Newberry Springs History: Origin and Community Impact of the Miss Route 66 Pageant

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hello everybody, this is Howard Fox, host of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. It is a beautiful Sunday in Newberry Springs, California. I am sitting in the home of a young lady who is very not only passionate about Newberry Springs, but she brings a talent to the conversation today that affects a lot of young women around the world. And it is a pleasure to introduce you to Christine Watson, Miss Route 66 Pageant. Director. Yes. Christine, thank you so much. And for our listeners, we'll have a couple photos in our show notes. I have the sashes, the the centennial. My lady Route 66. Now, was that yours?

SPEAKER_00 0:52

This is our normal pageant sash for the national pageant. Okay. I happen to have an extra supreme. I have several of the titles, but I decided at the last minute to make last year's title holders centennial title holders. Okay. So I had to remake the sashes because the Queen's crowned in October are literally representing throughout the centennial year for Route 66. So I wanted their crown and their sash to depict the special year that we're going through right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Sure. I would love if you would describe, well, for uh our listeners, there's the two sashes, the centennial Malady Route 66. There is some, I don't know what you would call it, piping around the banner itself. It's very it's it's a lot of graphics.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

On on our centennial sashes this year, I found Route 66 fabric. Okay. And it has a lot of iconic signs around the edge for representing the entire Route 66 route. It's got Route 66 signs from Kansas and New Mexico and Texas and California, along with gasoline signs. It's just kind of an iconic fabric that I was able to find. Normally my sashes are lined with red, white, and blue.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

And our pageant decorates in red, white, and blue.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

But this year I wanted there to be something special.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Um and the crown this year I had made special as well. This is our normal national crown. It's got the red, white, and blue Route 66 logo in the center with a lot of silver crowns, stars around it.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

But this year, when we crowned our centennial queens, I wanted it to be special. So the Route 66 logo is in black.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

And on in the band it's written centennial.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

So these are the only queens that will have that centennial title.

unknown 2:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

And their reign will go throughout the entire year. They were crowned in October and they're going to go all the way through the end of 2026.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

I love it. I love it. How long has Ms. Route 66? I need more coffee. How long has the Ms. Route 66 pageant been in existence?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Well, I created this pageant, came up with the concept in 2001. We had a, we still have a car show in Barstow. And the Route 66 Museum had just opened. And the car show I felt needed a boost. We needed to get more people involved, draw more attention to our local car show. And we also needed to start supporting our local Route 66 museum. So since I'd been in pageantry since 1980, I'm I'm a seasoned director. I came up with this concept in order to promote the historical significance of Route 66. Uh, make sure that we do our best to keep that route open. I know there's several sections of the route that are in dire need of repair and they need to be taken care of. So I was hoping that crowning a queen would bring recognition to the attention that Route 66 needs as well as provide support for our local museum. So I started small and it was just the Miss Route 66 at that time, and I tried to get word out about it, and then I thought, well, this can go bigger. I want women from across the US coming from the states that Route 66 goes through to be able to come win a title, take the title back to their state, and promote their local Route 66 museums.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Oh, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

And promote the businesses along the route. Ones that are kind of dying because people are taking the interstate now.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

They're going fast, they're going through life too fast, they're not taking the time to enjoy the pleasures of this historical highway.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

This is actually besides providing young ladies an opportunity to want to develop great skills, social skills, communication skills, leadership skills in that, but it's also an opportunity for them to go back to their communities to be what I would call a brand ambassador of sort, is they're promoting not only the the road itself and the importance of it, but also the presence in their community. What would be the age range that these contestants are coming into this pageant?

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Well, we've had three month-old we go all the way down to babies.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

And we go, I say baby to babies to grandma, one to one hundred. But we'll never turn away a hundred and one-year-old person. No.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

If they made the effort to get here, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

I think the oldest person we have had compete was probably eighty-two.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Feisty.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Well there's there's a feistiness, especially out here in the West. I I that's an underlying theme of some of the conversations that folks have lived here and just are passionate about this area. When you were recruiting, going out and letting these young ladies of all ages know about this this contest. And when they came here for the con for it, where was the the where was it held?

