Hit the Road! – How Far Can You Go?!
Atlanta adds a new Rt. 66 attraction
 

[June 20, 2015]  ATLANTA - As part of its recent Rt. 66 Ribs & Rides car cruise-in and BBQ cook-off held on June 13, Atlanta, Illinois unveiled its newest Rt. 66 tourist attraction, the “Hit the Road!” game. Located next to the Bunyon Giant on Rt. 66 in downtown Atlanta, the game is modeled after the old-fashioned, strongman games found at carnivals and county fairs. The Hit the Road game challenges visitors to Atlanta to see how far they can “travel” on Rt. 66 by swinging a giant mallet that hits a steel weight up along a map of the Mother Road depicting each state and the major cities along the route from Chicago to L.A. The large 7ft wide x 16ft tall map also includes famous Rt. 66 landmarks. Visitors who hit the weight high enough, ring the large bell next to where Los Angeles is located on the map.

The Hit the Road game is the brainchild of the Atlanta Betterment Fund group and is in keeping with Atlanta’s efforts to provide interesting, unique experiences to Rt. 66 travelers. The ABF did not, however, set out to create a new tourist attraction when this project began. The original intent was simply to repair crumbling stucco on the back wall of the brick building next to Atlanta’s famous Bunyon Giant. The group wanted to make sure the photos visitors took of the giant didn’t also include a brick wall in bad need of repair. As discussions progressed, however, it was suggested that more might be done than just fixing the crumbling stucco. Faced with a large, blank wall space, the ABF came up with the idea of creating an experience that would be both interactive and Rt. 66 themed. A local metal fabricator was hired to design and build what is technically called a highstriker game. Members of the ABF then worked with a graphic artist to create the large map that provides the game’s background.

It takes a bit of strength and skill to use the large mallet to propel the steel weight all the way up the map from Chicago to Los Angeles. Since its inauguration less than a week ago, the Hit the Road game has already proven to be very popular, with a number of folks demonstrating they have what it takes to go the distance and ring the bell.

The Atlanta Betterment Fund group was established in 2008 when a group of concerned citizens met to help save their community grocery store, then decided to branch out their efforts to help with other projects designed to improve the economic base of Atlanta.

[Bill Thomas, Atlanta Betterment Fund]