This year, America’s most famous highway turns 100. The Route 66 milestone will be celebrated throughout the year — from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Here in McLean County, where a stretch of the road winds from Chenoa to McLean, leaders want events and promotions to allow area residents to revel in their pride and connection to the nation’s Mother Road. But those leaders also want to harness the centennial fever into tourism dollars for the region.
“What we expect is that hundreds and thousands, potentially millions, are expected to travel Route 66 this year, and it’s our hope that as many as possible will stop in McLean County,” said Melissa Chrisman, who leads VisitBN, the Bloomington-Normal Area Visitors and Convention Bureau.
“It’s an opportunity 100 years in the making,” she said Tuesday at a Route 66 centennial news conference at the McLean County Museum of History, home to the Cruisin' with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center.
Key events are planned for Illinois’ busy summer travel season, Chrisman said. But it’s a yearlong celebration, she added.
This Saturday, the Bloomington Bison host Route 66 night, with players donning themed jerseys in honor of the centennial. The collector items will be auctioned post-game.
The 18th annual Red Corridor festival in May celebrates Route 66 stops from Joliet to Bloomington.
The main countywide event for the centennial year is June’s two-day “Cruisin’ Through the Century” parties. Seven McLean County towns are featured, each taking on a 20th century decade. Here’s a few: Chenoa in the Roaring ‘20s, Lexington’s ’30s-era lawn picnic complete with big band music, and a Groovy ’60s street party in Bloomington.
Gobs more are sprinkled throughout the year, including the Illinois Symphony Orchestra's centennial-themed performance of "Reverie of the Mother Road," a countywide Route 66-themed scavenger hunt to win prizes, and Heartland Theatre’s annual 10-minute Play Festival taking on “Chicago to Santa Monica in 10 Minutes” as its theme. Bloomington-Normal artists also are hosting a Route 66 Slow Art Day in April. Rader Farms also plans a Route 66 corn maze in the fall, along with other events tied to the 100th anniversary.
Local, state, federal leaders on hand
Tuesday's unveiling of VisitBN and its partners’ centennial schedule featured a panel of local, state and federal leaders: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said he’s proud to have been involved in the decade of bipartisan planning for this year’s celebrations. He said Route 66 holds a special place in his memories, recalling a family road trip along Route 66 all the way to California, back when he was 12.
Durbin told the crowd Tuesday this 100th anniversary of Route 66 is a welcoming event.
“This is a chance for us to show off a lot of things about the history of our state, and nation and this critical roadway. But it’s also an opportunity to introduce people from all around the world to our home, here in Illinois,” he said.
Others speaking Tuesday included Illinois state Sen. Dave Koehler, who represents parts of McLean County. The crowd heard from Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady and Normal Mayor Chris Koos, as well as leaders from smaller McLean County communities including Chenoa’s David Shane, Lexington’s Spencer Johansen, Towanda’s Don Williams, and McLean’s Daniel Biehl.
Johansen recalled growing up in Lexington just a block from Route 66 and hearing the summer traffic from his home. Now, he's eager to share some of the sites the town has to offer, including updated Burma Shave signs.
Brady called this year’s celebration’s “a once in a lifetime moment” for Bloomington.
The highway has played a major role in the development of the county seat, said Brady, calling it “a piece of Americana that still runs right through the heart of who we are.” He noted sites like the history museum, the Miller Park Pavilion, and Casey’s Garden Shop on the route — sites that tell the stories of generations of families, visitors and businesses and memories that helped shape the city, he added.
Koos said Normal also owes much of its growth to historic Route 66.
“Today the town draws thousands of visitors from around the country to explore one-of-a-kind attractions in Normal,” he said, listing several sites such as Sprague’s Super Service gas station, the historic Normal Theater and the Destihl Brewery and Beer Hall.
“Route 66 has always been about bringing people closer together to discover what America is really all about,” he said. “We’re eager to celebrate the Route 66 centennial not just with our friends and neighbors, but with the thousands of international travelers who come to experience the Mother Road in Central Illinois.”
VisitBN’s Chrisman echoed Koos’ point about the international appeal of Route 66.
“You know growing up in Bloomington-Normal and McLean County I think, with Route 66 in our backyard, we forget about that sometimes. And this gives us a chance to really reinvigorate that pride of having that heritage in our communities,” she said.
Visit BN partners with more than 20 organizations for Route 66 year
Normal's White Oak Brewing staff was mingling with the crowd Tuesday. Several staff members brought cans of Hops on 66, the official beer of VisitBN’s yearlong celebration.
“We released it last fall. It was a big hit, and then we collaborated with the the VisitBN team to bring it to the centennial celebration," said Scott Schahrer, one of the business' owners and a brewer himself. The can features Route 66-themed art. "It's just an easy-drinking lager," he added.
Hops on 66 is available in several local restaurants and bars, as well as through some retailers from Pontiac to Springfield, he said.
White Oak Brewing is among more than 20 partner organizations working with VisitBN’s plans Route 66 centennial celebrations. Others include businesses such as Rader Family Farms, municipal governments and state organizations, as well as local and state nonprofits.
One of those nonprofits is The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. The group's executive director, Casey Claypool, said Tuesday that 2026 is a great year to consider getting some collectibles from the organization, including coins, and Route 66 collector license plates.
The 2026 Illinois Route 66 Visitor Guide will be mailed in March, and include lots of information about this special year, said Claypool. One key element is details about this May's Red Carpet Corridor weekend, she said. The nonprofit also is hosting a November conference tied to the centennial in Springfield, she said.
Illinois Office of Tourism's Deputy Director Catie Sheehan praised VisitBN and its partners Tuesday, after listening to fellow speakers outline what's ahead.
"This team in McLean County is showing everyone how to do a centennial celebration the right way," she said.
Sheehan said it's important the Route 66 celebrations in the state make tourists from across the nation and globe feel welcome. But this 100th anniversary also is a clarion call for those who dwell here. She encouraged McLean County residents and other Illinoisans to explore fellow Route 66 communities.
"Route 66 is so much more than a highway," she said. "Get out and see how the Land of Lincoln is honoring the Big 100 for Route 66," she said.
Nearly 100 Illinois communities will be hosting centennial-themed events, Sheehan added, rattling off several including Joliet, Pontiac, Atlanta, Springfield, Edwardsville and Collinsville. The tourism official directed people to the state's Enjoy Illinois website to learn more.
Sheehan also said she expects on Monday to announce some statewide initiatives tied to the Route 66 centennial celebrations.
