Annual
Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference announces full slate of
speakers and schedule for Bloomington-Normal October 19 thru 22
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[September 05, 2023]
The Eighth Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66
Conference will be held Thursday – Sunday, October 19 – 22, in
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, with the theme “The Great American
Road Trip,” with four days of speakers, tours, museums, networking,
plus musical and movie entertainment, awaiting Route 66 enthusiasts,
Illinois historians, tourism professionals, and anyone just wanting
to have a great weekend of fun on Illinois Route 66!
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In
a nod to this year's hosts, Thursday's events will be held at the
McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington and Friday-Saturday's
events will be held at Uptown Station in Normal.
At this year's event, four nationally-known speakers will present
keynote speeches. They are: Evan Stern, actor and podcaster (NYC) –
“Beyond Nostalgia and Neon: The Voices of Route 66.” Jim Hinckley,
author and tourism expert (Kingman, AZ) – “In the Beginning: Dawn of
the Great American Road Trip.” T. Lindsay Baker, author and
professor (Texas) – “Roadside Food and Mother Road Travelers.”
Marian Pavel, media expert and designer of Route 66 Navigation and
Route 66 Passport (Bratislava, Slovakia) – “Post-Pandemic Route 66.”
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New this year is a series of three
Lunch & Learn special sessions offered especially for attendees that
work in tourism or community leadership. Presented by three of
Illinois' foremost tourism professionals, the sessions are: Cory
Jobe, CEO of Great Rivers & Routes CVB – “The Last Hundred Miles of
Route 66 in Illinois.” Scott Dahl, CEO of Visit Springfield CVB –
“Route 66: The Road to 2026.” Bob Navarro, CEO of Heritage Corridor
CVB – “What's New Along the First Hundred Miles of Ol' Route 66.”
The full slate of speakers for Thursday-Saturday, October 19-21,
also includes: Joe Culpepper – “Bicycling Route 66 at 66 Years Old;”
Matt Hawkins, BNACVB – “Route 66 in McLean County;” Cheryl Eichar
Jett – “Dreams, Dares, and Driving: Early Women Cross-Country
Motorists;” Spencer Johansen – “From Memory Lane to 2026 and
Beyond;” Bill Kemp – “The Henney Kilowatt: Bloomington's
Battery-Powered 'Car of Tomorrow;'” Greg Koos – “Out of the Mud and
onto the Hard Roads;” Mike Matejka – “Route 66 Pathfinder: Following
the Railroad;” Terri Ryburn – “Saving Two Route 66 Icons;” and Jeff
Woodard and Rochelle Gridley – “Bloomington-Normal Breweries: Then
and Now.”
A panel discussion about “Solo Women
Travelers” will include long-time Route 66 travelers Angie Fickert
Patarek and Brenda St. Clair and panel moderator Cheryl Eichar Jett.
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Two tours are planned. On Thursday morning, a walking
tour entitled “Downtown Bloomington: A Business 66 Survivor” will be
led by Greg Koos, Executive Director Emeritus of the McLean County
Museum of History. On Sunday, publicist and writer Ruth Cobb will
present a tour and program entitled “The Road to Home: Stories from
a Shared Past on Route 66” at the former Illinois Soldiers' &
Sailors' Children's School in Normal.
Social activities begin on Thursday evening with a welcome hot dog
roast at Sprague's Super Service in Normal. Friday evening's
festivities will begin with a special welcome and updates from
Debyjo Ericksen and Ron Romero of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on
Route 66. Also on Friday evening, is the return of musical guest,
singer/guitarist Tim Dial, at the Eagles Club in downtown
Bloomington.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/01/images/ads/current/lincolnprinters_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
On Saturday evening, there is a special showing of
the film, Young Frankenstein, at the Normal Theatre.
Miles of Possibility would like to thank its 2023 event presenters
and ongoing supporters: Bloomington-Normal Area Convention &
Visitors Bureau, plus: Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66,
Illinois Coal Museum at Gillespie, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway,
Great Rivers & Routes Convention & Visitors Bureau, Heritage
Corridor Destinations Convention & Visitors Bureau, McLean County
Museum of History, Ryburn Place at Sprague's Super Service, and
Visit Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For registration, complete schedule, bios of all our speakers,
updates, and hotel/parking/wifi information, visit
https://route66miles
ofpossibility.com.
[Cheryl Eichar Jett] |