Route 66 “Kicking” With Culture A new program will restore some storied landmarks along Route 66. (NAPSA)—Fading, but not forgotten, a symbol of American individuality is beginning to receive needed attention as part of a nationwide restoration effort. Route 66, still sprinkled with mom ‘n’ pop diners, neon signs and funky roadside attractions, tells a compelling story of American culture. The Route’s eight state, 2,448mile stretch was originally designed in 1926 to help farmers in rural states move their crops to Los Angeles and Chicago. As the popularity of car travel grew, so did the need for highway stops on this East to West journey. Business boomed for unique sites, restaurants and visual attractions that entertained travelers passing through, from ghost motels to giant whales. Today, Route 66 attractions are in disrepair and hundreds of miles of the famous roadway are now unmarked. “Route 66 has been immortalized in songs, movies and books because of its free-spirited culture and fascinating sites,” said Jim Conkle, executive director, Route 66 Preservation Foundation. “The attention on both its blacktop and Capitol Hill. The Explore the Highway with Hampton, Save A Landmark program will refurbish some of its well-known landmarks, donate Route 66 signs to re-designate the historic roadway, and markspecific landmarks with “Route 66 Point of Interest” road signs. An online letter writing campaign also has been established to help designate Route 66 as a National Landmark. Before turning its focus on Route 66 this year, the program already restored 10 landmarks across the country, from a 125year-old one-room schoolhouse in Michigan to the world’s largest Santa Clausstatue in North Pole, our past and now to American nostalgia.” Conkle has been working with America’s landmarks and Route 66, road is an important connection to Hampton Hotels to preserve Route 66, bringing it needed Alaska. The program operates with no federal funding and is run by donations and the volunteer efforts of Hampton hotels. The focus to save landmarks began as a result of a survey that found 80 percent of leisure travelers vacationing by car stop at roadside attractions, and nine out of 10 Americans believe it is important to preserve our coun- try’s roadside landmarks. To join the campaign to save send recommendations to Explore the Highway with Hampton, P.O. Box 15422, Beverly Hills, CA 902091422 or www.hamptoninn.com.
