A century of Route 66 celebrated at the Old Joliet Prison with The Big House Ballgame

JOLIET, Ill. — Inside 25-foot high, sand-colored walls where inmates once served maximum security prison sentences and where rusty jail cells still stand, thousands gathered for an unusual afternoon ballgame Thursday.

For some, the day at the Old Joliet Prison marked the first time to see their beloved Joliet Slammers take the field this season as they faced off against the Gateway Grizzlies of Sauget, Illinois, near St. Louis. Others saw it as an opportunity to visit the same “joint” John Belushi’s “Blues Brothers” character emerges from in the 1980 cult classic.

But for many, the occasion carried a deeper meaning, one centered on those who dreamed of connecting Los Angeles to Chicago by road generations before them. To commemorate 100 years of Route 66.

“This is the real America,” said Greg Peerbolte, who heads Joliet’s historical museum. “People want to see things that are authentic, and a place like this is authentic to a fault.”

Thursday marked 100 years since two entrepreneurs in Springfield, Missouri, sent a telegram to the nation’s capital requesting the name “66” for their new highway. Route 66 became official when the country adopted the numbered highway system in November of that year.

For a century, the 2,448 mile road stretching across eight states and three time zones has been synonymous with mom-and-pop diners and America’s Heartland. Home to quirky roadside attractions, neon-signed motels and art deco service stations, the famed highway claimed the fancies of singers, authors and directors alike.

After applying for the distinction more than a year ago, Joliet served as Illinois’ lone official Route 66 Centennial Kickoff City and was joined by Santa Monica, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Springfield, Missouri; and St. Louis in hosting festivities commemorating Thursday’s occasion.

Against the backdrop of prison watchtowers and barbed wire, the day in Joliet featured three hours’ worth of pregame festivities, including 15 food trucks serving delicacies as quintessential as hot dogs and as unique as gourmet pasta in garlic bread cones. Actor and comedian Bill Murray, the Slammers’ co-owner best known for hit films like “Ghostbusters” and “Groundhog Day,” was recognized on the field at the start of the game. Afterward, he mingled with vendors.

For Peoria residents Gordon and Kim Mills, the ballgame was the first stop on a journey they waited a lifetime for. Decked out in matching Route 66 button-up shirts that featured a map of the iconic road, the married couple set out on a road trip to celebrate the centennial.

“We’re gonna do Route 66 in different stages,” Kim Mills said. “We’re gonna do Illinois and Missouri over the next couple days and I just said, ‘Well we need to dress the part.”

Gordon Mills said his parents were from St. Louis, and the trip has always been a “bucket list item” for him. Now that both he and his wife are retired, he is thrilled they can finally make it happen.

The pair plans to “get their kicks” by visiting iconic roadside restaurants and old gas stations, as well as chatting with new people along the way. They have other thematic outfits planned for the upcoming days of their journey, they said.

Nearby, a group of friends dressed up for a different aspect of the day’s significance.

Jake Wyderski, 44, and Jason Zuklic, 45 — friends for three decades — donned suits, sunglasses and black fedoras to show their love for “The Blues Brothers,” which they said they have watched hundreds of times.

The pair was accompanied by another friend and Zuklic’s wife, who was decked out in a nun costume to pay her own homage to the film.

The group of four stayed close to the food trucks and beverage tent before the game began, but was frequently interrupted by those hoping to snap a photo with the costume-clad ensemble. Each time, the friends put down their cans of Miller Lite and happily obliged.

It may not have been a “mission from God” that Jake and Elwood Blues made famous in their Bluesmobile back in 1980, but the ballgame itself was a pretty close second.

“They’re opening up the Old Joliet Prison for a baseball game? The Blues Brothers have got to show up to this,” said Wyderski, who has tattoos of the brothers on each of his knees.

Kirsten Kelly-Vargas and her husband, Gary, felt a similar urgency to acquire the proper attire for the occasion. Bopping their heads to live music and enjoying $7 Yuengling Lagers at a picnic table, the couple said they looked at old photos of what inmates wore before the prison stopped operating in 2002.

They purchased white-and-black-striped jumpsuits online and attempted to stain them with coffee to make them look more worn. Though they noticed a few other groups dressed up for the occasion, they were surprised more people weren’t wearing prison digs like them.

Aside from her appreciation of a costume-worthy occasion, Kelly-Vargas said the significance of the game falling on Route 66’s centennial wasn’t lost on her, especially since she received a free commemorative T-shirt from a table highlighting Illinois tourism.

“Route 66 is having this anniversary and the whole country is having its big anniversary this year too,” she said, referring to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this summer. “There’s just so much to celebrate right now.”

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