Route 66 Road Fest Celebrates Rich History Of Highway

People across the country are celebrating Route 66 this weekend at the inaugural Route 66 Road Festival.

Visitors can walk through exhibits representing each decade of history on the route from the 1920s to the present day.

Fans of Route 66 spent the day remembering American history.

Some visitors said the exhibits take them right back.

“From the 50s maybe, the 50s and 60s, this area in particular kind of reminds me of when I was a kid, vacation, as a kid,” said Brian Haney, who visited from Wichita, KS.

Many have traveled the route, or portions of it, and were excited to celebrate it.

“It’s a just a nice history lesson on the Route 66 highway,” said Michael King, a visitor. “I’ve traveled a lot of it from Santa Monica all the way out to here and up through Chicago, so I’ve seen a lot of places here that I have actually been.”

Organizers said the exhibits not only represent the different decades on the route, but also American society.

“Route 66 is one of these things, I mean, it draws people from all over the world, it’s really kind of incredible,” said Wade Bray, the curator of the exhibits. “I think that it sort of defines Americana what we consider Americana now, is the roadside attractions, and the motels, and the drive-ins, all of that stuff came to light on the route over the years.”

 People said they are glad the Route, and its memory, have stayed alive today.

“We live like two blocks off Route 66, and we’re really loving all the diners and all the little things as it’s coming back to life, it’s really awesome to see,” said Marc Carlson, who recently moved to Tulsa.

Organizers said they hope to hold this event each year until the hundredth birthday in 2026.

For more information about the festival, click here.