FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After having to cancel the 2020 Birthplace of Route 66 Festival due to the pandemic, festival organizers the City of Springfield, Aaron Sachs & Associates, KY3/KSPR/CW, Downtown Springfield Association and West Central Neighborhood Alliance are thrilled to announce that the festival is BACK ON IN 2021!
The festival will take place Aug. 13 and 14, barring any major negative developments in local COVID-19 case counts and assuming significant continued vaccination progress. The City and partners will adhere to any COVID-19 regulations that may still be in place during the festival. Potential attendees from other communities may want to check Springfield-Greene County’s COVID-19 Dashboard when deciding whether to attend. A risk assessment quiz is also available.
Registration links for the car show, the Charity Bike Show and the Gypsy Tour Poker Run to benefit the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association are live at route66festivalsgf.com. The Mother Roadster Foundation will raffle off “The Fezster,” a 1932 Ford Roadster named after the Shriners who have worn the iconic red cap and do so much to help the children at Shriners Hospitals for Children. The 2019 raffle raised more than $40,000 for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
A full lineup of free entertainment is planned, including the Friday parade starting at 6 p.m. at Grant Avenue and College Street traveling east through Park Central Square to St. Louis Street and dispersing at National Avenue. Musical acts on Friday evening at the Motorcycle Village Stage at Jefferson Avenue and McDaniel Street begin with Machine Gun Symphony and headliners Sixwire with former guitarist and vocalist for Ted Nugent and Brad Whitford, Derek St. Holmes. On Saturday, the concerts kick off with Nathan Bryce and the Loaded Dice, Sequel Dose, the Rosy Hips, the Dirty Saints and headliners Sixwire with former Kansas lead vocalist John Elefante and former Journey lead vocalist Steve Augeri. The Park Central Stage will feature local performers with the lineup TBA.
The festival’s unforgettable Globe of Steel is back this year, along with the Extreme Trampoline Show and Pogo Fred.
The 6.K Run/Walk and the Route 66 Exhibit Hall at The Old Glass Place will return this year. Visit route66festivalsgf.com for registration links.
Food and merchandise vendors interested in having a presence at the festival should email Tom Mast at [email protected].
Pre-festival social Aug. 10 on Park Central Square
A pre-festival Andy’s Frozen Custard social to celebrate Missouri’s Bicentennial, hosted by History Museum on the Square, City of Springfield, and the Downtown Springfield Association, is planned for 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10 on Park Central Square. Entertainment will be provided by The Detectives, Shaun Munday and Central High School's a cappella group the Brotones.
Mother Road to Recovery Fund
In conjunction with the festival, organizers are establishing a Mother Road to Recovery Fund at Community Foundation of the Ozarks and are encouraging donations, which will provide direct employee assistance to health care workers, public school employees, as well as restaurant and entertainment district workers. The need is great, and our community has proven time and again that we can rally for recovery.
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For more information, visit route66festivalsgf.com or contact Cora Scott at 417-380-3352 or [email protected].