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New Mexico Route 66 Association Heritage Awards are presented to people and businesses that invest time, money, and resources to renovate and restore classic or iconic places of significance along Route 66 throughout New Mexico. Now is your chance to nominate yourself or others. Deadline: December 31, 2024 Read More  The U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, established by Congress to oversee the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Route 66 in 2026, invites submissions for national, multi-state, or single-state activities, projects, events, or programs. Submissions will be vetted by the Commission’s national working groups and those deemed appropriate will be elevated to the full Commission where approved submissions will be officially submitted to Congress as the Commission’s recommendations. The Commission seeks to commemorate the Mother Road's historic milestone and enhance its legacy through a variety of initiatives. "The Route 66 Centennial is not just a one-time celebration; it's a platform for generating national pride in the road and expanding economic opportunities for the communities that it winds through," said Jen Paul Schroer, Vice Chair of the Route 66 Centennial Commission. The Commission, comprising members from each of the eight states along Historic Route 66, is guided by seven strategic principles: 1) Celebrate & Honor, 2) Preserve, Protect & Enhance, 3) Generate Tourism Demand, 4) Tourism Development, 5) Economic Development, 6) National Collaboration, and 7) Research & Education. These principles serve as the foundation for identifying fitting and proper activities to mark this monumental occasion. CALL FOR IDEAS: FOUR FOCUS AREAS “We are calling on individuals, organizations, and communities to submit their innovative ideas, to make this event truly transformational. Concepts should fit into one of our four priority areas,” stated Rod Reid, Chair of the Route 66 Centennial Commission. The areas of focus are as follows: Commemoratives & Publications The Commission seeks ideas that recognize the role Route 66 has and continues to play in our nation’s history through projects and programs that publicly honor the Road and the people associated with it. Infrastructure The Commission seeks ideas that enhance the overall Route 66 experience for tourists and locals alike, fostering sustained economic benefits across the road through the preservation and improvement of Route 66 infrastructure assets. Events & Celebrations The Commission seeks ideas that involve the public in special, unique, and fun activities/events that mark the historic milestone of Route 66’s 100th anniversary. International & National Marketing The Commission seeks ideas that drive national and international tourism for maximum impact through visitor spending, promoting celebrations, commemorations, and other activities that honor the 100th anniversary of Route 66. SUBMISSION PROCESS Individuals, organizations, and communities are encouraged to submit their concepts through the official submission portal on the Route 66 Centennial Commission's website route66-centennial.com. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by one of four Commission Working Groups at their monthly meetings. Qualifying ideas will be forwarded to the full Route 66 Centennial Commission for consideration as officially recommended activities to Congress. Notification of Results Submissions will be notified of the results on a rolling quarterly basis, ensuring transparency throughout the review process. Rod Reid, Chair of the Route 66 Centennial Commission concluded, "The Route 66 Centennial is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the cultural significance of this historic road. We look forward to receiving creative ideas that will shape the celebration and maintain the spirit of the highway for generations to come." For more information or to submit your ideas, please visit route66-centennial.com.  Per the same Executive Order 2023-131 that established the Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group, the first Stakeholder Meeting and first Coordination Group Meeting will be in Tucumcari, NM on February 29, 2024.
