US Route 66 Centennial Commission Submits First Interim Report

Commissioners from left: Danielle Blackshear, Caroline Beteta, Debbie Johnson, Dale Oglesby, Jen Paul Schroer (Vice-Chair), Rod Reid (Chair), Mark Falzone, William Thomas, Richard Ware… Not pictured – Tim Gatz, Joan Sestak, Michael Wallis

The U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission submitted their first Interim Report to Congress in July, outlining initial recommendations for, “activities that are fitting and proper to celebrate, commemorate, and honor Route 66 on its centennial anniversary.”

The Commission has been meeting since February and this is the first of many such reports that will be submitted to Congress. So far, the activities recommended by the Commission are as follows:

·         A Route 66 Centennial Stamp

·         A Route 66 Centennial Stamp Series Featuring Each of the 8 Route 66 States

·         A Route 66 Centennial Commemorative Coin

·         The Route 66 Alternative Fuels Corridor Initiative

·         A Route 66 Centennial Global Marketing Campaign featuring Coordinated featuring the eight Route 66 States

·         Designating Route 66 a National Historic Trail

Both the House and the Senate have introduced legislation to designate Historic Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. The Route 66 Alternative Fuels Corridor Initiative is something that the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership had discussed in the past and was met with enthusiasm by Tim Gatz, the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation and one of the Centennial Commissioners. As a reminder, this Commission was established without a funding source and identifying either public or private dollars will definitely be a part of their ongoing efforts.

The Commission has 15 seats, 12 of which have been filled. The remaining seats are awaiting recommendations and appointment by the President. The breakdown of appointed commissioners is as follows:

For more information, follow the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission on Facebook. The full report can be downloaded here.