The Route 66 Chick

The Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference is back this year with its sixth annual event, to be held virtually Thursday – Sunday, October 21 – 24, 2021. This year's theme is “A Worldwide Celebration of Route 66,” emphasizing the love of Route 66 and its collegiality that is truly an international phenomenon. To that end, this year's slate of speakers and presenters comes to you from across all eight Route 66 states and from locations around the world. Embracing the virtual format, the organizers have created a truly “worldwide” event!  The by-now familiar conference format plus social activities will be followed again this year with a few new twists. The event kicks off with a Thursday evening virtual Happy Hour to meet and greet old and new friends and colleagues from around the globe. Friday and Saturday feature daytime conference sessions, with no need this year to choose from multiple breakout sessions. ROUTE Magazine editor Brennen Matthews will present the keynote speec...

Al Capone and David Clark attracted a crowd of approximately 66 people to the Mill Museum in Lincoln, Illinois, on Saturday, July 13, for a day of events billed as "Capone and Cannoli." Al Capone, the famous mob boss, was the topic of an excellent and entertaining program presented by David Clark. Clark, aka the Windy City Road Warrior, is an expert on Route 66 + Chicago, the city he calls home. And the cannoli? A great Italian-style meal, with cannoli, of course, completed the day's events. L to R David Clark, Geoff Ladd. All photos by Cheryl Eichar Jett. Geoff Ladd, Assistant Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and the driving force behind saving and then reopening the Mill, has been increasingly creative at holding events to support the former restaurant. This one has to top the list, at least so far. Drawing on Clark's expertise and popular programs on Capone, Ladd created an afternoon and evening of events related to the intersection of Capone, Route...

The cast of Aprons Away:  Women's Work on the Mother Road salutes the audience and crew at the end of a performance at the Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center in Pontiac, Illinois, during the June 22-23, 2019, weekend. Photo by Mitchell T. Fransen, courtesy of the City of Pontiac. Aprons Away: Women's Work on the Mother Road , my stage play had its world premiere in a one-act version October 28, 2018, at Blackburn College in Carlinville, as part of the fourth annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference. But the new two-act, theatre-length version with original music and lyrics debuted in Pontiac, Illinois, on June 22-23, enjoying a successful two-day run at the Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center! The performances were sponsored by Pontiac Tourism and the Route 66 Association of Illinois. The Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center in Pontiac, Illinois. Photo by Cheryl Eichar Jett. With the tag line “The most famous highway in the world....

MOP Con III--that's the third annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference for the uninitiated--is now one for the history books. A memorable weekend in Joliet, Illinois, drew attendees from numerous states plus Canada. I salute Debyjo Ericksen, conference organizer, for a fun and informative weekend! As in the first two MOP Cons (Edwardsville 2015 and Bloomington-Normal 2016), the weekend featured historical tours, a variety of presentations, entertainment, and social/dinner get-togethers. On Thursday, October 19, well-known preservationist/author John Weiss led a bus tour from Joliet to Dwight and back. And on Thursday evening, our group met up for hard-hitting rock 'n roll at The Forge in downtown Joliet. The opening band got extra stage time due to the tardiness of the featured band. The Blooze Brothers finally arrived. Although some of the Boomers left to seek out a quieter venue, most stayed for perennial favorites like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"...

With the 2017 Route 66 event season in full swing, my pertussis quarantine over, and an itch to go places in the new van, June proved to be a busy month. Between St. Louis and Chicago, I gave a program, attended a program, went to the Route 66 exhibit at Missouri History Museum twice, drove across the Chain of Rocks Bridge, sold and signed books, and, with my BCC colleagues, produced the third annual Blue Carpet Corridor festival weekend. Here's a brief rundown of my June: June 1 - At Jubelt's  in Litchfield, I met up with Bill Kelly, Executive Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, and Dave Tucker, Vice-President of Blue Carpet Corridor, for hand-off of materials for Blue Carpet Corridor weekend. Lunch was terrific as always at this long-standing cafe-bakery. June 4 - I drove to Greenville to record a podcast for Creekside with Don and Jan at Owl Creek  with the lively and fun Don and Jan Stover. We talked Route 66, the upcoming Blue Carpet Corridor event, and my n...

Hoping that many of you can join us on Saturday, June 10, from Virden to Collinsville for the third annual Blue Carpet Corridor festival celebration! Here's our press release: Blue Carpet Corridor will hold third annual Route 66 event on Saturday, June 10 The Illinois Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor will be celebrating its third annual festival event on Saturday, June 10. From Virden down to Collinsville on several historic alignments of Route 66, twelve communities will be offering car shows, festivals, museum and attraction open hours, children's activities, food, photo ops, and fun. Souvenir Blue Carpet Corridor 2017 passports will be available for free in all the participating communities, and visitors can get a unique stamp in each town. The complete list of passport stops is available at www.bluecarpetcorridor.org . Passport Stop open hours will be from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and many events and attractions will also follow that schedule. Also available on t...

On Saturday, despite all-day rain, several hundred people came out to celebrate the grand reopening of The Mill as a Route 66 museum. Local officials, Illinois state representatives, Route 66 Association of Illinois officers, staff and board members of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, officers and members of the Mill's restoration and preservation group, media, Route 66 enthusiasts, and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner packed the building for the ribbon-cutting and brief speeches. An exterior shot of The Mill shows off its restoration and its four-sail windmill on a rainy Illinois day. The festivities began with a parade of about a dozen vehicles beginning at Kickapoo and Pekin Streets in downtown Lincoln and following an old alignment of Route 66 to the Mill. Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway project manager, former Logan County Tourism Director, and Mill supporter Geoff Ladd led the parade in his vehicle. I drove up to Lincoln from Edwardsville, stopped briefly at the Mill, and...

You may recall that my new (to me) van, Alice, had a previous incarnation as a State Farm mobile office. She came home with me from DeSoto, Missouri, still equipped with a very large ladder rack on the roof and a heavy desk and attached office chair wedged crosswise in the cargo area. So that I could get to work cleaning, measuring, and planning the interior, (and also so that my neighbors could quit wondering about my new hobby of buying white vans with ladder racks), I was anxious to get the equipment off and out of the van. Alice looks spiffier after the rack removal and a trip to the car wash. Steve Rensberry and his son Ben to the rescue! Last week they arrived one evening armed with a step ladder and tool boxes. After ascertaining that the ladder rack was bolted to the rack rails and so could be removed leaving the rails intact (and not needing to plug holes in the roof), father and son went to work. Steve removed the bolts and together on ladders they were able to sli...