The Details

What: 9th Annual Stater Bros.' Route 66 Rendezvous

When: Sept. 17-20; noon to 9 p.m. Thursday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 7 a.m. to noon Sunday

Where: Downtown San Bernardino

Cost: Event is free to spectators; vehicle registration fee is $40

Information: (909) 889-3980

Event highlights:

* A three mile car cruise through the streets of Downtown San Bernardino will feature 2,400 registered pre-1973 American classic cars, pickups, fire engines and police vehicles. All pre-1973 foreign classics and any model year American sports cars (Corvettes, Vipers and Prowlers) will also be showcased;

The route will circle 2nd Street and Rialto Ave. between streets "D" and "E." The continues as far north as 5th Street and west to F Street.

* Live music entertainment features '50s and '60s sounds;

* The Cruisin' Kid's Town is expanded and will take place in Meadowbrook Park;

* Vendor booths, food, games and sporting events include a poker run and golf tournament

* A car show, a street legal open-header cruise and contest will take place

* Exhibits include celebrity car displays and a motorsports expo

Get Your Kicks: Route 66 History

* The route stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles. In 1926, the route was assigned the number 66 and became the nation's major highway. The entire route was completed in 1938.

* Cyrus Stevens Avery from Tulsa, Okla., is considered the father of Route 66.

* Route 66 was built to connect the rural communities to urban thoroughfares. Most small towns had no prior access to a major roads.

* The route was important to America's growth. It was important to farmers to transport grain and produce. It played a part in the trucking industry in the 1930s, which rivaled the railroad. The route traversed flat prairie lands and had better climates that made it appealing to truckers and travelers.

* Route 66 also played a crucial role in wartime mobilization. During the Second World War, the West became the ideal region for military training bases because of its warm climates. The government invested billions of dollar in the California region between 1941 and 1945. This was key to thousands of civilian jobs.

* You can only drive parts of Route 66 these days. In 1985, Route 66 was officially decommissioned, but for daily use it was replaced by the Interstate highways such as I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10.

* Route 66 has several names. John Steinbeck nicknamed the route the "Mother Road" in his 1939 novel, "The Grapes of Wrath." The route is also referred to as "The Main Street of America" and "The Will Rogers Highway."

* The Hollywood movie about Route 66 was also made into a TV series that ran from 1960 until 1964.