Grand Island- The national celebration of the Lincoln Highway Centennial comes to Nebraska in 2013 and Grand Island has already started to prepare for the event.
Earlier this summer, the American Bus Association designated the Centennial as one of the top 100 events in North America for 2013.
The official event tours will begin on both coasts June 22 at Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California, and Times Square in New York City. The group coming from the east will stay overnight in Grand Island Sunday, June 30.
"The summer of 2013 promises to be busy for Highway 30 [the Lincoln Highway] with multiple car clubs following the old Lincoln Highway through our state all summer. Hundreds of classic cars will be traveling the route on June 29, 2013, as they head toward Kearney for the June 30 and July 1 centennial celebration" said Ronnie O'Brien, the Nebraska Director for the National Lincoln Highway Association.
Other auto tours in the works include the Tin Can Tourists vintage RV tour and a Norwegian auto group attempting to take 100 classic cars from coast to coast.
The Nebraska Lincoln Highway Association and the Nebraska Lincoln Highway Scenic and Historic Byway are encouraging towns along the route to preserve their Lincoln Highway history.
In the past several years, communities and counties in Nebraska have worked on projects to highlight the Lincoln Highway:
- Grand Island placed signs at the location of the last remaining original piece of Seedling Mile in the United States. Another effort is attempting to erect Burma Shave style signs at the Seedling Mile.
- Keith County has re-marked the Lincoln Highway route through the entire county by painting replica Lincoln Highway signs on poles.
- Lincoln Highway signs have been put up in multiple towns, marking the old route, as it turned at multiple intersections.
- In Shelton, the old Bromo-Seltzer and Shelton Cash Store billboards have been repainted, the last original Lincoln Highway billboards in Nebraska.
Other Lincoln Highway projects are being planned. Ideas in the works include a travelogue with a song tied to Grand Island's Capitol Theatre, area car shows and an exhibit at Stuhr Museum.
"We hope all of the communities will put up some type of signs in the next year," said Ronnie O'Brien. "Some are putting up banners, others the red, white and blue highway signs along the route."
For more information contact the Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800)658-3178.
