Wilmington Farmers Market Thank you Wilmington for a great turn out! We enjoy being part of your community!

The Landing Pad Officially Opens in Wilmington with Ribbon Cutting Celebration Wilmington, IL – May 22, 2025 The Landing Pad, Wilmington’s newest Route 66 attraction, officially opened its doors earlier today with a festive ribbon cutting ceremony. Located at the base of the iconic Gemini Giant, the event welcomed visitors with vibrant entertainment, including a caricature artist, a Route 66-themed food truck, and unforgettable photo opportunities. Designed as a must-stop destination for Route 66 travelers, The Landing Pad souvenir shop offers unique, one-of-a-kind souvenirs that help preserve memories of The First Hundred Miles of America’s Mother Road. With its nostalgic charm and prime location at 110 S. Park St., The Landing Pad promises to become a highlight for tourists exploring this legendary route. The celebration was attended by several notable local leaders, including Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Joliet Area Historical Museum CEO Greg Peerbolte, and Heritage Corridor Destinations President and CEO Robert Navarro, all of whom expressed support for the new addition to the community and its potential to enhance regional tourism. The Landing Pad will be open for the season Thursday through Monday, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. “What you see here is a collaborative effort to preserving and promoting Route 66 for generations to come,” said Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz. “Towns don’t die when they fail; they die when they quit,” said Joliet Area Historical Museum CEO Greg Peerbolte. Route 66 Mobile Diner

Gemini Giant unveiling, South Island Wilmington Illinois WILMINGTON — Wilmington Mayor Ben Dietz will be on hand for Saturday afternoon's celebration of the Gemini Giant Muffler Man's return to Wilmington at his new location. The public unveiling of the Gemini Giant at South Island Park will take place on Saturday, and the event goes from 1 to 3 p.m. "We’ve got The Route 66 Band lined up to play the tunes, T he Route 66 Mobile Diner will be serving up classic diner fare , Route 66 Memorabilia will also be onsite. We will also have plenty of amazing photo opportunities as well and the Island Park District will be ensuring all ages will be having an awesome time," Dietz announced in recent days.

Built by Stuyvesant "Jack" Peabody on a 12 acre plot of a larger 450-acre farm (Lemont horse farm in the early 1920s). It struck gold when Route 4 was aligned by it Not far from the big city it offered Chicagoans a countryside setting for dining. Peabody died in 1946 it was leased out and eventually bought by the Hasterts (1954) and Robert and Doris' son, Robert Jr. still owns the place. The company has branches in different towns, and the menu still offers " The World's Greatest Fried Chicken " and the restaurant can sit 1,000 guests. There is a Route 66 wayside exhibit on the premises telling its story. Don't miss the giant chicken at the main entrance and the old neon sign is still there, and more colorful than in the past.

The Taco Bell restaurant at 6956 Ogden Ave was originally a "Prince Castles", an Ice Cream store back in 1941. It was a chain established by Earl Prince and Walter Fredenhagen. Their classic was the "One-In-A-Million" malt. When the partners split in 1955, Fredenhagen renamed the business Cock Robin. He ran it until 1990 and sold it to Peterson Ice Cream Co. that eventually sold them all. Info from www.theroute-66.com

At 7020 Ogden Ave. was " Carl Slerba. Standard " listed in 1957. We believe it is the current tire shop at 7000 Ogden. It has a curved Streamline Moderne office, with service bays to the right a design used by Standard Oil in the 1940s and 50s. The aerial photos show a gas station here since at least 1938. Info taken from www.theroute-66.com

Turn right along 16th St. and head north for seven blocks to visit a former cottage-style Phillips 66 gas station. At 6801 16th St, to your left. This old brick building is a former Phillips 66 station that is now the J & S Foreign Car, Inc. a car repair shop. The building with its steep gabled roofs has the "cottage style" favored by several gas companies in the 1930s to blend gas stations into their urban surroundings.

Turn left along South Harlem and head north for almost one mile. At 3011 South Harlem Ave. is the classic building that housed Richards Restaurant and Lounge. The postcard pictured below, from the 1950s tells us that it was located on "Route 42A, 1 mile North of Route 66" that it belonged to Joseph Wilkos whose slogan was "Thou Shalt Not Go Hungry," it also had a mysteriously named "Secret Harbor Lounge." Nowadays it is still catgering to hungry patrons as Lalo's Mexican Restaurant. The original building is still there, but the large neon sign has gone as you can see in the "Then and Now" sequence above. Info taken from www.theroute66.com

At 6609 Ogden Ave. Ogden Top & Trim is a three generation business founded by Frank Nesladek in 1919. Restorations of classic cars and customizing automobiles is their forte. The award wining company is a must see stop on Ogden Ave. Info taken from www.theroute-66.com

On the SW corner of Lombard Ave with Ogden Ave, at 6226 Ogden Ave, is Paisans Pizzeria and Bar, with its "mini-spindle" (a car kebag) sculpture that is a homage to the classic Spindle sculpture created by artist Dustin Shuler (1948–2010) in 1989. It was a 50-foot tall spike that had eight cars impaled on it, it was located at Cermak Plaza in Berwyn, one mile north of Ogden Ave. It was a controversial landmark and this led to it being taken down in 2008. Both are pictured below. The mini spindle has seven miniature vintage cars impaled on a 23-foot-tall spike. It is the work of local artist Pete Gamen, who created it in 20222. Mini spindle US66, Berwyn. Source . Original Spindle sculpture (gone).

This is the Oldest Original Site of the White Castle chain on Route 66. The building dates back to 1939, and has been modernized over the years. The first White Castle opened here on January 14, 1939, Route 66 was only thirteen years-old. White Castle was the first hamburger chain to standardize their marketing, from their buns and burgers to their buildings. It was the creation of Walter Anderson and E.W. "Billy" Ingram. They opened the chain in 1921 and by the early 1930s had one-hundred restaurants. They imposed strict standards and their premises were clean and spotless, reassuring customers that they were eating good quality food. McDonald's Ray Kroc wrote about this very restaurant in his autobiography, Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald, as follows: "...They used a sort of tiny ice-cream scoop to make a patty about one-inch square, and they sold their burgers by the bagful..." 1. Below is a "Then and Now" set of pictures of this classic landmark.

At 6150 W Ogden Ave., Cicero. The 19 foot tall that stood here is now located in Atlanta, Illinois, as the Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog . Also known as Paul Bunyon  (yes, Bunyon with an "o" and not Bunyan with a "u") it was originally from Cicero. Atlanta's Muffler Man was originally installed at the Bunyon's hot dog stand in Cicero, Illinois (see image), on Ogden Avenue. Hamlet Stephens owned the stand and he purchased the gigantic fiberglass statue of "Paul Bunyan" to promote his business in 1966 and it stood over his shop for 38 years. He deliberately spelled its name "Bunyon" (with an "o" instead of an "a") to avoid copyright issues. This "Paul Bunyon" held a gigantic hot dog in its hands. In 2002 the stand closed and in 2003 the Bunyon Giant was moved to Atlanta. Stephens died in 2012 but his work lives on. The original building is still standing, as you can see below in the "Then and Now" sequence. Info taken from www.theroute-66.com