Celebrate Route 66 Saturday

This weekend is the annual celebration of the good ol’ days, the nostalgia and the romance of the cross-country road trip — the Route 66 Illinois Red Carpet Corridor.
Before Red Carpet
• Route 66 icon The Launching Pad is celebrating its grand re-opening with a ribbon cutting on Friday, May 3, at 2 p.m. The Pad will host its first cruise night Friday with the Rusty Nutz Car Club and a touch of neon. The restaurant’s growing menu will be trimmed to just the favorites, to ensure nobody has to wait long for their treat.
Red Carpet Saturday events
• The Mother Road journey begins for the Star Car Caravan, which will travel Route 66 to Towanda, from Wilmington’s downtown.
“It has been a real pleasure to represent these special cars from local ownership ...A great bunch of car guys,” said curator Larry Tarantolo.
Ed Dunn is bringing his very rare 1955 Desoto Firedome to the dance. It’s a highly original example and features a fire-power 292 Hemi engine.
Jim “Cowboy” Heb, as expected, stepped up to the plate with another star car — the fastest car on the Red Carpet corridor for 2019, his first generation Dodge Viper, featuring a V12 engine and six-speed tranny.
“You never see these out of captivity and on the road anymore,” said Tarantolo.
The caravan will also include Harry "Duke" Howard’s General Lee and police car; the nicest examples of “Dukes Of Hazard” cars in the Midwest.
The caravan will roll into the downtown around 9:15. The cars will hang until 10 a.m., then head down the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor toward Towanda.
The Star Car Caravan is a weather-permitting event.
• Debbie’s Miniature Horse and Carriage Rides, sponsored by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, will offer free rides from Water Street at Van Buren Street, all day.
• Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie welcomes the arrival of the new members of its bison herd, and celebrates Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday as the U.S. Forest Service’s fire safety spokesman in film and art.
Activities and displays will be found in the Welcome Center, at the Iron Bridge Trailhead and at the Wauponsee Trailhead.
The visitor center will feature Smokey Bear artwork from 1979 to 1996. There will also be screenings of the Smokey Bear 16 mm films from the 1960s and 1970s and a photo op with Smokey and Woodsy Owl.
The Iron Bridge Trailhead features the annual Natural Resources Expo and farm history and nature guided hikes, leaving from the ranger trailer throughout the day, and self-guided hikes to see the spring bison calves.
The Wauponsee Trailhead is located at Hoff Road and the intersection of Old Chicago/Coldwater Road. Visitors to the site will find a spin-and-win game with prizes and collectible Smokey Bear 75th birthday buttons and magnets.
• The lovingly renovated Launching Pad will be a must-stop location, and if this year is anything like last year, the parking lot will be a rolling car show as Route 66 travelers stop in to experience the Americana museum, smash a few pennies and take a picture with the legendary Gemini Giant.
• North Water Street flea market, organized by the Women of Wilmington, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Includes street vendors and sidewalk sales; antiques, imports, collectibles and gifts at the shops in this historic business district and Milltown Market at the corner of Kankakee Street and Canal Street.
• The Chamber of Commerce will hold three contests throughout the day. Prizes are awarded to the top three contestants in each competition.
The laughing baby contest for children up to age 3 starts at noon. Whoever laughs first, loudest and has the sweetest character wins the prize. Parents and siblings are encouraged to be as silly as needed to get those laughs.
The Hula Hoop contest for youngsters up to age 12 begins at 1 p.m. The winners will be the three contestants who hulas the longest. The Chamber has a limited supply of Hula Hoops, but contestants are welcome to bring their own.
The dogs who win the Hound Dog contest, which starts at 2:30 p.m., will be the best dressed for the day. All socialized canines are welcome, so give your pooch a pep talk to show his or her personality.
The Chamber tent is also where the 2019 Red Carpet Corridor collectible magnet will be available.
• Take a picture! There are a number of photo opportunities in the downtown area, including on the walkbridge, in front of the Route 66 mural and in Claire’s Corner Park. Or, make a video doing the Silly Walk at the Jackson Street crosswalk.
• Midwest Classics on 66, on Baltimore Street at West River Road, is offering discounts on admission during the Red Carpet Corridor festival.

Food
• The Lions Club’s food trailer helps fund the group’s work in the community, including providing eyeglasses and hearing aids to those who can’t afford them and maintaining a supply of medical equipment to loan. It will be located on North Water at Jackson Street.
• Nelly’s on Route 66 is serving bison burgers and real banana shakes.
• The Launching Pad is trimming its menu down to just the local favorites for the weekend, so that the staff can keep up with the expected volume of customers. They’ll still be serving Vienna Beef hot dogs, Italian beef, Polish sausage, pulled pork, ice cream, Dole Whip and Smoothies.