The Tenth Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference will be held Thursday – Saturday, October 9-11, in Joliet, Illinois, with the theme “Road to the Centennial,” honoring the upcoming 100-year Route 66 celebration in 2026. The main conference activities will take place at the Joliet Area Historical Museum (JAHM) on Route 66.
The keynote speaker is Rhys Martin, well-known author, photographer, and advocate of the famous highway, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in addition to serving as the President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.
The slate of speakers and their topics includes: Amy Bizzarri, Chicago-based travel and history writer, the Culinary History of Route 66; Scott Dahl, Director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Route 66 Centennial in Springfield; Jim Featherstone and Olivia Golaszewski, co-owners of Internet Transformed, cybersecurity education for individuals and small businesses; Tracy and Peter Flucke, authors, bicycle safety experts, and cross-country tandem bicyclists, traveling Route 66 on a tandem bicycle; Connie Martin, Illinois Humanities Road Scholar and Underground Railroad specialist, the Underground Railroad in Illinois; Robert Navarro, President & CEO of Heritage Corridor Destinations, welcome to Joliet and the Heritage Corridor area; Greg Peerbolte, Joliet Area Historical Museum CEO, Joliet history and attractions; David J. Schwartz, owner of Pics on Route 66 and Lead Editorial Photographer for ROUTE Magazine, travel and photography on Route 66; John Weiss, Illinois Route 66 author and preservationist, preservation efforts along Illinois Route 66.
Other activities will include an evening of SINGO (music bingo) and hospitality at the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Route 66, a tour of the famous Joliet Prison – where The Blues Brothers movie was filmed, an informal group dinner, and live music with popular area band The Flatbed Fords – “Best of the Eagles” – at the Roxy in nearby Lockport. The band’s concert experience is an outstanding recreation of the music of one of America’s greatest and most popular bands. Band members are Ron Romero, founder of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, on bass; Todd Loizzo on keyboards; Dean Schuldt on guitar; Jim Coleman on guitar; Erik Enervold on drums; and Jim Sokachitch on guitar.
The 2025 conference is made possible by the Joliet City Center Partnership and Heritage Corridor Destinations, with additional support from Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Joliet Area Historical Museum, Ryburn Place at Sprague’s Super Service Station, and Visit Springfield Tourism Bureau. (The 2026 Route 66 Centennial Miles of Possibility will be hosted by our capital city – Springfield, Illinois!)
Registration for the conference sessions is now open at https://route66milesofpossibility.com where you can find more details, photos and updates. Also go to https://www.facebook.com/Route66MilesOfPossibility and route66_milesofpossibility on Instagram. Register now to secure your place in the 2025 version of the only annual, ongoing conference event dedicated to Route 66!
For more information, visit https://route66milesofpossibility.com, or contact Cheryl Eichar Jett by email at route66mop@gmail.com or text/phone at (618) 567-6895.
