March 05, 2020

The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival returns Aug. 14-15 and brings a rocking lineup with it.

The festival drew 65,000 people to Downtown Springfield last year and entertained them with an all-free musical lineup. This year’s event will feature live musical acts on two stages. The KY3/KSPR stage is in Park Central Square. Local and regional favorites play the Aaron Sachs Stage, south of Jefferson Avenue and Park Central East.

Big names headline the festival

The headliners for the 10th annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival are Sixwire. The critically-acclaimed band originated in Nashville. Joining them will be John Elefante, former lead singer of Kansas, and Steve Augeri, former lead singer of Journey.

Other confirmed acts for 2020 include:

• Sequel Dose
• Mark Chapman Band
• The Rosy Hips
• 7D Funk
• Machine Gun Symphony
• The Dirty Saints

Route 66 has got talent

New to the festival this year is the Great Route 66 Talent Search. All ages and genres are welcome.

Competitors will perform live for a panel of judges with talent industry experience. Those judges will determine whether the artists will advance to the next levels of competition. Semifinalists perform on the Park Central Square Stage, where 10 finalists will be named. The grand prize winner will be selected from that group.

Keep an eye on the festival’s social media and route66festivalsgf.com as more details become available.

Win “The Fezster”

Back this year is the Mother Roadster Foundation raffle. It benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children. The 2020 Mother Roadster is a brand-new 1932 Ford Roadster, also known as “The Fezster.”

The car is named for all of the Shriners who have worn the iconic red cap and do so much to help the children at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital. This roadster, custom-built by Show Me Rod and Custom, and Curry’s Hot Rod will be the third car given away by the Mother Roadster Foundation at the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival.

The 2018 and 2019 raffles made it possible for the foundation to donate more than $70,000 to Shriners Hospitals. Tickets can be purchased online at MotherRoadsterFoundation.com. The winner will be drawn Aug. 15 after the car show awards on the Sachs stage. Ticket holders do not have to be present at the festival to win. Every ticket purchased contributes to the many thousands of dollars raised to benefit Shriners Hospitals.

Vendors, races and more

Also back this this year are the Authors, Artists, Collectors & Associations expo at The Old Glass Place, Vendor Village, the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival Parade and the 6.6K Run/3.3K Walk. Motorcycle Village on the east side of the festival will again be in full swing with live music, demos, stunt shows, the Globe of Steel, Pogo Fred, the Gypsy Tour Poker Run and other motorcycle-geared entertainment and vendors.

Vendors interested in participating in this year’s festival should contact Tom Mast at masterfuleventsMO@gmail.com. Want to enter your vehicle in the event’s car show? Registration is open online at route66festivalsgf.com.

The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival is organized by Aaron Sachs & Associates, Ozarks on Two Wheels, KY3/KSPR, the City of Springfield and West Central Neighborhood Alliance.