TV Shows on DVD reports that Roxbury Entertainment will be releasing the entire first season of the “Route 66″ television series in an eight-DVD set on May 20.

The Season 1 set will retail for $49.95, including all the extra features (Corvette overviews, filmographies of the cast, and original commercials).

Also on May 20, the first half-season of “Route 66’s” Season 2 will be released. No details, but the retail price is $29.95, which indicates four discs, like the previous half-season sets.

Kirk Hallam, president and owner of Roxbury, has said that Season 2 releases in May will include some audio commentary by “Route 66″ co-star George Maharis. That hasn’t been confirmed, however.

I just checked Amazon.com, and neither set is listed yet.

A section of old Route 66 on the southeast edge of Springfield, Ill., has been recommended by a state advisory panel to the National Register of Historic Places, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.

According to the article, it’s a 1.3-mile section of road between East Lake Shore Drive and New City Road, south of the lake. A good map can be found here. According to the story, the road dates to the 1920s, and was used as an alignment of Route 66 in 1933-35.

Illinois Route 66 preservationist John Weiss wrote the application. The county plans to add shoulders to the road in 2009 or 2010. Weiss says he doesn’t object to this, but doesn’t want the road surface itself paved over. The National Register designation doesn’t prevent such changes, but it at least would give road engineers something to think about.

Weiss said once the state recommends a property to the National Register, it’s a “done deal.”

(In case the initial link to the story looks funky, it’s because it’s in a Google cache. The story initially ran on the Journal-Register’s site on Friday, but quickly disappeared. Route 66 enthusiast Peter Stork tracked it down in the cache, for which we’re grateful. A later version of the story is here.)

Here’s an excellent video with accompaniment by Red Dirt music artist Jimmy LaFave singing “Oklahoma Hills.”

The footage definitely carries a western Oklahoma vibe (keep your eyes peeled for a certain highway shield). It captures the amazing topography and romance of the Sooner State as well as anything I can think of.

In case you’re wondering what Red Dirt music is, here’s a primer.

OK, perhaps the post title is laying it on a bit thick.

But among Route 66 enthusiasts, the Route 66 Festival with its Will Rogers Awards banquet are among the first things that they circle on their calendars.

Route 66 Festival ‘08 takes place on June 18-22 in Litchfield, Ill.  The festival includes the town’s fifth annual classic car show on closed lanes of the Mother Road, a Beatles tribute band, guided Route 66 tours, the Bigfoot monster truck, a young Elvis impersonator, and a double-feature at the Skyview Drive-In on Route 66 that features the movie “Cars.”

The highlight of the festival for many roadies will be the Will Rogers Awards on June 21 at the Litchfield Community Center at 1100 S. State St (map here). It starts with a cash bar at 5 p.m., dinner at 6, and a speech by prominent author Michael Wallis and award presentations about 8. Tickets are $37.50 apiece. Go here to register for the banquet.

Other events for enthusiasts will be a Route 66 preservation project, an annual summit of the Mother Road’s movers and shakers, an authors and artists expo, and the annual Sunday breakfast for Route 66 yahoogroup members.

Be sure to book hotel rooms and especially the banquet tickets quickly. Both have a tendency to sell out well in advance.