In the fall of 1926, U.S. 60 was resigned with the designation U.S. 66. The following spring the U.S. Highway 66 Association was formed and a marketing campaign to brand the highway as the Main Street of America commenced. The rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward nine decades. Route 66 is now an icon with a legion of international fans. A case could easily be made that this is the most famous highway in the world. So, it is not surprising that the year 2016 is shaping up to be an almost 12 month, 2,300 mile block party.
In Kingman, Arizona, the celebrations kick off on January 16. I am quite honored to lend my services as the main attraction for the event that will launch the Route 66 Association of Kingman’s 66 Celebrates 90 initiative.
Press Release Contact: Jamie S. Taylor; JuST Marketing; 928/530-2056
Jim Hinckley Presents: “An Armchair Tour Along Route 66”
December 2, 2015 (Kingman, AZ) On Saturday, January 16th 2016, Jim Hinckley, world renowned author, in conjunction with the Route 66 Association of Kingman, will do a presentation entitled “An Armchair Tour Along Route 66 – the Main Street of America!” The event will take place at Beale Celebrations, 201 N 4th Street starting at 5pm.
Tickets for the event are $25 and include dinner provided by downtown Kingman restaurants. Stetson Winery will be selling their “Route 66” wine as well. A raffle and silent auction will take place and the event will end with an informal walking tour of downtown Kingman visiting the local pubs, breweries and wine bars.
Donations – either a cash sponsorship or an auction item to help insure the success of the program are welcome. All donations are tax deductible through the Route 66 Association of Kingman 501(c)3. Your company will be recognized in the program and announced throughout the evening.
Funds raised from the event will go towards the Route 66 Association’s Neon Sign Project for downtown Kingman. The project is also part of the Celebrate 90 initiative that is coordinating events in 2016 to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of Route 66.
Seating for the “Armchair Tour” is limited. Contact Jamie Taylor, JuST Marketing at 928/530-2056 for tickets.
The center piece of this initiative, at least as far as events go, is to provide marketing, promotional, and developmental assistance to the organizers of Chillin’ on Beale. This delightfully old fashioned event that blends cruising, friends, food, and music takes place on the third Saturday evening of every month, April through October.
They will provide similar support to the organizers of Best of the West on 66, a festival that includes the Route 66 Walk of Fame induction ceremony. This year the plan is to also include the official lighting of some restored neon signs.
There are going to be an array of festivals and special events next year all along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. There will even be a major event in Germany, the first European Route 66 festival.
Here in the states, the big event will be the international 90th anniversary festival at the highways original western terminus in Los Angeles. Adding to the excitement is the fact that this is in the cities historic theater district, an area that is experiencing dramatic revitalization.
Linked with this is a proposed self guided tour from Chicago to the festival in Los Angeles that is under development by Open Road Productions. The tour will also be a celebration of 90 years of automotive evolution, and it will include special events along the way. For more information about the tour or sponsorship opportunities, contact Rick Thomas at Open Road Productions.
Another historic milestone will be structural completion for the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative. This will be the first representative organization to provide service to the Route 66 community since the demise of the U.S. Highway 66 Association decades ago.
On a more personal note, 2016 is shaping up to be quite interesting. However, it will take a great deal to surpass the adventures of 2015 that included our first European venture and the generosity of friends who provided a grand tour of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Our plans for next year include the festival in Germany and Los Angeles, providing further assistance to Ramada Kingman that is developing as the cities only Route 66 Resort, as well as to Open Road Productions for development of the tour. I will also be lending a hand to the folks in LA as well as Kingman.
There is also pending completion of a new book, and the development of two others, as well as the podcast. So, it doesn’t look as though boredom will be an issue for us in 2016, or for fans of the double six. In fact, it is shaping up to be a year filled with the most exciting adventures.
