Contact: Chip Minty at 405-219-9944 or [email protected]

OKLAHOMA CITY – April 27, 2022 – The AAA Route 66 Road Fest has been selected as the flagship event of the Mother Road’s centennial celebration by a national advocacy group whose mission is to preserve and promote the legendary road. The inaugural Road Fest in Oklahoma City and Tulsa this June will continue each year through 2026.

“When we learned about the Road Fest, we liked its concept and design,” said Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership. “We saw it as an opportunity to offer a model activity to the rest of the Route 66 states.”

There are many Route 66 centennial celebrations planned through 2026, but the AAA Route 66 Road Fest will be the first, scheduled for June 18-19 at the Bennett Event Center at OKC Fairgrounds, and in Tulsa’s SageNet Center at Expo Square on June 25-26.

“Route 66 spans 2,448 miles and eight states,” said Jared Peterson, AAA Oklahoma executive, “so earning this distinction is a real achievement for our state.”

The Road Fest will feature classic car shows, food, and ongoing live music from local and regional bands. Family activities will include virtual reality experiences, a pinewood derby, and a Route 66 mini-golf course featuring famous landmarks from the historic highway. Visitors will explore Route 66 through the decades by touring interactive exhibits that include artifacts, history, photos, fashion, automobiles and iconic brands that came of age on the Mother Road. Tickets are available at route66roadfest.com.

“The designation is not just for 2022,” Thomas said. “We have made a five-year commitment to AAA Oklahoma, spanning from the first Road Fest this June through the culminating Road Fest which will take place in June 2026.”

The Road Ahead Partnership was established six years ago by the National Park Service and the World Monuments Fund to create a single, national body to promote and preserve the Mother Road through educational programs and economic development initiatives. The partnership successfully advocated for federal legislation that created the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, which will commemorate the national celebration in a variety of ways.  

“The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is excited to have AAA Oklahoma as the first organization to sponsor what will be a whole host of projects and centennial celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of Route 66,” Thomas said. “The AAA Oklahoma Road Fest is sure to be a great event – one that we will look forward to every year, leading up to the grand centennial year celebration in 2026.”

Lt. Governor Kicks Off Countdown to AAA Route 66 Road Fest

Contact: Chip Minty at 405-219-9944 or [email protected]

OKLAHOMA CITY – April 13, 2022 – Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell joined AAA Oklahoma and other state leaders at the Capitol on Wednesday with an announcement that there are only 66 days until the inaugural AAA Route 66 Road Fest in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, where thousands will celebrate the historic highway’s approaching centennial.

“Oklahoma has a lot of history sewn into Route 66,” Pinnell said, “so it is fitting that Oklahoma leads the way into a national celebration of Route 66, launching the countdown to 2026.”

The Road Fest will celebrate the highway’s history this June and kick off a multi-year commemoration leading up to the 2026 centennial to be observed in cities across the country and draw visitors from around the world.

Oklahoma’s nine-day event will be held June 18-19 at the Bennett Event Center at OKC Fairgrounds, then open in Tulsa’s SageNet Center at Expo Square on June 25-26. There will be exhibits, classic cars, family activities, food and live music.

Between the two weekends, the celebration will spill into Oklahoma communities all along the state’s 400-mile stretch of historic highway, where travelers can experience dozens of historic sites, museums, points of interests, shops, restaurants and motels, said AAA Oklahoma Executive Jared Peterson at the announcement event. Tickets to the Road Fest are available at: https://route66roadfest.com.

“As the historic highway’s centennial year approaches, AAA Oklahoma is excited to start the celebration just 66 days from now,” Peterson said. “In addition to the other attractions, there will be an amazing lineup of historical, interactive exhibits that will allow visitors to journey through the decades of innovation, popular culture, and nostalgia as though they are traveling through time on the Mother Road itself.”

The AAA Route 66 Road Fest will be a special occasion because Oklahoma and Route 66 grew up together, Pinnell said at Wednesday’s event, surrounded by Road Fest banners and classic cars.

“From the highway’s small-town tradition to its friendly personality, Oklahoma shares so much of its treasured culture with the road that is admired across the country and around the world,” Pinnell said.