A bunch of Illinois Route 66 volunteers recently gathered at John and Lenore Weiss‘ house in Wilmington to construct new windmill blades for The Mill, a landmark in Lincoln since 1929.
It wasn’t long ago that the shuttered Route 66 restaurant appeared to have a date with the wrecking ball. Now it’s being renovated for eventual use as a tourist center and museum.
Lenore Weiss reported about the volunteer project:
One of the original sails was still intact and could be used as a pattern. […]
John Weiss and Tom Perkins had precut the pieces. The volunteers then joined them together to exactly reproduce new sails identical to the original. The sails then moved on to the painting crew. Soon all four were built and had one coat of paint. While they dried, the group feasted on a huge picnic buffet. It was then time to put on the second coat of paint. In no time the sails were completed. […]
The next phase is scheduled for August 30th. This will be the day that the sails are reinstalled and some additional work will be completed on the front façade. Everyone is invited to help!
All who participated signed their name and left a personal message on the sails. They can’t be seen, but we know they are there!
As far as anyone knows, the windmill blades were always strictly decorative. But, needless to say, they’re crucial for the overall look of the building.
Here are photos at the blade-making session, courtesy of Lenore Weiss:
