City of Tulsa, State of Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation, and Route 66 preservation officials led hundreds in celebrating the centennial of the Mother Road on Nov. 11, paying special tribute to local businesses."Weve got four hundred m iles of Route 66 across the state," Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell said during the ceremony. "Theyre still there because of those small businesses owners, those dreamers.""Dreamers" can easily refer to the countless tourism and hospitality businesses run by Tulsans, the local leaders said.Local businesses also lead in taking care of the wheels on Tulsa's Route 66, like Lazar Imports."Weve actually been in business since 1985," Lazar Imports' manager Quoc Vo told 2 News. "And the whole time weve been on Route 66, but weve been at this location since 2001. And of all of the shops in this area (Meadow Gold District), we are actually the longest-established business." Related>>> Route 66 turns 100: Tulsa businesses and tourists celebrate the Mother Road's centennialFor the lucky drivers of Route 66's American-made staples, there are shops for that too, like Sams Mechanic Shop on 6th and Utica."I like the atmosphere and I like the people it brings in," owner Jim Sams said of working on classic cars often. "And its just a neat deal to be around. Weve been to (Route) 66 in Chicago, weve been the other way (and) both ways type deal. Like I said, we do a lot of car events.Even those with little expertise in cars recognize their significance in Tulsa's portion of the famous road. "I used to work at Borders, and it would be neat watching the people come in to see what local history books we had about Route 66, because theyd start at the beginning (of the road), Katie Lapardus said before the Nov. 11 celebration in front of Cain's Ballroom.The ceremony concluded with a happy birthday sing-along to Route 66, complete with confetti raining down and a free cupcake giveaway. ...read more read less