You Must SIGN UP for the meeting HERE! CENTENNIAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING Time: 10 a.m.-12 noon Location: Tucumcari Convention Center: Address: 1500 US. Rt. 66, Tucumcari, NM 88401 This meeting will provide a space for residents and other stakeholder groups to discuss appropriate activities, projects, and strategies with the Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group to honor the milestone coming up in 2026. A few items on the agenda for this meeting are:
NO ACTION ITEMS (Action Items will be discussed at the 1:30 p.m. meeting). Download official agenda (PDF) COORDINATION GROUP MEETING Time: 1:30-3 p.m. Location: Tucumcari Convention Center: Address: 1500 US. Rt. 66, Tucumcari, NM 88401 This is a meeting for the New Mexico Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group. A few items on the agenda for this meeting are:
Download official agenda (PDF) Featured in this episode is the awesome history of the Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post and Loyola's Family Restaurant. Also included is the newly renovated hip sensation, Hotel Zazz and finished results of the Monterey Motel's transformation! You guessed it, this episode is all about Route 66 through Albuquerque! To add to the fun, our hostess of Legends of Route 66 and New Mexico Route 66 Association President, Melissa Lea, takes us along with her to the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership meeting taking place at the El Vada Conference Center. The meetings focus on various activities leading up to and beyond the Mother Roads Centennial in 2026. During breaks Melissa sits down with some of her fellow board members and attendees to chat. In addition to meetings, we go on a fantastic tour of Glorieta Station - a 200,000 square foot facility, once a Coors distribution center, housing a private collection of neon signs, tractors, Unser Family memorabilia, and more! The neon sign collection is regarded as one of the premier collections in the country. Fast TV Network Studios Carrizozo is coming along nicely. Fast TV Network Studios Tucumcari and the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum and Visitor Center have been delayed for months. We will finally have some good news to report in November. Fast TV Network is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and online at FastTVNetwork.com.  Stakeholders Express Reservations and Concerns On Tuesday December 12, 2023, the first meeting of the Route 66 Coordination Group (New Mexico Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group) was held at the State Capitol building in Santa Fe with an agenda to introduce group members to the public, review, and vote on bylaws, and discuss the Federal Route 66 Commission’s centennial recommendations. The public was not impressed when three of the board members showed up 20 minutes late, along with Federal Centennial Board Vice-Chair Jen Schroer, and one group member who did not attend. The Route 66 Coordination Group was established by Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham with Executive Order 2023-131 with the overall mission to “recommend, plan, sponsor, and coordinate official Route 66 centennial events, programs, and activities in the State.” The directive to “sponsor” activities is undefined in the sense that the group is unfunded. The Executive Order’s only tangible deliverables are a “supplemental document” containing specifics pertaining to the actions of the group and to “submit meeting minutes, recommendations for state signature centennial projects, and other regular reports to the United States Route 66 Centennial Commission and/or its working groups.” This seems to suggest the group will only be producing documents. This could be disappointing to Route 66 communities who would be justified in expecting more from the Centennial Coordination Group. The Executive Order specified a 12-member organization with six members from the public sector and six members representing state agencies. The appointment of several members of the group is perplexing. Two group members were appointed representing Native American interests. These members have affiliations with San Idelfonso, Pojoaque, and Santa Clara pueblos—none of which are located or Route 66. Pueblos such as Laguna and Santo Domingo as well as the Navajo Nation, all located on Route 66 and having a historical connection to Route 66, were inextricably overlooked. The appointment of Johnny Pena is baffling. Mr. Pena, husband of Albuquerque City Councilor Klarissa Peña, is a board member and past president of the West Central Community Development Group (WCCDG) that is being paid $500,000 a year to operate the West Central Route 66 Visitor Center that has been characterized as a “boondoggle” and a “monument to waste” by the Albuquerque Journal. The Visitor Center site dedication and design kickoff was held on Dec. 21, 2018. As of December 2023, under WCCDG management, the $13 million dollar center is yet to open its planned tap room, amphitheater, museum, and banquet hall. The current WCCDG executive director, when asked about the sustainability of the Visitor Center, said, “I don’t know. It all depends on how popular Route 66 really is.” Apparently, Mr. Pena represents an organization that is uncertain about Route 66’s popularity. The Tourism Department is represented by two members. The New Mexico Route 66 Association has a history of attempts to work with the Tourism Department, presenting ideas that have proved successful in other Route 66 states. Unfortunately, they were not interested. Currently, the tourism department is not pro-actively featuring Route 66 as a touring destination unlike the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department that publishes a stand-alone 63-page Route 66 tourism guide that is offered in German, Spanish and English. In the next legislative session, the tourism department is requesting $5 million for Route 66 promotion. An egregious