The Mother Road at 100: Voices of Route 66

About this event

In 2026, Route 66 turns 100 years old. Although it has been superseded by modern interstate highways, Route 66 still remains the most celebrated road in the world. Join The Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he presents a multimedia audio and video account of life before, during, and after the heyday of "The Mother Road." Highlights will include: A 1924 coast-to-coast footrace across America to help promote Route 66. Route 66 in pop culture, from classic novels, songs, and TV shows, to how the animated movie "Cars" has turned on even the youngest generation of roadies. How an accomplished symphony performer refused to let the Interstate replace Route 66 and went directly to President Johnson for special consideration. The promise of Route 66 to deliver Dust Bowl migrant workers to a better life in California, and what they discovered. The unique architecture of Route 66, including art deco service stations, neon motels, and historic railroad depots that have been converted into grand hotels. The story of the 16-foot-tall fiberglass giants that once marketed popular fueling stations along Route 66 - until a lawsuit ordered their destruction. About Anthony Arno: Anthony Arno successfully bicycled across America as a college student, with the support of Calvin Klein, while drawing attention to the plight of cancer patients. After college, Arno worked as a social worker with disabled adults. He began his teaching career in Brooklyn at P.S. 238. In the 1990s, Arno used his school's only computer connected to the internet to learn about historic Route 66, while his students bicycled 2,000 miles aboard an exercise bicycle in the back of the classroom. During the yearlong teaching journey, students corresponded with people living and working alon the famed highway, including Chicago Mayor Daley, and the songwriter who wrote "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" for Nat King Cole in 1946. In addition to The Route 66 Podcast , Arno has launched a new podcast, The STEM Class , featuring talks with teachers, authors, scientists and engineers - including "The Martian" author Andy Weir, one of five surviving Navajo Code Talkers, and a NASA engineer who constructed the solar panels for the Mars rover.