The Centennial of Route 66
Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926. In 2026, the road turns 100 - and big celebrations are already being planned! Click here for more info. |
Help Get Tucumcari's Neon Glowing Again Along Route 66!
The Route 66 Association of New Mexico has organized a fundraiser to help with repair costs of the historic signs in Tucumcari that suffered damage from the recent catastrophic hail storm. If you're interested in helping out, click the GoFundMe link above. Please Read details closely for different donation options. If you prefer to send a check or money order to help, they can be mailed to our office at:
New Mexico Route 66 Association
1415 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 USA
PLEASE NOTE: Checks should be made out to New Mexico Route 66 Association. Please be sure to write in the check memo or on a separate piece of paper your donation is for “Tucumcari Neon Restoration from May 2023 Storms”.
PLEASE NOTE: For those who wish to drop off checks, Money Orders or Cash at our office: Please do NOT leave it at the 66 Diner! Your donation might get lost making its way from the diner to our office next door. Our physical office is the building the sign collage is hanging on to the east of the 66 Diner parking lot. If you go to the first door along Central Avenue behind the sign collage, there is a door with 1415 on it. Ring the doorbell. If no one answers, look down and to your left - you should see our mail drop slot. Donations can be deposited in this mail slot.
You may also give your donations to any NM Route 66 Association Board Member or Officer. See our website for a list of current board members: www.rt66nm.org/who-are-we
Thank you in advance for your support.
Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee
President, New Mexico Route 66 Association
New Mexico Route 66 Association
1415 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 USA
PLEASE NOTE: Checks should be made out to New Mexico Route 66 Association. Please be sure to write in the check memo or on a separate piece of paper your donation is for “Tucumcari Neon Restoration from May 2023 Storms”.
PLEASE NOTE: For those who wish to drop off checks, Money Orders or Cash at our office: Please do NOT leave it at the 66 Diner! Your donation might get lost making its way from the diner to our office next door. Our physical office is the building the sign collage is hanging on to the east of the 66 Diner parking lot. If you go to the first door along Central Avenue behind the sign collage, there is a door with 1415 on it. Ring the doorbell. If no one answers, look down and to your left - you should see our mail drop slot. Donations can be deposited in this mail slot.
You may also give your donations to any NM Route 66 Association Board Member or Officer. See our website for a list of current board members: www.rt66nm.org/who-are-we
Thank you in advance for your support.
Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee
President, New Mexico Route 66 Association
Opening has been postponed until Fall 2023.
We have been waiting for the surveyor to complete the job since October 2022. Still waiting.....
The Route 66 Association of New Mexico in partnership with Fast TV Network announce the opening of the "New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum & Visitor Center" and Fast TV Network Studios on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. |
New Mexico Route 66 Association President, Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, speech at October 05, 2022 press conference in Tucumcari, New Mexico:
The New Mexico Route 66 Association was founded in 1989. Its mission is to promote & educate people about “The Mother Road”….. as it is fondly referred to, the importance it holds in our Nation’s History, and to assist in Preserving it for generations to come. For 33 years we have done this through our meetings & events, our newsletters that later bloomed into a quarterly magazine distributed to our members across the globe and visitor centers across the state. We have also worked with visitors directly through phone calls, emails, our website & social media sites, and connecting with our State, National, and International Route 66 Associations. We are thrilled to see our years of hard work and dedication come to fruition in a physical form with the coming of the New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, a song written by Bobby Troupe and covered by hundreds of artists thereafter, begins with the line “If you ever plan to Motor WEST”. As you motor west into New Mexico along The Mother Road, the first major town you enter is Tucumcari. The New Mexico Route 66 Association sees Tucumcari as the perfect location for the Official New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
It will also serve as the Official Welcome Center to Route 66 in New Mexico.
No other entity in our Land of Enchantment has dedicated itself to providing Route 66 Information about our state as the New Mexico Route 66 Association. New Mexico is home to 604 miles of Route 66. The most miles of any of the eight Route 66 States. With the coming of the NM Rt66 Association Visitor Center & Museum comes an opportunity to provide our residents, as well as visiting guests, a place to come to and learn about those 604 miles of Mother Road stretching across our state, and what portions are still drivable today.