omission for representation on the Centennial Group is a representative of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation acknowledged as the subject matter experts on historic Route 66 in New Mexico. The Association has earned both national and state-wide awards and recognition for Route 66 preservation and tourism projects. It has received and executed grants from the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the New Mexico Tourism Department, and the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways agency. The Association publishes the magazine “Route 66 New Mexico” and distributes thousands of copies, without cost, at visitor centers along the Route 66 corridor. The magazine serves as the main resource for Route 66 travel information at the state and local visitor centers. The meeting provided a forum for each Group member to introduce themselves and review Group bylaws. What stood out in the bylaws presentation is the opening mission statement. “The overall mission of the Group is to assist the United States Route 66 Centennial Commission by identifying activities, projects, and events that will properly honor and celebrate the Mother Road of the United States for its centennial anniversary.” It would be reasonable to assume that New Mexico Route 66 stakeholders might take offense with that overall mission statement expecting that the overall mission of the Centennial Group should be to focus on assisting New Mexico communities celebrate the centennial. The Centennial Group discussed the Federal Route 66 Commission’s recommendations. These recommendations were originally created by The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership of which Association President Melissa Beasley-Lee has been an active member of for the last 7 years. Toward the end of the meeting was a short time for public comment. Unfortunately, there was no dialogue between the speakers and the Centennial Group. The first person to speak was Beasley-Lee. During public comment, she presented a written 14-point New Mexico Route 66 Fact Sheet to the Centennial Group members and in public commentary highlighted these Association attributes to the board:
Mike Lee, President and CEO, and co-owner of Fast TV Network Inc., also spoke. He said: “We are currently building a film studio in Carrizozo, New Mexico, and have purchased a property in Tucumcari to build our headquarters and studio space and are donating space for the Official State New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum and Welcome Center that will be housing their massive collection of Route 66 history.” “We have filmed episodes of our hit show “Legends of Route 66” across all eight Route 66 states. We have witnessed countless success stories as well as failures to small businesses on the Mother Road. Human stories. The one common thread is that these business owners have invested their hard-earned money, sweat equity, and countless hours a week bringing needed services on Route 66. New Mexico Route 66 businesses have been hit especially hard. After all, we were shut down longer than any of the eight states during COVID. The centennial is our opportunity to invest in Route 66 communities and provide help to bring celebrations, restoration projects, and new life to our beloved road.” “It is good to see that we are finally forming this committee. However, it needs to be noted that we are extremely late to the party regarding the other seven states. We have a committee that is made up of political representatives and some who are here looking for money for their own projects. What I don’t see is any representation from Gallup, Grants, Moriarty, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, San Jon, Bernalillo, Los Lunas, or the nine Native Nations located along Route 66.” “I also don’t see the president or a representative from the New Mexico Route 66 Association, who have nearly 35 years of expertise in preservation, promotion, and stewardship of Route 66. The same Association that has been a participant in the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership for the last seven years, which formed the National Centennial footprint to begin with. Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and California have been working on this for several years. The State of New Mexico, up to this day, has not done anything for Route 66.” “New Mexico True Magazine from our tourism department barely mentions that Route 66 even exists. They cut the funding to our Association’s quarterly New Mexico Route 66 Magazine, the only Route 66 publication in the state. Yet we still went out and sold advertising to Route 66 businesses and communities who have precious few dollars to begin with to continue publishing it. The magazine that I might note is still delivered to the I-40 corridor state welcome centers at Glen Rio and Manuelito, the Albuquerque downtown visitor center, Old Town, and Sunport, as well as the Santa Fe visitor center, Bernalillo visitor center, and various Route 66 businesses throughout the state, all on our volunteer’s dime.” “So, I will ask you a question. Are we here to help the communities and businesses of Route 66 across the entire 604 miles of the New Mexico stretch of the Mother Road? Or are we going to funnel funding to Albuquerque and Sante Fe concerns and let these communities go it alone? If that is the case, then there is something extremely wrong with our state government. I am here to ask you respectfully to prove me wrong. Help these communities make this centennial a success story. Listen and include those who have invested their lives making Route 66 a better place by adding the New Mexico Route 66 Association as their representative on this group board.” Debbie Pogue, owner of the Sunset Motel in Moriarty said, “if you want to learn about what travelers, including international travelers from all of the world, are coming here to see, you need to speak with the Route 66 businesses owners.” She