Emerald City Band rocks downtown at Route 66 Festival Kickoff Concert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

An estimated 3,000 people attended the kickoff concert Thursday night for the 10^th annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, presented by Aaron Sachs & Associates in downtown Springfield, Mo. The festival was extended to a three-day affair, thanks to financial support provided to the City of Springfield by the Missouri State Legislature. 136^th district (southeast Springfield) Rep. Craig Fishel was instrumental in getting an allocation for Springfield to expand the popular festival, promising additional funds to keep growing the region's ability to leverage Route 66 as an economic and tourism driver.

Rep. Fishel was on hand for Thursday night's kickoff and spoke to the crowd.

"Springfield has built a world-class festival and I'm thrilled to see it continue to grow and happy to support that growth. The Route 66 allure is powerful all around the world and with Springfield being the birthplace, it's only natural that we be considered a hub and benefit from the tourists who are interested in driving the route."

The kickoff concert at the Aaron Sachs Stage in Motorcycle Village featured local band Static in the Attic, a three-person acoustic electric band including Dr. Chris Craig, Greg Burris and Jeff Lowry. Headlining the evening was Emerald City Band out of Dallas, who kept the crowd energized with a string of dance party and pop hits.

A classic car show runs Friday noon - 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Birthplace of Route 66 Parade heads west to east down the Mother Road at 6 p.m. The parade route extends from Grant Avenue, through Park Central Square to National Avenue.

Motorcycle Village opens with activities from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and continuing Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Free concerts are sprinkled throughout the festival schedule on two stages: the Aaron Sachs Stage at Jefferson and McDaniel and the Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks Stage at Park Central Square.

For a full schedule of events, visit route66festivalsgf.com

# # #

For more information, contact Cora Scott at 417-380-3352.

About the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival: The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival is made possible in part thanks to a generous donation by presenting sponsor Aaron Sachs & Associates / Ozarks on Two Wheels. Event partners include: Aaron Sachs, City of Springfield, KY3, Masterful Events, Jack Stinson and the West Central Neighborhood Alliance.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.