Centennial Commission offers incentives to celebrate Route 66 in Missouri

The Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission is launching several sponsorship opportunities for communities celebrating the Mother Road. Programs include a special event sponsorship program, signature tour stop design competition and interactive signage program. The charge of the state-appointed members of the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission is to prepare cities across the state of Missouri for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Route 66. Missouri has a lot to celebrate and an unprecedented opportunity leading up to and during the anniversary year (2026) to bring new attention and excitement to the state.

The Commission is planning and sponsoring official Route 66 centennial events, programs, and activities in the state; encouraging the development of programs designed to involve all citizens in activities that commemorate Route 66 centennial events in the state; and to the best of the commission’s ability, make available to the public information on Route 66 centennial events happening throughout the state.  

The official celebration website is www.celebratemo66.com. Visit there for regular updates and to share what you would like to see during the centennial. 

As part of the festivities, the Commission has launched several programs, including a special event sponsorship program, signature tour stop design competition and interactive signage sponsorship program. Each program has specific criteria and guidelines, found on the website. 

The special event sponsorship program encourages communities throughout Missouri to celebrate Route 66 and to prepare for events and activities during the centennial year, 2026. 

Reimbursable funds are for eligible businesses and organizations whose Route 66-themed events exhibit positive tourism and economic development along Missouri’s Route 66 defined alignments. Qualifying events demonstrate a direct alignement statewide efforts to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial.

“The goal is incentive new or existing events to focus their programming on promoting 100 years of Missouri Route 66 through communities and people; culture and flavor; heritage and history, strife and milestones, architecture and tourism,” said Cora Scott, Missouri Route 66 Centennial Chair. 

 A selection committee prioritizes sponsorship opportunities or as many unique parties as possible to ensure the highest participation, greatest diversity, and strongest branding for Missouri Route 66. 

Annual event sponsorship funding is a part of the Commission’s annual budget, but it is subject to the funding allocations. Therefore, requests limits may vary. For 2024, $250,000 has been budgeted, with a maximum $50,000 allowed for any one application.

For more information, or to apply, visit CelebrateMo66.com.

The Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission is offering competitive design sponsorships up to $15,000 and for the lucky designs selected – with matching fund sponsorships of up to $125,000 to build these signature stops.

The ten Missouri counties along the Route 66 corridor that qualify include:

1. St Louis County
2. Franklin County
3. Crawford County
4. Phelps County
5. Pulaski County
6. Laclede County
7. Webster County
8. Greene County
9. Lawrence County
10. Jasper County

The Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission notified Missouri counties, cities, towns, and CVBs along the historic Route 66 corridor soliciting preliminary ideas for the creation of a Signature Missouri Route 66 Stop in their communities.

The Commission will be offering multiple reimbursable sponsorships of up to $15,000 to help fund an eventual final design plan created by a licensed Missouri architect. Winning locations will be eligible for future construction funds from the Commission that will be available on a matching fund basis.

Deadline for preliminary design idea submission is 5 pm CST on Dec. 31, 2024. Preliminary submissions will include the concept and location of your Signature Stop along with a rough estimate of construction cost and potential matching fund partners.

The Centennial Commission design and build sponsorship selection committee will choose the design finalists.

Design finalist locations will be announced and location will be reimbursed for up to $15,000 to finalize their communities Route 66 Signature Stop.

There can be up to 10 design finalists chosen, but not more than one from each of the 10 Missouri Route 66 corridor counties.

Final Design proposals will be due on March 31, 2025 at 5 p.m.  CST – Complete with final estimated costs, construction timelines and matching fund commitment. All completed design concepts will become the intellectual property of the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission.

Optional in-person final design presentations at KY3 Television in Springfield, Missouri. These optional hour-long presentations are available to walk the Commission’s design and build sponsorship selection members through your proposal.

Final build locations will be selected and matching sponsorship dollars will be awarded. A minimum of one and a maximum of two locations will be selected from each of the following groups of Missouri Route 66 Counties:

• Southwest Missouri – Jasper, Lawrence and Greene Counties
• Central Missouri – Laclede, Phelps, Pulaski and Webster Counties
• Eastern Missouri – Crawford, Franklin and St. Louis Counties

The Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission will offer sponsorships up to $15,000 for the purchase, installation, and maintenance of a Large Missouri Route 66 Interactive Shield Sign. 

The Commission has allocated $150,000 for Phase 1. Additional funding for subsequent phases will be determined at the Commission’s discretion.

The sponsorship program is open to all city departments, county departments, and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in Missouri that have Route 66 running through their communities. 

• Ongoing Maintenance – The sponsorship recipient shall be responsible for the continuous upkeep of the sign, ensuring it remains well-maintained and in good condition.
• Insurance – The recipient shall be responsible for obtaining adequate insurance as required by local jurisdictions and providing the necessary indemnifications for the Centennial Commission.
• Location – The sign should be positioned in a highly visible location easily accessible to the public for photography. The Centennial Commission will approve the final location.
• Installation – The sign must be installed by 1/1/26. The sponsorship recipient is responsible for all installation costs. 

The sign design should be similar to the example provided below. While local modifications are encouraged, the primary objective is to foster a sense of unity and connectivity among the signs across the communities. The final design must be approved by the Centennial Commission.

The committee prefers that the signs be distributed across all communities along Route 66. Therefore, it is unlikely that multiple applications from the same geographical area will receive more than one sign in Phase 1.

The committee will review applications quarterly as they are submitted. The program will close once the $150,000 has been fully allocated. The committee’s decision will be final. Funds will be disbursed upon receipt of proof of purchase for the sign.

Sponsorship applications are currently being accepted through March 1, 2025 to qualify for this year’s funding. They will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The program will close once the $150,000 has been fully allocated. The application will be on the celebratemo66.com/ website. 

At the request of the Missouri Legislature, the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission will sponsor official Route 66 centennial programs, and activities in the state to involve all citizens in activities that commemorate the Route 66 Centennial. 

• Representative Richard Brown
• Dru Buntin
• Rich Dinkela
• Renee Eichelberger
• Phyllis Ferguson
• Lyndal Fraker
• Lula Mae “Luge” Hardman
• Mark Hecquet
• Brian McDonough
• Kelly O’Malley
• Rebecca E. Rupard
• Cora Scott (Chair)
• Patrick Tuttle
• Jacqueline “Jax” Welborn