• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Route 66 Association of Illinois

Where The Road Begins

  • About
    • Our Mission
      • What is Preservation?
        • Preservation Stories
        • Preservation Projects
    • Officers and Board
    • Route 66 Associations
      • Additional Route 66 Sites
    • Contact
      • Questions or Comments
      • Contact Web Administrator
      • Submit Content for The 66 News
      • Upload An Image
      • Submit a Route 66-Related Event
  • Membership
    • Join Us!
      • Renew An Existing Membership
    • Your Donation Fuels Our Mission!
    • Member Login/Profile
      • Membership Email Update
      • Member Sign Out
    • Member Pages
  • What To Do
    • Calendar
    • Museum/Hall of Fame
    • Motor Tour Information
    • Illinois Alignments
    • Destinations
      • Map View
    • Illinois Route 66 Counties
  • History
    • Route 66 History
    • Association History
    • Illinois Stories
    • Illinois Road Maps 1917-2014 (External)
    • Hall of Fame Members
      • Hall of Fame Nomination Process
    • National Register of Historic Places on Route 66 in Illinois
    • FAQ/Trivia
  • News
    • Meramec Barn Repaint – 2025
    • Pontiac Parking
    • President’s Letter – Spring 2025
    • Memory Lane Tree Removal
    • Membership Changes
    • October Presentation
    • In Memorium
      • Kathy Miller
      • Rich Henry
      • Joy Henderson
      • Durelle F. Pritchard
    • Samantha Brown’s Places to Love
      Route 66 in Illinois
    • The 66 News Archives
  • Centennial!
    • November 11, 1926
      US Highway 66 is Established.
    • Meramec Barn Repaint – 2025
    • US Route 66 Centennial Website Launches
    • 66 Centennial Series
    • Looking For Route 66 Stories
  • Facebook

The President’s View Summer 2009

Every Association’s membership is made up of different member types. Some just like to read their magazine and know they are helping to keep the Association going strong with their dues. Some like their magazine, go online occasionaly and will send an email or two for information. Others come “home” to the Hall of Fame banquet once a year to see old friends and reminisce. Some volunteer their time, show up to help out, come to meetings when they can. Everyone has their own style of being a member and every member of our Association is valued. The spirit of the road connects us all.

We look forward with “fresh eyes” toward this year’s 20th anniversary Motor Tour. After 20 years together there are few surprises but sometimes parts of the road get more attention, get rediscovered, new efforts are made by the communities along the Mother Road to welcome tourists and visitors to stop and remember what the heart of America is all about.

A two lane highway is a two lane highway but when you add people and businesses and towns, cities and villages, and the road now has a life of its own. Route 66 still represents to the world the road to self-reliance, to knowledge, to learning from the past to go forward into the future. It showed if you try, you can.

Coming home from the Museum Workday, my grandson stopped the car and asked if he could walk the old road in Dwight. He walked for a while and came back to the car wondering our loud how could two cars or a car and a truck make it safely down that road? Lots of whys and how. A 16 year old finds wonder in the concrete lanes abandoned by the side of the road. And so do I!

Spring is here. It’s time to renew our tired Winter selves. It’s time to wander, to stop in the historical exhibits along the way and learn something new, It’s time to stop and have coffee and homemade pie “just because.”

We look forward to seeing you on the tour. Come cruise the Land of Lincoln with us. Meet and greet Abe Lincoln at the Hall of Fame dinner. Sing and dance with your fellow roadies! Caravan with us on Sunday as we head south to Edwardsville! Celebrate 50 years of Our Lady of the Highway!

Our board of directors and County Representatives look forward to seeing all of you on 66! After 20 years it’s still a thrill to be on the road with you!

Primary Sidebar

Loading…

 

Search

Upcoming Events

Jun 16
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT

Berwyn Cruise Nights 2025

Jun 20
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm CDT

Lincoln Third Fridays Downtown

Jun 20
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm CDT

Route 66 Cruisers Cruises

Jun 21
June 21 - June 29

2025 Great Race

View Calendar

Translate this site with Google

Donations Fuel Our Mission!

Your donation to our Association helps support our efforts to preserve, promote, educate and enjoy Route 66 in Illinois. We are a volunteer organization and thank you for your generous donation toward maintaining our nostalgic slice of Americana. The Association is a 501(c)(3) for tax purposes.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Route 66 Association of Illinois, a 501(c)(3) charitible organization
Copyright © 2025 · Administrator Log in