Someone actually sent me an email saying it was only 27 more Fridays till Christmas! I was just reveling in the fact that our beautiful, lush Illinois green is back in full swing and then someone wants to talk winter! Really!

The Mother Road is alive and kicking with festivals, concerts, music and more in Illinois! We just completed our Motor Tour and we had a great three days in the sun and fun. The crossing of the Chain of Rocks Bridge was great! We had people join us who have done all of 66, Chicago to LA and never, ever, went over the bridge until they met us! We missed many of our original Association members who did not make the trek this year, but we had them in our thoughts and prayers as we crossed over the bridge.

A big thank you to Elaine Stonich, Lenny Scinto, John and Kathy Miller, Rosie Vargo, Marge and Don Johnsen, Diane and Steve Nalefski for their assistance on registration for the Motor Tour. A big Thank You to Marty Blitstein for holding down the fort for the three months prior to the tour, and answering questions, taking the phone calls, coordinating the ads for the passport, making a list and checking it three times, and making registration so easy. Thanks to Emmy and Debbie Bates for amazing stops, their artful decorating at the Hall of Fame banquet in Lincoln, and working the Illinois side of the Bridge with me on Monday Morning. Another thank you to Kathy Miller for taking everyone’s photo as they arrived on the Missouri side. Thank you to John Wille and Jim Jones for staying behind and manning the Hall of Fame and Museum so that our facility could be open. Illinois Harley Davidson in Countryside was an amazing host and not only provided pop and water for Friday night, but set out a dazzling display of coffee and sweet rolls for Saturday’s send off. They filmed the cars leaving and posted it online. Special thanks to Duke Cartwright for arranging the drive thru at Stateville. Duke has also been our dinner-moderator for years. We’re not quite as large as his former employer (Duke handled the eating/seating schedule at Stateville) but we so appreciate his making sure the dinner buffet line runs smoothly and we’re all taken care of before he sits down to dinner himself.

While we’re waiting for Illinois to get a budget, our museums and Route 66 displays could use a visit and a donation. We are blessed with people who are proud of their regions and work hard to provide a glimpse of yesterday to curious travelers. On our tour the Carbon Hill school museum was highly talked about, as was the Heritage in Flight Museum and The Mill in Lincoln. My favorite quote was from Mike Cummings who said how nice it was to go to the Mill and not work! Twelve years in the making and it was so worth it! The late Ernie Edwards, who pushed Geoff Ladd to pursue the Mill would be so proud!

The awesome Williamsville Public Library and webcam directional sign are so cool! The town’s 66 displays on their businesses (and also a nice history of Williamsville’s own Hall of Fame members Sharon and JR Fawn) are phenomenal.

When you’re out on the road, look inside our 66 towns for their history. I was told by multiple museum volunteers that anything from their community would be appreciated as a donation – matchbooks, ash trays, pens from long gone gas stations, calendars, etc. I grew up with nattily uniformed attendants who filled your tank, washed your windows, checked your oil and were courteous and polite. I remember family members getting dishes, glasses, and all kinds of “perks” for buying at certain gas stations, calendars, pens, hot pads!

If you have any of these in your collections, think about donating them back to their appropriate historical societies or museums.

There will be a relighting ceremony on July 3rd at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook. The Tropics sign is on its way to the Ace Sign Company in Springfield for reconstruction and eventual replacement in the new McDonald’s parking lot in Lincoln. Dave Tucker’s Gillespie Mining Museum continues to grow. The spaceship in Divernon has been taken down and soon will be replaced by the largest wood swing on 66! Rich Henry and his rabbits are welcoming visitors as usual at the Ra66it Ranch in Staunton.

This summer I urge you to look around. Even the smallest communities have historical societies or food pantrys. Find out what you can do to help your community. Volunteer an hour – or two or three! Every one has a voice and your voice and your help is needed. Take time out from your busy life and give a few hours to your church, or school, or community, or food pantry or pet shelter. Your hour can make the difference in life for all of us.

Your dust bunnies under the sofa can wait. Grab your gear and get on the road. Cruise without an agenda – stop at those places you heard about but never went. Go to Henry’s Drive-In in Cicero for a hot dog. Sit in one of the Pump Room’s booths at the Wolfs Head Inn. Check out Catfish Days in Wilmington July 20-23. Something is always happening in our homebase, Pontiac – check out the tourism calendar on Pontiac.org!

