The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association announced it is ending its pursuit of a Basketball Museum of Illinois in Pontiac because it fell short on fundraising. The museum was supposed to be in a vacant Kmart building in Vermillion Square in Pontiac, next to old Route 66 on the city's southwest edge. The museum also was planned … Continue reading Group pulls plug on Illinois basketball museum in Pontiac
Tag: Pontiac
Lipton to take over Pontiac; tea company lists Route 66 ‘road-trip gems’
Lipton, the iconic tea brand, is taking over the Route 66 town of Pontiac, Illinois, from June 8-10 as part of National Ice Tea Day weekend to offer free tea to visitors, unveiling a Lipton mural in its downtown and renaming Route 66 as "The Lipton Highway." Lipton also is collaborating with TripAdvisor.com to share … Continue reading Lipton to take over Pontiac; tea company lists Route 66 ‘road-trip gems’
Longtime Illinois state trooper Chester Henry dies
Chester Henry, a longtime Illinois state trooper in the Pontiac area and an Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame member, died at age 86 in Le Roy, Illinois, on Saturday. One of Henry's pages on Facebook had this message Sunday: We would like to inform all of you faithful followers that Chester Donovan Henry passed … Continue reading Longtime Illinois state trooper Chester Henry dies
Class of 2017 for Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame announced
The Route 66 Association of Illinois announced last month its three newest inductees to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame. The association inducts "people and places along Route 66 whose blend of hardy individualism and grassroots community spirit gave the road such special character." The 2017 inductees were announced at a ceremony in Lincoln, … Continue reading Class of 2017 for Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame announced
Basketball Museum of Illinois gets green light in Pontiac
A museum devoted to all forms of basketball in the state of Illinois will open in Pontiac by late 2017 or 2018, it was announced this week. The Basketball Museum of Illinois, curated by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, will occupy a closed Kmart store on Vermillion Square, next to old Route 66 on the … Continue reading Basketball Museum of Illinois gets green light in Pontiac
Teen with rare aging disease is touring Route 66
Sammy Basso, an 18-year-old Italian boy afflicted with progeria, a rare genetic disease that ages him prematurely, is traveling Route 66, and a subsidiary with the National Geographic Channel is documenting the journey, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. The folks in Pontiac, Illinois, in typical fashion, rolled out the red carpet for him: Basso, his … Continue reading Teen with rare aging disease is touring Route 66