Route 66 Blowout Bigger, Better

Close to 30,000 expected in Sapulpa June 6.

Sapulpa Main Street committee members for the 2014 ­presentation of the Route 66 Blowout ­include (L to R): Carl Prescott, Sapulpa Arts Director Sheri Waldrop, Kallie McGuire, Gina Belk and Sapulpa Main Street Director Cindy McDonald.

Begin your summer with a one-day extravaganza of fun, food and activities for the entire family at the 26th annual Route 66 Blowout Car Show & Festival set for Saturday, June 6, in downtown Sapulpa on historic Route 66.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event revolves around one of the largest car and truck shows in the region, showcasing classic and modern cars and trucks.

“We expect somewhere between 300 to 400 vehicles,” says, Cindy McDonald, executive director of the Main Street Sapulpa program, and originator of the annual Route 66 Blowout event in 1989.

McDonald, with help from many local groups and individuals, created the first Blowout in a roped off one block area in a parking lot with thirty-five cars and trucks.

And today? Upwards of 50,000 to 10,000 visitors are expected to fill a ten-block area in downtown Sapulpa with something for the entire family. “Yes, we have grown.”
McDonald is working to bring vintage steamed-powered tractors to the event. Give her a call if you would like to exhibit your tractor. Also, a local Jeep club will be returning this year!
Once again this year, winner trophies are being hand-made by historic Frankoma Pottery.
Tulsa Teachers Credit Union is sponsoring a drawing for a new Chevy 350 Crate engine. Tickets are available at the Sapulpa TTCU branch and Sapulpa Main Street office.

She notes that the Blowout is truly a community affair, sponsored by local businesses, showcasing local artists and vendors and coordinated by Sapulpa Main Street with proceeds going toward beautification of the downtown district.

Sapulpa comes alive with activities for the entire family, ranging from a Children’s Zone filled with games, face painting fun, rock wall and inflatables for children’s entertainment, and of course, the Art Show, which in fact is one-year older than Route 66 Blowout itself.

Visitors can enjoy the artwork on display by area and regional artists for details visit Sapulpa Arts on Facebook or call 918-224-0170.

McDonald added that downtown stores and shops will be open and provide excellent opportunity to buy something special while viewing the car show.

She highly recommends a visit to the Sapulpa Historical Society’s Museum in downtown, and “be sure to checkout the newly restored Waite Phillips Filling Station. Originally built in 1923, the station was one of the buildings in Sapulpa in its heyday. And the museum is one of the best. It’s worth the visit.”

Sapulpa Arts Director Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop said the 7th Annual 6x6 on Route 66 Show will coincide with the one-day Route 66 Blowout Art Show on June 6, “with each of the one-of-a-kind 6x6s selling for $35, or two for $66. All proceeds benefit the Sapulpa Arts education programs and scholarships.”

Registration for vendors, artists, organizations and businesses is open until May 18. Car show registration is open until the day of the event. All forms are available online. The Blowout begins at 9 a.m. and winds up at 4 p.m. 

 Salsa Festival

The Sapulpa Rotary Club will host the 8th annual Salsa Festival. The committee is taking applications for this year’s contestants who can win up to $400 by entering their salsa in one of three categories: HOT, MEDIUM OR MILD.

The Salsa Festival takes place at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Courthouse Plaza. Anyone can judge the competition. Tasting Kits are sold allowing visitors to vote for their favorite salsa.
Rotary also will have a panel of non-partial serious salsa eaters to judge first place winners in each category.

First place winners receive $150 prize money. awarding an extra $200.
Sapulpa Rotary will also give away a $500 Reasor’s Gift Card. You’ll want to get a head start on buying your raffle ticket. They will be sold prior to as well as the day of the event.
This event is important for the Rotary Club, since the Salsa Festival is the club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Rotary uses the proceeds to fund scholarships to graduating Sapulpa seniors, purchase Christmas gifts for families and other worthy projects.

A limited number of salsa contestants will be accepted. Apply ASAP. Visit www.sapulparotary.org, or call Debbie at 918-227-5765.

For more information, contact

Sapulpa Main Street

www.route66blowout.com

About Author Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is a retired, award-winning newspaperman who continues to write as a freelance writer and photographer. He owned the Tulsa Front Page weekly and was executive editor to Neighbor Newspapers' 13 metro newspapers. Currently, he writes for Value News and has become a paid assignment screenwriter, along with a University of Oklahoma professor who wrote Brad Pitt's first feature film. His award-winning screenplay is on the historical Osage Indian Murders of the 1920s.