"GIANTS OF ROUTE 66"
SCHEDULE -- OCT. 31-NOV. 3, 2024
FOUR FULL DAYS THIS YEAR!!!
SPEAKERS, NETWORKING, ART GALLERY, AUTHOR BOOK SIGNINGS, BAND CONCERT, TROLLEY TOUR, LOCAL ROUTE 66 EXHIBIT, HALLOWEEN PARADE, SPECIAL RECEPTION AT THE FABULOUS RESTORED WEST END SERVICE STATION, CAHOKIA MOUNDS TOUR (weather permitting) PLUS SUNDAY DINNER AND PROGRAM!!!
MAIN VENUE -- WILDEY THEATRE, 252 N. MAIN ST., EDWARDSVILLE, IL
THURSDAY, OCT. 31
THURSDAY MORNING
10:00am-Noon
TROLLEY TOUR of Edwardsville, Downtown, Route 66, historic Leclaire, special stop at Madison County Historical Society Museum to see Route 66 exhibit. (Meet in front of Wildey Theatre to board trolley.) SEATING IS LIMITED TO 25.
SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED -- PURCHASE AT
12:00noon-1:00pm
LUNCH ON OWN - Numerous choices within 3 blocks on N. Main St. and E. Vandalia St.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
12:00noon-4:30pm
Check-in and pick up your goodie bag in the Wildey Lobby
1:00pm-3:30pm
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS FOCUSING ON ROUTE 66 TOURISM IN WILDEY AUDITORIUM:
1:00-1:50pm Rhys Martin (President, Oklahoma Route 66 Association)
2:00-2:50pm William Thomas (Chair, Road Ahead Partnership),
Casey Claypool (Executive Director, Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway), and Kaisa Barthuli (National Park Service Route 66 Program Manager)
3:00-3:30pm Debyjo Ericksen (former Director of Operations & Tours at Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66)
3:30pm-4:30pm
WILDEY THEATRE TOURS WITH GUIDE CINDY REINHARDT (Edwardsville historian & author) AS CLEO FOEHRKOLB (historic Wildey Theatre operator)
4:00pm-parade over
HOSPITALITY/WARMING ROOM with snacks & soda on 2nd floor of Wildey
NOTE: You can see the parade in the street below from 2nd floor windows overlooking the street.
5:00pm-parade over
FYI the public is allowed into the Wildey Lobby.
THURSDAY EVENING
DINNER ON OWN - Numerous choices within 3 blocks on N. Main St. and E. Vandalia St. Some restaurants will have food specials outside on sidewalk before Parade.
6:30pm-?
Halloween Parade passes by Wildey Theatre
FRIDAY, NOV. 1
FRIDAY MORNING
8:15am-4:00pm
Check-in and pick up your goodie bag in the Wildey Lobby
AFTERNOON TIMES TBA: ART GALLERY AT THE WILDEY with
PHOTOGRAPHER SCOTT EVERS & ARTIST BENJAMIN LOWDER
AFTERNOON TIMES TBA: BOOK SIGNING AT THE WILDEY with
MULTIPLE SPEAKER-AUTHORS
8:45am-9:00am
WELCOME! -- Cheryl Eichar Jett (Founder & President, Miles of Possibility), Mayor Art Risavy (Mayor, City of Edwardsville), Cory Jobe (President & CEO, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau)
9:00am-12:30pm
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS IN WILDEY AUDITORIUM:
9:00-9:30am Cory Jobe (President & CEO, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau)
9:40-10:30am Keynote Presentation - Joel Baker (Founder of American Giants)
10:40-11:30am Benjamin Lowder (Director at Fuller Dome; artist & designer)
11:40am-12:30pm Mike Gassmann & Judy DeMoisy (saved the World's Largest Catsup Bottle)
12:30-2:00pm
LUNCH ON OWN - Numerous choices within 3 blocks on N. Main St. and E. Vandalia St.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
2:00pm-3:30pm
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS IN WILDEY AUDITORIUM:
2:00-2:40pm Susan Croce Kelly (Author, Cyrus Avery: Father of Route 66)
2:50-3:30pm Geoff Ladd (Route 66 Monarch Flyway)
3:30-4:00pm MULTIPLE AUTHORS BOOK SIGNING AT THE WILDEY
FRIDAY EVENING
5:00pm-7:00pm
Special cocktail reception at West End Service Station hosted by GREAT RIVERS & ROUTES TOURISM BUREAU.
(DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS AT STATION, Sign up in Wildey Lobby for RECEPTION GROUP #1 5:00-6:00pm OR RECEPTION GROUP #2 6:00-7:00pm)
DINNER ON OWN - Numerous choices within 3 blocks on N. Main St. and E. Vandalia St. (There are also a variety of food choices near the Holiday Inn Express and Country Hearth hotels, good options particularly if you don't plan to come back downtown for entertainment after dinner.)
Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band CONCERT in Wildey Auditorium
NOTE: THIS WILL BE SOLD OUT BEFORE THE CONFERENCE; GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP; As of 10/13 there are ONLY 7 TICKETS LEFT!
SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED -- PURCHASE AT https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/769/Wildey-Theatre
SATURDAY, NOV. 2
SATURDAY MORNING
8:15am-4:00pm
Check-in and pick up your goodie bag in the Wildey Lobby
AFTERNOON TIMES TBA: ART GALLERY AT THE WILDEY with
PHOTOGRAPHER SCOTT EVERS & ARTIST BENJAMIN LOWDER
AFTERNOON TIMES TBA: BOOK SIGNING AT THE WILDEY with
MULTIPLE SPEAKER-AUTHORS
8:45am-9:00am
ANNOUNCEMENTS -- Miles of Possibility Directors
9:00am-11:50am
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS IN WILDEY AUDITORIUM:
9:00-9:50am Joe Sonderman (St. Louis Radio Personality/Traffic; Route 66 Author & Collector)
10:00-10:50am Dave Tucker (Founder, Illinois Coal Museum at Gillespie)
11:00-11:50am) MARK PIERCE (Journalist; Author of When the Stars Came Out: The Story of the Mississippi River Festival)
11:50-1:20pm
LUNCH ON OWN - Numerous choices within 3 blocks on N. Main St. and E. Vandalia St.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
1:20pm-3:10pm
SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS IN WILDEY AUDITORIUM:
1:20-2:10pm Bill Iseminger (Career Archeologist at Cahokia Mounds)
2:20-3:10pm Jim Hinckley (Author, Historian, Tour Guide at Jim Hinckley's America)
3:10pm-3:20pm
ANNOUNCEMENTS, PASSING OF THE MOP
3:20-4:00pm
MULTIPLE AUTHORS BOOK SIGNING AT THE WILDEY
DINNER ON OWN
SATURDAY EVENING
Downtown Edwardsville pub crawl (more info TBA)
SUNDAY, NOV. 3
SUNDAY MORNING
9:00am-10:30am
Gather for breakfast (pay on own) at TBA
11:00am-NOON
Outdoor tour at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, weather permitting
(TICKET NOT REQUIRED, DONATION TO CMSHS SUGGESTED, MEET AT CAHOKIA MOUNDS and/or CARAVAN FROM EDWARDSVILLE, DIRECTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
BEGINNING AT 12:30PM
DINING IN HISTORY at Crystal Garden Banquet & Event Center on Route 66, presented by MADISON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Social hour, dinner, followed by program by Joe Sonderman & Cheryl Eichar Jett, Route 66 authors/historians. Program followed by book signing with Route 66 authors JOE SONDERMAN, CHERYL EICHAR JETT, & JIM HINCKLEY. THIS ANNUAL EVENT USUALLY SELLS OUT WELL BEFORE THE DATE; GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP.
SEPARATE TICKET REQUIRED -- PURCHASE AT https://madcohistory.org/dining-in-history-2/
*SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
SEE YOU ALL IN JOLIET IN OCTOBER 2025 FOR THE TENTH ANNUAL MILES OF POSSIBILITY ROUTE 66 CONFERENCE!!
SAFE TRAVELS!!