Justice was on the initial alignment of SBI 4, which followed the Lone Star Route and Pontiac Trail. IL 4 was later moved across the river to the west, and the eastern routing of IL 4 then became IL 4A. Before that happened, US 66 followed the original route from its inception in 1926 to roughly 1927/28, as the western route was not yet completed, with a portion west of Lyons still unpaved. The newer route of IL 4 was straighter and less populated at the time, resulting in the eventual bypass of IL 4A.

Visit the Summit website.

Justice was on the initial alignment of SBI 4, which followed the Lone Star Route. IL 4 was later moved across the river to the west, and the eastern routing of IL 4 then became IL 4A. Before that happened, US 66 followed the original route from its inception in 1926 to roughly 1927/28, as the western route was not yet completed, with a portion west of Lyons still unpaved. The newer route of IL 4 was straighter and less populated at the time, resulting in the eventual bypass of IL 4A.

Visit the Justice website.

Come join us for our Motor Tour Committee meeting. We’ll be finalizing plans and putting together volunteers.

We’ll also be looking for ideas for Red Carpet 2025 and for the uppcoming Centennial of the Route. Volunteers will be needed for these and other future events!

Drinks and snacks will be available.

Following the meeting will be the Preservation Committee meeting down the street at the Old Route 66 Family Restaurant.

The Association announces several changes to our membership program. These include our first increases since 2006, which we need to make due to the increasing costs of publishing and postage, both of which have risen significantly in the past 18 years. We also are once again offering international memberships as well.

Physical Memberships

These are the same as the previous type of memberships and include a physical copy of the Associations’s quarterly magazine, The 66 News. Membership fees will increase on March 1, 2025:

• Individual: $30
• Family: $40
• Business/Organization: $66

Digital Memberships

This is new type of membership and reduces the increase for those that are interested in getting their quarterly magazine in a digital format, as opposed to it being mailed. The first digital copy of The 66 News, Winter 2024/2025, is available now in the Member pages of the site, which requires a login to access. This membership type will officially be available March 1, 2025:

• Individual: $25
• Family: $35
• Business/Organization: $55

International Memberships

Due to the costs and problems with reliability of delivery of The 66 News to our international members, we were forced to discontinue that membership type several years ago. However, with the new availability of the digital format, we can once again welcome our international audience back into the fold. These memberships only offer the digital format of The 66 News. This membership type is available now.

• Individual: $35
• Family: $45
• Business/Organization: $70

To enroll in International memberships, please visit the Membership page. Fees must be paid in US funds.

All members receive our quarterly, members-only magazine, The 66 News.

Each membership comes with voting rights; voters must be 18+ and present to vote.

For a Business membership, Name/Address/Phone/Website should be for the business. List your individual name under Contact Person; Email and/or Phone will be for internal contact use. Once you have signed up for your membership, you’ll have an opportunity to build out your Business Member Directory information (photos, etc.).

Illinois members should enter their county as well.

If this membership is a gift, select that option and enter your name as the giver.

All members receive our quarterly, members-only magazine, The 66 News.

Each family membership comes with voting rights for two persons; voters must be 18+ and present to vote.

Name, Address, Email, and Phone should be entered with your information. Illinois members should enter their county as well.

If this membership is a gift, select that option and enter your name as the giver.

All members receive our quarterly, members-only magazine, The 66 News.

Each membership comes with voting rights; voters must be 18+ and present to vote.

Name, Address, Email, and Phone should be entered with your information. Illinois members should enter their county as well.

If this membership is a gift, select that option and enter your name as the giver.

Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center

Here’s to the close of yet another quarter…and a farewell to 2024. We’re that much closer to the centennial!

Along with many others, I was delighted, though chilled, to attend the welcome home for the Gemini Giant. Wilmington had a ribbon cutting ceremony at his new home in South Island Park and the turnout was great, especially considering
the frosty weather. Several dignitaries were in attendance, and entertainment was provided by the Route 66 Band, who managed to put on a great show in spite of what had to be some pretty cold fingers.

Last issue, we shared the news of the passing of Rich Henry and wondered what the status of Henry’s Ra66it Ranch would be. I’m happy to tell you that it is still open, being voluntarily hosted by Bob Caldieraro, a friend of Rich’s. It’s great that this Hall of Fame location is still available for travelers to experience. The outside is available every day, while the inside is open whenever somebody is available. Bob can be contacted at 618.409.6010 if you stop by and nobody’s there (and the time and weather are reasonable). This is a great effort by Bob – if you happen to stop by, give him a big thank you! It’s important to note, however, that live rabbits are no longer on site, as, with Rich’s passing, there is nobody to take care of them properly.

As has been mentioned in the past, we have a new membership system. This new system replaces the one that was in place for years and was well managed by Marty. Unfortunately, after Marty’ss passing it took some time to begin to get everything where we could manage it. This led to many of our members losing track of their memberships, and several have expired. We’ve been attempting to reach everybody, but have fallen somewhat short. If you have not paid your dues recently, please contact us (you can email webadmin@il66assoc.org with the subject “Dues”), or try visiting our website and logging in (https://www.il66assoc.org/member-login). If you haven’t logged in before, you can request a password be sent to you on the same page; if your email address is not recognized, please use the form at the bottom of the page. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to get our new system up and running properly. And, yes, if you prefer, you can always send us a letter: Membership Committee, c/o Route 66 Association of Illinois, 110 W. Howard Street, Pontiac, IL 61764.

Our winter quarterly general meeting will be held in Pontiac at the City Hall Annex (115 W Howard) on January 19, 2025 @ 1:00 pm CDT. All members are invited to attend. We certainly encourage anyone interested to drop in and join in our meeting; we also encourage interest in any of the Association’s committees. Dates, times, and locations for all our quarterly meetings are posted in the Association’s website calendar, as well as in The 66 News. And stay tuned for news regarding the possibility of our meetings being available online!

Again, plans are in the works for our south to north 2025 Motor Tour. Make sure to watch for updates on the Motor Tour via our website under WHAT TO DO.

Of course, planning for the upcoming centennial celebration continues. For more information, please visit our website and click on CENTENNIAL! at the top of the page.

See you out there on the Mother Road!

Dwight M. Cannon, President
Route 66 Association of Illinois

Pontiac is scheduled to be a lunch stop for the 2025 Great Race on June 23. The overnight for that day is scheduled for Springfield.

For more information about the Great Race in general, visit https://www.greatrace.com/.