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Remember The Route
Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of
Albuquerque and the New Mexico Route 66 Association have announced the
official name of the international 75th Anniversary celebration as
"Remember the Route." The three day-event will be held at the Historic
New Mexico State Fair Grounds on Route 66/East Central Avenue. Three
days of events, music, car rallies, memorabilia and Historic Route 66
activities are planned July 20-22, 2001.
The city's Route 66 neighborhoods are looking for the spillover
to flood into their own celebrations of the 75th Anniversary. Some are
creating self-guided walking tours of the Historic Route 66 districts
and an evening neon bus tour.
The partnership has hired a full time fund raiser and
coordinator, and by the time of this mailing should have an events
planner and manager on board.
The National Historic Route 66 Federation will host its annual
Steinbeck Awards Diner at the Festival.
If you wish to find out more about the activities, receive hotel
and restaurant information, or be part of the vendors, shows, swap meet
and other activities you can call Denise Petree at ACVB (505) 222-4342.
After February 1, 2000 visit our web site for more Diamond Jubilee
updates. www.rt66nm.org
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Albuquerque's Mayor Baca Tackles Historic Motels
Mayor Jim Baca has introduced an ordinance creating minimum
standards for overnight lodging facilities. While the ordinance is
city-wide, it is particularly aimed at the Historic Route 66 facilities
that are rapidly deteriorating along Central Avenue. Many of these
historic facilities are major problems for the city and local
neighborhoods, often associated with prostitution, drugs and violence.
The Mayor, with the city council, passed a resolution last year
designating both alignments (original alignment of Route 66 on 4th
Street and the realignment of U.S. Route 66 down Central in 1937) as
Historic Roadways of the city. Both alignments have historic assets that
provide for "contributing" status for several of the city's historic
districts. Nineteen Route 66 buildings in the city have been designated
as "Historic" on both State and National Registers.
The overnight lodging initiative is, in part, meant to save
other historic structures related to the historic corridor. Stabilizing
some of the facilities and encouraging a variety of rehabilitated or
adaptive reuses is one of the goals to preserve this part of
Albuquerque's history as well as help to revitalize adjacent commercial
districts and neighborhoods.
Several Community Development Corporations operating on Historic
Route 66 alignments are undergoing training through the Enterprise
Foundation. Based in Columbia, Maryland, the Enterprise Foundation was
contracted by the city to develop revitalization skills needed to
renovate, address economic development, safety and housing needs that
these motels could provide.
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