Nearly 10,000 people attended the two-day AAA Route 66 Road Fest at Expo Square in Tulsa last month.
That’s according to Richard Stephens Jr. and Oklahoma Route 66 Association President Rhys Martin, who filed a report on the association’s website.
All told, it featured 218 vehicles in the car show, seven decades of Route 66 history, 100 vendors, eight engaging speakers, lots of kid’s activities, a sizable Route 66 community and, very importantly, 10,000 engaged visitors according to AAA Oklahoma’s Vice-President Jared Peterson.
Beautifully painted, cleaned, shined, and waxed vehicles were displayed on the lower floor of the two-story, 354,000 square-foot Expo Center, ranging from as old as a 1913 Ford Model T and as new as a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette – 110 years worth of motorized progress. Ninety-one awards were given to owners in twenty-nine classes of vehicles (Top 3 in each class).
Road Fest continued on the upper floor. Visitors peered into Route 66 history in seven interactive exhibits, each representing decades or eras of the road from the 1920s to the 1980s and today. “The Green Book” module explained why segregation prompted Victor Hugo Green to write a travel book listing businesses African-American travelers could use on road trips.
Visitors came from as far away as Arizona. Route 66 associations from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arizona, California and Japan as well as several city entities attended.
Peterson said the festival attracted more attendees and car-show entries than the previous year.
Peterson said another festival would be held in 2025, but no date had been posted.
(Image from the 2024 AAA Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa via Facebook)