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9th Annual Mill Cruise-In Sunday September 13 and other Mill updates
 

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[September 05, 2015]  LINCOLN - The 9th Annual Mill Cruise-In, hosted by the Railsplitter Antique Auto Club, will be a part of a weekend of activities at the historic original 1929 Route 66 attraction located at 738 S. Washington in Lincoln, Illinois on Saturday and Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2015.

The Cruise-In will be on Sunday September 13th from 11am-3pm, with registration proceeds ($5 per vehicle) to once again go to the Mill for restoration efforts. The Railsplitter Antique Auto Club has hosted the event all nine years and has raised over $2500 for the Mill from this annual event. Registration will be the day of the cruise-in as always.

On the day before, Saturday September 12th, will be the final Mill vendor market of the season from 9am-4pm coordinated by Mill member Andrea Dykman of Lincoln Printers and sponsored by D&D Sewer Company. The public is invited to all the weekend activities. Outdoor vendor spaces are available for $10 for the September 12 event (contact Andrea Dykman at 217-735-0294).

Fundraising efforts

In the meantime, Bob Wilmert, president of the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County, has had a great response to his letter to the editor requesting donations to finish the Mill and open it as a Route 66 museum. Wilmert has also been speaking with local organizations and businesses about the economic importance of the Mill restoration project, and his efforts have generated nearly $5000 in new donations, adding to a total of $65,000 in donations and grants to date. These funds have paid for many renovations, including a new roof, all new windows, and restoring the original flooring downstairs. Donations from businesses, organizations and individuals are still needed to complete the project, and those who contribute will be honored on a special display inside the museum. Donations in the form of memorials are also being accepted. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax deductible organization (contact Bob Wilmert at 217-732-8600 for donations or donate online at savethemill.org).

The new funds raised will be used in the next few months for exterior and interior repairs and upgrades, and during that time the inside of the Mill will be closed to the public. The vendor market and cruise-in will all be held on the lawn outside at the Mill.

Tropics Restaurant inducted into Route 66 Hall of Fame

Board members Bob & Barb Wilmert also represented the Mill at this year’s Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Banquet in Lincoln. The Mill is a member of the Hall of Fame along with several other inductees over the years from Logan County, including the Tropics Restaurant, which was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Two members of the Mill team wrote and submitted the nomination for the Tropics Restaurant in January of 2012, while they were employed by the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County, and that nomination was approved earlier this year by the Hall of Fame Committee. Everyone at the Mill offers their congratulations to the Tropics Restaurant and the family members for this distinguished designation.

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Tropics sign

“At the banquet, I had some informal discussions with family members of the Tropics about the possibility of displaying the Tropics sign at the Mill,” said Wilmert. “Our understanding was that some of the family members want it to be displayed indoors, and there simply isn’t a way to do that at the Mill. We support whatever location they end up with here in Lincoln and wish their restoration and relocation efforts all the best.” The sign was featured on display at last year’s Mill Cruise-In, courtesy of the City of Lincoln.

Thank-you for your support!

The Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County would like to thank all the organizations that supplied grants, all the donors, all the supporters and all the volunteers as always, including Larry Van Bibber, The Danner Trust Fund, National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, Logan County Board, Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County, City of Lincoln, The Woods Foundation, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Route 66 Association of Illinois, John Weiss/Preservation Committee, Railsplitter Antique Auto Club, Landmarks Illinois, Lincoln Printers & Sign Design, D & D Sewer of Lincoln/Logan County, Ace Hardware, Casey's General Stores, Eaton Corporation, Sherwin Williams of Lincoln, Lincoln Rotary Club, Contractors Ready-Mix, Regions Bank of Lincoln, Eagles Lodge of Lincoln, all our board members & volunteers, two generous anonymous donors, the media for all your coverage, and all of our individual members & donors!

[Bob Wilmert, The Mill on 66]

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