Granite City, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – It’s official — the 100th anniversary celebrations for historic Route 66 have begun.

Governor JB Pritzker and other leaders showed up for a kickoff in Granite City Monday. Of course, Springfield will have its own events honoring the Mother Road throughout the year.

“We will recognize 100 years of this iconic highway that has profoundly shaped the culture and communities of Illinois, and, of course, of places all across this nation,” said Pritzker.  “We’ve planned an incredible series of educational and commemorative events, classic car festivals, drone shows, movie screenings, block parties, and so much more.”

Speaking of movie screenings, former Springfield Alderman Cory Jobe — now CEO of the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau — says one of the celebrations is a world premiere movie screening at a number of locations in Illinois, including Springfield.

“September 3rd through the 10th, Illinois will play host to the world premiere of the Route 66 film, ‘The Main Street of America,’ which is a cross-country film tour down historic Route 66 sites from Chicago to L.A.,” said Jobe.

Route 66 can be said to generate plenty of tourism and sales tax revenue, and some of that revenue is being distributed in the form of $4 million in grants announced Monday for various festivities.  Visit Springfield received $200,000 of that money.

The state claims $19 million has been invested in recent years in Route 66 sites, with more to come this year.