Rock N Rods at the Chateau in Bloomington July 14, 15, 16th – with rock n roll concerts, car show, cruise-in, and more. August brings our Association picnic on August 19th at the Sugar Grove Nature Center Preserve in Funks Grove/McLean! We provide the meat and drinks, bring something to share or just come and visit! September The Military Convoy Route 66 Tour, the ever-wonderful Bassett Waddle in Dwight September 14-17, and The Mother Road Car Show and Festival in Springfield September 22-24. There is something for everyone! “Google” a town and see!

Our annual elections are in October. If you ever wanted to get involved, this is the time. We ask that all county reps attend four meetings a year if possible, volunteer three Saturdays a year at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, and be active on the Motor Tour Committee. Our award-winning Preservation Committee is always open to anyone who wants to come out, get dirty, laugh, and since we work for food, eat well!

The lifeblood of any organization is its members. Come infuse us with fresh ideas and your energy! Have a happy, healthy, and soul-refreshing summer on 66!

See you on the road –

Cathie Stevanovich

This was an incredibly fast year… at least for me. A new job, another year of Illinois Route 66 and its maintenance and magic, and now for 2017. Snow, cold, and even though we all knew this is the season for it, its always a shock to my system.

So thankful for the members of this Association who have helped make the Route 66 Association of Illinois strong for another year. We have faithful volunteers in our Preservation Committee who help keep our Illinois miles looking good. We have new projects on the calendar for Spring – signage and a unique billboard for the no-longer there Riviera Restaurant. For years Bob and Peg Kraft welcomed travelers and Association members to their totally unique and irreplaceable restaurant in Gardner. Whenever I drive past that curve in the road my eyes go to the driveway and I think of dinners and meetings that were held there and the friends whose company I once enjoyed. I have been kidded about that piece of wooded property being “sacred” ground. Gone but not forgotten – the late Peg Kraft would name her dishes with very inventive names. One time she had a “Ground Hog” special. I asked Peg politely “Ground Hog?” – she laughed and said it was ground pork, she just wanted it to have a snazzy name!

The pathway to become a National Trail is underway. John Miller, Marty Blitstein, and Jerry Law are representing us on various committees to look out for the future of the real, authentic Route 66. The Associations will still be here, its just that we need to look to the future for protection for the Mother Road. If we work together and make sure the National Trail is put together correctly, when our days are done, Route 66 will be protected properly. A great deal of conversation and thought has been processed about inviting the government into caretaking of these precious miles and we are fortunate that the people representing Illinois all share the same concerns and issues.

The 2017 Motor Tour committee has been organized and planning is underway. Our theme is “Road Trip.” We’re going to visit places “off” road – because there are many unique and interesting places “just a little” off the beaten path. We look forward to introducing you to and places and people you may not have known about!

Our overnight will be in Lincoln, and we will end the tour in Litchfield. It’s always the second full weekend in June – so make sure you put June 9th, 10th, and 11th on your calendar now!

Over the next few issues we are going to highlight some of the past members who were active in our Association and on the Mother Road in Illinois. This is being done in a random fashion – because we have had so many people who worked hard to make our Association “work” and to build the strong basis for the Illinois Association today. Politics is always present when you have two or more people involved, but the concern for Route 66 in Illinois has always been the mainstay of our group. Protection of her miles, respect for the life she brought into, around, and out-of towns, and the fact that Route 66 represents to the world a freedom to adapt and grow and build a life and community out of nothing.

One of the greatest benefits of being the president of this Association is that people share with me their stories of how they went out and found the road on their own. How people just wandered, got off the regular road and followed the old road. How they stopped and talked to the “old folk” and recorded their stories of 66’s heyday. It is my hope and wish that 66 never stops having a “heyday” that each generation will develop their own stories and history along the road. The road is a living entity – and even those who start off exclaiming that 66 “road huggers” are nuts often become the most adamant 66 supporters.

So bundle up and stay warm. Do all those “honey do” lists during the winter so that come spring, you are free to wander down the two lane. As you clean out your attics or crawl spaces, remember the stories that go with your “stuff.” Remember the good, acknowledge and let go of the bad. Yes, there is always some place you can donate that 1940s toy or record or Dad’s old army uniform. Just ask.

The Missouri Neon Preservation Committee and the Route 66 Association of Illinois applied for and received funds to help Pat Rhea preserve the original Chicken Basket neon sign from outside the restaurant in Willowbrook. We’ll be having a relighting ceremony. Another 72 year old sign saved by the joint cooperation of Missouri and Illinois. This is our third project together.

Come spring, remember the first full weekend in May is the Red Carpet Corridor. Ninety miles of fun and adventure between Joliet and Towanda. The Motor Tour in June. Festivals and fireworks in July. Cookoffs and Blues Fests and Carnivals in August. The International Mother Road Fest in Springfield in September.

