Route 66 in the News
Billboards Returning on Illinois Route 66
2004-09-06 23:52:57
Classic Route 66 billboards are back in Lexington.
Fans of Route 66, especially a stretch of the highway known as Memory Lane at Lexington, are reintroducing the characteristic billboards seen during the Mother Road's heyday.
Billboards were popping up last week along the highway, north of Lexington, but the main one -- a 10-by-20-foot welcome sign -- won't be unveiled until Saturday. The ceremony, which will be in conjunction with Lexington's Taste of Country Fair, will be at 9 a.m. in Sticter Park, one mile north of Lexington.
"It will be all decorated and easy to find," said Fran Turgeon, a representative of the Route 66 Association of Illinois.
Donations, including free sign-painting services from a Route 66 enthusiast in Chicago, made it possible, said Turgeon.
Route 66 billboards reflected the lives of Americans during a post-World War II period, he said. Among the most famous were small signs in a row that featured rhyming jingles for Burma-Shave.
"They are an American icon -- even in the Smithsonian Institution," Turgeon said.
Examples of the catchy Burma-Shave phrases include:
"Are your whiskers when you wake tougher than a two-bit steak? Try Burma Shave."
"He played a sax, had no B.O., but his whiskers scratched so she let him go. Try Burma Shave."
The signs were so popular that many remained up until 1961.
Now two are back on Memory Lane, a piece of the original 1926 Route 66 alignment that now serves as a historic hiking trail. Memory Lane will be open to drivers during the fair.
Others signs are posted temporarily as part of the Taste of Country Fair, which starts Friday.
Saturday is a community day at the fair. Sunday is Route 66 Reunion Day, and there will be a car shows, judging, and parade.
~Phyllis Coulter for Pantograph.com
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