September 19, 2024
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Will County, nation prepares for Route 66 centennial celebration

Campaign is called Preserve Route 66: Share Your Story

By Bob Okon
An interactive Route 66 sign has been placed outside the Romeoville Athletic and Event Center at 55 Phelps Ave. in Romeoville.

An interactive Route 66 sign seen outside the Romeoville Athletic and Event Center in Romeoville. (Provided by the Village of Romeoville)

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for traveler’s Route 66 stories.

The private nonprofit group has launched a campaign called Preserve Route 66: Share Your Story.

The campaign is “an effort to collect stories about the people and places that make America’s ‘Mother Road’ so special” as the 100th anniversary of Route 66 approaches, the trust said in a news release.

The plan is to collect 2,026 stories from the traveling public in time for the centennial year of 2026.

“These stories will then be used to develop an interactve online map that highlights the quirky roadside attractions, beloved small businesses, family histories, and personal memories that collectively help tell a more complete story of this iconic highway,” according to the release.

The Joliet Route 66 Diner is located on Clinton Street in downtown Joliet. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

The submission site can be found at SavingPlaces.org/Your-Route66-Story.

The trust is seeking personal stories “about a well‐known business or place, a tribute to a business along Route 66 that is operating today or one that is no longer operating,” according to the release. “It does not need to be precisely on the current or former alignment of Route 66.”

Joliet and Will County make up a major part of Route 66, that originates in Chicago and reaches across country to California. Heritage Corridor Destinations, the travel bureau that serves Will, Grundy and other counties, announced this week that is has received a third round of state grants totaling more than $3 million to enhance sites for Route 66 tourists in 2026.

The map created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation will show changes along Route 66 and the range of historic places along the highway, according to the release.

“Together, these memories will help us tell a more complete story of this iconic highway, ensuring that no story, no place, and no memory along Route 66 is left in the shadows,” according to the release.

The National Trust also has a larger Route 66 initiative to preserve sites along the route with grant awards and other assistance.

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