There is always time for dinner at the Ariston in Litchfield, to see the neon at the Luna in Mitchell and 24 hour breakfast “and” at the Steak-N-Egger in McCook.

A safe, happy and healthy holiday season to you and yours from the Route 66 Association of Illinois and its Board of Directors. Thank you for your continued support. We are proud to represent you.

See you on the road –
Cathie Stevanovich, President

Sitting in Bob’s bus during the Threshermen’s parade, over 60 people from Portugal and Brazil showed up on motorcycles. The air was thick with smoke and steam from the parading steam engines and the air was full of whistles. Marching bands, sirens, firetrucks, it doesn’t get much better than this on an early fall Sunday. The motorcyclists went wild – they told me they thought the bus was great, the museums fantastic, but they were wowed over the parading steam engines. One of the tour guides remarked that he saw a family that was at least 3 generations sitting on the curb and chairs and laughing together. “Ain’t no Norman Rockwell Painting” I told him, “that’s the real thing.” It was fun to watch the Motorcyclists defer their scheduled takeoff to watch the parade.

Route 66 represents freedom and opportunity all over the world. It is so important that we keep the real 66 available to tourists. To me “66” was about the ability to serve, for some to be an entrepreneur, some it was just a way to create a service business to take care of their families. Since our group formally started in 1989 our Association has been looking out for the road, assisting in Preservation when needed and asked, and taking care of our miles – keeping the bypasses and business 66 areas well marked and driven. We are working toward becoming a National Trail which means we have to acknowledge ALL the good and bad of 66. We are lucky enough to have 3 Association members, Jerry Law, Johnny Miller, and Marty Blitstein who will be representing us on various committees as we work toward this goal. On the national level, we have our “peeps” Bill Thomas (Atlanta, Illinois), Bill Kelly (Springfield, Illinois), and Anne Haacker (Guardian Angel and Springfield, Illinois) working on our behalf. This is not an easy process, but if it ensures that Route 66 will remain as it is and will be under the wing of the federal government when many of us are no longer here to protect her, then that’s what we need to do. My biggest fear has always been the “Branson-ization” of 66. I do not want to see it made into a commercial neon jungle that is generated to create money. Tourism is based on people touring to see the “real” America and eating blue plate specials, drinking soda, visiting old gas stations, museums, and driving the old road. It is interesting to see recent areas that are “acknowledging” their 66 roots yet doing it in such a fashion that its rather blatant that its being done for the money, not the memories. Please continue to support our family owned businesses and service industries along the Mother Road. Where you spend your hard earned money makes a difference.

There will be a Route 66 conference in Bloomington/Normal October 20-23rd. This conference is hosted by the McLean County Museum of History and sponsored by the City of Normal, the City of Bloomington, the 
Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the McLean County Museum of History/Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center, State Farm Bank, and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. There is information available and the list of speakers on their website Route66Milesofpossibility.com.

The Sprague Super Service Center at 305 E. Pine in Normal was recently purchased from Terri Ryburn by the City of Normal to become a Route 66 Welcoming Center. Our Preservation Committee had worked on several projects at this location in the past.

The National Parks Grants 2016 have been announced and The Mill, the Del Rhea Chicken Neon Sign, the Sprague Super Service Center, and The Rialto Theatre Marquee in Joliet have received grants. This year Illinois garnered 4 of the 8 grants. This program will sunset in 2019. If there is something in your community that needs to be saved, contact our Preservation Chairman, John Weiss, or go to the National Parks Route 66 corridor website for more information.

The elections are coming up! If you’ve ever thought about volunteering to represent your county, or to be an at large rep, attend our meeting on October 16th in Pontiac. The Board meeting is at 10, and the General Meeting/Elections are at 1:00 p.m. More details at il66assoc.org.

We have wonderful volunteers who work during the Motor Tours and other events giving their time because they enjoy it. Our Preservation Crew does work for food, but that’s nothing compared to them showing up, rags, brushes, and tools in hand to spend the day doing the maintenance that Preservation demands. During the recent work on “Tall Paul” in Atlanta, crews rotated working in shifts to keep safe because of the intense heat.

Fall is here, winter is coming! We need to enjoy the change of colors and events along the road. There’s the Pumpkin Festival in Girard, October 8th, the Mother Road Festival in Springfield September 24th and 25th, and Octoberfests just about everywhere! Make sure you take a few hours and get out before the snow flies to get that last piece of pie at Doc’s in Girard, have Sunday dinner with friends at the Old Route 66 Family Restaurant in Dwight, or just enjoy an amazing autumn sunset as you wind around the old road’s curves and bypasses. Don’t forget to take one of the less traveled alignments once in a while. Old road needs some tire love too.

