April 28, 2025
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Wilmington’s Route 66 Landing Pad opens Thursday

Now located at South Island Park

By Bob Okon
The Gemini Giant looks out over attendees Saturday during the Gemini Giant Homecoming at Wilmington's South Island Park.

The Gemini Giant looks out over attendees during a Gemini Giant Homecoming at Wilmington's South Island Park. (Tiffany Blanchette)

The Landing Pad, a U.S. Route 66 souvenir shop, will open Thursday in Wilmington.

The Landing Pad is “a Route 66-themed souvenir shop located just steps away from the new home of the world-famous Gemini Giant,” according to a press release from Heritage Corridor Destinations.

The Landing Pad will open in time for the annual Red Carpet Corridor Festival, an annual Illinois event for Route 66 enthusiasts. The festival is Saturday and Sunday when towns along the historic Route 66 highway stage a variety of activities to welcome travelers.

The Landing Pad will be open from noon until 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Mondays through November, according to the release.

Attendees linger to take photos with the Gemini Giant on Saturday during the Gemini Giant Homecoming event at Wilmington's South Island Park.

Attendees lingered to take photos with the Gemini Giant on during a Gemini Giant Homecoming event at Wilmington's South Island Park. (Tiffany Blanchette)

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Landing Pad will be at 11 a.m. on May 22 and will include food, music and other entertainment.

The Launching Pad Drive-in was a longtime, fast food restaurant in Wilmington along Route 66. It featured the Gemini Giant, a 30-foot statue that was one of many fiberglass “Muffler Men” made in the 1960s as advertising props.

The Launching Pad restaurant closed leaving the fate of the Gemini Giant uncertain until it was acquired by the Joliet Area Historical Museum with grant funding in an auction in March 2024.

The statue was saved in a joint effort that included the museum, Heritage Corridor Destination, the city of Wilmington, and the Wilmington Park District.

The Gemini Giant, as seen in 2017 in front of the now-closed Launching Pad Drive-In on Illinois Route 53 in Wilmington, will be resurrected at a new roadside attraction at the entrance to South Island Park, about a half mile west of its original location. The Gemini Giant Homecoming event is set for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., with the official ribbon cutting at 2 p.m.

The Gemini Giant seen when it was outside the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant on Route 53 in Wilmington. (Photo by Tiffany Blanchette)

The Gemini Giant and Landing Pad now are located at the entrance to South Island Park at 201 Bridge St.

“We are excited to be able to meet and welcome all our Route 66 visitors, local and from afar, with a smile and help make their trip as memorable as possible,” Kirsten Van Duyne, executive director of the Wilmington Park District, said in the release.

Greg Peerbolte, chief executive officer of the Joliet Area Historical Museum, said in the release that the museum acquired the statue to “ensure the Gemini Giant was held in the public trust.”

“We fully anticipate benefitting regional economic development, supporting jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors and, most importantly, supporting our region’s small business with visitors from around the world,” Peerbolte said.

Route 66 attracts tourists from around the world and many of them have stopped during their travels for photo opportunities at the Gemini Giant.

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