Help Build the Pig Hip Museum!
(Pig Hip Ad designed by Randy Smith Route 66 Association of Illinois Member)
Printed from the Bloomington Pantagraph
Bloomington, Illinois
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Restaurant to be site of Route 66 museum
What came along with a growing business was a path the Broadwell resident would travel for life.
Edwards' restaurant -- home of the patented Pig-Hip Sandwich -- is history.
Literally.
Edwards closed the restaurant in 1991. But the lifetimes of both Edwards and his establishment intersected with historic Route 66, which runs outside the building's front door.
And now, the men and women who love the highway that runs across America are helping Edwards give the Pig-Hip new life as a museum honoring the highway.
"He is what everyone from here to California considers an icon of the road," said Jeff LaFollette, president of the Route 66 Association of Illinois.
Indeed, the Pig-Hip has been featured in numerous books and newspaper articles about Route 66, and people from as far away as Africa and Germany have stopped by the closed restaurant to visit Edwards and see his collection of memorabilia.
Currently, that material is in an office in Edwards' home nestled against the Pig-Hip building -- folks know to stop because of the "66 Tourists Welcome" sign in his yard.
More than the typical tourist crowd showed up Saturday. LaFollette, of New Liberty, Iowa, and 25 to 30 other association members came to refurbish the inside and outside of the Pig-Hip, which Edwards hopes to open as a museum in June. Along with sharing stories and fun, they performed work ranging from replacing ceiling tile to glasswork and painting.
Walls were stripped of many layers of wallpaper to expose, in some cases, the original exterior linoleum.
Edwards' stories flow freely -- "I like to talk," he acknowledges. But the breadth of his experience paints a picture of why he and the highway he cherishes evoke such nostalgia in so many people.
For instance, he once was sued by Gus Belt -- founder of Steak 'N Shake -- over a building he purchased and painted black and white, the color scheme of Belt's restaurants. The suit was settled out of court, Edwards said, and the two became fast friends.
And a business proposition brought Edwards together with Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
"He tried to sell me, and I tried to sell him," Edwards said, smiling.
The result?
The colonel fried up a chicken right in Edwards' home.
John Weiss, chairman of the association's Preservation Committee, said the museum -- a more formal and expanded version of Edwards' collection -- will "improve the tourism experience of Route 66 enthusiasts."
"It's mom, pop and apple pie -- not Applebee's," Weiss said. "It's pig hip and pecan pie."
Volunteers are planning another session in April to complete work on the building, which will include both a memorabilia section and a section resembling the old restaurant.
"It's been busy, busy, busy," Edwards said.