We have so many amazing people in our Association that never get mentioned or acknowledged. In our Winter issue we will be presenting stories of members whose time, commitment, and help made it possible for us to be the Route 66 community we are today.

See you on the road –
Cathie Stevanovich

It’s almost Spring… or some kind of season. All I know is we’re pretty close to tourist season and we’ve had a lot of visitors through the museum on the pleasant weekends. It’s nice to see that people want to get out on the road and we’ve had many local visits to our Hall of Fame and Museum in preparation for future adventures. Staycations are fun!

It’s Preservation time! Time to scrape and paint and maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! Preservation Committee Chairman, John Weiss. hosted a meeting and talked about upcoming projects, including the Annual Clean-Up Day at Odell Station and Museum Clean-Up Day and Bus Repair in Pontiac. Future events will freshen up “Tall Paul” in Atlanta. Come out and play with us! No skills needed except for the ability to laugh and wash windows and dust! Remember we “work for food” and you will eat well at our Preservation Workdays. Check the Facebook and Website for more information.

Red Carpet Corridor is fast approaching! This is the 10th Anniversary of the Red Carpet, which unites Route 66 communities from Joliet to Towanda! Ninety miles of fun! Ninety miles of events! Don’t forget to stop in all the communities and collect this year’s memento – a printed license plate card for each community.

Our Motor Tour plans are shoring up – this year’s theme is Alive and Kickin’ – and we will be traveling from south to north incorporating our stops and supporting the Blue Carpet Corridor once again. We are looking forward to the Tour and to the Hall of Fame banquet and program at the Magnuson’s in Raymond, Illinois (just outside Carlinville). We had a great stay there last time and we look forward to another great banquet. We will be inducting two new Hall of Fame members at our dinner.

“The Road Ahead” continues to evolve – there have been additional meetings and work done as we make progress towards making Route 66 a National Trail. Our Association will remain – as will the other eight state associations. There will be committees taking on the work needed to make Route 66 fit the criteria for the government program.

Our 66 communities continue to proudly discover and promote their 66 roots. It’s wonderful to see assistance and volunteers from communities along the road on our Association board as well as on the Motor Tour committee. We are, as members, dedicated to helping maintain and support all the communities along Illinois’ 400 miles.

At a recent Hall of Fame meeting, a committee was formed to follow up on our IDOT signs. Unfortunately many signs are cut down and taken as “souveniers.” Illinois has many financial problems and sign loss should not be one of them but it is! It is very important that we keep our signage correct and will continue to do so. One of the compliments we get in Illinois is that our roads are marked. We just need to make sure that they are marked correctly.

Sometimes when we’re out cruising, we need to remember to stop and look around. Many communities are developing new small businesses and museums. We held a recent meeting in Atlanta and were really surprised and enjoyed the Atlanta museum’s displays. There is going to be a new museum in Mount Olive regarding Mother Jones and mining. The Gillespie Coal Mine Museum is open in its permanent space. The small gas station from Bill Shea’s has been moved to a restaurant as a permanent display in Springfield.

There are plans for new additions to many of our small communities as they begin working on their 66 stories. Tourism is education and economic opportunity but it needs to be genuine. Our stories are important to tell – and as part of developing our National Trail, not all our stories are pretty. Route 66 was born of necessity for the country to be able to transport food, medicine, clothing, etc. cross country. Trucks were literally bumper to bumper at one time on our Mother Road. The businesses that flourished along the road were
service based industries, and this period of growth was fueled by the flow of people on trains, buses, and cars. Imagine at one time in the quiet city of Atlanta, thousands of people moved cross country through the bus stop there. During the state fair every year, cars were backed up from Springfield to Broadwell – which brought great business to Ernie Edward’s Pig Hip Restaurant. Bypassing the interstate and going off 66 into the communities gives us a chance to step back in time and see the growth in these communities.

So dust off the picnic baskets, get out your sunglasses, it’s time to cruise. Take the snow shovel out of the trunk and the ice melt can go back on the garage shelf. It’s open up the windows and turn up the radio and get out the map and plan day-trip time!

Join us for our Association meeting on April 17th in Springfield. Join us for the 10th Annual Red Carpet Corridor May 7th and 8th. Join us at the Annual Motor Tour June 10th, 11th, and 12th. Come down and join us any Saturday at our Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac!

The Illiana Toll Road is shelved for now, and so our 66 miles between Joliet and Wilmington will remain as-is. The High Speed train work will be impacting some of the 66 communities as the new rails and railbeds are put into place. Remember in Illinois we have 5 seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Construction.

