Surprise wedding at Route 66 Neon Festival

Those who attended the Arcadia Route 66 Neon Fest headquartered last weekend at Jim Ross’ house off old Route 66 near Arcadia, Oklahoma, got a surprise — the wedding of two longtime roadies,officiated by a third longtime roadie.

Ross and Shellee Graham — both who have photographed and researched Route 66 for at least 20 years — were married Friday during the festival, with “Route 66: The Mother Road” author Michael Wallis officiating over the ceremony.

Here’s a video, shot by another Route 66 author, Phyllis Grey:

Ross has several Route 66 books to his credit (including “Route 66 Crossings” and “Oklahoma Route 66”), and he and his cohort Jerry McClanahan have done as much research on unearthing old and obscure alignments of Route 66 as anyone.

Graham, known mostly for her photography, also published a book and co-directed a documentary about the long-gone Coral Court Motel in the St. Louis area.

As for Wallis, he’s probably best-known now as providing the voice of the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in Disney-Pixar’s “Cars” movies. But he probably single-handedly started the resurrection of Route 66 when his 1990 book, “Route 66: The Mother Road,” became a best-seller. What’s not as well-known is Wallis is an ordained minister who’s presided over other weddings over the years.

The festival also featured Ross’ neon-sign collection, live music, neon-bending demonstrations at nearby GlassBoy Studios in Arcadia, a POPS food truck, and a Route 66 film festival at John Hargrove’s Oklahoma County 66.near Arcadia.

More may be seen with Rhys Martin’s photo gallery below:

(Image of Shellee Graham, Michael Wallis and Jim Ross after the wedding ceremony by Phyllis Grey via Facebook)