AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – Route 66 is 100 years old, and a new documentary is celebrating the people keeping the Mother Road alive.
“Route 66: The Main Street of America” makes its Texas premiere tonight, Sept. 25, at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.
Filmmaker John Paget traveled more than 2,400 miles through all eight Route 66 states, interviewing more than 100 people along the historic highway.
The documentary takes viewers inside the motels, diners, museums and roadside attractions that have become part of Route 66, along with the stories of the people working to preserve them.
“The thing that captured my heart about it was the underdog towns and the small towns that were struggling to survive after being bypassed by the interstate,” said Paget. “I wanted to tell those stories. I wanted to spotlight those people in those towns and champion them.”
Amarillo also gets its moment in the film, including two of the city’s best-known Route 66 attractions: Cadillac Ranch and The Big Texan.
“You have the iconic Cadillac Ranch and you have the Big Texan, the home of the free 72-ounce steak,” said Paget. “But in this film, we tell the deeper story behind the Big Texan that a lot of people don’t know.”
Paget first traveled Route 66 about 30 years ago.
For the new documentary, he returned to find some longtime Route 66 figures still keeping traditions alive and a new generation taking over businesses and landmarks.
“The film is a mix of these absolute legends who have been living on the road for decades and then kind of the new generation and what Route 66 will look like in the future,” said Paget.
Amarillo is one of more than 40 stops on the documentary’s roadshow from Chicago to Los Angeles.
To buy tickets to screenings, click here.
Paget says the film is not only about remembering Route 66’s past but also looking at what comes next.
“Yes, it’s a road of history, but it is the road of the future,” said Paget.
“Route 66: The Main Street of America” begins at 7 p.m. at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.
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