Oklahoma Route 66 Association Office Open House a Success
Ribbon cutting at the new Oklahoma Route 66 Association office in Tulsa. Photo by Karen Gilbert.
On Saturday, March 23rd the Oklahoma Route 66 Association held an open house at their new home office in Tulsa at 2620 E 11th Street. At 10:00 AM, a crowd of people cheered as members of the Association Board cut a ribbon signaling the opening of the office. The new office, situated along the southeast side of the historic building that houses the Renaissance Square Event Center, also includes a small retail area to help raise money for the group’s preservation and promotion efforts.
Since its founding in 1989, the Association’s office has moved from Oklahoma City to Bethany to Arcadia to Chandler. The physical office closed in 2022 after Marilyn Emde, the long-time Executive Director of the Association, stepped down. “We were approached with an offer in Tulsa that was hard to beat,” said Rhys Martin, President. “The Board discussed it and the decision was made last fall. It’s been a long road, so to speak, but it’s exciting to have a spot on Route 66 to call our own again.”
People from as far away as Wildwood, Missouri came to see the new office and take part in the festivities, which included a book signing by author and historian Michael Wallis made possible by Magic City Books. His 1990 book Route 66: The Mother Road is widely credited as one of the major influences in the revitalization of the highway after federal decertification. It’s still very popular - so much so, in fact, that they sold out at the event. Wallis stayed for hours afterwards, chatting with Route 66 roadies and signing whatever people brought him…shirts, scraps of paper, guidebooks. “It was wonderful,” said Suzanne Wallis, author of Art Deco Tulsa. “We saw so many people we haven’t seen in years.”
It wasn’t just roadies that came out to see the new office, but people from the neighborhood and folks that stopped in for a meal at the restaurant across the street came in to see what all the excitement was about. Ron Jones, the Tattoo Man of Route 66, brought his 1956 Chevrolet; several other classic cars parked out front and representatives from the Miss Route 66 Pageant turned heads throughout the day. Music provided by Jim Tate and face painting by Rosemary Daugherty added to the fun and festive atmosphere.
Photo by Beth Hilburn
All told, nearly 100 people signed the office guestbook. Over $700 was raised through donations and gift shop sales and several people became new members. After such a great opening day, what’s next? “We’re working on a plan to have regular office hours,” Martin said. “We had about a dozen people sign up to be volunteers and we as a Board are now going to move forward in getting a new part-time Executive Director hired. Until then, though, people can call or e-mail us in advance and we’ll come meet you if we can. And if you drive by and see the OPEN sign on the sidewalk, well, come on in and say howdy.”
If you are interested in volunteering at the Association office to greet travelers or help with other Route 66 efforts, fill out our form here.
