In Collinsville, IL, the world's largest ketchup bottle sits above the now shuttered Brooks Catsup bottling company. Originally it was designed as a water tower for the facility, but when operations were closed down in 1993, the Catsup bottle began to deteriorate.

At that time, two Route 66 advocates met and aside from saving the catsup bottle, they eventually became husband and wife. Judy DeMoisey (Catsup Bottle Lady) has a background in architectural preservation and began a campaign to raise over $100,000 by selling t-shirts at the catsup bottle. Mike Gassman, (President, CEO, and Big Tomato of the worlds largest catsup bottle fan club, Inc.) handles the publicity and promotion of the catsup bottle, including popular annual events.

Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with both Mike and Judy about their efforts to save and restore the Brooks Catsup Bottle. Highlights from the show include:

• Earliest memories of Route 66
• How both Mike and Judy met
• "Ketchup" or "Catsup"
• Triumph Catsup and Pickle Company (1907)
• Brooks Catsup Bottling Plant (1933)
• Need for a water tower to satisfy water usage at factory
• Operations shift to Indiana (1960)
• Massive Catsup Bottle dimensions
• Catsup Bottle preservation movement (1993)
• Mike and Judy first met at Catsup Bottle event
• Mike's role - Catsup Bottle promotions, marketing, festivals
• The Eiffel Tower of Collinsville, IL
• Engineering challenges in restoring a 70' tall catsup bottle
• National Register of Historic Places designation
• Current use of Brooks Catsup warehouse
• Collection of artifacts for future catsup museum
• Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile, Idaho Potato Mobile, and other novelty visits
• Cameo appearances of Catsup Bottle and other pop culture references
• Catsup Bottle Website
• Preserving the Catsup Bottle for the next generation
• Annual Catsup Bottle Festival
• Unusual visitors at World's Largest Catsup Bottle
• The Great Catsup Test with Mike and Judy

Official Website: The World's Largest Catsup Bottle

Candacy Taylor was originally writing a Route 66 travel guide for Route 66 when she discovered the unfair treatment of black travelers along The Mother Road. Candacy immediately pivoted and would spend the next five years researching the history of black travel in America, bringing to light that half of the Route 66 communities were "sun down" towns.

Join Route 66 podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with Candacy about the not so popular side of Route 66 during its heyday, including the popularity of The Green Book. Highlights from the show include:

• Candacy first learning about the Green Book
• Route 66 "Sun Down" towns
• Victor Green and his Green Book
• Automotive Hall of Fame honors
• Non "Sun Down" towns on Route 66
• Murray's Dude Ranch and other popular Route 66 stops
• Nat King Cole treatment along The Mother Road
• An incredible story about Candacy's step-father, Ron
• The Green Book movie- how accurate is it?
• Candacy's academic accolades
• The Smithsonian exhibit
• Overground Railroad: The Young Adult version for teens

During the centennial year of Route 66 many people will drive historic Route 66. However, Ed Fogle has driven the entire route in a 100 year old Hupmobile, an automobile that stopped production in the 1939. Join the Route 66 Podcast as Ed tells what it was like driving an "orphan" vehicle along Route 66, without any air conditioning, speedometer, odemeter, gas gauge, shocks, and wooden wheels!

Highlights from the show include:

• Earlier memories of driving Route 66 in a '59 convertable
• locating a 100 year old automobile at an Arizona car museum
• Insistance on buying an "orphan" car instead of a Model T
• The initial test drive lasted less than one mile
• What a 1929 automobile does not have
• Getting creative without any dashboard information
• What to bring in case of breakdowns
• Both simple and complicated breakdowns
• The role of Ed's wife Jackie - Chief Navigator
• Highlights along the trip
• The biggest challenge: City or Mountain driving?
• The day the engine fell out
• Access to the Santa Monica Pier
• How the journey has changed Ed and Jackie's life