SPEAKER_00 6:46

We hold it in Barstow. Barstow. Because that I was born and raised in Barstow.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

And now I'm in Route 66. So I've always lived on Route 66.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

That's what counts.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

And it and it just it's dear to my heart. I remember when my mom and dad and I used to travel when I was very young. There was no interstate. We always took Route 66 when we were going to the river to visit our cousins and needles or back east to visit family. I mean, we always that was the highway.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

What was back east? What did that mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Oh, back east. Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

Okay, good. Okay, good.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Back east, we've got relatives in Indiana and stuff, but when I was young, we would go as far as Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

And so on the Route 66.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

On Route 66. And great memories.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

I love it. Great memories. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

And such a simpler lifestyle back when Route 66 was created. People moved at a slower pace. They took the time to enjoy the roadside activities and everything. I mean, as a child, you're going down Route 66 and you see this big giant whale and you go bop full over. So there were so many things to keep the mind occupied and and I just I just loved traveling Route 66. Haven't done the whole route in a long time.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

But it's probably time to do it.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

I think so. I'm a little envious. I've done little bits and pieces of it. This is the most Route 66 I have ever been on since well, first off living in in Las Vegas and know I'm coming here. I know I'm just getting embraced Route 66 and the the bar and the Baghdad Cafe. I love it. So I am curious though, we we are sitting in a beautiful in my mind, it's like this oasis in the middle of the desert. Tell us more about this property that we're on.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Well, this it was originally the Bodine Ranch.

unknown 8:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Back in the 50s, they uh raised chickens.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

I believe they sold some of their chickens to Knott's Berry Farm.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Walter Knott. And were their chicken that was I'm not sure of the years, but I know it was maybe late fifties. Uh and it was passed down to the family. When grandpa died, his son got it. When son died, the grandson got it. And they eventually ended up selling it, but not before they had cattle, they had buffalo. And they used to do school tours for the children from some of the local schools to come over and see the buffalo. Oh wow. And they weren't the beefalo, they were real buffalo. Okay. And it was a great field trip for the students from the different schools in the area. Okay. And then when they did sell it, they sold it to someone who didn't care about the place, I guess, because they let it get falling apart. And then the current owner, he purchased it and he started rebuilding it. My husband was a local contractor here and we worked with him to help start getting it back in shape. He he really cares about Newberry Springs. He cares about the history of the property, property itself. And he just does his best to keep it in tip-top shape.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

I love it. Now I'm going to ask you a question you may not have the answer to, but if you did, that's cool. I am always looking for my next place to live. Now I live in Las Vegas. I love the desert. I'm not so much of a strip kind of guy. But I did notice as we were driving through the gate, there was a uh for rent sign.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Yes, there are rentals here. I've been here for seven, eight years. We've been friends with the owner.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

I love that. I love that. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience on the outdoor adventure series about why pageants? Why Route 66? Why Newberry Springs?

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Well, since since I've been involved in pageantry for so long, and I've done all kinds of pageants, city pageants, national pageants, scuba diving pageants. I've sent queens all over the world to compete in China, Malaysia. I've noticed that yes, you can do community service if your heart is in it. But if you're wearing a crown and a sash, you bring a little bit of sparkle to that event. It catches people's attention more, and I think it just brings more recognition to that particular charitable cause or that particular event. So that's kind of why I did it. We Route 66 needed to have a light shined on it.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

And my crowns are doing that. Because I've got queens all across Route 66 in the different states. I not only do the national pageant, I do online state pageants. And I just crowned nine new queens. Okay. And they're already working in their state with their local Route 66 museum, their local Route 66 iconic locations, working with their Chamber of Commerces, bringing recognition and shining a light on Route 66 for this centennial year.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Okay. Now I I do have another question. And when I came here from Las Vegas, one of the discoveries for me in Vegas was Boulder City, the home home of the Hoover Dam. Yeah. We helped produce their podcast, the Best Dam Podcast. And have you crowned any queens from Boulder City?

SPEAKER_00 12:34

I crowned a scuba queen.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

We that is an online application process and it's for young women that scuba dive. Okay. And it's to promote the scuba dive industry, ocean conservation. And I started the USA pageant. Okay. And her name was Brittany. Okay. And she applied. She lived in Boulder. She was a scuba diver with the aquatic something that has to do with monitoring the wildlife around the dam.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

And monitoring the different organisms that grow there and stuff. She's a biologist, a marine biologist.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

So she applied and she ended up winning. And I sent her to Malaysia to compete in the Miss Scuba International.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

And she made the top three. I've sent probably twelve to fifteen young ladies there. I've had three winners bringing back the crown to the U.S. to shed a shed a light on the U.S. is really big in scuba diving. And most of the young ladies that apply are in the marine biology type field, and they're scuba divers. Oh wow. But I ended up turning that particular pageant over to one of my formal scuba queens. And she is now doing a great job.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

So they're you're you're like the the founder, and now you are s spreading the legacy.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Create things. I like I like creating things. You literally are.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

I love that. If our listeners would like to learn more about the history uh of the Miss Route 66 pageant, this work that's great work that you're doing, where are the best places to go?

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Well, there is an online site. We have a website, www.root66pageant.com.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

And we also have a Facebook page. If you type in Miss Route 66 Pageant, you're bound to find me.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Okay. Well, we will provide both the backlinks in our show notes. I'd love if I can perhaps get take some pictures and put those in our show notes as well, just some examples in addition to the ones we've taken today. Christine, thank you so much for spending time with us on this beautiful little Sunday morning.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Oh, isn't it a gorgeous day?

