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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Good morning Main Street community,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">I wanted to share some exciting news with you all. We are partnering with Arts Council & Oklahoma Main Street to host this event and we would love to have you join us. To
register for the event, please visit </span><a href="https://arts.ok.gov/kickstart66.html">Kickstart 66 Tour (ok.gov)</a>.
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">Thank you and have a great Tuesday!</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><br>
<b><br>
MEDIA CONTACT:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Joel Gavin<b><br>
</b>Director of Marketing and Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Oklahoma Arts Council<b><br>
</b>(405) 521-2037<b><br>
</b><a href="mailto:joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov">joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Kickstart 66 Tour Announced by Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Main Street<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission members and partners bringing resources to communities ahead of highway’s 2026 centennial<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">OKLAHOMA CITY (March 25, 2024) – With the centennial celebration of America’s “Mother Road”—Route 66—approaching in 2026, members of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission are teaming up and hitting
the road with the goal of driving development along Oklahoma’s stretch of the historic highway. Beginning April 4, staff of the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Main Street Center will embark on the Kickstart 66 Tour, making a series of stops in communities
along Route 66 to introduce resources community stakeholders can use in revving up local planning and development efforts. Tour stops will include Miami on April 4, Clinton on May 9, Sapulpa on September 12, and Arcadia on October 3.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Business owners, municipal and county officials, nonprofit organizations, museums, historical societies, artists, members of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, and other
local stakeholders are encouraged to attend. Each tour stop program will have a heavy emphasis on networking and facilitating conversation among attendees as they consider their community’s goals.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">In addition to the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Main Street Center, representatives from a variety of statewide organizations including the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department,
Oklahoma Film and Music Office, Oklahoma Museums Association, Oklahoma Agriculture Department, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and others will present on resources and funding community stakeholders can access. The tour is designed to assist communities
to fully leverage economic opportunities from the Route 66 centennial and to prepare communities to build from the legacy of the byway, traveled by an estimated two million people from around the globe each year.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">"I'm excited for the economic development opportunities that will be discussed with communities on the Kickstart 66 Tour," said Lt. Governor Pinnell. "Fifty two percent of sales tax collected
in Oklahoma is from towns along Route 66. We have great resources to share with community stakeholders, and with the centennial celebration quickly approaching, there has never been a better time to invest in Route 66."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Led by Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission’s goals include economic development, historic preservation, and marketing of The Mother Road.
The commission is tasked with planning, coordinating, and implementing statewide efforts to celebrate the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Route 66 in 2026. The year-long celebration will welcome thousands of national and international travelers to the state.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Kickstart 66 Tour Dates:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">April 4, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Coleman Theatre<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">May 9 in Clinton<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">September 12 in Sapulpa<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">October 3 in Arcadia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">To reserve a seat at any of the tour stops, visit arts.ok.gov. There is no cost to attend. For more information, contact
<a href="mailto:molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov">molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov</a>.<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">About the Oklahoma Arts Council<i><br>
</i></span></b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The
Oklahoma Arts Council provides hundreds of grants to organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state's arts and cultural industry, manages the art collections at the Oklahoma state Capitol, and
oversees the State of Oklahoma’s percent for public art program. Additional information is available at arts.ok.gov.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">About Oklahoma Main Street<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">For more than 30 years, Oklahoma’s Main Street program has been pumping new life back into the heart of communities across the state. Historic preservation, downtown revitalization efforts
and powerful economic stimulation combine to restore the core assets of communities and enhance the quality of life for Oklahomans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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