar popular with locals. A few miles to the north, an entire neighborhood was abandoned in the 1990s after mounds of blowing sand swallowed it whole; today, only rooftops and chimneys peek out from the towering sand dunes. Despite the general ghost town-like atmosphere, the cafe's early-morning visitors were giddy. Neilson Lopes, a tourist from Brazil, happily perused a rack of neon T-shirts and snapped photos of the dimly lit cafe. He and his wife had flown and driven, on the back of a motorcycle, thousands of miles to be there, in the middle of nowhere. 'I've planned this trip for 10 years,' he said. 'For decades, maybe.' Because while this Mojave Desert outpost – a tiny settlement of 2,000-some people called Newberry Springs– may look deserted to the uninitiated, it's positioned on one of the most famous roads in the world: Route 66. The roughly 2,400-mile (3,900km) route stretches from the California coast to Chicago, connecting both small towns and sprawling metropolises across the country. For many, the road embodies a sense of quintessential Americana, from its quirky roadside kitsch to its historic roots. And next year, Route 66 is turning 100 years old. Nationwide preparations for the big anniversary have been underway for years: caravans of people are planning to drive the entirety of the route, and Congress even created a Route 66 Centennial Commission in 2020 to commemorate the milestone. In small towns such as Newberry Springs, and an even tinier neighboring community 10 miles west called Daggett, residents are hoping the anniversary will bring in a flood of extra visitors. The Bagdad Cafe, where the 1980s cult classic film by the same name was shot, currently sees about 6,000 tourists each month. Locals anticipate that those numbers will double in 2026 – and they're planning other ways to capitalize on the centennial, too. 'We're a teeny, weeny, little slice of Route 66,' said Renee Kaminski, a co-owner of Newberry Spring's historic bar. 'But we're a mighty one.' Out in remote Newberry Springs, an unincorporated community that lacks an official mayor or city council, a handful of residents have instead informally banded together to start sharing ideas for Route 66's centennial. One of them, Karla Claus, has become a de facto ambassador for the town. Wearing a Route 66 crown atop an American flag cowboy hat, unbothered in a pair of jeans even as the thermostat topped 100F (38C), she described her grand plans for the centennial one recent summer afternoon. This anniversary, she said, is a chance for Newberry Springs to be reborn. 'My vision is that we're going to be one of the go-to destinations for those caravans [of Route 66 fans],' she said. 'That we're saying to those people: 'Make sure you come here.'' To make that vision a reality, Claus, who is also the vice-president of the local chamber of commerce, recently received a micro-grant to start leading custom, history-focused Route 66 tours. And there's a lot of history to be shared. In 1926, as millions of Americans were buying their first car and taking to the open road, Route 66 was created as part of the nation's first federal highway system. Car ownership had newly exploded; the Model T had only been introduced about two decades prior. The route was famously dubbed 'Mother Road' by John Steinbeck in his classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. At the time, before the route became better known for its flashing neon signs, old-school diners and eccentric roadside attractions, the road was a migration route for climate refugees fleeing the Dust Bowl. Hit hard by severe drought, dust storms and the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of people funneled out of the Great Plains via the now-celebrated route and headed west. In Newberry Springs, Route 66 brought about a kind of heyday in the 1950s. Because of the constant flow of traffic, its main street was bustling: there were more businesses, a couple hotels and a popular rest stop with an expansive swimming pool. But when interstate I-40 came along in the 1970s, it spelled disaster for Newberry. The newer, faster freeway was laid parallel to that stretch of Route 66, meaning that drivers would now fly right by the small town without ever noticing it. The development was a death knell for other tiny towns across the state – and throughout the country. The animated movie Cars even spotlighted the issue by creating the fictional Radiator Springs: a forgotten town on Route 66 that withered away after it was bypassed by the interstate. Rose Beardshear, the chamber of commerce's treasurer, said the film is bringing the plight of Route 66 to life for the younger generation. Beardshear was driving through the nearby town of Daggett with her granddaughter when the nine-year-old suddenly said: 'This is like the movie with the cars.' But the boom-and-bust cycle for Newberry didn't end with the interstate. The indie film Bagdad Cafe, about a dilapidated desert cafe and a stranded German tourist who finds an unexpected community there, brought waves of international tourists to Newberry; the movie was a massive hit in France and Germany. When the pandemic halted tourism, especially from other countries, the real-life Bagdad Cafe shuttered. It only reopened again recently (without serving food), after the owner started a GoFundMe to make necessary repairs on the building. Part of Newberry's appeal for visitors now is that it feels removed from the 21st century; the town looks 'frozen in time', Claus said. Still, there are lots of improvements to be made before the centennial. Beardshear, for one, is hoping to transform a short stretch of the route into a 'musical highway'. If all goes according to plan with the county, grooves or markers would be added to the side of the road, creating vibrations that sound like a song when drivers pass over them. Kaminski, the owner of the town's bar called The Barn, has plans to host monthly themed events in 2026, including car shows and live music, and to create a campground of vintage trailers for tourists who are passing through. The Barn is also a landmark in itself; it first opened in 1952 and is reportedly one of the oldest continually licensed bars on Route 66 in California. 