The city of Joliet’s participation in the 10th annual Historic Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Weekend will kick off at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.
There will be free parking in the Ottawa Street lot adjacent to the museum, 204 N. Ottawa St., and there will be free admission to the museum between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 7 and May 8.
A self-guided walking tour of nationally-renowned period architecture and a viewing of the original intersection of Lincoln Highway and Route 66 at Chicago and Cass streets will also take place. A special Route 66 exhibit in the Museum’s Caterpillar Auditorium will cover the history of the historic route with a look at stops throughout Illinois.
Jan Larsen Steele is scheduled to give a presentation, including a small exhibit, at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The title of her presentation is “Route 66 Redux: Retracing the Trail 50 Years Later of My Family’s Epic Vacation.”
Additionally, The Route 66 Band – comprised of members of the Joliet American Legion Band – will be providing musical entertainment throughout the event. There will also be family-friendly special exhibits, programs and giveaways all day.
Route 66 themed events and happenings will also be going on in some downtown businesses throughout the weekend, including Sue Regis Glass Art, First & Santa Cruz Lutheran Church Rummage Sale, and The TreeHouse Coffee Shop, among others. An informational sheet listing all the participating businesses will be available at the museum.
Also included in the weekend’s events is the Midewin Bison Expedition on May 7. This will be a public event to view the bison herd at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, 30239 Route 53 in Wilmington. Free shuttle buses will pick up visitors near the city Hall in Elwood, 401 E. Mississippi Ave., and from North Water Street at Van Buren in Wilmington.
The shuttles will start at 9 a.m. and will depart every 15 to 20 minutes until 4 p.m. The buses will return visitors to Elwood and Wilmington until 5 p.m.
Public parking will not be available at Midewin’s Iron Bridge Trailhead during the event. For prime viewing during the event, Midewin plans on having the bison located in the event pasture, which will allow for closer than normal viewing.
“April and May is calving season for bison,” said Kelly Gutknecht, Midewin’s range specialist. “So, hopefully, we’ll have some calves on the ground by the May 7 event.”
For more information, visit www.il66redcarpetcorridor.org.