Officials on Tuesday unveiled a new Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway display during a ceremony at the State of Illinois’ Stratton Office Building in Springfield.
The display is just outside of the offices of state Reps. Tim Butler and Mike Murphy at the Wm. G. Stratton Building at 401 S. Spring St. in Springfield (map here).
The display is on view to the public during the building’s normal hours of operation.
According to a news release from the byway:
The display features thematic sections of the current Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway visitor guide. Over 125 attractions, businesses and tourism partners are represented in the display. Highlights include museums, iconic restaurants, giant statues, breweries, neon signs and downtown districts along Illinois Route 66. Prominently featured is a copy of “The Green Book,” an essential guide for African-American safe travel during the Jim Crow era. Also included is an example of the Illinois Route 66 specialty license plate, which is available for cars, light trucks and motorcycles in the state.
The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and the bipartisan Illinois Route 66 Legislative Caucus have been working to promote the upcoming Illinois Route 66 Centennial celebration in 2026, which millions of visitors worldwide are expected to attend. Several Illinois Route 66 caucus members were in attendance, as well as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who spoke during the presentation.
The display was developed by Ace Sign Co. of Springfield and funded by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, which is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The idea for it came from the now-retired executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, William Kelly. Kelly and the new Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway executive director, Casey Wichmann, also attended the event, along with representatives from several of the byway partners that are featured in the display.
(Image of the display courtesy of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway)
I see self-confessed daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes – whose rocket exploits were reported on various websites – died in his 22 February flight attempt.
Story is coming. I saw it late last night; I wanted more confirmation before running it.
Thanks, Ron. I saw it first on the BBC TV world news here in the UK. One person fewer to buck the boring.