2023 Route 66 Miles of Possibility Conference

The Eighth Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference will be held Thursday – Sunday, October 19 – 22, in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, with the theme “The Great American Road Trip,” with four days of speakers, tours, museums, networking, plus musical and movie entertainment, awaiting Route 66 enthusiasts, Illinois historians, tourism professionals, and anyone just wanting to have a great weekend of fun on Illinois Route 66! In a nod to this year’s hosts, Thursday’s events will be held at the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington and Friday-Saturday’s events will be held at Uptown Station in Normal.

At this year’s event, four nationally-known speakers will present keynote speeches. They are: Evan Stern, actor and podcaster (NYC) – “Beyond Nostalgia and Neon: The Voices of Route 66.” Jim Hinckley, author and tourism expert (Kingman, AZ) – “In the Beginning: Dawn of the Great American Road Trip.” T. Lindsay Baker, author and professor (Texas) – “Roadside Food and Mother Road Travelers.” Marian Pavel, media expert and designer of Route 66 Navigation and Route 66 Passport (Bratislava, Slovakia) – “Post-Pandemic Route 66.”

New this year is a series of three Lunch & Learn special sessions offered especially for attendees that work in tourism or community leadership. Presented by three of Illinois’ foremost tourism professionals, the sessions are: Cory Jobe, CEO of Great Rivers & Routes CVB – “The Last Hundred Miles of Route 66 in Illinois.” Scott Dahl, CEO of Visit Springfield CVB – “Route 66: The Road to 2026.” Bob Navarro, CEO of Heritage Corridor CVB – “What’s New Along the First Hundred Miles of Ol’ Route 66.”

The full slate of speakers for Thursday-Saturday, October 19-21, also includes: Joe Culpepper – “Bicycling Route 66 at 66 Years Old;” Matt Hawkins, BNACVB – “Route 66 in McLean County;” Cheryl Eichar Jett – “Dreams, Dares, and Driving: Early Women Cross-Country Motorists;” Spencer Johansen – “From Memory Lane to 2026 and Beyond;” Bill Kemp – “The Henney Kilowatt: Bloomington’s Battery-Powered ‘Car of Tomorrow;’” Greg Koos – “Out of the Mud and onto the Hard Roads;” Mike Matejka – “Route 66 Pathfinder: Following the Railroad;” Terri Ryburn – “Saving Two Route 66 Icons;” and Jeff Woodard and Rochelle Gridley – “Bloomington-Normal Breweries: Then and Now.” A panel discussion about “Solo Women Travelers” will include long-time Route 66 travelers Angie Fickert Patarek and Brenda St. Clair and panel moderator Cheryl Eichar Jett.

Two tours are planned. On Thursday morning, a walking tour entitled “Downtown Bloomington: A Business 66 Survivor” will be led by Greg Koos, Executive Director Emeritus of the McLean County Museum of History. On Sunday, publicist and writer Ruth Cobb will present a tour and program entitled “The Road to Home: Stories from a Shared Past on Route 66” at the former Illinois Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Children’s School in Normal.

Social activities begin on Thursday evening with a welcome hot dog roast at Sprague’s Super Service in Normal. Friday evening’s festivities will begin with a special welcome and updates from Debyjo Ericksen and Ron Romero of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66. Also on Friday evening, is the return of musical guest, singer/guitarist Tim Dial, at the Eagles Club in downtown Bloomington. On Saturday evening, there is a special showing of the film, Young Frankenstein, at the Normal Theatre.

Miles of Possibility would like to thank its 2023 event presenters and ongoing supporters: Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, plus: Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, Illinois Coal Museum at Gillespie, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Great Rivers & Routes Convention & Visitors Bureau, Heritage Corridor Destinations Convention & Visitors Bureau, McLean County Museum of History, Ryburn Place at Sprague’s Super Service, and Visit Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

For registration, complete schedule, bios of all our speakers, updates, and hotel/parking/wifi information, visit https://route66milesofpossibility.com. Ticket prices begin at $60 for a one-day pass; register for the weekend (Thursday-Sunday) for just $100 before October 1st! Lunch & Learn sessions (includes lunch) require registration of $60 for all three sessions. For updates and fun facts, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.