shared the motel’s history of being the oldest motel continually run by the same family in all the route throughout the eight states. David Brenner shared the history of the Roadrunner Lodge Motel, purchasing it when it was a rundown eyesore at the request of his now ex-wife Amanda, and how they worked hard to turn it into a top-ranking Route 66 motel that has won various awards and competitions from USA Today and the New Mexico Route 66 Association to name a few. “Dave Nidel, a former New Mexico Route 66 Association President said he felt “the meeting was a little dysfunctional and that the Governor-appointed Board is starting late in the planning, almost an afterthought. During the meeting I did not observe a strategy for obtaining funding from this 2024 State Legislature, much less a suggested amount of funding. If the next time this Board is scheduled to meet is February 29, what are they thinking? The 30-Day Legislature will be nearly ended!” “We have a solid opportunity to drive an agenda that this Board demonstrated at this meeting obviously does not have in place but has a mission with no funding to back it up. Worse of all, not one of these appointed seat warmers pledged money or other resources from their organization in support of the NM Route 66 Centennial! Did you get the impression that every one of these Board members was thinking ‘What’s in this for me and my cause?’ I did.” Nidel added, “I served as President of the (New Mexico Route 66) Association in 1992 when Route 66 was celebrating its 66th Anniversary. We lobbied the New Mexico Department of Tourism to promote the commemoration of this event - as every other Route 66 State BUT New Mexico was planning. Our efforts fell on deaf ears. The Department of Tourism instead spent lots of money on the Columbus Day Quincentennial which went over about as well as a turd in a punch bowl.” Donatella Davanzo, a Route 66 research specialist, and New Mexico Route 66 Association member, who recently relocated to New Mexico from Italy, attended the Centennial Coordination Group meeting. “From the onset of discussions, the agenda to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial that the members of the group presented and discussed seemed to me just an initial phase,” Davanzo said. “Considering that the centennial is in 2026, I found their plans “out of time” and probably very late to organize all the tasks that the group mentioned: ceremonies, media production, commemorative items such as coins and stamps, collaboration with the other states’ of the Route 66 corridor, and other projects to promote Route 66 and New Mexico as well.” “Another item I want to point out is the overview focused more on tourism and capturing the attention of travelers from other countries during the centennial anniversary. Route 66 has been for years, and still is, the primary topic of my academic studies and documentary research. Traveling on the route in New Mexico, I visited several commercial businesses in operation. Talking with the owners, they explained to me how their economic conditions and the status of the old properties are very critical.” “When I listened to the comments of Melissa Beasley-Lee, Mike Lee, and Debbie Pogue who spoke during the ‘public comments,’ they were very clear in raising the issues that effectively affect the road and the communities that are challenged to survive. While they were talking, I looked at the members of the group who were listening. There was a sense of surprise in their faces. It seemed that they were listening to something totally unexpected. After these speeches, it became more evident to me how the start of the Coordination Group’s works to organize the centennial celebrations was not only extremely late but also avoided considering the real situation of Route 66 and the communities in New Mexico and the urgency to preserve them both. The key takeaways from the meeting, and the review of the Executive Order are as follows.
After listening to the public input, some board members said they were going to “reach out” to the Association and stated that they wanted to “work together.” At the meeting’s conclusion, Association President Beasley-Lee spoke with Federal Centennial Board Vice-Chair Jen Schroer about the elimination of the Association seat from the State Commission Group. She replied self-satisfyingly, “I’m not part of this group so there is nothing I can do”. Other board members dodged the question and claimed that “their hands are tied.” “Route 66 communities were ‘cut out’ with the coming of the interstate,” Beasley Lee said. “Following this meeting, it has been made obvious Route 66 communities will be ‘cut out’ once again with the coming of the centennial.” “The New Mexico Route 66 Association will continue to focus and invest in its Route 66 communities with what has been originally laid out for centennial preparations and celebrations on a national level. We currently have promotional and preservation projects in the works and have new projects lined up to launch in 2024.” “Route 66 businesses who are not currently members of the association are invited to contact the Association to learn how to get their business involved and represented. Same goes for individual members. We are always excited to have new members joining our circle of like-minded, extended family.” “We also ask those who are financially able to contribute to the New Mexico Route 66 Association to accomplish the centennial projects originally laid out that will be launched in early 2024. Details of these projects will be announced in early 2024.” The next state centennial group meeting is scheduled for Feb. 29 in Tucumcari. More information will be provided on the New Mexico Route 66 Association website’s “Centennial” page, rt66nm.org/centennial, when available. A full list of New Mexico State Centennial Coordination Group board members and their current position is listed on the New Mexico Route 66 Association Website: rt66nm.org/centennial.
