FRI. OCT. 9 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jerry McClanahan from Chandler, OK! "Route 66 is the 'Zombie Road'... the 'Road That Wouldn’t Die!'"

BIO:  Jerry McClanahan became fascinated with western Route 66 while trapped in the back seat of a speeding car, during family vacations in the 1960s. The Mother Road's roadside wonders left their lingering mark on his young mind, leading Jerry to rediscover the attractions of Route 66 as an adult. Since 1981, Jerry has been documenting, researching and depicting the history and reality of Route 66 through maps, books, articles and artwork.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Jerry speaks from his personal perspective, having witnessed the slow replacement of western US 66 via I-40 during the 1960s, and the Route’s resurgence as "Historic Route 66," after it’s supposed "death" in 1985."

BIO: An oral historian and narrative audio producer, EVAN STERN is the host and creator of the acclaimed podcast Vanishing Postcards — a documentary travelogue exploring the hidden dives and threatened histories found by exiting the interstates. Its Route 66 season, built from over 100 interviews conducted along the Mother Road, was named Best Americana Podcast at the 2024 Indie Podcast Awards. A TEDx speaker and producer for the Gravy podcast, his field work has taken him from Harlem to Santa Monica and Springfield, IL in pursuit of voices that give places meaning. Along the way, Evan has come to view oral history as a form of necessary maintenance. “Upkeep should be about tending to memory as much as fixing plumbing or facades,” he says. “When we fail to capture stories, we surrender the currency that builds common memory — and are left with buildings that stand but don’t speak.”

FRIDAY PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Older than the written word, oral history is an essential but frequently overlooked tool of cultural preservation. In this panel, moderator Evan Stern joins Amanda Bryden and Erika Holst of the Illinois State Museum to discuss their efforts at capturing the Route’s stories through the voices of its living witnesses. 

Anchored by a conversation on the 100 interviews Bryden and Holst oversaw through the Museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project- and featuring select clips form the collection- the panel will explore how individual voices humanize official records, complicate nostalgia and speak to the personal consequences of change. 

Along the way, the panel will argue that recording voices isn’t about capturing relics but resources that build bridges between generations and communities, while providing a foundation for understanding not just where the Route has been, but where it can still go.  

SATURDAY PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:  Future of the Road -- 

Storyteller Evan Stern speaks on the importance of preserving the stories of Route 66.

BIO: Amanda Bryden is the Registrar of History and Historic Sites at the Illinois State Museum, where she plays a central role in preserving and interpreting Illinois’ cultural heritage. She is a key architect behind the museum’s landmark Route 66 exhibit, “Miles of Memories: Stories of Route 66,” which opened in 2026 and brings to life what it was like to live, work, travel, and explore the Mother Road during its heyday.

Bryden co‑led the museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project, conducting interviews with 100 people across Illinois — travelers, residents, preservationists, business owners, and those who worked along the highway. These interviews, totaling more than 75 hours of firsthand stories, form the backbone of the exhibit and allow visitors to hear Route 66 memories “in the voices of the people who lived it.”

Her work helped shape an immersive exhibit featuring oral histories, touch‑screen listening stations, neon signs, Burma‑Shave signs, vintage souvenirs, and artifacts that illuminate everything from roadside lodging to the African American experience of traveling the route using the Green Book. Bryden emphasizes that many of the stories collected “have not made the history books,” making the exhibit a rare and personal window into Route 66’s past.

Through her leadership, research, and commitment to authentic storytelling, Amanda Bryden has helped ensure that Route 66’s centennial year is marked not only by celebration, but by the preservation of voices and memories that might otherwise have been lost.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Older than the written word, oral history is an essential but frequently overlooked tool of cultural preservation. In this panel, moderator Evan Stern joins Amanda Bryden and Erika Holst of the Illinois State Museum to discuss their efforts at capturing the Route’s stories through the voices of its living witnesses. 