The reality is we’re all busier than we’ve ever been. There is more “stuff” than time. My wish for you is to carve out a few moments and give yourself the gift of time to enjoy. Whether it’s a cup of coffee and some Milkduds at Mitchell’s, or a Maid Rite in Springfield, or a cold beer watching the sunset at DeCamp Junction, take a deep breath and enjoy. You’re not wasting time cruising 66 – your investing in the Mother Road’s economic viability.

Looking forward to seeing you on the road!
Cathie Stevanovich

As I start my end of the year letter, I am reminded of all the people who have come in and out of my life this year, including hundreds of emails from fans of 66, companies, members, soon-to-be Route 66 roadies… We all have much to be thankful for and so I will start my final 2015 President’s message with a H-U-G-E thank you to the most amazing Route 66 community. I am happy, excited and proud to be part of the fabric of this amazing road!

I am grateful for my Route 66 Association of Illinois Board of Directors and Committee, for the 91 communities along Route 66 in Illinois that take care of their share of the road, and for the many groups such as the Red Carpet Corridor and the Blue Carpet Corridor that are joining together to help each other through these tough economic times. What better way to share your history, passion and the story of your community than by hosting a festival? It’s hard work by everyone year ’round that makes those two day weekends amazing, fun and seemingly effortless. The key word is “seemingly.”

There will certainly be changes on the Mother Road in 2016. Not only are there jobs scheduled and high speed rail intersection changes that will be started, but there will be changes in what Route 66 communities have money for. There is still no set budget in Springfield. Washington has a fair share of new Congressmen and Senators who will be looking at cutting funding to special interest groups and I am sure that means any Route 66 preservation projects will be looked at very carefully.

The “Road Ahead” committee that formed in 2013 is moving ahead carefully to incorporate the ideas shared by 66ers in all eight states during a fact-finding road trip. The week-long trip included Bill Thomas, Chairman, (Atlanta, Illinois), Aaron Mahr, Superintendent of the NPS National Trails Region, Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager, NPS Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, and John Conoboy “brainstorming” with over 300 “66” people representing such interests as business, economic development and tourism. The eclectic mix was handled with grace and wisdom by members of the Steering Committee.

We lost Bill Shea’s museum, but many bits and pieces of it have made their way to new places, and other parts will be relocated to a new site in Springfield. Our museum in Pontiac, the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, was gifted the “pole sign” that stood in Shea’s. Next time you see Roamin’ Rich, tell him, Thank you!” We are grateful for this wonderful “sign of our times.”

Before weathermen decided they could call the winters mild or strong, warm or cold, we had “winter.” We didn’t know about air circulation patterns, or artic air, we just knew “winter.” Grey skies mean snow, ice, or both; clear skies meant a nice day that could be cold. When it was pitch black outside at 4 p.m because of the end of daylight savings time, the world always seemed colder and the winds bitter. The stars on those nights seemed so bright; but as beautiful as it could be, my thoughts were/are always “one day closer to spring.”

So let’s think spring: Museum deep-cleaning and Preservation Workdays! Odell Station always needs a work day before the new tourist season opens! Preservation workdays will be listed on our website. Remember we work for food and the food is always plentiful!

Red Carpet Corridor is the first weekend in May – this year it’s May 6th! The 90 miles of fun, adventure and history continues to grow each year!

Motor Tour planning is underway. This year’s tour, always the second full weekend of June, (June 10, 11th and 12th this year) is south to north so we will be taking in some Saturday events of the second annual Blue Carpet Corridor event. Our overnight for our Hall of Program and Banquet will be in Carlinville. We’re also working on some NEW and exciting Sunday events!

Pontiac, our home base and sponsor city, has opened a theatre/conference center and will be breaking ground for a new Hampton Inn Hotel!

We will be working on our website and with our 66 communities to revamp and renew our internet presence over the next few months. We are proud of our newsletter and of our authors who submit their work. Photos and articles are always welcome – contact our editor, Gina Blitstein. If you want to volunteer some time at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, let John Wille know. Volunteers are needed during winter hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays to help meet and greet visitors.

A special thank you to Jim Jones for coordinating and fine tuning our glossy brochure. We were able to print 78,000! Thanks to John Weiss for going out and preselling them, and then delivering them to many communities as well. Thanks to Ike Widner for his assistance also. We have one of the finest promotional maps, highlighting all that is along our 66 miles!

I would like to end my letter with a request: Take time out of your day and just sit and take a deep breath. We’re all so busy we forget to give ourselves a moment or two. Enjoy this holiday season remembering that its family and friends and people and places that make our lives rich and build our memories. We really do have so much to be thankful for.

