The 100th anniversary year for historic Route 66 has arrived, but the local celebration is still a work in progress.
The schedule of events is hardly set.
But Route 66 enthusiasts should stay tuned for a number of events that are on the verge of announcement.
In the meantime, they can mark their calendars for an extended weekend of April 30 through May 3.
On Thursday, April 30, Joliet joins four other cities along the historic highway that runs from Chicago to California in a kickoff for the 100th Anniversary celebration.
“It’s a notable event,” said Greg Peerbolte, chief executive officer at the Joliet Area Historical Museum. “We’re the only satellite city in the state.”
The five cities, including Joliet, will provide what are considered kickoff events for a season of Route 66 tourism.
On that day, the Joliet Slammers will play an exhibition game at the Old Joliet Prison.
The “Big House Ballgame” will hark back to a history of organized baseball played at the former Joliet Correctional Center while providing Route 66 travelers a ticket into the historic prison.
The museum, which manages the Old Joliet Prison site, has other events planned for its downtown museum, which also is home to a Route 66 Visitors Center.
That “Big House Ballgame” will be followed on May 2 and 3 by the Red Carpet Corridor, an annual event that takes travelers through Illinois communities that put their Route 66 heritage on display.
The Joliet museum is the northern end of the corridor, which also features the Will County communities of Elwood, Wilmington, Braidwood and Godley.
The museum in April also plans to open an exhibit that will be called “The Center of Everything: 100 Years of Shops, Stops and Stays Along Route 66 in Joliet.”
On Sept. 5, the museum will stage a preview of a documentary to be aired on the Public Broadcasting Service called “Route 66: The Main Street of America.”
Peerbolte said the museum is just finalizing plans for these and other Route 66-related events, which is why they have not yet appeared on the museum website.
The museum website does have a “Route 66 Centennial” page that is empty now and should begin listing events soon, Peerbolte said.
Likewise, the city of Joliet plans to begin filling a Route 66 page on the VisitJoliet.com website.
The city encourages organizations and businesses planning Route 66-themed activities to post them on VisitJoliet.com.
“It will be the place where anyone can go to find them,” said Ann Sylvester, the city’s director of cultural affairs and special events. “We’re going to start populating it. We encourage those organizations that are going to have Route 66 events to register them there.”
The city of Joliet is among those yet to post Route 66 events.
Sylvester said the city still is working on events that will be held at the new City Square downtown.
“I can comfortably say that you can expect some Route 66-themed events on City Square – some music and even a movie,” she said.
Route 66-themed events for the coming year include the return of Gigantar, the guitar sculpture that was knocked off of the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 by a summer storm in 2024.
“It’s purposely coming back for the centennial,” Sylvester said.