The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a Route 66 Forever stamp Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Pasadena Museum of History. The ceremony marked the highway's approaching centennial along Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard corridor.

Pasadena Postmaster Brenton Schaeffer and museum representatives revealed the stamp at noon during the museum's free Crafting Memories event at 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena Now reported. The Pasadena Post Office also offered a special commemorative Route 66 postmark and operated a letter-writing station where visitors could write and send letters on the spot.

"It is an honor to celebrate Route 66 in Pasadena with this special commemorative stamp and cancellation," Schaeffer said in a statement published Oct. 11 by Pasadena Now.

The postmark remains available. Residents who missed Sunday's unveiling can obtain it at the Pasadena Post Office for 30 days after the event. Those unable to visit in person can mail properly stamped and addressed envelopes or postcards inside a larger envelope to: Pasadena Post Office, Attn: Pasadena Postmaster, 600 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, CA 91109.

Route 66 was designated Nov. 11, 1926, as a roughly 2,400-mile highway stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles. Colorado Boulevard later became part of the Route 66 corridor through Pasadena, according to Pasadena Now's earlier preview. Two milestones converge in 2026: the highway's centennial and the 150th anniversary of Colorado Boulevard.

The Postal Service first issued the Route 66 stamp series May 5 in Phoenix. The set features eight designs, each depicting a site in one of the eight states the highway crossed. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps using photographs by David J. Schwartz. The California stamp depicts Beverly Hills City Hall, according to Pasadena Now.

Sunday's event also included self-guided tours of the 1906 Fényes Mansion and the Finnish Folk Art Museum, a workshop where children built cardboard tube race cars, and vintage cars provided by the Glendale Model A Ford Club for photo opportunities.

The stamp unveiling dovetails with the museum's current exhibition, "Where History Meets the Road: Celebrating Route 66 & Colorado Boulevard," which traces the highway's impact on Pasadena and runs through Jan. 24, 2027, according to the museum's website. Outside free event days, gallery admission is $9 for adults and $7 for seniors. Members, students and visitors under 18 enter free.