June 3, 2026: Correction: A earlier posted version of this story was not the version in the newspaper; it was an older draft. The story below has been fixed to match the story in the newspaper.
The City of Lebanon honored its ownership of an iconic Route 66 sign in the year of the Mother Road’s centennial Monday night with a sign lighting.
A crowd that included city officials gathered as the sun began to set for the lighting, which city tourism director Rebecca Rupard, Shepherd Hills Factory Outlets co-owner and chair of the federal Route 66 Centennial Commission, Rod Reid, and Mayor Jared Carr prefaced with remarks.
As part of the ownership of the sign, Rupard said, the city refurbished it – twice, after May hail slightly damaged it.
She said the sign would shine from 8 p.m. to midnight every night.
The evening marked 55 years exactly since Bob and Ramona Lehman, previous operators of the motel, purchased the motel.
The sign is prominently featured on a U.S. Postal Service stamp featuring the motel as one of its stamps celebrating Route 66.
In his remarks, Reid recounted the federal commission meeting where he informed it of Lebanon’s new ownership of the sign, which he said drew a positive reaction because of Lebanon having the prescience to take ownership of the sign to always keep it when iconic Route 66 signs were vanishing.
Carr flipped the power of the sign after a countdown of six (for “66”) to the glow of neon and applause.