Anchored by a conversation on the 100 interviews Bryden and Holst oversaw through the Museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project- and featuring select clips form the collection- the panel will explore how individual voices humanize official records, complicate nostalgia and speak to the personal consequences of change. 

Along the way, the panel will argue that recording voices isn’t about capturing relics but resources that build bridges between generations and communities, while providing a foundation for understanding not just where the Route has been, but where it can still go.  

BIO:  Erika Holst is the Curator of History at the Illinois State Museum, where she leads major projects that explore and preserve Illinois’ cultural heritage. Most recently, she curated “Miles of Memories: Stories of Route 66,” an exploration of living, working, and traveling on Route 66 in its heyday.

Her work on the exhibit incorporates the museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project, a collection of 100 interviews with people who experienced the road firsthand — from travelers and residents to preservationists and historians. Holst emphasizes that what makes the exhibit unique is the opportunity to hear Route 66 memories “in the voices of the people who lived it.”

In addition to curating the exhibit, Holst co‑organized the museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project, helping launch an online database of interviews that offers a rich, firsthand look at the Mother Road’s history and culture.

Erika has worked in the public history field for more than 20 years, during which time she has curated more than a dozen exhibitions. She is passionate about sharing stories of people and history through material culture. She holds an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture through the University of Delaware.

Her publications include "Wicked Springfield: Crime, Corruption, and Scandal During the Lincoln Era"; "Edwards Place: A Springfield Treasure"; and "Historic Houses of Lincoln’s Illinois", as well as several scholarly and popular articles.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Older than the written word, oral history is an essential but frequently overlooked tool of cultural preservation. In this panel, moderator Evan Stern joins Amanda Bryden and Erika Holst of the Illinois State Museum to discuss their efforts at capturing the Route’s stories through the voices of its living witnesses. 

Anchored by a conversation on the 100 interviews Bryden and Holst oversaw through the Museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project- and featuring select clips form the collection- the panel will explore how individual voices humanize official records, complicate nostalgia and speak to the personal consequences of change. 

Along the way, the panel will argue that recording voices isn’t about capturing relics but resources that build bridges between generations and communities, while providing a foundation for understanding not just where the Route has been, but where it can still go.  

BIO:  Todd Bringuet (CEO) & Scott Bringuet (CXO) are fourth‑generation leaders of Ace Sign Company, one of Illinois’ most storied and innovative sign manufacturers. With decades of experience in design, fabrication, and preservation, these brothers have helped shape the visual identity of communities across the Midwest — including major Route 66 neon restorations that keep the Mother Road’s heritage glowing.

Todd and Scott played key creative roles in the development of the The Illinois State Fairgrounds Route 66 Experience, a neon sign park installation that brings the story, spirit, and neon magic of Route 66 to life for visitors year‑round. Their ability to blend historic authenticity with modern craftsmanship have made Ace Sign Company a trusted partner for tourism organizations and preservationists throughout the region.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Brothers Scott and Todd will discuss the history of their family’s sign business, how they got connected with Route 66, and their road to the Route 66 Experience exhibit at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  Todd & Scott will share insight into the creation of the Route 66 Experience — as well as the role signage plays in preserving Route 66’s identity for generations to come. 

BIO:  Cheryl Eichar Jett is an American author, historian, and playwright known for her work for Arcadia Publishing, Reedy Press, and ROUTE Magazine, and for her support of Illinois Route 66 tourism including the founding of the Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference held annually in Illinois since 2015, including this year in Springfield, Illinois. 

Cheryl is the author of Aprons Away: Women's Work on Route 66, published by Reedy Press in April 2026. Distinctly different from other Route 66 published works, her work focuses on the accomplishments and the disappointments in a vast array of women's jobs, businesses, and creative endeavors along the 2,448-mile length of the Mother Road during the past 100 years. Throughout a decade of research on this topic, she has also written numerous articles, given dozens of talks, and written and directed two productions of a stage play all based on the crossroads of women's history and Route 66.

