TULSA, Okla. — May 20, 2026, is being dubbed “The Biggest Moment on the Mother Road.”
That’s when Tulsa is celebrating 100 years of Route 66, and with it, a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest classic car parade ever, The Capital Cruise.
And leading the way? Cyrus Avery’s grandson, Bob Berghell. He is selected as one of the Grand Marshals.
Avery is known as the Father of Route 66, the visionary and creator of the event.
2 News Oklahoma asked Avery what his grandfather would say about this celebration and honor of the 100 years.
“Well, he’d be absolutely thrilled,” said Berghell. “It was like herding cats, apparently, to get all the other highway commissioners from 8 or 10 other surrounding states that all had different ideas of where the route should go. His concept of coming straight down from Chicago to Tulsa, and then due west to Santa Monica, was actually a great plan, avoiding the Rocky Mountains and some other difficult passages more north of the route he selected. So, it really was historic.”
Berghell was born in Santa Monica, ironically, at the end of Route 66. He would travel the road with his family to visit his Grandpa Avery in Tulsa most summers.
“I remember driving down the road and seeing all the crazy tipi hotels and snake museums and Burma Shave signs,” remembers Berghell. “I was always bugging my dad, ‘Can we stop at the snake museum in ten miles?’”
Berghell said he had planned to attend the parade, but did not expect to become a participant.
“Getting closer toward the centennial, the more we realize the importance of my grandfather’s contribution,” said Berghell. “It seems like people around the world are recognizing Route 66 and its importance, so we are delighted to be a part of it.”
Berghell tells 2 News that although Avery was proud of Route 66, he was also instrumental in the Spavinaw Lake Project, which brought fresh water to Tulsa. Berghell says his grandfather saw that as his biggest accomplishment.
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