Lipstick on the hog in a pretty dress doesn’t make it the prom queen. Putting up a highway sign with twin sixes in Monument Valley doesn’t make that road Route 66 even though it is a beautiful drive.

There are folks that will try to convince us otherwise. But the decision to buy the lie, and the responsibility for what happens if we do, is ours and ours alone.

Lipstick On The Hog

As we draw closer to Route 66 centennial celebrations in 2026, grifters will be out in droves. They will prosper by tickling the ears with what folks want to hear. But fortunately people with a sincere heart, a passion for the betterment of the Route 66 community, and an infectious enthusiasm will also be out in force.

So, how do you tell the difference between sincerity and faked sincerity? Discernment. Homework.

Remember, ignorance is curable. However, there is no cure for stupidity. There is no shame in being suckered by a grifter. But letting pride keep you from admitting that you were a mark, and as a result, being suckered a second and third time, is damned pitiful.

Simply put, I don’t claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. If you hit me in the head with a 2×4 and tell me it was an accident, I might believe you. But on the third, fourth or fifth hit, a person should start getting suspicious. Accepting the first incident can be attributed to ignorancce. The third, fourth and fifth time, well, there is not a damned thing you can do for stupid.

What?

So, what does this have to do with Route 66, road trips, or Jim Hinckley’s America? Well, quite a bit actually.

In one way or another I have been involved with the Route 66 renaissance movement since the mid 1990s. But most of what I have accomplished was built on the foundation laid by pioneers such as Michael Wallis, Jim Ross, Jerry McClanahan, Bob Waldmire, and John Weiss.

I have witnessed a lot of fast buck artists looking to profit from Route 66. And I have been privileged to know as well as work with people that passionately pour themselves into preservation, promotion, community development initiatives.

But in recent months there has been a marked uptick in both camps. Tragically there has also been a noticable rise in the number of people that blindly follow. They don’t seem to have discernment, and for reasons unknown, don’t seem to have interest in doing the least bit of homework. It reminds me of an old political cartoon about smallpox and the related vaccine.

To The Centennial and Beyond

Route 66 is truly a linear community. It is America’s longest small town. And it is international in nature. I believe that this community will be strengthened by the centennial.

For the foreseeable future it will serve as a catalyst for economic development and historic district revitalization, and be a haven for the ambitious entrepreneur. But it’s popularity will make it a magnet for the unscrupulous.

So, my friends, be careful out there. And take care of your neighbors. Ignorance only provides the illussion of bliss.

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