She has also authored six books for Arcadia Publishing 2009-2016; the Illinois chapter in Route 66: 100 Years, a Centennial anthology, in 2025; and several hundred articles for publications ranging from local newspapers to national magazines. Cheryl collaborated with Joe Sonderman on two books for Arcadia Publishing and with Jim Hinckley on Route 66: 100 Years for Quarto. This fall her voice can be heard as one of the narrators in John Paget's stirring new documentary, Route 66: The Main Street of America.

Cheryl holds a graduate degree in history from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She was one of the founders and officers of the Illinois Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association and has also served on the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway board of directors as well as other nonprofit boards and advisory councils. 

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:  Author and MOP Founder Cheryl Eichar Jett presents on her new book, Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66, delving into the fascinating stories of women who helped shape the Mother Road.

BIO:  Ken Busby is the Cultural Czar of Northeast Oklahoma. He also serves as Executive Director & CEO of the Route 66 Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded by Michael Wallis and headquartered in Tulsa, dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and enhancement of historic Route 66 – past, present, and future. Previously, he served as Executive Director & CEO of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa for twelve years.  

Busby is past chair of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission and was appointed by the Governor to the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission in 2020. He also serves on the Events and Celebrations Working Group of the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission. He is immediate past president of the Oklahoma Museums Association and serves on the executive committees of the Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust, and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

Busby is a sought-after speaker and emcee, and in 2022 he was named to the inaugural class of 55 Over 55 Inspiring Oklahomans. In 2026, Busby was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame.

A native of Tulsa, Busby holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and French from the University of Tulsa. He has a Master of Arts degree in journalism from Indiana University at Bloomington. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Busby is also a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma Class XVII.

In addition to his work promoting Route 66, Busby is also a strategic consultant for nonprofit organizations in the areas of board development, staff engagement, strategic planning, and fundraising.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:  Ken Busby and Cheryl Eichar Jett will have a conversation about Route 66 with an Oklahoma twist; the state's history with the road, the importance of the road in America today, and a look at what's to come as we launch the next 100 years of this historic highway.

BIO: Anthony Arno is the creator and host of the acclaimed Route 66 Podcast, where he travels the Mother Road to capture the voices, memories, and hidden stories you won’t find in any book. For more than 25 years, he has documented the people who lived, worked, and shaped life along Route 66 — preserving firsthand accounts through rich audio, video, and on‑the‑road interviews.

His work brings the highway’s legacy to life, from neon artisans and Dust Bowl migrants to POW camp residents, buried towns, roadside giants, and the pop‑culture revival sparked by Cars. As the “Voice of 66,” Anthony shares a multimedia journey through the road’s past, heyday, and lasting impact as it approaches its 100th anniversary.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Lifelong educator, Anthony Arno, shares curated clips covering many decades of Route 66 stories. This presentation and his podcast, The Route 66 Podcast, were inspired by a classroom project he developed for his fifth-grade class that included the students bicycling the equivalent distance of Route 66 aboard an exercise bicycle in his classroom while learning about America’s Main Street in real-time.  

BIO: For nearly five decades, Daniel Hershberger has been involved in the research and documentation of the American roadside. He has developed and taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses on roadside history at colleges and universities and has conducted classes for The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Over the years, he has made numerous presentations at national conferences, for historic preservation organizations, and at various museums. 

A dedicated collector of roadside-related artifacts, images, and literature, Dan’s unique 1920s motor camping exhibit has been a feature at The Henry Ford’s Old Car Festival since 2002. In 2023, he developed another vintage roadside camping exhibit for that institution’s Motor Muster, focusing on the resurgence of vehicular camping in the 1960s. 

For his efforts and accomplishments, Dan was inducted into the Tin Can Tourists’ Hall of Fame in 2010. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway in 2013, he was a featured exhibitor at the Centennial Celebration and was a speaker at the Lincoln Highway Association’s conference in Kearney, Nebraska. In 2019, he was invited to participate in the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Tin Can Tourists in Tampa, Florida.

