Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
- 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM
These are the previously published dates. Check the organizer for a new edition.
Check the organizer’s latest schedule ↗First Annual Mother Road Conference in Springfield Marks Route 66’s Centennial
Route 66’s official centennial falls on Nov. 11, 2026, and the First Annual Mother Road Conference is scheduled in Springfield, Illinois, on that anniversary. Organizers describe a gathering for people interested in what comes next for the Mother Road.
The anniversary has a precise date—and two Springfields
A federal telegram designating Route 66 reached officials in Springfield, Missouri, on April 30, 1926. The highway’s official commissioning came on Nov. 11, 1926, making the conference date its centennial. The event itself is in Springfield, Illinois, not the Missouri city where the telegram arrived.
The regional Route 66 account describes southwest Illinois’s final 100 miles of the road as running from Virden, just outside Springfield, Illinois, to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge at the Mississippi River. That broader corridor gives the conference’s focus on businesses, communities and supporters a regional setting beyond any single roadside attraction.
Further reading: Historic Route 66 | Illinois | Great Rivers & Routesr&r-primary-logor&r-primary-logor&r-primary-logo ↗ · First Annual Mother Road Conference | Great Rivers & Routesr&r-primary-logor&r-primary-logor&r-primary-logo ↗
Plan your day
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
The conference runs from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM local time.
Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill, Museum & Entertainment Complex
The listed address is 600 Toronto Rd., Springfield, Illinois 62711.
$75 for members; $125 for nonmembers
The rates are $75 for Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway members and $125 for nonmembers. Everyone is welcome, and breakfast and lunch are included.
A Website link is listed
The listing does not identify the Website link as a registration portal. It also gives no booking deadline or payment and cancellation terms.
Confirm any requirements that affect your plans
The event listing does not state an age policy or provide accessibility details. Check with the organizer if either affects your visit.
Getting there
Destination and directions
The event is listed at Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill, Museum & Entertainment Complex, 600 Toronto Rd., Springfield, Illinois 62711. The listing provides map links that can calculate directions from your starting point. It does not name a specific event entrance or give transit, parking or step-free access details.
Before you make a plan
Can nonmembers attend?
Yes. The listing says everyone is welcome. Admission is $125 for nonmembers and $75 for Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway members.
Are breakfast and lunch included?
Yes. The event listing says both are included.
Are speakers or session times announced?
The listing refers to speakers and conversations but does not name speakers, provide session topics or give individual session times.
Does the listing explain how or when to register?
It includes a Website link, but does not identify it as a registration portal or state a deadline or payment and cancellation terms.
Location & Google Maps
Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill, Museum & Entertainment Complex
600 Toronto Rd., Springfield, Illinois 62711
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.