SPEAKER_01 14:59

It is a gorgeous day. And I hope you have a fantastic day. I know you mentioned your granddaughter's out there training horses.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

She's working with her horses right now. She's got one that went away to college learning how to be a cow horse. And the the other two are here: her her paint and a little blind Shetland that she adopted.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

So cute. Okay, well, very good. Well, Giff, thank you so much for spending time with us.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

You are so welcome.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Excellent. Listen, I'm gonna do a quick close and then you and I can have a final chat, okay?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

All right.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

All right, folks. Thank you so much to Christine Watson. Really wonderful conversation. I hope you all enjoyed it. Learned a lot about the the Ms. Route 66 pageant. The Centennial Milady Route 66 is actually well underway today. It was crowned last October, and it's gonna go through the end of this the end of this year, correct? Correct. See, I had enough coffee, I remembered that one correctly. Also, very heavily involved the national Route 66 pageants, these wonderful crowns, and this the wonderful history and the impact that pageantry has for not only the communities in the young women or the women of all ages who are representing their communities. And this is just a in this centennial year of Route 66, is this is an integral part of the celebration and the experience. Now just remember, folks, we are going to provide the backlinks to the Ms. Route 66 Pageants website and their Facebook page. As for us, you can find this episode up on our website, outdooradventure series.com. We're also on Facebook and LinkedIn. The video of this episode, which will include a kind of a photo slideshow along with the audio, will be up on our YouTube channel. The episode will most likely be somehow shared with the new Newbury Springs Chamber of Commerce's website or somewhere on their social site so you can see it there. And of course, you can listen to this podcast and others as you're traveling, getting your kicks on Route 66 on whichever podcast platform you listen to. Okay, folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there and have a fantastic day. And we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. Take care now. Hey folks, guess what? I am back with Christine Watson. Being the guy that I am, and the fact that Carla Claus and I were just in where were we, Carla?

SPEAKER_00 17:35

We were just an Echo Round and Peggy Seuss Car Show.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

We were at Peggy Seuss Car Show in Daggett. See, I got that right. At some good coffee.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Yermo.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yermo. Then we went to Daggett. Okay. Okay. This is all going in. I'm not editing any of this out. But I I being the guy that I am, I asked this question, very naive, I might say. Where's the pinup contest? And Christine looked at me and she said, Howard, there's a difference between a a pageant and a pinup contest. And I said, Oh, really? Okay, so Christine, would you please thank you for coming back on for the well, we're gonna append this little piece to the episode, but what is the difference? Because I'm sure you get asked that all the time. Where's the pinup contest? And how do we get our girlfriends and wives to ri uh to to sign up for that? And then you said Howard, I get asked that all the time. So let me give you a little bit of education here.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Right. There there's a lot of car shows doing pinup contests now. And these young, not not young ladies, they're older women. They dress up like a pinup model. Sometimes they wear lingerie, sometimes they wear swimsuits, sometimes they wear sun dresses or little cute sailor outfits. And that's great. Okay, but that is promoting that particular event.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

They win a sash, they win a crown, and it's done on modeling on stage. They do pinup poses like your typical war era pinup models would do that you would see painted on the airplanes in their skimpy outfit. This is different.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

We do children through older adults. You're not going to see a grandma in a swimsuit doing a pinup pose. Our titles represent Route 66, the highway, not the car show.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

They can work all year long promoting Route 66, promoting Route 66 activities, going to all the car shows. They can also go and volunteer at Route 66 museums or promote museums. And it all has to do with the Route 66 genre, not the car show in particular of this is our Barstow car show pinup girl. Gotcha. So it's a difference. It's a different concept. And for this, you don't have to dress in the pinup style with the 40s hairstyle and the 40s clothes or poses and things like that. We do have fun things like a talent contest and a costume contest. And the costume contest is where they can dress in a Route 66 heyday era type costume. So it started in 1926. So they could dress in an outfit from 26. We've had people come dressed as Lucille Ball, sockhoppers. They do have dressed as pinup girls, but they wear more sun dress type outfit or waitress uh outfits and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Like at Peggy Seuss. Like at Peggy Seuss.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

So it's a it's a little bit different. Okay. So to have a pinup contest at the same time as a Route 66 pageant, it's kind of redundant and they kind of don't work with each other. Okay. I I keep them separate.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Okay. Very it's part of the brand. You gotta keep brand consistency. Well, listen, Christine, thank you so much for coming back on, addressing my question, and I I'm glad you were I can't I'm sure I'm not the first one to ask it, and uh you have a very fancy very good answer, and it makes perfect sense. So now, folks out in the internet space, the podcast space, you now know the difference between a pageant and a pin up contest. Okay? Christine, thank you again.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Thank you for having me. All right,