Find your kicks on Route 66 – this time in Virden on Oct. 10-11. A weekend of activities and the launching of the Virden Historical Society Museum will be part of a multi-town festival organized through the Great River and Routes Tourism Bureau. The festivals feature sites along the last 100 miles of the Mother Road in Illinois from Virden to the Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis.
Virden’s weekend, called the Route 66 Centennial Monster Mash, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, with the Virden Historical Society’s ribbon cutting to welcome visitors and open the doors to the still-a-work-in-progress museum. It is located at 153 E. Jackson St., inside Books on the Square, and some artifacts will be on display for the first time.
Books on the Square, owned by John and Jeannie Alexander, covers three large buildings, jam packed with books in every genre. John Alexander, president of the Historical Society, offered space in one of the buildings for the new museum.
“To help raise money, John has agreed to sell a large selection of his books,” said Nita Hamilton, vice president of the Historical Society. During the weekend festival, selected books can be purchased for 50% off.
“The story of Virden is more interesting and unusual than you might imagine. Small towns don’t necessarily have small histories,” Alexander said. “I have been a longtime collector of Virden’s stories, facts and faces.”
He also noted that younger people are involved in the historical preservation efforts.
“Our society includes many young and energetic men and women,” he said. “Our present and future share equal importance with our past in their eyes.”
Artifacts on display include many old pictures, early Virden bottles, a stove from an Illinois Terminal train car and other items.
“We have so many artifacts we could fill the entire building, but we will start in a smaller area and rotate displays,” Hamilton said.
The Virden festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Oct. 10 and 11. On Saturday, festival-goers can participate in a mac and cheese tasting contest (proceeds to go to the North Mac schools) or enter themselves – or a pet – in a costume contest. There will be rides, food and craft vendors, music on stage, face painting, balloon animals, a scavenger hunt, games and crafts, Virden history movie, trick or treating at vendor booths, Virden Olympics (three-legged race, spoon and golf ball relay, etc.) and many other fun activities. Check the event schedule at virdenhistoricalsociety.org.
Books on the Square in Virden has been in business for more than 30 years and is considered the largest bookstore in Illinois with over 50,000 books. People come from all over the country to find unique books. A Springfield site, also called Books on the Square, opened just off the corner of Fifth and Washington streets in 2017.
The Springfield store is also in a historic building, dating back to 1854. Abraham Lincoln stayed at Speed’s Store across the street on his first night in Springfield, and on his last night in Springfield, he stayed down the block at the Chenery House. Smaller than the Virden bookstore, the Springfield store features books on Lincoln, the Civil War, and Illinois history but has a selection of mysteries, novels, religion and bargain books.
The festival provided the perfect venue for the book sale and launching of the museum, which the Society plans to expand.
“Museums are created a step at a time by group efforts to collect things that help us better understand our past. This is a key goal of the Virden Historical Society,” Alexander said. “Residents of small towns are connected by people, places and events. These are the ties that bind us. Knowing our history strengthens those ties.”
So, buy some books, explore interesting artifacts and enjoy a weekend of food and fun on Route 66 in small-town Virden, just a short drive from Springfield.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna is a frequent contributor to Illinois Times who enjoys writing about historical people and places.
I don’t have a photo for this – maybe you can find a picture of the Virden Books on the Square buildings?
This article appears in 2026 Fall Guide.
