A replica of Lightning McQueen from the “Cars” animated movie series will be unveiled at noon Nov. 13 in Galena, Kansas, on Route 66 just north of Cars on the Route near the historic Front Street Bridge.
Renee Charles, one of the co-creators of Cars on the Route, posted a “Meet Lightning” event on Facebook a few days ago. The event also will feature live music and food.
The Lightning McQueen replica will be in the same spot as a Sheriff of Radiator Springs and Luigi replicas, plus a tractor-tipping field, near the bridge. All are characters or scenes from the original 2006 Disney-Pixar film “Cars” that was directly inspired by the real-life people and places on Route 66.
Charles said Wednesday that her oldest son Danny did the bodywork on Lightning. The car was donated to her by Jimmy Rowland of Crocker, Missouri.
Cars on the Route was originally an old Kan-o-Tex gas station repurposed in 2006. It was here the direct inspiration of Tow Mater from “Cars” — a rusty 1951 International boom truck — was parked for many years, and the vehicle resides there today.
The “Cars”-linked attractions in Galena probably boosted the city’s downtown more than any other. A few short years after the station was repurposed, then-mayor Dale Oglesby shepherded a revitalization of the ramshackle area that continues today.
(Image of Lightning McQueen and other “Cars” characters at “The World of Cars” event in 2010 by Inside the Magic via Flickr)
Hi Ron, do you know what happened to the replica of the lightning mcqueen car exhibited at galena in 2021? Where can we see it today ? Thanking you.