(URBANA, IL) – “Prairie Fire,” the award-winning locally produced magazine program from WILL-TV, returns this September with all new episodes, documenting the local stories and people who make central Illinois a great place to call home. This season will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and the role of the state of Illinois in the highway’s iconic history.

The season premiere will air on Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 PM on WILL-TV and will be available to stream on the PBS App and on Illinois Public Media’s YouTube channel. The “Prairie Fire” team will explore some of the interesting stops—and people—along the Illinois portion of Route 66, including a stop at the American Giants museum in Atlanta, Illinois.

“This summer it’s been fun gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the commissioning of Route 66,” said producer DJ Roach. “It’s been educational seeing how significant Illinois was in the early years of the highway.”

The new season of “Prairie Fire” will not only explore the stories of Illinois’ stretch of Route 66 but will document a wide variety of the people and places that tell the collective story of

Illinois’ past, present, and future. “Prairie Fire” joins up with librarian and Illinois history expert John Kokoris to visit historic cemeteries and the graves of great Illinoisians. Kokoris shares the stories of the notable residents, architecture, and lore at cemeteries across the state, including Peoria’s Springdale Cemetery, Moffit Cemetery, Oak Hill Cemetery in Lewiston, Old Concord Cemetery, and Lincoln’s Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. Viewers will also have the chance to take a step back in time to appreciate the origins of devices we now take for granted at the Gridley Telephone Museum.

Additionally, this season will examine Illinois’ most vibrant yet vulnerable habitats—our wetlands. In another segment, viewers will learn about the importance of native wildlife at the Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic and witness how local staff and volunteers rehabilitate animal patients to be released back into the wild.

As always, “Prairie Fire” shines a light on the creative and dynamic individuals who call central Illinois home. In this season, the team learns from fight director Paul Dennhardt, who for 35 years has been designing and choreographing staged physical violence in theaters across the country—most recently in Bloomington, Illinois. He uses his expertise to train the next generation of actors to integrate storytelling and movement.

“‘Prairie Fire’ represents placemaking at its best, helping us connect with our communities and giving us even more reasons to be proud of where we live,” said Lillie Duncanson, Illinois Public Media’s director of broadcast operations.

“We're thrilled ‘Prairie Fire’ is more popular than ever and growing in reach,” said Sarah Edwards, senior producer and director at Illinois Public Media and host of “Prairie Fire.” “We're now on PBS member stations in three states! And I think that's because we focus on the stories of everyday people most of the time. The show is a chance to leave your own life for 30 minutes and explore the lives of Illinoisans who do fascinating things. In a culture defined by algorithms and short attention spans, we're privileged to be in the business of telling these stories beautifully, and with the depth they deserve."