Our iconic road's centennial is on the horizon, and it's our moment to drive change.
We're rallying at the state capitol's public meeting on December 12, 2023 – a pivotal moment for Route 66's future in New Mexico. Your presence is powerful! It's now or never. Stand with us to celebrate our road's rich legacy. Let's show the strength of our community and our commitment to Route 66. Together, let's accelerate into a bright future. Join us at the capitol! New Mexico Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group Meeting December 12, 2023 Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Venue: New Mexico State Capitol Building (Room 309), Address: 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Click here to view a draft of BYLAWS OF THE ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL COORDINATION GROUP Download File Dear Route 66 Business Members, As you may know, a New Mexico State Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group was formed in September 2023 under executive order of the governor. The Route 66 Association was not given a seat on this board. The New Mexico Route 66 Association President, Melissa Beasley-Lee has been a board member of the group that created the groundwork for the National Route 66 Centennial preparations since 2017. She would be the only one on this state board with seven years of knowledge regarding what has already been laid out, what is currently taking place, and what steps are now needed on a state level leading up to and throughout 2026. She is also the only member who solely represents the businesses and communities of Route 66 throughout our state. For her not to have a seat at this state level board raises a serious question – Why is she, and the Route 66 Businesses she represents not being invited to continue being a part of the centennial planning. There will be a meeting at the state capitol building Tuesday, December 12th, to vote on the formation and rules of this group. This meeting is open to the public and Melissa, as well as other association board members are planning to attend and voice their concerns about the states choice of members and plans. The New Mexico Route 66 Association feels it is vital that business members attend this meeting as this committee will be the who, what and where that our tax dollars will be spent leading up to and throughout the Route 66 Centennial. This is a once in a 100-year opportunity that can greatly affect the prosperity of your business. We hope you will plan to be present at this meeting on December 12 to let your voice be heard personally for your business, and to request that the NM Route 66 Association be given a seat on this coordination group board. While in Albuquerque for their annual face-to-face meetings this summer, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership was thrilled to be treated to a personal tour of Glorieta Station by owners Ed and Carlos Garcia. Also in attendance were members of the National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and University of New Mexico Research Center. Attendees were treated to libations as the Garcias and New Mexico state hostess for the event, President Melissa Beasley-Lee, welcomed them. Everyone was in awe as their tour guides led them through several areas of the main complex, while sharing historic information and personal stories behind everything from neon and other classic signs, gas pumps, cars, tractors, and a collection of Fred Harvey era furniture and fixtures. The fun didn't stop there ... Next, everyone climbed aboard a personal trolley as Carlos, playing chauffer, gave a tour of other surrounding buildings they own and what their plans are for them as they relate to the entire complex. The trolley brought them to the newest building housing more neon signs. Road Ahead Chair, Bill Thomas, commented "This place is absolutely amazing! I can't believe how much the Garcias have invested in their state and local history. In seeing all of this and talking with them, you can tell they take great pride in being the custodians of New Mexico and other states' history".  Brothers Carlos (left) and Ed (right) Garcia with the group.  The Route 66 Road Ahead Board of Directors held its annual, face-to-face meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 30, 2023. The following day, members of the Road Ahead Board who were able, attended part of the annual meeting of the Research Route 66 group. Their new report, available on their website, http://www.route66roadahead.org (by clicking on the "News" or "Resources" tabs), covers January 2023 through March 2023 and includes the following highlights. The Road Ahead continues to focus on five outcomes: increased collaboration, effective promotion, purposeful preservation, increased economic vitality, and quality research and education. The outcomes are supported by a variety of goals designed to advance Route 66 as an American historic and economic treasure. The Route 66 State Associations Advocacy Working Group collaborates with each other and the Road Ahead Board of Directors to share common interests, opportunities, and support. They are currently working with AAA to create an experience that best supports each state. Plans are underway to help promote the AAA Road Fest during the International Mother Road Festival to be held in Springfield, Illinois in September of 2023. The Research/Education Working Group supports professional and amateur educators and researchers in their efforts to inspire and renew public understanding of Route 66. The largest part of their first quarter efforts focused on setting up a summer training session for teachers using a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to