Tulsa’s Route 66 Roadfest

This past weekend I attended the Route 66 Roadfest in Tulsa. It was an event sponsored by AAA to celebrate all things Route 66. They had a similar event in Oklahoma City the previous weekend.

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The event features cars (lots of cars!), music (which I missed).

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They had a section on vintage travel trailers.

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When I was a kid our family had a similar trailer, a little bit bigger. We went all over the place in the thing in our family of five. Soon, my brother and I got kicked out into a tent on our own, which was fine with us.

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The thing I wasn’t expecting and enjoyed the most is the “pods” they had set up showing the history of the Route 66 by decade and highlights of the culture of that time. The above diner was in the 1950’s pod. They had hosts in costume who would show you around. (Who knew that women in poodle skirts could be so fetching?) So each pod was like a time capsule.

Also, in the 1950’s pod was a display of photographs by Charles and Irene Custer who got married in 1950 and took off on Route 66 supporting themselves with photography. Fast forward to recently when somebody found almost 90 negatives in a barn made with a medium format camera. They processed the photos, digitized them and put them on internet. They are incredible. Check out the site here. (I am not displaying any because they are copyrighted so check out the link.) They are incredible visions of an all but forgotten world.

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The above was in the 60’s pod showing a wall on school safety. When I was in grade school in Price, UT I was so jealous of the crossings guards. I wanted to be one but I was not a cool kid.

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Remember window decals. So many families plastered their cars with travel decals. There were two types of families back then, window decal families, and people who wouldn’t be caught dead with them (that was us.) It was fun looking at all the old stuff and talking with the people there. I loved the pods and had no idea they would be part of the show.

The best part though I just stumbled onto. Michael Wallis, the writer and historian, who wrote “Route 66: The Mother Road” among 20 or so other books, participated in a conversation about the history and culture of the road. His book is credited with a resurgence in interest of Route 66. He did most of the talking. And he is a great talker with a wonderful voice. “He was the voice of the Sheriff in the animated movies Cars.” Some of the high points of what he said were:

  • He looks at the road, stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, as a one big community traversing eight states. He said it is Blue on either end and red in the middle but the road itself is purple with very little rancor like you see in the rest of country. He is hoping that the road will help bring the country together as it approaches its centennial in 2026.
  • He talked about how we cannot romanticize history. We have to be on a continual search for the truth. He said for example people get upset when he brings up the fact that the businesses on the road were just as racist as any place in the deep south and there were a bunch of sundown towns where people of color were not allowed to be after sundown. He said the racisim ebbed away after the Civil Rights laws of the 60’s were enacted. He said history is never set, it is like an onion that has many different layers and one cannot be afraid of you will find out.
  • He said the road is for travelers not tourists. It is for people who are not in a big hurry and like to stop and look at things and try out local restaurants and independent motels instead of the chains.
  • He also told a bunch of stories. One of my favorites concerned a snake pit in the Texas panhandle where a business had a pit holding dozens of rattlesnakes. He said at 4 pm every day a friendly grandmotherly lady would come out with a basket little chicks in it and dump them into the pit. He said that was a big hit. He had a bunch of other funny stories to tell.
  • He finished by saying, “Remember, life begins at the off-ramp.”

His 45 minutes flew by. It was the best part of the show.

I think they are going to have this show yearly leading up to the centennial of the road in 2026. I’ll be back!! (And I’ll take in the music next time!!)

Linking to “Through My Lens” come join in!

7 thoughts on “Tulsa’s Route 66 Roadfest

  1. Vicki

    I love going to things like that! My husband and I used to go to car shows all the time and even took a few cars there.

    My mom and dad had a camper like that when it was just my brother and I still left at home. I loved going to different camp grounds! Then they bought a cabin on a lake and we started going there on weekends. Then they built a house on the land and we moved there from the suburbs. Man that was a change! But I loved living at the lake. We walked out on our deck and jumped in the water, went canoeing, and ice skated. So much fun. I’d love to get a camper though!

  2. Ellen

    Looks like a cool car show. I have to admit that I’ve put a decal on my rear window in the last few years, but I felt as if I was doing something wrong.

    I was always jealous of you and Bob getting the tent. I always had to sleep in that canvas cot above mom and dads bed. I’m grateful for all the traveling we did with that trailer. I loved it!

  3. Angie

    Alan – I love this post – I am very nostalgic about road trips. My Dad deplored highways – he said you don’t see anything interesting. We were forever taking “off-ramps”. I looked at the Charles and Irene Custer photos – fabulous. Thanks for the information on Michael Wallis and his books. I have been looking for a birthday present for my husband, and I think I just found it! Happy Fourth of July!

  4. Eileen

    The cars are cool, the third one is my favorite. I like the old camper, they are neat.
    Take care, enjoy your day! Have a happy 4th of July weekend.

  5. Gaelyn

    What a great trip back in time. Traveled the whole way in a station wagon as a kid. And was a crossing guard and not a cool kid.

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