On April 1, 2008, the Route 66 Rocker Chair was hoisted by two cranes to its rockers.
When Carolyn Sanazaro got a call early on April Fool’s day 2008 from someone saying she was Heidi Glaus from Channel 5 and that she wanted to come to film the raising of The Route 66 Rocker, she thought it was an April Fool’s Joke. Sanazaro and her husband Dan own the Route 66 Fanning US66 Outpost & General Store, 4 miles west of Cuba, and they were planning to set Dan’s brainchild, The Route 66 Rocker in place that day.
Sanazaro told her that she sounded like Tara Brewer, their friend and insurance agent. Sanazaro said, “Is this an April Fool’s joke?” Glaus had mentioned the giant rocker early on Channel 5’s Today Show, and the Sanazaros had calls from friends about it. Sanazaro thought one of their friends was playing a joke on them by impersonating Glaus. Glaus assured her that she was Heidi Glaus, and she was from Channel 5.
After the confusion was cleared up, Glaus and her cameraman arrived in Cuba, on a cold, windy April 1, to film the giant black and white rocker being hoisted by two cranes to its resting place on the two giant rockers that steel worker and welder Joe Medwick had fabricated.
While the cameraman filmed all aspects of setting the rocker into place, Glaus watched through the window, visited with the locals, and gathered background on the rocker. On camera, she interviewed bystanders, Dan, Carolyn, their children, welder & fabricator Joe Medwick, and artist-chair designer John Bland.
After filming, Glaus and her cameraman packed up to head back to St. Louis. They said the Route 66 Rocker feature would be on Channel 5 Thursday morning and would be available on the KSDK website after that. Before they returned to the city, they emailed a photo back to KSDK of the Sanazaros’ children Lacey and Lane standing in front of the rocker. Before Glaus and her cameraman had time to get back to St. Louis, the photo was posted on the KSDK website.
And that’s no joke.
Channel 5 camera man filmed welder Joe Medwick as he welded the rocker into place.
Heidi Glaus of Channel 6 St. Louis poses with the Sanazaro children on April 1, 2008, the day the 42’+ Rocking Chair took its place on Route 66.
More Photos
The core of the rocker awaits its lift to the rockers, where it will be welded into place.
Designer John Bland (L) shakes with Dan Sanazaro on the day that they lifted the rocker into place.
Heidi Glaus of Channel 5 St. Louis jokes with welder Joe Medwick on the day the rocker took its place on Route 66.
With a little help, the World’s Largest Rocking Chair was put into place on April 1, 2008.
The rocker has received many interesting visitors over the years.
Even on a rainy day, a group can get a photo at the World’s Largest Rocking Chair.
In 2015 the rocker went red. From Guinness World’s Largest Rocking Chair to the Route 66 Red Rocker (still the largest on Route 66)
, Joe Medwick, Dan Sanazaro saw the completion of their dreams on April 1, 2008.
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