Our association has a designated Preservation Officer, Johnnie Meier. Since the desertification of Highway 66 in the 1980’s, he has been a constant activist of preservation for The Mother Road. He is a recipient of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award. He has assisted numerous businesses in obtaining preservation grants not only for our state, but for other Route 66 states as well. He served as president in previous years and has continued to contribute to the association as a board of director. He started our quarterly “New Mexico Route 66 Magazine” and continues his passion for the Mother Road through his writing talents. He is the owner & curator of Classical Gas Museum in Embudo New Mexico. Now he brings his museum and curating talents to head the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum.
The association is thrilled to have this opportunity to offer Route 66 visitors from around the world a distinguished museum representing the Route 66 State of New Mexico.
The New Mexico Route 66 Association was founded in 1989. Its mission is to promote & educate people about “The Mother Road”….. as it is fondly referred to, the importance it holds in our Nation’s History, and to assist in Preserving it for generations to come. For 33 years we have done this through our meetings & events, our newsletters that later bloomed into a quarterly magazine distributed to our members across the globe and visitor centers across the state. We have also worked with visitors directly through phone calls, emails, our website & social media sites, and connecting with our State, National, and International Route 66 Associations. We are thrilled to see our years of hard work and dedication come to fruition in a physical form with the coming of the New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, a song written by Bobby Troupe and covered by hundreds of artists thereafter, begins with the line “If you ever plan to Motor WEST”. As you motor west into New Mexico along The Mother Road, the first major town you enter is Tucumcari. The New Mexico Route 66 Association sees Tucumcari as the perfect location for the Official New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
It will also serve as the Official Welcome Center to Route 66 in New Mexico.
No other entity in our Land of Enchantment has dedicated itself to providing Route 66 Information about our state as the New Mexico Route 66 Association. New Mexico is home to 604 miles of Route 66. The most miles of any of the eight Route 66 States. With the coming of the NM Rt66 Association Visitor Center & Museum comes an opportunity to provide our residents, as well as visiting guests, a place to come to and learn about those 604 miles of Mother Road stretching across our state, and what portions are still drivable today.
Our association has a designated Preservation Officer, Johnnie Meier. Since the desertification of Highway 66 in the 1980’s, he has been a constant activist of preservation for The Mother Road. He is a recipient of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award. He has assisted numerous businesses in obtaining preservation grants not only for our state, but for other Route 66 states as well. He served as president in previous years and has continued to contribute to the association as a board of director. He started our quarterly “New Mexico Route 66 Magazine” and continues his passion for the Mother Road through his writing talents. He is the owner & curator of Classical Gas Museum in Embudo New Mexico. Now he brings his museum and curating talents to head the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum.
The association is thrilled to have this opportunity to offer Route 66 visitors from around the world a distinguished museum representing the Route 66 State of New Mexico.
Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager of the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program was unable to make it to the press conference,
but provided the following statement to share:
"Providing the public opportunities to experience and learn about Route 66 through fascinating, tangible artifacts that connect them to the past is so important. It is important for school children, community members, and citizens to help us understand who we are and how we got here. For travelers, it creates yet another reason to slow down and spend even more time in Tucumcari, benefitting the businesses, other museums, and economy of the city. Overall, it develops continued appreciation of Route 66 for generations to come.
I commend the New Mexico Route 66 Association for this initiative, and congratulate the City of Tucumcari for a new, important Route 66 asset, just in time for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the road.
but provided the following statement to share:
"Providing the public opportunities to experience and learn about Route 66 through fascinating, tangible artifacts that connect them to the past is so important. It is important for school children, community members, and citizens to help us understand who we are and how we got here. For travelers, it creates yet another reason to slow down and spend even more time in Tucumcari, benefitting the businesses, other museums, and economy of the city. Overall, it develops continued appreciation of Route 66 for generations to come.
