Kingman to dedicate new Route 66 drive-through sign on July 24

Prompted by popular demand during the Arizona Route 66 Fun Run, a Route 66 drive-through sign will be dedicated near the Powerhouse Visitors Center in Kingman, Arizona, on the evening of July 24.

A temporary drive-through “Historic Route 66” shield had been erected each year during the Fun Run at the end of the three-day cruise. That shield never was designed to be a permanent installation.

According to a news release from Josh Noble of the Kingman Office of Tourism, the office and Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona commissioned a permanent Route 66 drive-through sign.

Legacy Signs was selected to build the new landmark early 2021, construction and preparation began in short order. The new Drive-Thru shield is nearing completion and soon to be permanently installed near the Powerhouse, home of the Kingman Visitor Center and Arizona Route 66 Museum. Engineered to withstand high gusty winds, the new sign will provide the ever-present opportunity for travelers and road trippers to stop in Kingman and commemorate their time on the Mother Road. 
The dedication ceremony will be held on National Drive-Thru Day, Saturday, July 24, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will be celebrated with music and a car show hosted in the Powerhouse parking lot. The car show will be capped at 66 cars, first-come-first-serve, all car show entrees must be a classic or custom from 1991 or earlier and must pre-register to participate. Registration is free and can be made over the phone, by email, or in person at the Kingman Visitor Center.
The evening event will wrap up with the inaugural lighting and first pass under the bright neon lights at sunset, approximately 7:45 pm. Car show participants will follow in procession, driving under the shield directly following the inaugural lighting. All are welcome to witness the momentous occasion; public parking is available nearby on Beale Street adjacent to Locomotive Park.

The drive-through sign is reminiscent of the one built by the town of Grants, New Mexico, in 2016.

(Artist’s rendering of the planned Route 66 drive-through sign in Kingman, Arizona)