A’s R Us Model A Car Club, chartered in Crete, IL is proud to announce the 2024 Edition of
“A Day on the Dixie”
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Get out your driving gloves, wipe off the dust on your car, apply a coat of polish, check the brakes and tire pressure as you prepare for our annual drive on the Historic Dixie Highway.
A Day on the Dixie Classic Car Tour, 2024 Edition, will begin at the Roller Rink on Dixie Highway in Markham, IL with a complimentary breakfast of pancakes or an omelet sponsored by the Mayor Roger Agpawa and the City of Markham. They will begin serving at 7:30 AM.
On-site registration as well as check-in for paid, pre-registered participants will begin at 7:45 AM with the first cars being released at 8:15 AM. Registration will close at 10:00 AM.
The Dixie highway, originally a footpath and cattle trail dating back to 1822, within Illinois from Danville to Chicago, was established as a state route in 1834.
Demand for roads for automobiles pushed the route to be designated Illinois RT 1 from Danville to Chicago Heights in 1915 and paving of the road began that year. By 1925 the paved Dixie Highway stretched from downtown Chicago to Miami.
Since 2002, A’s R US club has participated in promoting awareness of the historical significance of the highway and the towns along its route and uses the profit derived from this event to maintain and add Dixie Highway signs along its Illinois route.
This year we are offering a slightly different driving tour than in the past. From Markham, the route will deviate slightly from the Dixie to visit the former Al Capone distillery and the Limestone Quary Museum both in Thornton, IL.
From there, the route will visit one of the oldest Dairy Queens in the State of Illinois for a quick cone donated by Homewood Dairy Queen. In Flossmoor we will visit a custom auto service repair shop filled with exotic automobiles.
Returning to the Dixie, we are planning a visit to one of the world’s largest globes as well as the beautiful art deco murals both at Bloom Township High School, with tours conducted by National Honor Society students of Bloom.
A leisurely drive down the Dixie through Chicago Heights and Steger will deliver you to Crete, IL, where you can learn about the Sears homes that were built with kits sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. in the early 1900’s and view several surviving Sears homes.
In Beecher, we will visit the restored train depot and learn about the impact the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad had on small towns and villages along its route. The Beecher Lions club will provide a hot dog, chips and soda lunch to participants.
In Grant Park, we will learn about grain elevators and how they weigh the grain they receive, followed by the farm museum in Momence, always a tour favorite.
This year we will be driving through Momence and will follow the original Dixie Highway route to St. Anne, where this year’s drive will end.
At St. Anne, the town is planning on food trucks, beer sales, a musical group and other activities and A’s R Us will be awarding prizes to lucky drive participants.
As with any event, external circumstances may alter our planned events and activities.
While we encourage classic cars on the drive, we welcome any insured vehicle to participate. It is a wonderful family event.
Preregistration is open two ways: online at
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-day-on-the-dixie-2024-tickets-795758664587
or you can pre-register using the form on the club website and then mail the completed form and a check payable to A’s R Us for $20 to A’s R Us, PO Box 667, Beecher, IL 60401.
Either way, the preregistration cutoff date is June 14, 2024.
Preregistration is $20 per vehicle, not per person, while day of the event registration is $25 per vehicle. Only vehicles that are preregistered are guaranteed a goodie bag, while others will receive one as supplies last.
Join us as we traverse the wonderful and historic Dixie Highway!
“The Dixie highway in Illinois” is available through Arcadia Publishing