Along with his interest in early roadside camping, Dan remains engaged in research and documentation of the roadside industries of gas, food and lodging. Two years ago, he conducted extensive research on early roadside lodging found along Route 66, logging numerous miles on the “Mother Road” photographing vintage lodging enterprises. That research serves as the basis for his conference presentation, given as this most famous highway celebrates its 100th anniversary. 

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:  This presentation will discuss the early roadside lodging found along “America’s Main Street” from Chicago to Los Angeles. Even before the route was officially designated in 1926, travelers were pulling off into motor camps for the night. Roadside lodging would soon evolve into quaint cabin courts in the 1930s, offering more substantial lodgings, and eventually into more modern motels in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. This highly visual talk is filled with period postcards as well as vintage and contemporary photography. And as it will highlight many of the classic tourist courts and motels still in operation along the route, it is a must-see for anyone planning a road trip to get their kicks on 66!

BIO:  Beth Hilburn is the owner of the Hi-Way Cafe and Western Motel in Vinita, Oklahoma. She currently serves as a board member for the Vinita Area Chamber of Commerce, President of Vinita Main Street and Eastern Vice President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. With over 15 years of experience operating businesses along Route 66, Beth has extensive knowledge in entrepreneurship and community revitalization and grant writing, complemented by 15 years as a marketing data analyst at American Airlines. She moved to Vinita 25 years ago to be near her parents after living in the DFW metroplex. She was born in Fort Smith, AR, graduated from Cross Plains, TX high school and the University Arkansas.  She is married to her high school sweetheart, Alan, and is a proud mother of three—Ashlyn, Madelyn, and Zachary—and grandmother to 1 year old Carson.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION: Beth Hilburn is the owner of the iconic Hi-Way Cafe and Western Motel in Vinita, Oklahoma, where she has spent more than 15 years building thriving Route 66 businesses and championing community revitalization. A respected leader along the Mother Road, Beth serves as a board member for the Vinita Area Chamber of Commerce, was President of Vinita Main Street for two years, and Eastern Vice President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.

Before becoming a cornerstone of Vinita’s Route 66 community, Beth spent 15 years as a marketing data analyst at American Airlines, bringing a sharp analytical skillset to her work in entrepreneurship, grant writing, and local development. Her blend of business insight and grassroots passion has made her a trusted voice in preserving and strengthening Oklahoma’s Route 66 corridor.

BIO:  Marian Pavel is the creator of two of the most widely used modern tools for Mother Road travelers: the Route 66 Passport, a collectible stamped travel experience, and the Route 66 Navigation app, a GPS system built specifically for driving the historic highway.

Before becoming a key innovator in the Route 66 community, Marian spent years as a journalist at SME, one of Slovakia’s most influential newspapers, where he developed deep expertise in telecommunications, mobile technology, and digital innovation. He later spent more than 15 years in senior management roles, leading digital strategy for major publishing houses and gaining a strong understanding of user behavior, product design, and the fast‑changing world of online services.

In 2017, Marian left the media industry to fully dedicate himself to Route 66. His mission: create reliable, intuitive digital tools that help travelers explore the Mother Road with confidence, freedom, and respect for its authentic spirit. Today, his Route 66 Passport and Navigation app are used by travelers from around the world, blending nostalgia with modern technology to keep the highway’s stories alive.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:  Route 66 may be America’s most famous road, but much of its energy, influence, and economic impact reaches far beyond the United States. Its story is carried around the world by travelers, guides, creators, and entrepreneurs who not only experience the Mother Road, but actively help shape its future. Drawing on 21 journeys along Route 66, I will explore how international tourism, overseas Route 66 projects, and passionate ambassadors contribute to the culture and economy of the road — and how the balance between domestic and international visitors has evolved over the past decade.