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Spring is here—a time of renewal, adventure, and hitting the open road. In this issue, we’re excited to spotlight the Harley Owners Group and S&H Green Stamps, as well as the upcoming speaker at the Centennial Speakers Series, Cheryl Jenkins Echt.
Plus, don’t miss our interview with Kevin Daly, exploring the connection between the LA Coliseum and the Mother Road.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to join the Birthday Party Club! Check out the flyer below and sign up today to join this once-in-a-century celebration. If you’re interested in upgrading your membership, you can do so here.
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Our Online Events Submission Form makes promoting Route 66 Centennial celebrations easier than ever! The form allows users to submit events in just a few minutes—no technical expertise required. Once submitted, events are reviewed and published on the official Centennial calendar, helping visitors plan their journey and experience all that Route 66 has to offer for the Centennial and beyond.
To submit your event or learn more, click here.
We’re excited to spotlight the work of Route 66’s official publishing partner, Only In Your State, which continues to highlight incredible eateries, points of interest, and historic landmarks along the Mother Road. We hope you enjoy discovering them as much as we do. Read their latest Route 66 articles here.
Also, check out the Centennial Blog! Our Q&As feature interviews with writers, business owners, artists, sports teams, event coordinators, and others who live, work, or travel on Route 66. Learn more about upcoming or recently released books, projects, and more—and discover what Route 66 means to people across the country.
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Ride Route 66 with Harley-Davidson®’s Harley Owners Group®
The Road Ahead Partnership recently announced its partnership with Harley-Davidson, the official motorcycle of the Route 66 Centennial!
Now, you can experience Route 66 with the Harley Owners Group, which celebrates Route 66’s centennial by featuring five of its fifteen annual U.S. rides along the iconic Mother Road, honoring a century of freedom and adventure.
Each year, Harley Owners Group® selects a handful of U.S. destinations famed for their unforgettable riding experiences.
Learn more and join the Harley Owners Group here.
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Nostalgia meets nostalgia in this Official Route 66 Centennial Project! S&H Green Stamps were a familiar staple along the Mother Road, with many Route 66 businesses offering stamps as a reward for loyal customers.
The system worked like this: businesses purchased the stamps from S&H and gave customers 10 stamps for every dollar they spent. Shoppers could then save their stamps and redeem them for products from the S&H Catalog or at one of the 600 S&H redemption centers nationwide.
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Collecting stamps became incredibly popular—by the 1960s, S&H issued three times more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service, and its reward catalog was the largest publication in the country.
This project spotlights local businesses and non-profits along Route 66, encouraging people to shop locally while earning rewards.
Learn more here.
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Join author Cheryl Eichar Jett on March 10 as she highlights the work, creativity, and leadership of women who sustained life and culture along Route 66. Her book “Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66” will be published on April 1st by Reedy Press.
Part of the Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series, this talk is one of many throughout the year highlighting the Mother Road’s lasting impact and legacy.
Learn more and register here, and learn more about Research Route 66 at researchroute66.org.
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Kevin Daly is the assistant general manager at the LA Coliseum, overseeing the operations team, IT, and events—he’s the one who keeps the building running. “I’ve been working at the Coliseum since 2014—over ten years. Every day I walk in, I take the legacy for granted. Just being there is a privilege,” says Kevin.
The Coliseum opened in 1923, commissioned as a memorial to veterans who served in World War I. More than 100 years later, it has become one of the world’s most iconic cultural hubs—a venue for concerts, USC football games, the Super Bowl, and so much more. What most people don’t realize, however, is that the Coliseum and Route 66 were once symbiotic. “When the first Olympics at the Coliseum were announced in 1932, tourism to LA was promoted through Route 66, since Santa Monica marks the end of the highway,” Kevin explains. “Tourists could travel west by car along Route 66. The Coliseum was built with tourism in mind, and it helped make LA an iconic destination.”
In the 1930s, Los Angeles was still largely sprawling farmland. This was before the golden age of Hollywood, before the city attracted actors, directors, and producers, long before LA became a glittering urban hub for entertainment and tourism. “To me, Route 66 really speaks to achievement—recognizing what the nation was becoming in the early 20th century,” Kevin says. “It’s also incredible to think about how many families are here because of Route 66, and how deeply car culture is ingrained in LA’s geography.”
Like Route 66, the Coliseum is quintessentially American—a national landmark that reflects evolving ideas of American identity. More than that, it’s about bringing people together: generations of families and friends sharing experiences, returning to the same place to root for the team they love, hear a favorite band live, or order a bacon-wrapped hot dog from the concession stand. “Route 66 is about renewing yourself. It’s about what you can achieve, and following your dream,” Kevin adds. The relationship between the Coliseum and Route 66 is ultimately a physical embodiment of hope, opportunity, and movement.
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Check out our new line of Centennial bumper stickers! The collection includes one national design, with two designs to choose from, as well as two designs for each Route 66 state.
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