I commend the New Mexico Route 66 Association for this initiative, and congratulate the City of Tucumcari for a new, important Route 66 asset, just in time for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the road.
2022 Motor TourThere will be no 2023 Motor Tour.
This year we are focusing on creating the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum and Visitor Center. A late fall opening is anticipated. The 2022 New Mexico Route 66 Association LAND OF ENCHANTMENT Motor Tour was loads of fun!! Check out our Fall 2022 issue of New Mexico Route 66 Magazine for details. The motor tour will also air on Legends of Route 66 this fall. Legends of Route 66 and other shows provided by Fast TV Network can be viewed on ROKU, Amazon Fire and FastTVNetwork.com. |
Route 66 New Mexico MagazineThe magazine is free with membership!
If you join, you will enjoy quarterly issues delivered directly to you at your home or business. Our thanks to all the graphic designers, talented writers, photographers, editors, and advertisers who make this possible. Past issues are available for sale! |
Join us in supporting small business along Route 66 in New Mexico
The New Mexico Route 66 Association Business Directory
is your go-to resource for Goods and Services.
Check out our Business Directory here.
Join the New Mexico Route 66 Association and help support the culture and
communities along the longest urban stretch of the Mother Road.
In the 1930's, it was the promise of a better life out west, via Route 66, that carried folks to new hopes and dreams.
During World War II, it carried servicemen, ammunition, and supplies.
After the war, it carried veterans and their families to new homes and fresh starts.
During World War II, it carried servicemen, ammunition, and supplies.
After the war, it carried veterans and their families to new homes and fresh starts.
Become a MemberMembership has its perks! Business directory listings, cross promotion, and more. Visit our membership pages for more info or contact us.
We are a volunteer organization, so we rely on individual and business memberships to help us do what we do for preservation, education and promotion of Route 66 in New Mexico. Your membership will help keep small businesses along America's Main Street and their communities alive and thriving. |
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"You'll experience a fascinating blend of three cultures, Native American, Spanish Colonial, and Western American. Beautifully rugged and endlessly engaging, New Mexico is like stepping into another land." - iExplore.
West Central Route 66 Visitor’s Center - Albuquerque
Hello Everyone! Hope you are enjoying The Mother Road through the Land of Enchantment!
The New Mexico Route 66 Association has received quite a few inquiries regarding the Route 66 Visitors Center on Albuquerque’s West Side. We wanted to clarify we are not involved with this project. This is a partner project of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County with the West Central Community Development Group. Please refer all inquiries to: Luis Hernandez, Executive Director| West Central Community Development Group (dedicated to enriching the lives of community members in the West Central area) | 5921 Central Ave NW | Albuquerque NM 87105 | info@wccdg.org | 505.688.4122.
We met with Luis in February 2021, at which time we discussed their plans and offered our advice. We wish them all the best! (For more information about the February 2021 meeting, a follow-up article was printed in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Route 66 New Mexico Magazine. That article is attached for download along with this message.)
Cheers and Safe Journeys wherever you are and wherever you may travel! Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, President.
Hello Everyone! Hope you are enjoying The Mother Road through the Land of Enchantment!
The New Mexico Route 66 Association has received quite a few inquiries regarding the Route 66 Visitors Center on Albuquerque’s West Side. We wanted to clarify we are not involved with this project. This is a partner project of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County with the West Central Community Development Group. Please refer all inquiries to: Luis Hernandez, Executive Director| West Central Community Development Group (dedicated to enriching the lives of community members in the West Central area) | 5921 Central Ave NW | Albuquerque NM 87105 | info@wccdg.org | 505.688.4122.
We met with Luis in February 2021, at which time we discussed their plans and offered our advice. We wish them all the best! (For more information about the February 2021 meeting, a follow-up article was printed in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Route 66 New Mexico Magazine. That article is attached for download along with this message.)
Cheers and Safe Journeys wherever you are and wherever you may travel! Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, President.

west_side_rt66_visitor_center_sp-sum2021.pdf | |
File Size: | 316 kb |
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