EDWARDSVILLE - Bring the kids to the West End Service Station, 620 St. Louis St., Edwardsville, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 and get your kicks at this Route 66 attraction with the creator of the ‘Hank the Hero’ story character and Woody, a black lab therapy dog who enjoys listening to stories about Hank.
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The free event takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the newly refurbished Route 66 landmark.
David Yates, the creator of the “Hank the Hero” and his adventures at West End Service Station through a coloring and activity book, and Donna Baardon with Woody, her therapy dog, will be on hand to meet kids and talk to them about Hank and Woody. Children will also be encouraged to read stories to Woody.
Woody and Donna are a certified therapy dog team who regularly visit assisted-living facilities, libraries, schools and hospitals. Woody is a rescued black Labrador retriever mix. Donna worked as Director of Development from Lovejoy Library at SIUE before retiring. She is also a University of Illinois Master Gardener and volunteers at the historic garden at the Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville.
There will be Route 66 related activities for kids. Free snacks will be available for all.
“This will be a great Saturday event for kids in the area to learn more about Route 66 and meet David and Woody,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau commented. “We are proud to partner with the City of Edwardsville on the West End Service Station which is a great attraction along the Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in Illinois. It’s great that we can tell the Route 66 story to kids in such a fun and relaxed way.”
The Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, along the Illinois Office of Tourism and City of Edwardsville, funded the revitalization of the West End Service Station through grant funds. The station, once a major refueling stop on the Mother Road, had been closed since 1964 and was used as a dental office until it closed for good and was slated for demolition. Grant funds were used to bring the building back to life, creating a Route 66 Welcome Center and museum. The West End Service Station has been open to the public for over one year.
The West End Service Station is free to visit and open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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