Some folks in the Czech Republic held its first Czech Route 66 Association Convention last weekend.
Yes, you read that right — the Czech Republic. And tickets to the event were sold out weeks in advance.
Here’s a news release about the event (lightly edited for clarity).
More than 150 Route 66 fans from the Czech Republic and Slovakia (bikers, U.S. cars lovers and other Mother Road-loving people) applauded to Mr. Frantisek Sestak, who obtained the first Czech Route 66 Association (CAR66) Award.
The annual CAR66 Award has been established to appreciate the best achievement in Route 66 publicity in the Czech Republic.
To celebrate his 66th birthday in 2007 Frantisek Sestak traveled the entire Route 66 on a bicycle. After his return to the Czech Republic most of the Czech media informed about this heroic trip. […]
Zdenek Jurasek, a president of CAR66, introduced activities and targets of the Association, such as the broadcast of a dedicated internet RADIO 66 (you can listen to it if you click on a “Radio 66 button” at www.r66.cz), release of the first Czech Route 66 calendar for 2009 (this calendar was introduced at the convention – see samples HERE), reconstruction of a Route 66-styled weekend house in Slovakia, etc.
We also discussed the first CAR66 Route 66 trip which starts on April 26 in Chicago (another trips will follow in June and September).
I am sure that the first Czech Route 66 Association Convention was very successful and I hope that this success will improve (the) popularity of Route 66 in our country.
And here’s a videotaped message to the convention-goers from David Knudson of the National Historic Route 66 Federation, Tommy Pike of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, Rich Henry of Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, Ill., Paul Taylor of Route 66 Magazine and Joe Sonderman of 66Postcards.com. (Sonderman’s voice is overdubbed for some reason.)