By Pauline Masson –
This weekend offers residents and visitors a chance to celebrate the 100th birthday of Historic Route 66, says Pacific Mayor Debbie Kelley.
A Big BBQ Battle, Bluegrass and Berry Festival will take place at Liberty Field park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 29, 30, 31.
All day activities will include Bluegrass and Country music, food trucks, vendors, a beer tent, games, photo ops and a kids zone.
“The event is billed as a Route 66 Centennial Celebration,” Mayor Kelley said. “This is a chance for citizens to get out and celebrate one of our favorite landmarks.”
This section of Route 66, also known as I-44 Business Loop, carries one of the best preserved sections of the famous road, the mayor noted.
Red Cedar Inn / City of Pacific History Museum and Visitor Center
“Motorists can stop at The Red Cedar Inn museum and visitor center, climb to the summit of historic Jensen’s Point, visit an antique mall in the former Wolf Hardware building, see a panoramic view of the Meramec Valley from the bluff top at Blackburn Park, visit the Adams Garden youth memorial, and capture a photo op at a real American icon Monster Truck at BigFoot Park opposite city hall,” she said.
Civil War memorials that mark Pacific’s role in October 1, 1864 Battle of Pacific are located on the historic route. The Sterling Price marker that identifies the point where Confederate General Sterling Price was stopped in his march toward the Union Arsenal at St. Louis on that day can be seen on the parking area of Jensen’s Point Park. A replica of the canons used in that battle was placed on the bluff top at Blackburn Park. as Boy Scout Zach Myer’s Eagle Scout project. On Old Town streets, just off Route 66, signs identify the route of Union General, later President U.S. Grant traveled in Pacific leading to the August 10, 1861 Battle of Wilson’s Creek.
RED CEDAR OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
The mayor also noted that in recognition of the Route 66 centennial, the Red Cedar Inn Visitor Center and Museum will be open seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
“This gives a chance for our city to show visitors what we have here in Pacific,” she said. “We have a lot to show off.”
The Red Cedar Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A full story on the history of this iconic building can be seen on the National Park Service web page: www.nps.gov/red cedar inn restaurant