'I think Newberry really illustrates that whole mantra of 'Mother Road',' Kaminski said. 'We will take you in and make sure you're safe on Route 66.' West of Newberry lies Daggett, the minuscule village that Beardshear's granddaughter thought could be the set of Cars. Daggett has another claim to fame for a different generation: Steinbeck briefly mentioned it in The Grapes of Wrath. Today, at first glance the community looks neglected. Only a few hundred people live in the area, and crumbling or forgotten homes abound. But one man named Daryl Schendel, who owns an auto repair shop in nearby Barstow and spends his nights and weekends on historical preservation projects, sees far beyond that. 'It may look junky when you go through it, like a little has-been town,' he said recently, driving through its small collection of streets. 'But people don't realize the history that was here.' The town itself is like a living museum: there's a blacksmith shop that dates back to the 1890s on one corner, another pioneer-era hotel still standing a block away. For years, Schendel and others have collected thousands of historical artifacts related to Daggett, from old journals to glass bottles to the actual clothes that nearby miners wore in the 19th century. Much of that history has been out of public view as Schendel and a small team work together to organize everything. But the Route 66 centennial has motivated him to move faster on at least one project: reopening a historic welcome center for the anniversary caravans passing by Daggett, where some of the artifacts he has stockpiled will be on display like a museum exhibit. Schendel received a Route 66-themed grant from the National Park Service last year to help make the project happen. 'I'm imagining this being a major new thing happening on Route 66,' he said. 'And it'll open up so many doors to the history of the area.' Both Schendel and the women from Newberry want their towns to become more of a destination for Route 66 fans – but they also don't want things to change too much. Visiting somewhere that feels completely off the grid, they say, is part of the charm. 'I can't imagine anyone wanting Newberry to change into some city,' Beardshear said. 'We want to maintain our rural character.'
France 24
11-07-2025
- Business
- France 24
'Hurting more than ever': Immigration raids paralyze LA Fashion District
But the vibrant neighborhood filled with boutiques and shops has become a ghost town amid raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out President Donald Trump's hard-line policy of sweeping up and deporting undocumented immigrants. Even in the early summer season when tourists flock to the southern California city, Mendoza is left staring at empty tables. "A lot of our neighbors are afraid to go out" because of the ICE presence in Los Angeles, Mendoza said, with the city boasting a significant Latino workforce. "Our sales... they've been down by 80 percent," Mendoza told AFP. "It's hurting more than ever." The "saving grace" for the restaurant in this time has been delivery orders, she said. 'Worse than COVID' As a so-called "sanctuary city" with hundreds of thousands of undocumented people, Los Angeles has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration since the Republican returned to power in January. After ICE raids spurred unrest and protests last month, Trump dispatched the National Guard and US Marines to quell the disruption. Washington does not seem to be backing down anytime soon. "Better get used to us now, because this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles," US Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino told broadcaster Fox News on Monday. "The federal government is not leaving LA," he added. Local businesses dependent on foot traffic are the collateral damage of the raids, Mendoza said. "This is probably worse than COVID," she said, referring to mandatory lockdowns during the pandemic. Manuel Suarez, a street vendor near Cuernavaca's Grill, agreed. "Now is worse because during the pandemic, even though it was a pandemic, there were sales," said the toy vendor, who has worked in the Fashion District for 35 years. "Now it's completely in crisis," he told AFP. Suarez said many merchants have closed their stores as a precaution as raids intensify in the city, or have otherwise cut the number of employees due to drops in sales. 'Cat and mouse' "Here in downtown and in LA, there's been a lot of raids because of ICE, so it has brought fear into our Latin community," said Jose Yern, manager of Anita's Bridal Boutique, a Fashion District shop specializing in dresses for Latin American "quinceanera" coming-of-age ceremonies. "They are scared to come in (to the district). But if they're coming in, they're coming specifically to a specific store, doing what they need to do, and then heading back home," he added. Shopkeepers communicate with one another via walkie-talkies, reporting any noise, helicopter or law enforcement presence to warn those who are undocumented. "It's unfortunate that the government does not understand that when it attacks us, we all lose," said a vendor who did not want to disclose his name for privacy reasons. "But we are not leaving. What's going to happen here is that we are going to be playing cat and mouse. Let's see who tires out first." © 2025 AFP
