A local tourism director is excited for this week's state fair that will feature an exhibit promoting Route 66.

Whitney Ortiz is the Tourism Director for Atlanta, Illinois, and is very excited for the special Route 66 exhibit that is debuting at this year's Illinois State Fair. She says this will be a good chance to highlight a special Route 66 event coming to Atlanta in September.

Ortiz calls the idea cool and is excited to see what the first year looks like. She also looks forward to what it can turn into in the years ahead.

Ortiz believes the Route 66 community in Illinois trumps them all because of the collaboration and cooperation between all the communities along the historic road.

You can check out the Route 66 exhibit right inside of 'Gate 2' on the fairgrounds. Ortiz says they'll be to the right and plenty of iconic images from Route 66 in Illinois and she hopes attendees will take time to get to know the communities along the route.