The Route 66 Chick

Pontiac is a delightful Route 66 town, and I spent the day there last Saturday (June 21) with my co-author, Joe Sonderman. Joyce Harbin Cole hosted us for two book signing sessions at Old City Hall Shoppes. The rooms of Joyce's shop, located in the old City Hall (oddly enough!), are artistically filled with antiques and Route 66 souvenirs and books.  Joyce Harbin Cole's Old City Hall Shoppes. Joyce's photo of a couple authors that showed up that day. We had a two-hour break between morning and afternoon signing sessions and made good use of it. Lunch at Lydia's Cup was excellent. This lavender-painted cafe is clearly the place where locals and travelers gather to eat and get coffee - it was packed. Service was very good and so was the food - a breakfast plate and a horseshoe.  For any of you not familiar with Illinois cuisine, the horseshoe is a large plate of french fries, bread or Texas toast topped with a hamburger patty or other meat, and the entire...

The first official Illinois Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor weekend isn't scheduled until one year from now, the second weekend of June 2015. However, by planning, chance, and coincidence, there is a festival or other event in almost every community in the Blue Carpet Corridor Region this second weekend of June 2014! Some are long-established events, some are new this year, and a number of the communities in Macoupin County on the Route 4/early Route 66 alignment have put together Blue Carpet Corridor "preview" events especially for this weekend. So much enthusiasm is growing in this area right now for tourism and preservation that it just warms this Route 66 tourism advocate's heart. Now I want you to warm the heart of at least one of these communities this weekend if you live anywhere near any of them! Pick one, pick a half-dozen, but visit the Blue Carpet Corridor Region this weekend and see what we all have to offer! Keep in mind that not all events run all ...

On Sunday, Joe Sonderman and I presented our first program for our new book, Route 66 in Illinois, in Edwardsville, Illinois. Madison County Historical Society graciously hosted our first program and book signing at their Archival Library. We had a good crowd who stayed engaged with us through our slightly-long presentation - there are just so many stories we want to share! Special thanks to Mary Westerhold, Research Manager, Cindy Reinhardt for great publicity and handling cashier duties while we signed books, and Steve Rensberry for snapping some photos. Photo by Joe Sonderman. Photo by Steve Rensberry.  Joe's beautiful new hardcover, full-color book, Postcards from Route 66:  The Ultimate Collection from America's Main Street," was also available and on display. Today, Monday, June 9th, is the official release day for Route 66 in Illinois so it is now available for shipment from Amazon. Don't give up on your local book stores as well. In speaking w...