The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership recently released its report on its activities for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Bill Thomas, chairman of the partnership, summarized highlights from the report in an email:
The Route 66 Road Ahead State Associations Advocacy Working Group is discussing an informational piece that celebrates the upcoming Centennial and which could be used to provide cross-country information for travelers. The Road Ahead offered to assist by helping submit the idea to the Federal Route 66 Centennial Commission for consideration as one of its officially recommended projects.
The Road Ahead’s Research and Education Working Group, which helped design and implement the 2023 NEH Summer Workshop, Racialized Spaces on Route 66, proposed a new workshop for the summer of 2025. An emphasis on the history of women on Route 66 is being considered.
The Road Ahead submitted seven proposals to the Route 66 Centennial Commission for consideration as official Centennial activities. The proposals are: The Route 66 Research Center, AAA Route 66 RoadFest, Route 66 Centennial National Kick-off Event, Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program, Route 66 Orchestral Suite, Route 66 Black Experiences Grant Program, and the designation of Route 66 as an Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
A few other things spied in the report:
- The Powerhouse museum in Kingman, Arizona, will receive a new neon sign soon.
- “TX feels (the partnership) exists to benefit itself rather than the Associations.”
- Bimonthly meetings will begin in February or March.
The entire quarterly report can be read here.
(Image of a Route 66 shield on the road in Adrian, Texas, by Thomas Hawk via Flickr)