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COUNTRYSIDE, Ill. - Dudley Onderdonk has long been a fan of driving old historic Route 66. Now he's a part of the mission to preserve it. Onderdonk, the community development director for the City of Countryside, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project, a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting Route 66 as a means of tourist travel and as a tourist destination in itself. Onderdonk is the only municipal representative from the northern part of Illinois involved in the project, which also includes liaisons in the Illinois Depts. of Tourism and Transportation. "As a community we're grateful to host part of this national treasure and we look forward to doing our part to help the state of Illinois on this important project," said Countryside Mayor Robert Conrad. "True to being Chicago's Western Gateway, it's in Countryside that motorists heading toward Chicago can see the skyline emerge on the horizon almost like the city is rising from the historic road itself." Countryside hosts 3.5 miles of the historic route and even added the route designation to its official logo in 2005. "We see a great future for Route 66 in our community," Onderdonk said. "This is a universal brand with significant economic potential in terms of generating new retail and tourism tax revenue." According to Onderdonk, tour groups and enthusiasts from all over come to Countryside to start their Route 66 journey westward, some even having their own autos shipped in from Europe. Located right on the historic route, the William Tell Holiday Inn serves as the unofficial hotel of this unique starting point. Countryside will host a regional meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 30 at City Hall to gather information from Schmeekle Reserve Interpreters, who will give a Power Point presentation of the planning process and introduce their role in facilitating and developing a strategy with the communities along Route 66. Onderdonk and Patty Ambrose, the executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project, Inc., are encouraging anyone with an interest in Route 66 to come to the meeting and share stories, ideas and resources that would be of interest to the Route 66 Heritage Project. "This is an opportunity for people to gather information about the Countryside area along Route 66 and show their interest in preserving it," Onderdonk said. For more information on the meeting or to submit your memories and stories about Route 66, visit www.gocountryside.net and click on the Route 66 icon. Route 66 was constructed in 1926 and officially decommissioned in 1985. It was replaced by interstates long before then, but remains an iconic getaway route - one that Onderdonk referred to as a "right of passage." |
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