• Tweet

With the centennial celebration of America’s “Mother Road”—Route 66—approaching in 2026, members of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission are teaming up and hitting the road with the goal of driving development along Oklahoma’s stretch of the historic highway. As members of the commission, the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Main Street Center are embarking on the Kickstart 66 Tour, making a series of stops in communities along Route 66 to introduce resources community stakeholders can use in revving up local planning and development efforts. Tour stops will include Miami on April 4, Clinton on May 9, Sapulpa on September 12, and Arcadia on October 3. Route 66 community stakeholders are invited to reserve a seat at any of the tour stops. There is no cost to attend. For more information, contact molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov.

Who Should Attend?

Business owners, municipal and county officials, nonprofit organizations, museums, historical societies, tribal nation representatives, artists, members of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, community volunteers, and other local stakeholders are encouraged to attend.

Tour Stop Details

In addition to the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Main Street Center, representatives from a variety of statewide organizations will present on their resources and funding availabile to communities along Route 66. Organizations such as the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Oklahoma Film and Music Office, Oklahoma Museums Association, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and others will join us along the way. Each tour stop program will have a heavy emphasis on networking and facilitating conversation among attendees as they consider their community’s goals. Tour stops are designed to assist communities to fully leverage economic opportunities from the Route 66 centennial and to prepare communities to build from the legacy of the byway, traveled by an estimated two million people from around the globe each year. For more information, contact molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov.

About the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission

The Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission’s goals include economic development, historic preservation, and marketing of the Mother Road. The commission is tasked with planning, coordinating, and implementing statewide efforts to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026. The year-long celebration will welcome thousands of national and international travelers to the state.