PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

H O M E T O W N

I f summer is the season for road trips, Pontiac may well qualify as the premier road trip destination in central Illinois, if not beyond. And that’s not just the local tourism director talking. The city was named the official destination for National Road Trip Day 2023 — May 26 — by National Day Calendar. It would seem the rest of the country is catching on to what Pontiac folks have known for decades. With its marketable mix of Americana, car culture, history, a scenic river and proximity to larger metropolitan areas, this city of roughly 11,300 has plenty to offer day trippers, weekend escapees and anyone else with a sense of nostalgic adventure. “I’ve often said that if Norman Rockwell wanted to paint a small midwestern town, he would have a field day here,” said Pontiac Mayor Bill Alvey. He points to the picturesque 1875 courthouse, historic homes and three pedestrian suspension bridges GET YOUR KICKS IN PONTIAC Old Route 66 is still the Mother Road in this historic, colorful city BY SCOTT FISHEL PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

— known locally as swinging bridges — across the Vermillion River as examples. And, of course, there’s Route 66. Everywhere you look, old U. S. Route 66 — the Mother Road — is woven into the city’s public persona. Whether you live and work here or you’re just passing through, it’s hard to separate the city from that legendary stretch of highway. “Pontiac is a small town, but there is a lot to do,” said Liz Vincent, the city’s director of community enrichment. “It’s walkable, easy to explore … People with many different interests can find some thing to do here and have a good time.” GETTING YOUR KICKS A preserved section of old U.S. Route 66 skirts the western edge of Pontiac on its iconic, 2,448-mile route from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Originally mapped and opened in 1926, Route 66 left an indelible mark on the consciousness of America. Thanks to TV, movies, books and song, travelers

from around the world now long to drive down that same memory lane. The history of people and places along the 301-mile path through Illinois are lovingly preserved at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, housed in Pontiac’s former City Hall and Fire Station on Howard Street. This centerpiece of the Pontiac Museum Complex showcases memorabilia, photos and stories from a bygone era of automobile travel. It’s all here, the intriguing and the kitschy, from the 1972 VW microbus of Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire (it was the inspiration for Fillmore in Pixar’s animated movie Cars ) to the sheet music for (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 . Thomas McElwee, an English teacher at Pontiac Township High School, said he believes people are attracted to Route 66 because, unlike high-speed Drew Stanford, left, and Susie Mason get their kicks by taking selfies in front of the mural on the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Pontiac

58 JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE