Route 66 Fest provides taste of next year’s centennial event

The sound of classic cars, guitars, and dunk tanks filled Boswell Park Saturday as the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society, Lake Regional Health System and the City of Lebanon presented the community with the 18th Lebanon Route 66 Festival.
Despite rain early in the day, the Route 66 Society along with its partners and sponsors marked another well-attended festival in the books. The Route 66 Society’s planning for next year’s festival along with other centennial celebrations is already underway.
The Route 66 Society’s report on the festival noted around 1,000 attendees at the evening’s concert, bringing the total attendance close to last year’s numbers of around 4,000-5,000. Those numbers were despite the rain deterring would-be festival goers earlier in the day.
Society President Bruce Owen said in a Tuesday call that he thought the festival went well despite the weather. He was proud the Society put on a free festival for the community and hoped to make it better next year.
Vice President and festival chair Mike Boggs said Tuesday that the group’s Wednesday meeting would discuss what lessons from this year’s festival the group would apply to next year’s centennial festival.
Boggs said the group was happy with the vendors and food trucks – a higher number than previous years – despite the challenge in fitting them all in the park. The group was also considering moving the event to the Lebanon Fairgrounds to accommodate a predicted larger crowd for next year.
While acknowledging the rain decreasing the number of attendees, he said the rain softened the group to a point where it would have been hard to park more attendees.

The disc golf challenge was a reported success, Boggs said, as well as the festival’s face painting and live reptile events. He was pleased with the reception to both the Nautical Brothers and the touring, platinum-winning Sister Hazel.
“Rain may have kept some folks away or they had made other plans, but those who were there had a great show. I haven’t heard any complaints,” Boggs wrote.
Owen said the Celebrity Dunk Tank raised $530 after expenses for the Shop With a Cop Program. Eastbound and Down, a “Smokey & the Bandit” tribute group, was also a big hit, he said. Boggs said the group would return next year.
For those who missed getting an official festival shirt, Boggs said the group will post information on how to get one soon. As for next year, the group was planning the centennial celebration and August’s concert, which is part of the Centennial Concert Series, as they wrapped up this year’s festival.
Boggs also highlighted the start of their Centennial Speaker Series on July 22 with Scott McCoy, Ultimate Route 66 Guide App creator, presenting at the Lebanon-Laclede County Library on his app and how to create Route 66 road trips at 6 p.m.
“We want everyone to come and listen and tour the museum,” Boggs said, referring to the library’s internationally visited Route 66 Museum.
Next year, 2026, will be Route 66’s 100th anniversary, which coincides with celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. Governor Mike Kehoe announced April 23 that Springfield will be the host city for the kickoff concert of the Mother Road’s centennial celebration, as reported by the Springfield News-Leader.