BLOOMINGTON — Towns and cities across Central Illinois are already preparing for the centennial celebration of Route 66 in 2026. "We have tens of thousands of visitors that come through the community annually that are very excited to see Bloomington, Illinois, and have no knowledge of what that means," said Zach Dietmeier, vice president of operations at the Bloomington-Normal Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's a great way for us not only to cheerlead for the community, but also to showcase the positive aspect of what that means still economically for the community as we continue to take advantage of what the last 100 years of Route 66 have looked like.
" Running nearly 300 miles across the Land of Lincoln, Route 66 begins in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles. Dietmeier, who organized the McLean County Route 66 Centennial Commission, said the group is coordinating grants and various projects with other towns along the Mother Road, including Chenoa, Lexington, Towanda, Normal, Bloomington and McLean. Zach Dietmeier, vice president of operations at the Bloomington-Normal Convention & Visitors Bureau and organizer of the McLean County Route 66 Centennial Commission, discusses planning for the Route 66 centennial next to the drive-in movie theater mural on the south wall of Red Raccoon Games in downtown Bloomington.
Among those projects, the CVB received state funds in February to support the installation of murals inside the McLean C.
