2026 Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference to be held in Springfield for Centennial

Get ready — the 2026 Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference is taking the Mother Road celebration to a whole new level! As Route 66 marks its 100th anniversary, this landmark event will be a premier centennial summit, uniting historians, travelers, preservationists, and the simply curious in one unforgettable gathering.

Join us in the HEART OF ILLINOIS 66, SPRINGFIELD, IL for:
• Elevated Programming: Keynotes, panels, and workshops designed to celebrate, educate, inspire, and ignite new possibilities.
• Centennial Spotlight: Celebrating 100 years of Route 66 with immersive cultural events, music, and storytelling.
• Global Reach: Voices from around the world converge to honor the past and envision the future.
Miles of Possibility 2026 will be bigger, bolder, and more unforgettable than ever before — the definitive celebration of Route 66’s enduring legacy and limitless future.

Jerry McClanahan

Keynote Speaker:
Noted Route 66 author, artist and historian, Jerry McClanahan, was first fascinated by Route 66 as a child during many family vacations in the 1960s, between Southern California and Arkansas.

After his family moved to central Texas in 1969, Jerry rediscovered Route 66 in 1981. Since then almost every year has
found him making numerous expeditions along the Route, mapping, photographing and collecting information.

In the early 1990s, Jerry began painting and writing about Historic 66 full time. In 1994, he collaborated with Oklahoma Route 66 expert Jim Ross on the best-selling Route 66 Map Series. His popular EZ 66 Guide (the “Route 66 Bible”) came out in 2005 and is now in its 6 th “Centennial” edition. Also for the Centennial he has created and self-published a graphic novel: 66 MAN…to the Centennial and BEYOND! featuring his family of Route 66 characters (and Jerry’s own family as well).

The superhero 66 Man also appears as a giant statue in Chandler, Oklahoma’s new “McClanahan Park.”

Jerry’s photos appear in numerous books and periodicals, while his paintings of vintage cars on Route 66 hang in
private collections across the country and overseas. Among other honors, Jerry is a member of the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame.

In 2008, Jerry moved to Chandler, Oklahoma, where he welcomes visitors to McJerry’s Route 66 Gallery, just a stone’s throw off Route 66. www.mcjerry66.com.