Ryburn Place

07/01/2026

Ryburn Place will be closed for the July 4th holiday! I'll be celebrating the 250th by doing American things!

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07/01/2026

Just a head's up: I have to close the shop tomorrow from 12:30-2:30 for a doctor's appointment. I always schedule these for my days off but sometimes my schedule is not their schedule. (I don't have anyone to watch the shop.) Sorry if this inconveniences anyone. And, please don't send messages to ask if I'm okay. I'M OKAY!

06/23/2026

Anyone know when the Centennial Caravan will travel through Normal, Illinois, tomorrow (Wednesday)?

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06/19/2026

T Lindsay Baker stopped by Ryburn Place at Sprague's Super Service just as my artist was taking a picture in order to create magnets for me. He asked if he could include T Lindsay's 1930 Model A in the image that he created. Of course T Lindsay was extremely gracious and every time I look at one of the magnets I will remember this kind, generous man. RIP T Lindsay. See

05/12/2026

Get yourselves to the nearest U.S. post office immediately and buy these Route 66 stamps! The photographer is my friend, David J. Schwartz, a wonderful man and the only person I have known to have his photographs on USPO stamps. The clerk at the Normal (Illinois) Post Office says these are going fast, and with good reason. So proud to know you, David J. Schwartz, and congratulations!

05/05/2026

Sorry to send this to everyone but Brandy contacted me about getting a passport stamp when I'm closed and somehow I'm locked out of my gmail account so can't respond to her (Me and technology--Ugh!) Brandy--I have some small pieces of paper with my stamp on them that you can pick up from my Little Free Library on the west parking lot. Or, if it's between 9-5 Monday to Saturday, you may get my stamp at the Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitor Center, 200 N. Main Street, Bloomington, IL. Enjoy your trip!

05/01/2026

Look what I just got! It's the 6th edition of Jerry McClanahan's EZ 66 Guide; 100th anniversary edition. Ryburn Place at Sprague's Super Service, 305 Pine Street, Normal, IL.

04/29/2026

MY ANNUAL PLEA: Please do not park across the street in my neighbors' parking lot! I have two parking lots next to my building but every day I see people driving cars, and sometimes giant RVs, pull over, get out of their vehicles and wander over to take photos. MY NEIGHBORS RUN BUSINESSES and you may think, "Well, I'll just be a minute." What if that is the "minute" that they need to move a car or park on their own lot? LONG AFTER YOU DRIVE AWAY, I need to remain friends with them, so I BEG YOU, please, please, please, park on my lot or on the street but not on their private property!

04/29/2026

Coming to the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival this weekend? Stop by Ryburn Place at Sprague's Super Service, 305 Pine Street, Normal, for Cheryl Eichar Jett's book signing of her latest book, Aprons Away: Women's Work on Route 66, on Saturday, May 2, from 1-3pm, (https://ilroute66redcarpetcorridor.com/).

"We’ve all heard of Route 66, but did you ever stop to think of all the women who worked along the 2,448-mile length of the most famous highway in the world? From Chicago to Los Angeles, in cities and small towns, women pumped gas, held elected offices, painted public art murals, joined the military, reported news, and designed buildings, theme parks, fashion, and toys. Just in time for this year’s 100th anniversary of the iconic Mother Road, Jett examines the myriad roles women played at the crossroads of Route 66 and women’s history in this new book published by Reedy Press.

Jett is an author, playwright, and journalist with seven previous books, including Route 66 in Illinois, and hundreds of published articles. Known for her Route 66 and travel writing for Arcadia Publishing, Quarto, and ROUTE Magazine, she earned a graduate degree in history from SIUE. For 10 years, Jett has traced the overlap of women’s history with Route 66 and has directed two productions of her stage play based on that research. Read more about the book and follow Jett's event schedule at https://www.cheryleicharjett.com."

CAN'T MAKE IT ON SATURDAY? I WILL HAVE SIGNED BOOKS FOR SALE AFTERWARDS.

04/12/2026

This delightful couple stopped by yesterday in their beautifully restored 1947 Ford. Safe travels.