Route 66 is turning 100 this year, and small towns up and down the highway are not about to let anyone forget it. A cross-state car caravan, a shot at a world record and a parade that has never once behaved itself are all landing on calendars this year. Somehow, a road nobody strictly needs anymore just talked a whole lot of people into a road trip anyway.
Turns out, celebrating a 100th birthday takes a village of state tourism offices, local Route 66 associations and small-town parade committees. Nobody needed a national organizer. Everybody just showed up anyway.
Social media mentions of Route 66 are up 302%
Online chatter about driving Route 66 jumped 302% this year, more than any other scenic route tracked this summer. And it is not just talk. Rental cars picked up in Chicago, Route 66’s starting point, and returned somewhere along the highway are up 8% year over year between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
Missouri is throwing a bike ride and a movie night
St. Louis got picked as one of five official satellite cities for the highway’s national kickoff, alongside Joliet, Amarillo, Albuquerque and Santa Monica. The plan is a 6.6-mile bike ride through downtown, plus car displays and documentary screenings. St. Louis also gets a shoutout during the kickoff’s national broadcast.
Texas turned the centennial into a road trip of its own
The Old Route 66 Association of Texas is running a three-day motor tour in October, rolling from Texola through Shamrock, McLean, Jericho and Amarillo before ending in Vega. Entry costs $66, on purpose. The route passes through McLean, home to the Devil’s Rope Museum, a barbed wire collection housed in an old brassiere factory.
Tulsa attempted a world record for its car parade
Organizers called it an official world-record attempt for the largest classic car parade in history. Thousands of vintage vehicles rolled 5.5 miles through the city on May 30. Oklahoma City threw its own centennial party that same day, complete with live music and food at Scissortail Park.
Pasadena’s weird parade is getting even weirder this year
Pasadena’s Doo Dah Parade has spent nearly five decades poking fun at the city’s famous Rose Parade, with funny costumes and off-beat music groups standing in for floral floats. This year’s edition, set for late November, is folding a Route 66 tribute into the chaos. It might be the strangest birthday party the highway gets all year.
Closing in on 100 years old, Route 66 clearly is not tired yet. If a road trip has been on the to-do list, this is about as good an excuse as it gets. Pick a state, pick an event and go see what the fuss is about.