Central Illinois communities planning ahead for Route 66 centennial

BLOOMINGTON — Towns and cities across Central Illinois are already preparing for the centennial celebration of Route 66 in 2026.

"We have tens of thousands of visitors that come through the community annually that are very excited to see Bloomington, Illinois, and have no knowledge of what that means," said Zach Dietmeier, vice president of operations at the Bloomington-Normal Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's a great way for us not only to cheerlead for the community, but also to showcase the positive aspect of what that means still economically for the community as we continue to take advantage of what the last 100 years of Route 66 have looked like."

Running nearly 300 miles across the Land of Lincoln, Route 66 begins in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles.

Dietmeier, who organized the McLean County Route 66 Centennial Commission, said the group is coordinating grants and various projects with other towns along the Mother Road, including Chenoa, Lexington, Towanda, Normal, Bloomington and McLean.

Among those projects, the CVB received state funds in February to support the installation of murals inside the McLean County Museum of History's entrance on Washington Street; on the south wall of Red Raccoon Games at Jefferson and Main streets in downtown Bloomington; on a grain bin in McLean; and on a billboard in Lexington.

Funds also supported the installation of electric vehicle chargers at the historic Sprague Super Service gas station/Ryburn Place Gifts & Gab, 305 E. Pine St. in Normal. The town is currently restoring the site to its original 1930s appearance in time for the Route 66 centennial.

"The issue is money as always," said Terri Ryburn, owner of Ryburn Place, adding that she plans to apply for additional grants toward projects at the site. "We can have all the ideas in the world, but if you don't have money to back it up, you're kind of stuck."

Celebrating history

In April 2023, the CVB received funds for the installation of gateway monument signs in Bloomington, Normal, Chenoa, Lexington and McLean.

"We're gonna have people traveling from all over, and it's gonna draw a lot of attention, so we want to be ready for it," said Lexington Mayor Spencer Johansen. "We're pretty excited about it coming up, and we're pretty excited about the travelers that stop to visit us on Route 66."

Johansen said the city is concentrating on improving Memory Lane — a preserved stretch of the original 1926 alignment — by cleaning brush away and having some of the billboards restored.

He said they also plan to recreate a historic Greyhound bus stop, install an old Pantagraph newspaper dispenser and use it as a Little Free Library, and restore an old phone booth, adding community interest and photo opportunities for travelers along that stretch of Route 66.

Sarah Michaels, Route 66 Red Carpet coordinator in Chenoa, said the city is home to the current Route 66 path and two of its historic alignments. They're updating the intersection at Route 66 and Route 24, and hope to have their portion of the Route 66 bike trail finished by 2026, she said.

Other projects include improving Red Bird Park so the community can host movie nights there; restoring a 1920s mural on the side of Chenoa Pharmacy; and installing statues of Abraham Lincoln's dog, Fido, and Ulysses S. Grant's dog, Rosie, at the new Route 66 Fetch & Stretch Dog Park.

"There's a lot of history right here in Central Illinois and we want to make sure we celebrate that, not only for a staycation where we can be a tourist in our own area ... but also for people who fly in to Chicago and drive as far as they can to California," Michaels said.

Carmen Hernandez, who owns PuppyDo Transformations in Chenoa along with her husband, Manny, said they are continuing to fundraise with memorial bricks for the dog park; funds will be put toward the dog statues and other amenities at the park.

The dog park opened in May , and Hernandez said she hopes it's provided a "nice place to just decompress" for people traveling with their pets along Route 66.

"We have three dogs, and I can't even imagine doing the 66 tour with three of them and not giving them a break to run," she said.

'A huge opportunity'

Liz Vincent, director of community enrichment in Pontiac, said the city recently installed a mural showing the past, present and future of traveling on Route 66, as well as two electric vehicle charging stations right across the street from the Pontiac Museum Complex.

They're now working on a Centennial Plaza to be located behind the museum, near the Route 66 shield mural.

They'll also be participating again in the spring Red Carpet Corridor Festival, which runs through Chenoa and ends in Bloomington, and will be implementing the initial phase of a multi-year streetscape plan to revitalize the downtown area , Vincent said.

"Even within our office, we started talking about the centennial pre-COVID, knowing that this was going to be a huge year that we had on the horizon," Vincent said. "We want to turn it into not just a place where people want to be, but eventually a place where people are, and the reason for that is we want to create a place that's welcoming and perfect for people to live."

Alice Roate, executive director of the Logan County Tourism Bureau, said the Logan County Route 66 Centennial Commission secured funds for a few new giants for the American Giants Museum in Atlanta; a gateway monument sign in Lincoln; and signage throughout the county to help guide travelers.

"If we didn't have Route 66, I would say most towns the size of Lincoln or other communities along the route, like Atlanta, Elkhart and Broadwell, you wouldn't typically be seeing tourists in general," Roate said. "It's a huge opportunity that we are on the route, and it brings these people in, so it's important to grasp their attention, because that's bringing outside money in, whether they're from another state here in the United States or if they're from outside the country."

Bill Thomas, treasurer of the Atlanta Betterment Fund and director of the Logan County Economic Development Council, said the city held a grand opening for the American Giants Museum in May, with a soft-opening before then, and plan to add three more fiberglass giants there by 2026, though they don't know yet what kinds of figures they will be.

Thomas, who also is a chairman for the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership and a commissioner for the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, said many museum visitors are already talking about how excited they are for the highway's centennial, and the museum has already brought in over 6,500 visitors from around the country and world.

"We want to leverage the centennial to help the people who live, work and travel along Route 66 ... by enhancing local economies due to the creation of new tourist attractions and experiences, but also preserve Route 66," Thomas said. "We want to actively promote new businesses and new attractions in addition to sustaining and preserving the ones that do exist."

Dietmeier said McLean, Logan and other counties have been focused on attractions, beautification and landscaping in their Route 66 communities, but they're now turning toward signage and event planning.

Dietmeier pointed out that the Route 66 centennial will happen alongside the United States' 250th anniversary, which may provide even more opportunities for events and celebrations.

"This is going to have record-breaking numbers for the sate," said Casey Claypool, executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. "So many of the small towns and small businesses are really excited for what can possibly come through their communities."

The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway is a member-based nonprofit that was formed in 2005 with the purpose of helping communities around Route 66 with economic development and wayfinding to attract tourism, Claypool said.

The organization opened up its "Illinois Route 66 Experience" at the Illinois State Fair in 2023, and it has remained since then, offering a self-guided walking tour showing snippets of Route 66 history in the state, Claypool said. The site is open May 6 through Aug. 5 on Saturdays only, and during regular state fair dates and hours.

Claypool said she encourages Byway members reach out if they need any help involving the centennial, and to coordinate with them about events to to prevent having too many events stacked up on the same weekends.

Historic Route 66, in photos

Chicago's bronze lions

Facing another day of the 'Bunion Derby'

A Santa Fe street scene

'Okies' arrive in California

The original western terminus

Outdoor basket-weaving

First stop west of Texas

A desert rest stop

Overnight in Victorville?

Maybe don't follow Bugs Bunny?

The wide-open road

Iceberg in the desert

Heading east

Making connections

A namesake of the highway

Check out the Gila monster

A commercial thoroughfare

Passing through the Duke City

Souvenirs and novelties

On a corner in Winslow, Arizona

Through a harsh landscape

The Boss loved it

Save a horse?

The Wigwam Village Motel

The end of the road

Contact Mateusz Janik at (309) 820-3234. Follow Mateusz on Love

Government Reporter