Roadside oddities on display in McHenry

For a trip down Route 66 and other American byways, featuring outlandish though sometimes whimsical roadside architecture, join Lake County Discovery Museum's Christine Pyle at 2 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the McHenry County Historical Society Museum, 6422 Main St., Union.

Pyle is the manager of historical resources for the Lake County Discovery Museum and has worked with their Curt Teich Post Card Collection since 1984. Her PowerPoint presentation features colored images from their collection that capture early architectural roadside oddities.

The 20th Century transformation from local unpaved roads to modern expressways brought with it a whole new style of architecture, which developed from automobile transportation. Commercialization of the landscape and architecture designed for speed reading resulted.

Pyle's program, “Fun Along the Road,” promises to be an entertaining look back at history built by the auto.

The April 4 presentation is the third in a series of lectures offered by the McHenry County Historical Society. This year marks the 25th year of such programming.

One more lecture follows at 7 p.m. Monday, April 11, at the museum. Lectures are $10 each. Tickets are available at the door.

For details, call (815) 923-2267 or visit mchsonline.org.