The Main Street of America
Screenshot of the Route 66 Experience from Ace Sign Company website.
The Main Street of America is the perfect place to celebrate milestone events. In 2026 there are two events that are worthy a full year of festivities. First, this will be the centennial year of iconic Route 66, a highway branded as the Main Street of America in a 1927 marketing campaign. And I can’t think of a better place to celebrate the semiquincentennial ot the Declaration of Independence signing in 1776.
The Main Street of America
The Route 66 centennial was a primary topic of discussion of the April 28, 2024 episode of Coffee With Jim, the weekly livestream podcast from Jim Hinckley’s America. Considering that the guest was Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
After all, Oklahoma is at the forefront of creating Route 66 centennial initiatives as catalysts for tourism and economic development. The state established a Route 66 centennial commission back in 2019.
Our conversation was wide ranging, but even when discussing the innovative Canadian River Bridge rehabilitation, there was a centennial component. Likewise with the endangered “ribbon road”, a highway engineering oddity.
Coffee With Jim
The podcast was conceived as a platform for sharing fascinating chapters of America’s story. And it was also a means of inspiring road trips. But it was also envisioned as a venue for shining the spotlight on issues that require immediate attention. The podcast with Rhys checked all three boxes.
The “ribbon road” between Miami and Afton, Oklahoma dates to 1922. For reasons unknown, it was built with a width of just nine feet, and wode shoulders. Incredibly, it carried Route 66 traffic for several years. State plans to rehab the old road would destroy its historic integrity.
A reading recommendation from Jim Hinckley’s America about ghost towns along Route 66, including a few along the Main Street of America.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association has launched a petition drive in the hopes of preserving this rarity into the centennial and beyond. Information about the road, the petition, and how to sign it, are on the associations website.
One More From Oklahoma
Since we are talking about Okalhoma, this seems like a good time to pitch a new book. I haven’t had a chance to delve to deep into Here Today by Jeffrey Schmidt. But what I have read leads me to believe that this is a winner. And for fans of the empty places, it will become a road trip companion while traveling in the Sooner State.
In a recent blog post I speculated on why these faded and forgotten towns are so alluring. Like Route 66, the ghost town has an international appeal.
This book doesn’t seem to have speculation about reasons why, just simple histories and fascinating stories. And it has provides detailed directions.
Centennial Notes
To wrap this post up, I have a couple of additional Route 66 centennial notes. First, an update on the centennial anthology.
I am working with Joe Sonderman, Cheryl Eichar Jett, Gregory Hasman, Rhys Martin and Dries Bessels on this exciting project. A few weeks ago it was noted that I was running behind. Well, I am happy to say that things are back on track. So we are going to meet the deadline. Stay tuned for details on the publication date.
In recent weeks several indicators about the growing interest in Route 66 as we draw closer to the centennial have had noticable upticks. The Historic Route 66 group page on Facebook has surpassed 225,000 members. That’s up more than 10,000 people since the first of the year.
The Facebook page for the Route 66 New Mexico Association has also experienced some pretty impressive growth in recent weeks. And this is in spite of an attempt to derail the association.
A key component in the marketing of Route 66, and the centennial, is growth in development of cooperative partnerships within the international Route 66 community. From its inception the idea that the highway was a linear community has played a role in its marketing. In the era of renaissance since the highways decertification, surprisngly, that concept has been slow to catch on with even the staunchest enthusiast. This is another topic Rhys and I touched on during the podcast conversation.
Stay Tuned
So, what is coming down the pike?
Well, the list of engagments for summer and fall is gorwing. Full details are provided here on the website as they become available.
The next episode of In Search of Lost Highways is nearing completion, albeit a full month behind schedule. This popular series is available on the Jim Hinckley’s America YouTube channel.
The second edition of 100 Things To Do On Route 66 Before You Die is now available. It is one part guide book, and one part customizable souvenir. So pick up a copy, take to the road, use it to find the best pie during your adventure, and grab an autograph. Thank you for that idea Sam Fiorella.
I have had to go to Plan B on the creation of an offical Jim Hinckley’s America Route 66 centennial vehicle. That, however, will have to be a subject of discussion in a future blog post.