train 72 teachers in developing a Route 66 curriculum for middle and high school students. Professor Gretchen McAllister of Northern Arizona University is directing this effort. Dr. David Dunaway, the chair of the Research & Education Working Group is its principal consultant. Additionally, the long-awaited bibliography of Route 66 will be published this year. Researching Route 66, a 150-page collection of what has been written about Route 66 over the years, was reviewed this quarter and there are plans for publicity and outreach to introduce the bibliography to a national audience. Under the direction of Pam Bowman with the National Trust, the National Historic Trail Designation Task Force plans to help ensure introduction of new legislation in the 118th Congress to designate Route 66 a National Historic Trail. The Road Ahead is assisting by recruiting Congressmen/women to be original co-sponsors of the legislation. The Road Ahead has done extensive preparatory work for the upcoming Route 66 Centennial, but action remains on hold, pending the outcomes of the National Commission's initial meetings. Established in 2015 with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments' Fund, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership's mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research and education, and economic development. Bill Thomas, Chairman, Rt. 66 Road Ahead Partnership [email protected], 217-648-5077. Update from Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, Board of Director for the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership & President of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, as it relates to Route 66 State Centennial Commission in New Mexico: Note: As posted in previously: In addition to this National Centennial Commission, each of the eight Route 66 States are to form its own "State" Centennial Commission composed of members who reflect the interests, history, and importance of the communities along Route 66 in their state. Then It's off to getting things ready statewide to celebrate 100 years of Route 66! During this years legislative session, The New Mexico Route 66 Association introduced a bill to set up the New Mexico State Centennial Commission with Senator Pete Campos. Unfortunately, after several attempts over a two-month period, our attempts to communicate and get the bill passed were ignored. The NM Rt66 Association is currently regrouping, along with the Rt66 Road Ahead Partnership, to try and find a solution to the situation. We are disappointed that this simple organizational bill could not get passed. As of this printing, Senator Campos has not replied to any communications with the association.  Left: Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Board of Directors with National Park Service, NationalTrust for Historic Preservation, and UNM Route 66 Research Center. Right: Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Research Route 66 group with National Park Service and UNM Route 66 Research Center.
On May 23, 2017, the Albuquerque Journal ran an Associated Press article by Russell Contreras titled, "Losing Their Kicks? Funds For Route 66 Towns May Be At Risk." Similar stories ran in papers and on TV news across the country detailing the sunset of legislation which authorized the National Park Service to administer the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which was created by congressional legislation in 1999. The National Park Service (NPS) administered matching fund preservation grants that made possible the restoration of properties and neon signs in each state traversed by Route 66. In New Mexico, some of those projects included the Blue Swallow Motel sign in Tucumcari, El Comedor's "Rotosphere" in Moriarty and the sign and building front of the Lexington Hotel in Gallup. NPS also facilitated Route 66 oral history projects in partnership with UNM's English Department as well as providing access to historical and informational research materials for scholars and tourists. Many people were justifiably alarmed at the news of the sunset of preservation legislation, but beginning in 2014, in anticipation of the de-funding of their programs, NPS along with Route 66 stakeholders and the World Monuments Fund facilitated the creation of 'The Road Ahead Partnership" whose mission it is "to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon, for the benefit of all Route 66 communities, travelers, and businesses/attractions, through collaborative partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research/education, and economic development." Pending legislation monitored and supported by The Road Ahead Partnership includes HR801, a bill introduced into Congress by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL] that would designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. Bill Thomas, chairman of The Road Ahead Partnership, said, "With the impending sunset of the NPS Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program in 2019, it is important that Route 66 gain this designation." Other Legislation includes HR66, introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL], which would establish a Route 66 100th Anniversary Celebration Commission. Says Thomas, "The Mother Road's 100th birthday will be in 2026 and we want to be prepared for a grand celebration." For further information, the partnership has launched a new website: www.route66roadahead.org.  Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Board of Directors meeting, February 16-18, 2017 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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