The Ninth Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference will be held Thursday – Sunday, October 31 – November 3, in Edwardsville, Illinois, with the theme “Giants of Route 66.” The conference presentations and main activities will take place Thursday-Saturday at the historic Wildey Theatre just off Route 66.
“LAST-MINUTE” special price tickets go on sale Monday morning, Oct 21 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ninth-annual-miles-of-possibility-route-66-conference-tickets-911448004517. Act now to get the special discount.
Newly added: An art gallery and author book signing event has been added to the conference on Friday Nov. 1 and Saturday Nov. 2, which will be open to the public (free admission) as well as to conference attendees. The art gallery will be open from 12:00noon to 4:00pm on the second floor of the Wildey Theatre building with the book signings taking place from 3:00-4:00pm. On display and available for purchase will be the work of two of the area’s foremost artists – travel and nature photographer Scott Evers and artist/designer Benjamin Lowder.
Scott Evers is a professional freelance photographer who has done commercial photography work for interior designers, architects, contractors, and artists. His work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and various periodicals and he has won honorable mention awards from the National Parks Foundation, Encyclopedia Britannica, and The Nature Conservancy photography contests. Scott has donated many of his photographs to worthy charitable causes. His passion for photography, travel, and the preservation and restoration of our natural environment keeps him constantly on the go.
Benjamin Lowder is an artist who transforms fragments of vintage metal signs and reclaimed wood found along Route 66 into geometric assemblages that take on new life as art objects. The geometry guiding his artwork is inspired by the triangulated patterns of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes. Benjamin works as the Center Director of the Fuller Dome, Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, on the Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville campus. Benjamin also serves on the Board of Directors for Buckminster Fuller’s historic Dome Home in Carbondale, Illinois.
The book signings will take place from 3:00-4:00pm and include seven of the conference speakers: Jim Hinckley, Bill Iseminger, Susan Croce Kelly, Rhys Martin, Mark Pierce, Cindy Reinhardt, and Joe Sonderman. This will be a great opportunity to meet some of the speakers and purchase signed copies of their books.
The keynote speaker for the conference is Joel Baker, founder of American Giants and the nation’s leading authority on – and advocate for – the identification, preservation, and restoration of the giant fiberglass statues known as “muffler men.”
The Speaker line-up for Thursday afternoon includes: Rhys Martin (Oklahoma Route 66); Route 66 Centennial updates from Casey Claypool (Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway), Bill Thomas (Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership), and Kaisa Barthuli (National Park Service); and Ron Romero (Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66). Friday’s speaker schedule includes Joel Baker plus Cory Jobe (Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau), Benjamin Lowder (Buckminster Fuller Domes), Mike Gassmann & Judy DeMoisy (World’s Largest Catsup Bottle), Susan Croce Kelly (Father of Route 66 Cyrus Avery), and Geoff Ladd (Route 66 Monarch Flyway). On Saturday, attendees will enjoy presentations by Joe Sonderman (St. Louis Route 66), Dave Tucker (Illinois Coal Mining Museum), Mark Pierce (Mississippi River Festival), Bill Iseminger (Cahokia Mounds), and Jim Hinckley (Route 66 as an Icon).
Headlining the weekend’s activities is a Friday night concert at the Wildey featuring nationally-known musicians, Robby Robinson and the Route 66 Band (at time of press release just a few tickets left at https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/769/Wildey-Theatre).
Other special activities include: (Thursday) Edwardsville historian and author Cindy Reinhardt will tell little-known stories along Edwardsville’s Route 66 during a special trolley tour of the historic village of Leclaire with a stop at the Madison County Historical Society’s Route 66 exhibit and also giving guided tours of the Wildey Theatre portraying Cleo Foehrkolb, long-time theater employee; (Friday evening) reception at the West End Service Station hosted by Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau; (Sunday morning) outdoor tour of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville (weather permitting); and (Sunday afternoon) Madison County Historical Society’s annual “Dining in History” at the Crystal Garden with a social hour, dinner, and presentation by Route 66 historians/authors Joe Sonderman and Cheryl Eichar Jett – tickets for this additional event at https://madcohistory.org/dining-in-history-2/.
The 2024 conference is made possible by the City of Edwardsville and Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau. Additional presenters of past and present conferences include: Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Heritage Corridor Destinations, Illinois Coal Museum at Gillespie, Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, McLean County Museum of History, Ryburn Place at Sprague Super Service, and Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For tickets, complete schedule, hotel, venue, and parking information, go to https://route66milesofpossibility.com.
