Route 66 birthday party set for Monday in Springfield, Missouri

The city of Springfield, Missouri, will throw a free 92nd birthday party Monday afternoon for Route 66 from the downtown spot where the highway received its number in 1926.

The party at 3:30 p.m. Monday at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Park Central East in downtown Springfield will mark the spot when a telegram was sent April 30, 1926, to Washington, D.C. The bash will feature free birthday cupcakes and a giant replica of the telegram sent on that date.

April 30 was when a bitter impasse between several states over where to place U.S. 60 began to come to an end. Boosters of the eventual Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway saw U.S. 66 as a viable alternative and proposed it to Washington via telegram on that date.

Many historians also choose Nov. 11, 1926, as Route 66’s birthday. That’s when U.S. 66 officially became commissioned.

According to the Ozarks Alive blog about the event Monday:

“Springfield has a rich history and many reasons to celebrate, but being the birthplace of Route 66 should be a particular point of pride,” says Tom Peters, dean of Missouri State University Libraries, who proposed and planned the party. “People from all over the world — especially Europe — love to travel down Route 66.” […]

[A]ttendees are encouraged to take selfies with a sign that notes the historic signifcance of the site, and post their photos on social media. The person deemed to have the most creative selfie will win a gift certificate to Druff’s, a restaurant housed across Park Central East in Sky Eleven, a high-rise formerly known as the Woodruff Building.

Additionally, remarks will be made about the significance of the day at 4 p.m., when the telegram was sent back in 1926.

Springfield in recent years has embraced its crucial role in Route 66 history. It has created more Route 66 landmarks in the city and has hosted the rapidly growing Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in downtown.

(Image of the original telegram sent from Springfield, Missouri, on April 30, 1926, accepting U.S. 66 as a name for the Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway)

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