Route 66 Exhibit continues...

Carol Adamec: Starry Night for Elvis, 2017. Archival digital print, mixed media.

They don't call Route 66 "Main Street of America" for no good reason. The 2,448 mile road from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA, was the primary east-west route across the United States from 1926 to 1984. People from all walks of life traveled Route 66—even the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley!

Not a fan of flying, Elvis preferred to travel by car from Memphis to Las Vegas, NV, for his nightclub gigs during the late 1960’s. On several occasions, he and his entourage would choose the Trade Winds Inn in the Route 66 town of Clinton, OK for an overnight stay en route to and from Vegas.

Elvis liked the upstairs corner suite, Room 215, which featured a king size bed covered with a red faux satin coverlet, a black Naugahyde fainting couch, green pile carpeting, and a vanity. Fans stole the numbers off the motel door so often that the management quit replacing them.

The motel is still in business and maintains the “Elvis Suite” preserved as a time capsule. Maybe Elvis is there?