Route 66 Commemorated

The Inland Empire is home to many historic land sites, but only one route will take the wandering tourist past the first McDonald’s, the California Theater, the Wigwam Motel and the Big Orange. State Route 66 is a “senior citizen” highway in the state of California, nestled comfortably between La Verne and San Bernardino. It joined the California Freeway and Expressway System in 1964 and is for the most part controlled by the state, though portions of it now belong to some of the cities it passes through. Members of the Inland Empire community annually celebrate the rich culture and history of this local route through various events, including the “Rendezvous Back to Route 66” event, hosted by San Bernardino, and downtown Ontario’s “Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion.” Though economic setbacks have caused the popularity of the San Bernardino event to decline in the past, it has maintained a steady climb back to the top, and both events receive funds from local sponsors passionate about keeping the spirit of the 66 alive. “I think it’s the best group of people working together,” said Mary Wilson, vice chair of the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Division in an article with City News Group. “Everyone cares about the Route 66 in San Bernardino.” Once upon a time, SR 66 was named U.S. Route 66 and extended all the way from Santa Monica through Los Angeles and San Bernardino, finally ending at Needles, Arizona. Though its national title has been stripped away, portions of the old route have been preserved through SR 66, and a trip along the highway is sprinkled with historic landmarks that might be new to those passing through Southern California. Josh (last name unknown), a blogger with thousands of followers at CaliforniaThroughMyLens.com, detailed several attractions in a post from 2015 that one can find along Route 66 between San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga, which the route also passes through. “Having lived most of my life in the Inland Empire, I was still oblivious to the fact that Route 66 pretty much runs right through my backyard,” he wrote. One of the most prominent landmarks that one might be surprised to find along Route 66 is the First McDonald’s Museum in North San Bernardino. Though the building did not house the original, which was demolished over 30 years ago, what now stands in its place is a museum dedicated to preserving the memories of the very first McDonald’s fast food restaurant, built in the 1940s and made famous by Ronald McDonald, his cheesy grin and the Big Mac. The museum is free and boasts the original sign out front, which reads ‘Self Service System. Hamburgers. We have sold over 1 million.’ McDonald’s stopped announcing on its signs how many burgers their restaurants have sold at the annual owner operator convention in 1994 because it had reached the 99th billion hamburger mark. Estimates from 2013 say McDonald’s has reached over 300 billion. Another interesting landmark Josh pointed out in his blog is the California Theatre, which finds its home in the historic downtown portion of San Bernardino and opened in 1928. In the early glory days of Hollywood, filmmakers would use the theater to test-screen their movies. Both “King Kong” and “The Wizard of Oz” premiered there in the 1930s to audiences unaware of the enormous waves of fame to come. The Wigwam Motel is yet another landmark that might be familiar to Route 66 aficionados, yet new to the wayfaring traveler. Also referred to as the Wigwam Villages, it was built in the 1930s and can also be found in San Bernardino. Not only is the location rich with history, but it is also a fan favorite, with four and a half stars listed on TripAdvisor. “The Route 66 wouldn’t be the same without a night staying at this quirky place,” Kate P from London, England wrote in her review. Other notable stops along Route 66 are Bono’s Restaurant and Deli, a vintage throwback to the 1930s in Fontana; the Big Orange, a 7-foot tall citrus stand shaped like the fruit that once sold orange juice along the highway, also located in Fontana; and the site of Dolly’s Diner, another local favorite from the past, in Rancho Cucamonga. Driving along the short bit of Route 66 in the Inland Empire can be a vacation in and of itself, but members of the surrounding communities do not view their backyard highway as just an interesting sight to see. It also inspires the love they have for their infamous vintage cars, some of which used to travel the route. “This highway is more than a road that helped people get from one place to another: it is responsible for being a catalyst for the cruisin’ culture and the love affair that Americans have with their automobiles,” San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis said in a welcome note for an information booklet handed out at the 2014 “Rendezvous Back to Route 66” event, according to an article from City News Group. “Rendezvous Back to Route 66” is an annual celebratory event hosted by San Bernardino that saw its inception in 1990. Over the years, the event grew more and more in popularity, but with hard times came hard decisions, and the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Route 66 Rendezvous lost their city funding after its 2012 event due to San Bernardino’s bankruptcy. That year, the City of Ontario hosted its first “Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion,” which had the same goals as San Bernardino – celebrating the classic cars of California with thousands of other car enthusiasts. Through efforts made by the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce, the “Rendezvous” was able to return to the city in 2013 in a smaller way, through a two-day classic car show at San Manuel Stadium. Food and merchandise vendors provided refreshments to the owners, families and enthusiasts that attended the event, the classic movie “Grease” played on the big screen for all to see and sponsors like Toyota of San Bernardino, Citizens Business Bank Arena and City News Group helped make the event possible. “My board members said that we could keep it alive but that it would be a scaled-down version,” said chamber president and CEO Judi Penman in an article with City News Group. “…Overall I’m very happy with it. People are happy, and that’s what I remember about it: its happiness. We wanted people to have fun and that’s what we succeeded in.” Last year, the event, which featured a beer garden and a Beach Boys tribute band, attracted thousands, due to the Great Race event held in June, according to the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce. The Great Race is a well-known annual celebration of classic cars, which take a cross-country ride and stop in various cities along the way. In 2015, they stopped in San Bernardino. The “Rendezvous Back to Route 66” event is now in its fourth year since its return to San Bernardino and will be held Oct. 1. As in the past, the funds from the event will go toward business support services, which the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce offers, according to their website. Ontario’s “Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion” is also in its fourth year since its inception in 2013, planned to be held Sept. 16 through 18 at its previous Euclid Avenue venue. Sponsored by organizations like Goodyear, The Press-Enterprise and KOLA 99.9, the event also aims to preserve the memories of Route 66 through “Southern California’s ultimate weekend celebration of America’s love affair with the automobile and its world-famous highway,” as advertised on its website. The event will include live music, contests, food and more, and previously attracted over 200,000 spectators in 2015. Regardless of where Route 66, Inland Empire residents, car owners or even the cars themselves are celebrated, one thing is certain: though Route 66 may change from national to state to local hands, and though parts of it may be forgotten, there are people passionate about keeping the spirit of the highway alive. Whether it be car shows in San Bernardino or Ontario, live bands or tribute bands, the Big Orange or the Wigwam Motel, SR 66 will be commemorated for years to come, its memory kept alive by the people who once loved it the most. As prominent jazz singer Nat King Cole once said, “If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway, that’s the best. Get your kicks on Route 66.” This article brought to you by Miller Associates Real Estate -- serving the Inland Empire for 39+ years; (909)888-9000.