The Route 66 Miles of Possibility conference recently announced its speakers for the Oct. 20-23 event at the McLean County Museum of History/Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center and the Ensenberger Building in downtown Bloomington, Illinois.
Last year’s Miles of Possibility in Edwardsville, Illinois, contained a slew of speakers, and this lineup looks no less abundant.
- Cory Jobe, of the Illinois Office of Tourism since early 2015, will tell about leveraging tourism to promote economic development.
- Ellie Alexander, director of tourism for Pontiac, Illinois, will discuss the city’s road to building its tourism by showing a series of timelines and photos.
- Aimee Awanohopay, public lands partnership manager with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, will talk about the organization’s “American Indians and Route 66” project.
- Joel Baker, owner of American Giants, will talk about Muffler Man’s history and economic impact, as well as the fiberglass giants’ recent comeback.
- Daniel Bruce, former executive creative director with the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency, will tellhow to enhance efforts to market and promote a Route 66 community, business or attraction.
- Frank Butterfield, Springfield office director of the nonprofit Landmarks Illinois preservation organization, will discuss how reinvestment and reuse of historic places are central to economic development and revitalization.
- Bill and Jane Diaz, owners of Diaz Sign Art, will discuss the history of advertising art in the U.S. and how the Walldogs made a difference in towns that welcomed public art.
- Robert Dirks, emeritus professor of anthropology at Illinois State University, will explain some ways McLean County’s Route 66 eateries sought to distinguish themselves from the competition and attract customers.
- Herb Eaton will present an artist’s experience in invigorating a town by presenting the worth of the arts and artists by making, exhibiting, performing, selling, or offering an invitation to take part while traveling through or stopping in a community.
- Cindi Fleischli, executive director of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, will discuss creating a “Kicks” on Route 66 brand and marketing techniques for wineries.
- Debby Funk of Funks Grove Maple Sirup will share the history of Funks Grove and sirup making from the 1800s to present and the effect of Route 66.
- Marketing professor Nick Gerlich will explore how to use electronic media to capture the past that lingers in the present by focusing on obscure alignments, buildings and bridges along Route 66.
- Phyllis Chandler Grey will look at the profile of Route 66 tourists through recent research gathered from museums and other venues. It will look at what is being done to encourage road trips by families and educate the youngest generations about the history and value of Route 66.
- Anne Haaker, retired deputy officer for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, will discuss how to work with transportation and economic-development agencies to preserve the Road and its roadside attractions to encourage tourism. She will use brick Route 66 in Auburn, Illinois, as an example.
- Jim Hinckley, author of five Route 66 books, will look at the international appeal of Route 66 and how some communities are harnessing the highway’s renaissance as a catalyst for historic revitalization and economic development.
- Dave Hoekstra, WGN radio weekend host and story finder, will offer a nostalgic road trip down Route 66.
- Cheryl Eichar Jett, author of six books, will check the differences between popular history writing and academic guidelines and ways to draw from both.
- Bill Kemp, librarian for the McLean County Museum of History, will give pointers on caring for everything historic, from photographs to correspondence.
- Ed Klein, a business analyst, will share the ins and outs and how to run a successful business on Route 66: including curbside appearance, branding, marketing, merchandising, pricing and technology.
- Greg Koos, retired executive director of the McLean County Museum of History, will talk about the development of a central Illinois road system from dirt paths to the four-lane Route 66.
- Will Krause, an alderman at Edwardsville, Illinois, and a preservation advocate, will clarify the relationship between heritage tourism and economic development, using case studies.
- Route 66 artist Jerry McClanahan will tell how he preserves or restores the appearance of lost or changed Route 66 icons with his artwork via research.
- Kaleigh Moore, social-media coordinator for the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, will tell how she led projects such as the “Selfies on 66” that engage travelers along the Mother Road in Illinois.
- Frank Norris, historian for the National Park Service in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will discuss the experience of African-American travelers along Route 66 and assess the physical legacy of accommodations that welcomed such motorists.
- Deborah Carr Senger, co-owner of Timeless Presentations in Normal, Illinois, will tell about the Spirits of Bloomington tours, as well as presentations and investigations of historic and haunted Route 66 and Abraham Lincoln sites in the area. She will show how to plan, create, and market a historic ghost walk on Route 66.
- John Weiss will discuss historic preservation efforts he has led since 1993 as chairman of the preservation committee of the Illinois Route 66 Association of Illinois.
Optional activities at the Route 66 Miles of Possibility Conference include a bus tour led by Weiss to Pontiac and Atlanta, a haunted Route 66 tour led by Senger, and the 10th-anniversary showing of the movie “Cars.”
More about the conference may be found here. To register, go here.
(Image from the Route 66 Miles of Possibilities logo. Disclosure: the Miles of Possibility conference is a paid advertiser to Route 66 News.)