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Guests who were there with their cars took advantage
of the large shade trees on the north edge of the property, while
visitors toured around the cars then headed inside the museum for a
quick cool down before returning to the heat.
The Mill has been hosting a cruise-in the past
several years, with growing success as more cars arrive each year,
and the offerings of entertainment, food, and cold drinks, 50/50
drawings and lots of door prizes and giveaways continues to increase
as well.
The Mill is owned and operated by the Logan County
Tourism Bureau, and over the past five years or so has seen a lot of
improvements. Three years ago the mill was given an exterior
facelift with new siding in historically correct two-toned brick red
and white. The front entry has been redone, and inside climate
control including heating and air conditioning have been added.
This year there are new additions to the exterior of
the Mill including new concrete parking spaces and a walkway from
the parking area to the front door of the museum. The concrete runs
the length of the building and provided a great landing spot for
several of the cars that came in for display at the show. The
concrete works were made possible through grant funding.
Another notable addition outside the Mill is the new
pavilion. The pavilion was built by the Lincoln Community High
School Woodshop Class this spring. Currently the pavilion has no
roof. It will be added by a second contractor soon. The pavilion
will allow a spot for Route 66 tourists to stop and have a carry out
lunch from a local eatery before heading inside to enjoy the museum.
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For those who haven’t been inside for a while, the
mill is divided into two sections. The front entry brings visitors
into the museum which features a variety of items, most original,
representing some of Logan County’s historical Route 66 restaurants
and bar & grills. Features include original tables and booths from
the Tropic Restaurant in Lincoln, the lighted sign as well as other
original items from the Mill when it was a bar and grill, signage
and other memorabilia from the Pig Hip Restaurant in Broadwell, and
other odds and ends.
In the second part of the Mill, that was the original
bar, several historical items current to the Route 66 era are on
display, and there is a wide overing of souvenir items for sale with
the proceeds going to support the Mill.
The back door of Mill is ADA accessible for those with disabilities
to have easy access to all the great things inside.
The Mill is open through the tourist season from Tuesday through
Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. daily.
On Saturday, the cars were lined up with a judging set to take place
before the end of the show.
There was also a food stand offering walking tacos,
pork nachos and lemon shake-ups. There was also a free cold-water
station, so no one was at risk of overheating or dehydrating.
A tent was set up next to the new pavilion with live
music going throughout the afternoon with breaks in between sets for
drawings for door prizes. In total it was a good day that everyone
present appeared to be enjoying.
If you’ve not been out to the Mill recently, this may be a good
summer to do so and learn more about the Logan County Route 66
history.
[Nila Smith] |
