By Bailey Coyle, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — This weekend, Tulsans can turn Route 66 into their own backyard road trip.
The City of Tulsa is celebrating its ninth annual 918 Day with a free passport challenge Saturday, Sept. 19, inviting people to explore 13 locations across the city, collect stamps and pick up 918 Day swag along the way.
This year’s challenge is centered on Route 66, which is celebrating its centennial.
Samantha Extance, destination district manager for the City of Tulsa, said the locations were selected to highlight the people and projects that have helped preserve and revitalize Route 66 in Tulsa.
“The choices behind the stops are to highlight great preservation and Route 66 grassroots movement stories,” Extance said.
Participants can start at any of the 13 locations between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday. They can pick up a passport at a designated stop or print one at home ahead of time.
Each location will have its own stamp, and participants can receive free swag at each stop while supplies last.
From Neon Signs to Historic Buildings
The passport route includes several of Tulsa’s most recognizable Route 66 landmarks, including the Meadow Gold neon sign, Circle Cinema, Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza and the Route 66 Historical Village.
Other stops highlight more recent efforts to preserve and bring new life to the Mother Road.
At The Blue Dome, visitors can learn about Tulsa’s Green Book history. Representatives from Greenwood Main Street will be there to discuss Green Book sites in the district, along with a digital kiosk focused on Black travelers’ experiences during the Jim Crow era.
Extance said the Blue Dome stop offers a chance to learn about a piece of Tulsa’s Route 66 history that some people may not know.
The building itself also has a Route 66 connection.
The Blue Dome was originally a service station, while a Green Book site was located across the street.
A Century of Route 66 in Tulsa
Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, said Tulsa’s connection to Route 66 goes back to the road’s earliest days.
Cyrus Avery, who is often called the “Father of Route 66,” was from Tulsa and played a major role in establishing the route.
Martin said the national Route 66 association was also founded in Tulsa in the 1920s, and Michael Wallis’ influential book Route 66: The Mother Road was published from Tulsa in 1990.
Today, Tulsa has about 28 miles of Route 66 across two alignments, Martin said.
He said the passport challenge is intended to get people to explore beyond a single stop.
“The hope is that people will go to one of these places, get a stamp and realize, oh, my gosh, there’s so much else around here I can’t see in one day,” Martin said.
Keeping Route 66 Moving Forward
Martin said Tulsa has spent more than two decades intentionally investing in its Route 66 identity, including efforts such as the city’s neon sign grant program.
But he said preserving Route 66 isn’t only about looking backward.
“Route 66 has been around for 100 years. But for it to continue to survive, people have to make new memories on it,” Martin said.
That includes new businesses, restaurants, attractions and experiences along the route.
Extance said she hopes the 918 Day challenge gives people a renewed sense of pride in their community and encourages them to notice both the historic and newer parts of Tulsa’s Route 66 corridor.
“I hope people come away completing the challenge with a renewed sense of pride in their community,” Extance said.
How to Participate
The 918 Day Passport Challenge runs Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Participants can begin at any of the designated locations and do not have to visit the stops in a specific order.
Passports and swag are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
The challenge includes stops at:
- Tulsa Fire Station 66
- Route 66 Interpretive Plaza
- Route 66 Art-Wrapped Traffic Control Box
- Oklahoma Route 66 Association
- Circle Cinema
- Sinclair Service Station
- Visit Tulsa Visitor Center
- Meadow Gold Neon Sign
- The Blue Dome
- Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza
- Howard Park
- Route 66 Historical Village
There is also a bonus stop at the Tulsa Parks Handmade Market at Veterans Park, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Martin said the goal isn’t simply to finish the passport — it’s to encourage people to become tourists in their own city.
“I hope that when people complete their passport challenge, they come away with it thinking, ‘I had no idea all of this was here.’”
For more information about the passport challenge and how to participate, click here.
