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Author Chat: Standing on Main Street, The Story of America’s Route 66 in Paintings by Elise Zoller

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Time: 6:30 PM

Location(s):

Carl M. Freeman Foundation Office Building

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Route 66 is America’s 2,400-mile Main Street. Since its inception as one of the country’s first all-weather highways in 1926, Route 66 has become one of the most famous roads in the United States. In its hundred-year history, songs have been dedicated to it. Hundreds of thousands of people have traveled it by car and on foot. Movies, television shows, and books have been inspired by it. The route runs diagonally from Chicago to Los Angeles, covering eight states and three time zones.

Elise Zoller, a classically trained realist painter, has spent the last several years standing on streets along the Route, painting what she saw, and recording the stories of the people who visited with her while she was working. Elise’s book, "Standing on Main Street, The Story of America’s Route 66 in Paintings," will be available in December 2025. She will share a few pictures and stories from her travels.

2026 is Route 66’s Centennial Year. Come celebrate with us!

Connect with Elise Zoller

Elise Zoller Website

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