EDWARDSVILLE — For a lot of, the return of the Route 66 Festival Saturday in downtown Edwardsville brought again a welcome sense of ordinary.
The pageant was canceled previous year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We made a decision to set it on this calendar year,” said Parks & Recreation Director Nate Tingley. “With Stage 5 COVID limits in result, we feel it’s excellent to get outdoors and have a very good time with the local community.”
The city’s 23rd once-a-year festival started with the Metro Milers 10k which led to choices these types of as meals, sellers and songs, alongside with a late afternoon vintage automobile show and cruise via downtown Edwardsville. Dozens of pristine basic cars participated.
The well known automobile demonstrate, sponsored by the Goshen Rotary Club, took location throughout the road from City Park, in which car proprietors shared tales of their cars with guests.
“‘Tweedy’ has a great story,” reported Dave Archer, Edwardsville resident and owner of a 1971 yellow Chevrolet Corvette.
Archer uncovered the Corvette less than a tarp in a campground in California, wherever the operator asked if he wished to go for a trip in it.
“We were on desert roads and I have never absent so quickly in my lifestyle. He went about 110 miles for each hour,” mentioned Archer.
A yr later on, he flew out to acquire the car or truck and drove it back to Edwardsville, subsequent a route related to the original Route 66.
“Right following I got it back, I place it in this auto exhibit in 2015,” said Archer.
Initial woodworking, photography, artwork, apparel and extra dotted the park for residents to get pleasure from.
“We’ve been to farmers’ marketplaces, but this is our initially huge collecting,” claimed Alyssa Loman of Edwardsville.
“The competition is good so considerably. It is scorching, but there is a continuous stream of men and women,” stated seller Libby Kelly, who sold artistic creations with Marilyn Holmes, both equally of Edwardsville.
Together with the suppliers, various businesses presented info relevant to Route 66 and the historic significance of the Mother Street in Edwardsville. Signs have been posted highlighting cafes, company stations and a lot more that could be witnessed from Route 66 yrs ago.
The authentic Route 66 ran south on Hillsboro Avenue and west on Vandalia Road, until heading on Illinois Point out Route 157 to East St. Louis.
Among the the companies ended up the non-gain Mates of Leclaire, which raises consciousness of the heritage of the historic Leclaire neighborhood south of downtown Edwardsville.
“We are here for the enjoy of historical past in our city,” said Mates of Leclaire member Paula Homan, who had pamphlets supplying anecdotes of Route 66 Americana in Edwardsville, as nicely as details and newsletters about the Leclaire community.
The 2021 Mom Street Sponsor of this year’s Route 66 Pageant was Cork Tree Creative, Inc. Cork Tree Innovative is an Edwardsville-centered full-provider marketing, community relations, and net growth company. Other sponsors contain The Gori Law Business, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Southern Illinois Pediatric Dentistry, Dieterich Lender, Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, Renewal by Andersen Window Alternative, Edwardsville Lender, Irwin Chapel, Busey Lender, Viviano Heating & Air Conditioning, Abstracts and Titles and Madison Mutual Insurance policy. More than 100 volunteers served make the event probable.