Thankfully, Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas feasts all seem to include the trifecta of goodness \u2014 pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and now, my new obsession with turkey made entirely out of butter.<\/p>\n
The customer service team at Keller\u2019s, who make the turkey-shaped butter blobs to bring to Thanksgiving, gave me a list of its stores in California that were expected to have the kitschy dairy delight in stock.<\/p>\n
But to my disappointment, the first five stores I called denied any knowledge of the product. That is, until I called the WinCo Foods in Lakewood, where a clerk confirmed over the phone that not only were the turkey molds in stock \u2014 but they would only cost me $3.98 a piece.<\/p>\n
I felt like I had located the holy grail of holiday feast delicacies.<\/p>\n
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A sampling of turkey-shaped butter on sale at WinCo Foods in Lakewood. (Photo by Jo Murray).\n<\/p>\n
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A sampling of turkey-shaped butter on sale at WinCo Foods in Lakewood. (Photo by Jo Murray).\n<\/p>\n
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A sampling of turkey-shaped butter on sale at WinCo Foods in Lakewood. (Photo by Jo Murray).\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n I filled my cart with a dozen turkeys \u2014 plus a can of cranberry sauce, a can of peppermint whipping cr\u00e8me, a Santa PEZ dispenser, and a variety of other must haves \u2014 and headed to check out.<\/p>\n The lines were long, and when I finally made it to the check out, I learned that WinCo only accepts debit cards and cash.<\/p>\n All I had was my credit card.<\/p>\n Luckily, I was able to return with cash (thank you, Chase Bank), and complete my transaction.<\/p>\n I left with not only the thrill of scoring the buttery birds \u2014 but a feeling of gratitude for how WinCo staff and customers treated my lack of cash.<\/p>\n Now, armed with my arsenal of buttery turkeys, I\u2019m ready to kick off this new Thanksgiving tradition and dole out the dairy goodness to anyone who will have it.<\/p>\n Route 66 centennial<\/p>\n Next year, the iconic \u201cWill Rogers Highway\u201d will celebrate its centennial \u2014 marking 100 years of road trips from Chicago to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Roadside attractions, eateries, and mom n\u2019 pop shops on the journey are actively preparing by painting and sprucing up in preparation of the many travelers that will be making the 2,278-mile trek.<\/p>\n One location has a deep Long Beach connection.<\/p>\n Long Beach residents Roy and Helen Tull built a Route 66 landmark in 1961. The duo developed the 40-acre property in East Amboy, about 200 miles from Long Beach, in the California Mojave Desert where they created the Road Runner\u2019s Retreat diner, and a Standard Oil station.<\/p>\n Duke Dotson\u2019s family purchased the property from the Tulls in 1962 and ran the business 24\/7, even going so far as to add a duck lake and employee housing to the property.<\/p>\n The filling station and the diner were a popular stop on the \u201cMother Road.\u201d Elvis Presley, for example, bought gas for his motorhome from the \u201cGoogie\u201d style architecture station \u2014 and Robert F. Kennedy and his entourage stopped there for a bite to eat during his 1968 presidential campaign, according to Dotson.<\/p>\n The I-40 segment of the highway, meanwhile, was completed in 1973.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just like in the movie \u201cCars\u201d \u2014 overnight it went from a steady stream of motorists to none,\u201d Dotson said.<\/p>\n The iconic RRR sign on Route 66 flickered back to life last weekend. (Photo by Jo Murray).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n The iconic RRR sign on Route 66 flickered back to life last weekend. (Photo by Jo Murray).\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n As a result, the Road Runner Retreat closed just a year later. Its iconic neon sign was shut off for good, and the property later sold, marking the end of an era on Route 66.<\/p>\n William Murphy later purchased the land as a private family camping destination. And over the past few years, his grandson Ryan Anderson has been working with Route 66 California Association President Beth Murray to restore the RRR for the centennial.<\/p>\n That hard work finally came to fruition last Saturday, Nov. 8, when the neon sign finally flickered back to life, the roadrunner sitting atop it moving its feet once more. The 12-foot tall by 30-feet wide sign, after 50 years in the dark, can now be seen by travelers even as far as 20 miles away.<\/p>\n More than 300 people, representing all eight states along Route 66 from Illinois to California, attended the relighting ceremony.<\/p>\n Some notables included Mark Hall-Patton, nicknamed \u201cThe Beard of Knowledge\u201d from the show \u201cPawn Stars;\u201d authors Joe De Kehoe and Steven Reyes; \u201cMr. Mojave Guy\u201d Bill Inglehart; Karla Claus, Ms. Centennial Route 66 Princess; rockabilly band Hot Rod Trio; and a large contingent of The Clampers \u2014 a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the Western United States.<\/p>\n Book worms<\/p>\n Barnes & Noble located in the Marina Pacific shopping center is finally set to reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 19 \u2014 after being closed since May to undergo renovations. The previously two-story store has been redesigned, and will now feature just one story, though the store will still carry all its usual offerings.<\/p>\n The store\u2019s ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the changes will kick off Nov. 19 at 10 a.m., and will feature a book signing with Salina Yoon, author of \u201cKat & Mouse: I Like Cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrade\u2019s Cafe by the Bay opens<\/p>\n Andrade\u2019s Cafe, serving authentic Mexican and classic American cuisine, has officially opened as of Saturday, Nov. 8.<\/p>\n Andrade\u2019s Cafe, serving authentic Mexican and classic American cuisine, has officially opened as of Saturday, Nov. 8. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n Andrade\u2019s Cafe, serving authentic Mexican and classic American cuisine, has officially opened as of Saturday, Nov. 8. (Courtesy photo).\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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