Uniglobe Ohio Valley is hosting a Route 66 Night at its new location to discuss a planned Route 66 trip this June. (Photo provided)

Uniglobe Ohio Valley is welcoming guests to its new location at 2258 Main St. in Wheeling on Wednesday to get a look at an upcoming tour of Route 66 on its 100th anniversary.

The free event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday and is free to the public. Uniglobe Ohio Valley Travel is offering a motor coach trip along the first half of the route from Chicago to Oklahoma City departing on June 4. This 12-day trip will visit the start sign in Chicago and follow the route to Springfield, Illinois with a visit to the Lincoln Museum. Other attractions include the Arch in St. Louis, Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Memorial in Oklahoma City.

Blue Whales, Will Rogers, advertising giants, antique filling stations and vintage automobiles are all part of the Route 66 history. The roadway was the answer to a faster and shorter route between Chicago and Los Angeles at a time when the population was growing and the automobile industry was gaining in popularity. The new route breathed life into small towns and inspired hit songs like “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” and great American novels such as “The Great Gatsby.”

“There are a lot of iconic sights along the route as well”, said Bill Bryson of Uniglobe Travel, who will be the guide on the trip. “Cars on the Route, in Galena, Kansas features some of the vehicles that were the inspiration for the Disney movie Cars. To see Tow Mater and the Hudson Hornet sitting on the lot waiting to be discovered. The Blue Whale of Catoosa, one of the most recognizable attractions on the route, is another favorite.”

Other favorites are the Advertising Giants that were used back in the Route 66 era. These are 25-to-30-foot high fiberglass statues built to promote businesses. The Gemini giant, built in the 1960s to bring customers to the Launching Pad Restaurant, The Lauterbach Tire man and the Golden Driller are examples. The trip will include a visit to the Giants Museum in Atlanta, Illinois. A half-dozen of these giant figures dot the landscape along Route 66.

Some of the old motel signs have been maintained and a few of the motels are still in operation. In Springfield, Missouri, the Uniglobe tour group will spend the night at the Best Western Rail Haven motel, which advertises that “Elvis stayed here”. There are still restaurants operating that were part of the Route 66 heyday such as The Cozy Dog Drive-in, Waylan’s KuKu burgers and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.