Hit the road for the Route 66 festival

BY JOHN REYNOLDS GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE SPRINGFIELD, IL. - If the rumble of a 1968 Pontiac GTO gets your heart racing or the sight of a 1957 Chevy Bel Air brings back fond memories, you might want to make plans to visit downtown Springfield for the Sixth Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Car Show next weekend. Between 700 and 900 cars from virtually every era are expected to be on display during the Sept. 28-30 show, and organizers also have lined up visits from celebrities and plenty of live music. Organizers said what sets the Springfield event apart from other car shows is that it combines a car show and a street festival. "Almost every weekend in the summer, you can find a car show somewhere," said Kim Rosendahl, president of the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival. "I think what sets us apart is our location - being in the downtown area. A lot of car shows are out at a fairground, which the guys don't mind. (But the guys) often come to these things with their wives and groups of friends, and they are looking for things to do. They love the ambiance of downtown." This year's festival begins at 6 p.m. Friday with the traditional cruise from the Illinois Department of Transportation building on Dirksen Parkway to downtown Springfield. The cars will head south on Dirksen to westbound Stevenson Drive and turn north on Sixth Street, which the cars will take all the way into the downtown. Racing legend Shirley Muldowney will be the cruise grand marshal. Two stages will offer free music, and Gasoline Alley - an area where people can learn about metalwork, painting and engine rebuilds - will be back on the north side of the Old Capitol Plaza. One visitor to Gasoline Alley will be Chuck Hanson, former star of Horsepower TV. He's been at the festival before, and this year, he will be bringing his former partner and current star of Horsepower TV, Joe Elmore. While cars are the main focus of the event, there also will be plenty of live entertainment "We are really happy about the entertainment lineup this year. I think it's probably one of the best lineups we've ever had," Rosendahl said. The festival and all of the downtown concerts are free. The only paid event is the Saturday Night Sock Hop at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, which begins at 8 p.m. The sock hop will be headlined by Frankie Avalon. Tickets range from $16 to $26 at the convention center box office, and are also available at TicketMaster.com. The last formal festival event is the awards presentation, which is set to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday on the south stage. In past years, police have estimated the crowd at 70,000 for the entire weekend. "They come from all over the United States," Rosendahl said. "Last year, we had people from 31 states and at least eight countries."