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 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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