Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Why do people get such a kick out of Route 66--that stretch of road that brought many a dreamer West? Tom Snyder, author of “The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion,” has a theory: “A lot hasn’t changed in the last 30 to 50 years. People who travel the route get a feeling of what this country was--and still is. It’s easy to forget that now with our frequent flier programs.”

You may capture the real or imagined spirit of Route 66 at the “Route 66 Rendezvous” this weekend. Beginning today in San Bernardino, on and around a portion of the famous route that Snyder says once marked “the transition from the mountains to the orange groves,” the biggest attraction is expected to be the classic car cruise. Dan Stark of the San Bernardino visitor’s bureau says about 1,400 vehicles will make the drive over four days on streets closed off around City Hall. Other events include a street fair, food court, motor sport expo, automobile art exhibit featuring Big Daddy Ed Roth (the Rat Fink artist).

These events are free, but there are also related happenings at the National Orange Show grounds: the Spectrum Classic Car Auction ($10), the AutoSound Challenge, Mobile Electronics Expo and, Saturday only at 8 p.m., the Legends of Route 66 concert ($12; children under 12, free). And at the airport--formerly Norton Air Force Base--Stoplight Drags (Saturday only, $5) and a Soap Box Derby.

If you’re the owner of an American sports car, a pre-1972 American-made car or a ’66 or older European classic, you can still take part in the cruise (no low-riders or mini-trucks).

Call for complete schedule: (909) 889-3980.