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 Guests began arriving before noon, anxious to see
inside, and appreciate all the hard work that has been done by the
Route 66 Heritage Foundation to turn a dilapidated eyesore into an
attractive and important Route 66 attraction.
Just after noon, Governor Bruce Rauner arrived. He was there to
participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce. Gov. Rauner was also
intent on attending the Bike Blessing to be held at Zero Tolerance
in Lincoln at 2 p.m. With that in mind, the ribbon cutting ceremony
got underway quickly with opening remarks from Chamber Director and
President Cathy Wilhite.
“What a great, and long anticipated day this is. We are so proud to
be here today for the grand opening of the Mill!” Wilhite
acknowledged Illinois Representative Tim Butler, Hal Smith –
representing U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood, Mayor Marty Neitzel,
Mayor-elect Seth Goodman, city officials Jonie Tibbs, Rick Hoefle,
Steve Parrott, Chuck Conzo, alderman-elect Ron Keller, Logan County
Board member Robert Farmer, Logan County Economic Development
Partnership Director Bill Thomas, and several others in attendance.
Wilhite called for the posed pictures for local media, then the
ribbon was quickly snipped by Geoff Ladd and Foundation Board
President Bob Wilmert with Gov. Rauner helping to hold the ribbon.
The first one to speak was Rauner. He spoke
excitedly; “Illinois is a wonderful place, because we’ve got such
wonderful communities who come together to celebrate our heritage
and tradition. Route 66 is one of the most iconic and special places
anywhere in America. It is about the freedom of the road and coming
and exploring our communities.”
Gov. Rauner went on to say that tourism is a major funding source
for the state, and the Mill on 66 is a great addition for our
tourists.
Representative Butler spoke next, first thanking the governor for
being there and saying, “I know the governor loves route 66, he
rides it on his motorcycle.” Butler went on to say many thanks to
the Route 66 Foundation and the community for coming together to
celebrate the opening of the Mill. Butler noted Frank Butterflield
with Landmarks Illinois was in the crowd. He said that Landmarks
Illinois named Route 66 as endangered in Illinois. Butler said he
appreciated Butterfield’s organization bringing Route 66 into the
spotlight. Butler also acknowledged Bill Thomas of Logan County who
is heavily involved in the promotion of Route 66 on a National
level. Butler closed speaking about the centennial of Route 66 in
2026, and noted “Illinois is leading the way when it comes to Route
66.” He went on to say that Illinois is the “beginning of Route 66,”
it is a tremendous road and tremendous tourist attraction for the
entire state.
Hal Smith spoke on behalf of Darin LaHood, opening by thanking
Butler on his work on the state level to preserve and promote Route
66. He recalled visiting Logan County just a little over a week ago
with LaHood and Rodney Davis, each promoting bills that will help
solidify the future of Route 66 as a National Trail and a national
tourist attraction.
Mayor Marty Neitzel was the next speaker on the agenda. She noted
that it was her last official appearance as Mayor, and that she was
proud to be there, and proud to say that the Mill re-opened while
she was in office. She noted that “We have got to work together. It
appears this has happened, all the offices of Lincoln, the city,
county, tourism, we all have to work together.” She said that she
was looking forward to having a new mayor in Lincoln, and offered
him a word of welcome as she turned the microphone over to
Mayor-elect Seth Goodman.
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Goodman began by asking that everyone give Neitzel a round of
applause for her service to the city. He then thanked the community
for coming out for the opening of the Mill and congratulated the
foundation for their work.
Jonie Tibbs spoke recalling that this day had been a long time
coming. She recounted the story of finding the braille menu for the
Mill. She noted that with the Mill being located next door to the
State School, there were patrons with special needs that the
Huffman’s did their best to accommodate. She noted that George Dahmm
had kept the menu in safe keeping. After George passed away, members
of his family continued to preserve the artifact, and this week
returned it to the Mill.
Bill Kelly with the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway commented, “This
is a great day! The Mill is a great example of the road coming back
to life.” He went on to thank Ladd for all his efforts. He
acknowledged the local elected officials as well as Rauner, Butler,
and Smith.
John Weiss of the Route 66 Association of Illinois was called upon
to speak. Ladd noted that Weiss had been a great mentor to him on
the journey to rebuild the Mill. Weiss commented, “We call them the
grassroots of America, the volunteers, the dreamers. Look what we
can do!”
Weiss went on to say, “What you’re enjoying today is the history of
yesterday, but what you are doing today is the history of tomorrow.”
The last person to speak was Foundation President Bob Wilmert.
Wilmert had a long list of people he said he wanted to thank
beginning with Ladd who had worked long, hard hours doing labor as
well as paperwork and seeking funding to make a dream come true.
There were several others that Wilmert thanked including the many,
many volunteers who worked hours to rebuilt much of the building and
make it into a usable facility for the Route 66 Museum.
Wilmert said that it was a team effort and all the people he named
had worked hard, pitching in “to get it done.”
Ladd acknowledged the foundation members in the room, which there
were many.
As Ladd prepared to leave with Gov. Rauner, he said that the two
were headed to Zero Tolerance where the governor would take part in
the Bike Blessing. Ladd invited everyone to stay, and said there
would be door prize drawings held at 1 p.m. and a second drawing
later in the day.
[Nila Smith]
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