On behalf of the Route 66 Association of Illinois Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, I wish each and everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. Thank you for helping us with your memberships, donations and your volunteer hours to take care of our 400 Mother Road miles in Illinois. Thank you for helping us spread the joy and story of the spirit of service that is Route 66. On this cold December evening, I tip my cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows) in your honor. Happy Holidays!

Cathie Stevanovich, President

It happened yesterday. A brown and gold leaf drifted down into my car as I drove to talk to someone about our new glossy brochure. Fall is coming. I’m not ready, and there were so many things yet to do. It’s said we will have a mild winter…. but it’s time to get out and play NOW! Gas prices are amazing!

What a busy summer! The Miners, Mobsters, and The Mother Road” Motor Tour went well. We had a great time rediscovering our southern counties and look forward to next year’s tour where we’re going to be going south to north so we can take full advantage of the Blue Carpet Corridor. There have been car shows, flea markets, festivals all along the road. Upcoming is the Bassett Waddle (personal favorite), the GTO festival in Pontiac, and the Mother Road festival in Springfield at the end of September. Mix in all the fall festivals and pumpkin chunkin’ and the October Edwardsville festival and you come to see every weekend can be jam packed.

There is change on the road, many businesses are for sale looking for new historically conscious buyers (my hope). We had many more visitors from China this year than ever before, and our local “staycation” population continues to grow. We’ve had more volunteers at the Museum this year which helps as we’ve had some pretty full weekends between car clubs and tour buses. I’ve already got dozens of contacts regarding next year – so Route 66 is not a “has been.” It’s a bright and shiny wonderful place that continues to inspire. Our Illinois miles are looking better than ever because more communities along the route are recognizing its value. As long as we keep our miles genuine, we will continue to prosper due to tourism. I’m sure the Gray Family with their service station or the Benedict Family gas stations in McLean never thought about economic development and tourism when they were busy pumping gas and washing car windows. It was all about service and respect.

Elections are coming up in October and will be held at the Pontiac City Hall, 115 W. Howard Street, in Pontiac, Illinois. The elections are held at the General Meeting which starts at 1 PM. We need representation for the entire road in Illinois. If you’re interested please let one of our board members know or come to a meeting!

Right now, the Illiana is in a holding position, supposedly it’s “dead” however there have been articles that Springfield is negotiating deals for those businesses that would be involved “if” it were built. Our state is in bad financial health so we’re hoping that this road, which will impact Route 66/IL 53 and the cities of Elwood and Wilmington, will continue to be sidelined. The truck traffic continues to be a concern for the city of Elwood, however having the world’s largest inland “port” or “hub” in your backyard brings problems. Route 53/IL 66 has had much repair work between Joliet and Wilmington and there continues to be controversy. Our concern is tourist safety – we don’t want people getting on I-55 and missing communities because of the trucks or condition of the road.

Our Hall of Fame Committee has been working hard on clarifying and rewriting The Hall of Fame Nomination form. Kudos to John Wille, Dave Sullivan, Debbie Bates, Emmy Bates and the other committee members for their excellent feedback and making the nomination process outline easy to follow. This is nomination time, so if you have someone/ something you feel should be honored in our Hall of Fame, please do so. Nominations must be in by December 31st, 2015 for the Class of 2016.

We continue to work toward a cover for the bus. Electric has been brought out to the bus and a voicebox will be installed to tell Bob Waldmire’s story in part with his own voice. New display cases are ordered so we can present more of our 66 collection in the museum. John Wille has been a great asset to our organization personally and in his position as curator of our fine museum.

A quiet, hard-working member of our group is the Membership/Treasurer position which requires countless hours of computer time following up with members, new members, businesses, and working to promote the benefits of membership in our organization. Marty Blitstein, who has been our Membership Chairman (13 years)/Treasurer (17 years) continues to work hard to keep our numbers strong, our bills paid, and make Bob’s bus fundraising through the sale of the Waldmire T-shirts highly successful. Marty’s the voice you hear when asking about your lost newsletter, or asking for t-shirts, or placing an ad in the newsletter.

Jim Jones has been serving as our Tour Director and is the chief architect of our amazing glossy brochure. We appreciate his hours at the museum and in working with us on the upcoming free map our Association is known for.

So take an hour and hit the road before the snow flies. Make the trip to some place old, look for something new, and enjoy the lower gas prices! A meal shared makes it so much better! Try an open face hot beef sandwich at the Ariston or peach pie at the Log Cabin or breakfast at Lou Mitchells. Road tripping is truly soul food on so many levels.

