Route 66 Experience at Illinois State Fair gets $500,000 grant; Old Joliet prison gets $250,000

The Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield will receive a $500,000 grant to help add to the exhibit, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The Old Joliet Prison in Joliet also will receive $250,000 from the same program for exterior illumination of the historic site. The prison, built in 1858 and located along Route 66, was closed years ago but has become a popular destination for tours.

Gov. JB Pritzker and the agency on Friday announced a total of $15 million in funding to support the tourism sector across the state through the second round of the Tourism Attraction and Festivals Grant program offered by the state. The grants are funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus relief bill.

The Route 66 Experience at the fair, which opened a year ago, offers visitors a chance to walk Illinois Route 66 from Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge at the Mississippi River and learn about communities and attractions along the route. The project is headed by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway.

Organizers hope to have the Route 66 Experience, which is being built in phases, finished by Route 66’s centennial in 2026.

A report by WMAY in Springfield also had more details about improvements along Route 66:

The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway is hoping to recreate some of the iconic neon signs and billboards along the highway for the Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Meanwhile, Scott Dahl with the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau says an effort is underway to restore the old Shea’s service station on Peoria Road as a Marathon gas station that would pay tribute to Route 66 and to the station’s late owner, Bill Shea.

More from the agency’s news release:

This round of funding prioritizes downstate communities, communities that have experienced declines in hotel tax revenues and provides $5 million specifically for festivals. Additionally, to maximize funding, applicants are required to submit matching funds with the goal of attracting additional visitors to localities and events, thereby supporting local hotels, restaurants and businesses. Through the revised approach for the second round of funding, the state is ensuring localities and tourism entities hardest hit by the pandemic receive additional support.  

Through a Notice of Funding Opportunity, localities, tourism and festival businesses and entities can apply for grants of up to $500,000 that may be used to establish and enhance tourism attractions or festivals. Applications will be accepted until Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. To view the NOFO and apply for the grant, please visit this page.  

The Tourism Attraction and Festivals Grant program was launched in August 2021 and is awarded on a quarterly basis.

Earlier this year, the agency awarded $4 million in grants for various projects along Route 66, including a visitors center in a former Edwardsville gas station, reopening the old Cannonball Jail in Carlinville and a new Muffler Man on a restaurant in Berwyn.

(Hat tip to WTAX radio; screen-capture image from WAND-TV video of Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield)

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