Learning, gawking, and singing along
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Day 3: October 20, 2017 Learning, gawking, and singing along Comment via blog |
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The conference began in earnest today. Somewhere in the middle of that
first picture, event chairperson Debyjo Ericksen is getting things rolling
and introducing the first speaker. The second picture is of Cory Jobe,
Illinois State Tourism and Travel Director. After delivering the keynote
speech, Cory introduced Tully Garrett and Holly Barker, the new owners of
The Launching Pad. The restaurant, home to the Gemini
Giant, has been vacant for several years and its purchase by this
obviously enthusiastic couple is the current hot story of Route 66. If
they don't offer a sandwich or sundae called the Holly Tully, I'm going to
be very disappointed.
The morning was filled with Bill Thomas of The Road Ahead Initiative and Louis Ferrara of the Illinois Film Office. |
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Quite a few conference attendees headed up the street for lunch at the
Joliet
Route 66 Diner. The place is cool and the food good but they were a
little overwhelmed by our group. Maybe best to go alone or with just a few
friends.
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Back at the conference, Ron Jones,
The Tattoo Man of Route 66 had moved his '56
Chevy in front of the museum where it looked pretty good.
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The previous panel had a connection to the imminent concert and here's
another. Yes, The Road Crew is responsible for The Tattoo Man of Route
66 and they're performing at the Rialto tonight and one of the members
is Joe Loesch and Joe Loesch was the presenter that started off my
afternoon. The AV club let Joe down and he had to narrate an invisible
slide show. Even without the visuals, Joe shared a lifetime of Route 66
memories with a room full of listeners. I chose Greg Peerbolte and Lorin
Schab to finish out my afternoon. Greg talked about Route 66 history in
Joliet and Lorin told us about Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
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I took some pictures at the Rialto then headed off for dinner and came
back and took some more. Fortunately our dinner location was nearby as
they were more overwhelmed by our group than the diner had been despite
being aware of our arrival days in advance.
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Then I went inside. The Rialto opened in 1926 as "one of the ten most
beautiful theaters in the nation". I've marveled at its exterior
several times and I've seen photos of its interior but I know that my jaw
dropped when I stepped through the doors. There are lots of excellent
pictures floating around the internet, and the many gifted photographers
that were there Friday night will add even more. No problem. There will
never be too many.
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Not every seat in the theater was filled but my picture is hardly
representative. It was taken very early as what turned out to be a very
respectable crowd worked their way in. Conference attendees were treated
to the first three rows. Professional photographer David Schwartz would
prow the stage to capture the band during the concert. Here he's snapping
Debyjo welcoming the audience and announcing the band. Don't worry, Dave.
I've got your back.
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Beyond the band in that first shot is pro photographer Judy Walker who
would also prow the stage during the show. The individual shots are of
Woody, Joe, Don, and Jason. The Road Crew played many of the original Route 66
themed songs their fans have come to love, and they also played several
covers including some that even hardcore fans were hearing them do for the
first time. They also, as they have done several times in the past,
debuted a brand new song written especially for the event. The Miles of
Possibility Route 66 Conference has become an annual event that now has
its own Miles of Possibility song. It has yet to be recorded but I
think we all know what the boys will be doing in their next studio
session.
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