Thank you all for your participation and support this past year. Your membership makes so much possible – preservation projects, education as in our glossy maps, website, Facebook, our fantastic newsletter and ever- changing museum. We continue to be strong as an organization because of you, our members.

See you on the road!

Cathie Stevanovich

Spring. We almost forgot what it looked like, felt like, the seasons have been so smushed together. It technically became summer the other day, but for now, warm in the daytime and cool at night is just fine. It’s time to get out on the old two lane, and traveler beware – this year there are some huge potholes on the Mother Road. Be careful! Until Illinois’ 5th season (construction) kicks in, be on the lookout.

This year’s 2015 Hall of Fame includes Steve’s Restaurant, Chenoa, and The Tropics Dining Room and Lounge, Lincoln. Both were significant hubs of their communities, and many relationships came to be because of jobs or going to these fine dining establishments. Movie Stars and ordinary folk sat side by side in these extraordinary places. Steve’s was known for big portions and the best steak between Chicago and St. Louis. The Tropics was famous for their smorgasboard, which featured “themed” weeknight specials. It was a time of growth – the country was prospering, businesses sprang up and did well because they were run by hard-working people who did their job well and enjoyed what they were doing. There was mutual respect. Big Band sound was in the air and Rock-n-Roll was an infant. $3.99 could buy you soup, salad, dinner, and dessert. At our Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday night, June 13th, come hear Tami Goodrich and Chenoa historian Carolyn Parry tell stories.Stories are always better from the people who lived and worked and were present during these businesses’ “heydays.”

It’s been a whirlwind of activity: Odell work day when we make our signature project ready for the already busy tourist season. The Red Carpet Corridor Weekend featured fun and exciting events. The Preservation Committee helped paint the Ambler-Becker Texaco Station in Dwight. It looks fresh and ready! The Car Show in Odell to raise money in memory of Lenore Weiss raised over $1,000 to donate to the Cancer Support Center in Mokena. Many of us who knew Lenore knew how wonderful the Cancer Support Center was to her and others from our Association. They never, ever ask anyone for a donation. It makes supporting agencies like that meaningful. Thanks to the City of Odell, a big thank you to Craig Parrish for emceeing the event, and a huge thank you to Mr. Beal who not only brought his El Camino to the show, he won the split the pot and donated the entire amount back to the Cancer Support Center.

This year’s motor tour blended into and supported the new Blue Carpet Corridor which
includes communities from Chatham to Collinsville. Nineteen communities along Route 66 have banded together to help each other support the businesses and service industries along Route 66 in the southern part of our state.

We lunched in Girard, and there was a 7’ tall raptor waiting for photo opportunities at the New Mining Museum display in Gillespie. When the “born on” date on your coal is 300,000,000 B.C. it has got to be good! We were excited to help these communities on this first ever endeavor of this size. If you didn’t make this year’s tour, BlueCarpetCorridor.org will give you the info to spend a wonderful day (or two) on these close to home miles. Now we just need the “White” corridor (Normal to Springfield) to get organized and we will have an amazing staycation opportunity for those who never thought to stay home and learn about the miles around them. Sometimes there is no place like home.
This summer there will be a continuing of the meetings started in November 2013 by the World Monument Foundation and National Park Service. There are ample car shows and festivals and opportunities for preservation workdays as well. On the Motor Tour we visited the new Bob Waldmire Experience at the City Hall Shops, as well as the new Abraham Lincoln/Music display. One thing about Pontiac, everything keeps moving and evolving. Remember Saturdays there is a free Trolley from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM that will take you for a tour of the city, the murals, and all of the Museums: Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, the 1940’s Exhibit, the War Museum/Education Center, the Bob Waldmire Experience, the Walldogs Display, the Gilder’s Museum (where the Walldog’s Museum used to be) and the Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum. There will also be some exhibits available at Dong Bai’s Airbrush School. Don’t forget to check the Pontiac.org website for free performances of their new summer play held at the theatre in the park as well as all their car/community events.

We’re doing some rearranging and adding to the display space in our own Hall of Fame & Museum. We’ve got 26 years of events and highlights and Hall of Fame people that we want you to know all about.

Many of our icons are for sale: The Gemini Giant, the Ariston, and now DeCamp Junction. These are treasures that are bits of history suspended in time. Stop and take the time to see them before they are purchased and become “new” 66 places. Nick and Demi Adams (Ariston) have always been strong supporters of our Association, as has Pat and Jim Moultrie and Loran Kovaly (DeCamp Junction).

