Endangered California Route 66 Museum to hold car show as a fundraiser

The California Route 66 Museum in Victorville will host a drive-through car show from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday as a fundraiser in an attempt to keep from closing its doors permanently.

Hagerty Media got details about the event from museum director Sue Bridges:

Bridges is asking collector car owners to enter the museum parking lot, leave a financial donation in the buckets provided, and exit on the other side of the building.
“No donation is too small. The car clubs around here have been very supportive over the years, and we’re hoping it continues,” she says. “We can’t gather, so this is the only way to do it.”
Donations can also be made online through PayPal (sent to cart66musm@gmail.com) or can be mailed to the following address: California Route 66 Museum, P.O. Box 252, Oro Grande, California 92368.

Bridges said earlier this month the museum was in danger of closing permanently because of financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic and European travel ban.

She said it had only about $2,200 left in its coffers after being forced to close twice because of the pandemic. It costs the museum about $4,500 a month to pay for utilities, mortgage, insurance and employees. It also has spent $3,000 of a $35,000 of a Small Business Administration loan.

The California Route 66 Museum opened in 1995 in what was the Red Rooster Cafe, a site for the 1980 Neil Diamond movie “The Jazz Singer.” It’s one of the oldest Route 66 museums.

(Image of the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville by Joël ° via Flickr)

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