Oddly, when Nat King Cole sang about getting his kicks on Route 66, he didn’t mention the Standard gas station in Odell, Ill. Despite this glaring oversight — how can anyone get kicks on a highway without a car, and how can anyone drive a car without gas? — the station flourished for years since it was built in 1932.
Today, it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. But it’s run-down and in dire need of restoration. Two community groups, Save Odell Station and the Preservation Committee of Route 66, are so concerned about the old building they’ve set up a fundraising raffle, a Poker Run and photo sessions with Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. (Impersonators, we presume.) The fundraising events begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the old filling station, 300 S. West St., near the I-55 exit 209 (Odell). 815-998-2610 or 815-998-2300.
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