We have much to do and the summer months stretch ahead of us. The grass and chores can wait an extra day. When was the last time you got to Elkhart? Or Shirley? Or the Whirl- A-Whip in Girard? Let’s have a hot dog at Henry’s Drive-In in Cicero, and gelato at Paisan’s in Berwyn. Let’s do the flea market at Montana Charlie’s and visit the Children’s Garden in Elwood. There is so much to do and its so simple. Yes times are tough, the economy is struggling. Let’s find the magic again for ourselves that brings thousands of tourists from all over the world to our Mother Road. One foot n front of the other, let’s walk slowly and go those places we said we would when we have “time.” It’s time!

Looking forward to seeing you on the road!
Cathie Stevanovich President

Winter is going through its last few hurrahs. Thankfully, most of the winter storms passed over us and although we got our fair share of cold and snow, we muddled through. Spring is coming. Cabin fever? It’s time to get out on the road and look for that tiny speck of green, the budding of the trees, the temperature at 50 which says its time for Sunday drives, auctions, and pie.

We all have a lot of expectations about Route 66. We have ideas of what 66 should be like and how it should be preserved. The group that met with the World Monument Foundation, American Express, and the National Parks Service in November 2013 has evolved into a steering committee. This group will be chaired by Bill Thomas, an avid Route 66 activist from his chosen hometown of Atlanta, Illinois.

Under Bill’s guidance I feel the steering committee will help coordinate an effort across all eight states to help Route 66 Tourism and Economic Development. We all love our Mother Road miles, but the practical side of our two-lane highway love affair is if there aren’t service businesses alongside it, it will once again fade away. The Alliance and National Federation have merged into a new group. There is a third party also that is working to be an outlet for everyone on the road headed up by Jim Hinckley.

I am personally putting my support behind the steering committee that consists of a well-balanced group that represents the entire Mother Road. My personal belief is that Route 66 should become a National Trail. Many of the original people who formed Associations such as the Illinois Association, (started in the late 80’s) are getting “more mature.” We need to look to the future. I believe the status of National Trail will help preserve and protect our miles.

We have our yearly cleanup/fix-up day planned at Odell Station Saturday, April 11. If you’ve never come out and helped out on a workday, come ready to have fun. Tourist Season will be starting soon and we get together and laugh and get a little dirty polishing up our Route 66 gems for the world to see. This will be a record-breaking year as far as International tourism, and “staycations” have doubled the number of families visiting our museums. The City Hall Shops next to the museum have been converted to an extended Wall Dog Museum and display about Bob Waldmire and his life as an artist and 66 promoter. This new display will open to the public on Red Carpet Corridor Weekend, May 2nd and 3rd.

With spring comes car shows and festivals and fun. With current gas prices almost making it fun to fill the tank again, I encourage everyone to get out on the road and help support our business members along 66. It’s Maple Sirup time again in Funks Grove. The Rest Stop along I-55 (Funks Grove Rest Stop) is once again open (after 2 years) and John Weiss and his Preservation Work Crew has gone in and cleaned and freshened our display there. The City of Wilmington is starting up Flea Markets on the first Saturday of each month – the “inaugural” is April 4th from 9 to 4 PM on North Water Street! Remember that the 90 Miles of Fun from Joliet to Towanda on May 1st and 2nd (Red Carpet Corridor) will include BBQ contests, car shows, flea markets, garage sales, fun food, and this year’s collectable will be a “wooden nickel.”

We have a new Governor and we don’t know how the state of Illinois will be focused or refocused. All we can hope for is that the Governor sees how important Route 66 is to all of Illinois and keeps Illinois tourism funded to help make our visitor’s trips all they can be.
We’ve lost a few great supporters of the road, Scott Cameron (Route 66 Sodas), and Gary Turner (Gay Parita). These 2 gentlemen were gracious and always took the time to talk with travelers. They will be missed.

There are bridges to save, gas stations to scrape and paint, car shows to raise money for cancer research, and more so check our website often. Starting March 15th we will be posting dates for future events along the road.

The Motor Tour weekend is June 12, 13, and 14th and the theme is “Miners, Mobsters, and the Mother Road.” We will be traveling North to South starting with Friday night registration in Hodgkins. Saturday stops include Berwyn in the morning and overnight in Lincoln. Sunday brings the opportunity to support the new “Blue Carpet Corridor” from Chatham to Edwardsville with a special stop in Gillespie to see their new Mining Museum displays. We will end the tour with a drive over the Chain of Rock Bridge from the Illinois side to the Missouri side at 6;00 PM.

Better, sunnier, warmer days are coming! Thank you for your continued support!!

Looking forward to seeing you on the road!!!

Cathie Stevanovich