Route 66 walk of fame. Wouldn’t that be a great Route 66 centennial project? It would be of benefit to the Route 66 community for years to come and an evolving attraction.

I know of numerous projects and initiaives funded by the sale of commemorative bricks. But to the best of my knowledge a Route 66 walk of fame is something that is still missing. If I am wrong about this please let me know.

Route 66 Walk of Fame

As the centennial of the highway is fast approaching, this might be an ideal time for a community to lay claim to this attraction. There are remanants of a walk of fame project in Kingman, Arizona.

But today Depot Plaza is a fund raising mechanism for Kingman Main Street. The salvaged bricks from the Route 66 Walk of Fame honoring the people that contributed to the transformation of Route 66 from highway to icon are intermingled with commemorative bricks in Depot Plaza.

Still, I for one am quite grateful that some remnants from the walk of fame were saved for posterity. They are a tangible link to the historic 2014 festival.

As this is the starting point for the narrated self guided historic district walking tour developed by Kingman Main Street, it receives a number of visitors. Still, I can’t help but wonder at what might have been had the walk of fame been developed as envisioned.

The Route 66 walk of fame was just one component of the 2014 International Route 66 Festival in Kingman, Arizona. This endeavor, however, was short lived.

As evisioned, induction into the walk of fame was to be the cornerstone for an annual event celebrating Route 66. But from its inception this endeavor was doomed.

Concept and Abandonment

Counted among the litany of roadblocks and issues for the Route 66 Walk of fame, and the other programs launched with the 2014 festival, was splintered leadership. When linked with a lack of support, the walk of fame as well as the Crossroads of Past & Future Conference quickly withered on the vine.

The conference was conceived as a modern incarnation of the old U.S. Highway 66 Association conventions. A diverse array of speakers including acclaimed author Michael Wallis, Dries Dessels of the Dutch Route 66 Association, and Kaisa Barthuli, National Park Service Route 66 Program Manager provided information about the highway’s past, present, and future.

Fortunately when the city decided not to host a second conference, author Chery Eichar Jett sold the idea to community organizers in Illinois. The annual Route 66 Miles of Possibility Conference is the result. As an historic foot note, the 2024 conference will be held at the historic Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Illinois, site of the first conference. And it should be noted that Jim Hinckely’s America will be in attandance.

The walk of fame initiative survived for just one year. In that short time it generated international media coverage. And it became an attraction of sorts.

Looking Toward The Future

But you can’t put the biscuits back in the donkey once they hit the ground. So, we look toward the future.

If a Route 66 walk of fame was developed who should be included? I have a lenghty list that includes a few folks that were honored with the aborted Kingman project. Michael Wallis and Bob Waldmire come to mind immediately. So do Cyrus Avery, John and Lenore Weiss, Jim Ross, Jerry McClanahan, Rhys and Samantha Martin, Jack and Gladys Cuthbert, and Will Rogers.

The more thought given to the list for inclusion, the longer it becomes. Marian Pavel, developer of the Route 66 Navigation app. Zdenek Jurasek of the Czech Route 66 Association. Wolfgang and Anja Werz. Those are just a handful of inductees that would illustrate the international nature of the Route 66 community.

Who else? Andy Payne? John Woodward? Rich Dinkela and his charming wife? Virgil and Pat Smith of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton?

So, who would you add to the list? And where do you think the Route 66 Walk of Fame should be located? Cyrus Avery Plaza in Tulsa would be an appropriate setting. Maybe in Adrian, Texas as part of an expanded Midpoint Park would be suitable. What are your thoughts?