International Route 66 Mother Road Festival
Fri.-Sun., Sep. 27-29
Downtown SpringfieldHundreds of street machines, muscle cars and hot rods are rumbling into the capital city for this annual, major car show. They will be followed by thousands of spectators for this weekend of family fun, live music and entertainment. The festival, in its 23nd year, begins with the Route 66 City Nights Cruise, which starts at 6 p.m. Friday at the Capital City Shopping Center. Cruisers travel west on Stevenson Drive and then north on Sixth Street to downtown. Several streets will be closed for the festival, which features hundreds of classic cars on display Saturday and Sunday. Judging will take place Saturday in various categories. Also, the popular burnout competition is set for 3 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Seventh and Washington streets. Wowie Zowie will play at 8 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the musical lineup is Reckless Whiskey (1-3 p.m.), Pizzazz (4-6 p.m.) and Horizon (8-10 p.m.). Special guests this year are Chris Jacobs and Dennis Gage. Jacobs is known for his automotive makeover show, Overhaulin'. Gage and a crew from My Classic Car will be filing for an upcoming episode. Visit route66fest.com/ or the Facebook page for more info.