AAA Oklahoma To Host Route 66 Road Fest This Weekend

This weekend the community is invited to get its kicks on Route 66 as Tulsa celebrates the historic highway.

The SageNet Center at Expo Square has been transformed into a time capsule of the Mother Road.

AAA Route 66 Road Fest features a classic car show, vintage RV park, hands-on activities for kids, and over 100 vendors.

However, the highlight of the three-day event is an immersive exhibit called "The Journey." It takes visitors 100 years back in time to the 1920s.

"We wanted to represent the history of the route, but we wanted to do it in a way that was more palatable to really anybody," said Wade Bray, Curator of Road Fest.

He said each new decade holds the key to the Mother Road's rich history. "It is not like dry facts and figures, it is about people and gives you little snapshots where you can grab a hold of those people and see what they were going through at the time," Bray added.

The exhibit also comes to life through sights and sounds. "We have actors in period costumes that are characters from the time that will interact and talk with people. We have soundscapes that have the music of the time, or something from movies, or radio shows or TV - once there was TV," said Bray.

Route 66 winds through 8 states. Bray said Oklahoma has more miles of the highway than any other state, but Tulsa is its heartbeat.

"It is really part of our DNA," he continued saying, "It kind of runs right through the middle of what used to be the middle part of town and so it is just kind of a part of who we are and kind of embodies that Americana that people think of when they think of America in the good old days."

"The Journey" exhibit will be on display through Sunday at the SageNet Center. Road Fest is open from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $20. Children 12 and under get in free with a paid adult.