July 2013 Meeting to be held at Hoppers Pub in Waynesville, MO

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will meet on July 13, 2013 at Hopper’s Pub, 318 Historic 66 E. in Waynesville, MO.

Lunch will be served at 12:00 PM with the general meeting following. Waynesville Mayor Luge Hardman will speak.

For more information, directions, and a form for reserving lunch, please download the
July 2013 Meeting Notice. You must reserve lunch by July 4, 2013.

In addition to the meeting, there are several activities going on in Waynesville that day.  The Courthouse Museum is open on Saturdays, across from Hoppers Pub.  You can visit the museum before or after the meeting.  Additional information is on
http://oldstagecoachstop.org
.  There is also an all day Bluegrass Festival with more information at www.MissouriFestivalRVPark.com.  And, there is an evening performance of Oliver Twist at the Pulaski Theater on the Square, 312 Route 66.

 If you want or need overnight accommodations, members have a special rate at the Liberty Lodge in St. Robert for $46.66 per night.  Additional information about the Lodge is at www.fortwoodhotels.com or 573-336-3121.

Route 66 Association of Missouri Member Launches New Web Site For Events On Route 66

Events on Route 66

Events on Route 66 is a web site developed with the purpose of giving all events on Route 66 maximum exposure. The focus is to provide a venue that will reduce or eliminate scheduling conflicts that happen when Route 66 related events are planned in advance. The site will give event planners notice of when an event is already taking place on any given day. This will maximize the potential of attendees to all events.

Eventsonroute66.com is also a great reference for tourists and visitors to use for planning a trip or finding an interesting event going on near them while they are on tour. The use of this site is free for anyone to use. Please feel free to sign up and add any events that you know of related to Route 66.

April 2013 Meeting to be held at Pietro’s Restaurant in St. Louis

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will meet on April 13, 2013 at Pietro’s Restaurant in St. Louis, 3801 Watson Road.

Luch will be served at 12:00 PM with the general meeting following. Author Joe Sonderman will be our guest speaker, presenting a slide show about Route 66 in the St. Louis area. There will be a board meeting at 10:00 am.

For more information, directions, and a form for reserving lunch, please download the
April 2013 Meeting Notice. You must reserve lunch by April 4, 2013.

Route 66 Association of Missouri’s 23rd Annual Motor Tour, September 6, 7 and 8 2013

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will be “Rockin’ to the Devil and Rollin to the Saints” on its 23rd Annual Motor Tour. This Years tour will be held September 6th 7th and 8th. The tour will start in Carthage, MO and will end at Orchard Park in St. Clair, MO.

Tour registration begins on Friday, September 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Econo Lodge, located at 1441 W. Central Ave. in Carthage, MO, where a block of rooms has been set aside for tour goers. Tour Goers can register on Friday night until 10:00 p.m. There will also be information on activities and things to do in Carthage available at registration.

On Saturday, September 7, tour registration will resume at 8:00 a.m. at the Econo Lodge in Carthage, and the tour will depart at 8:15 a.m. (after the pre-tour meeting) from the Econo Lodge. On Saturday, tour goers will have the opportunity to make stops between Carthage and the midpoint destination outside Devil’s Elbow, MO. A Guide detailing places to look for on the way will be provided at registration. Among the places tour goers will be able to visit along the way will include Spencer, MO, Gay Parita, Halltown Mercantile, and the Greene County Museum. There will also be information about other suggested stops provided at registration.

The Saturday night midpoint destination will be the Montis Inn, located at the intersection of CR Z (Route 66) and SR 28 just north of Devil’s Elbow. A block of rooms has been set aside for tour goers at the Montis Inn . Saturday night’s dinner will be held at the Waynesville City Park, where we will be able to enjoy the excellent Bar-B-Que prepared by Sweetwater BBQ. There will be a silent auction and information about Sunday provided at the dinner.

On Sunday after the 8:00 a.m. nondenominational worship service, tour goers will proceed from the Montis Inn Eastward to St. Clair. Again, a Guide detailing places to look for on the way will be provided at registration. The tour will conclude with a lunch catered by Jim’s Country Catering, at Orchard Park just off Route 66 in St. Clair. Additional information on any planned stops or activities along the way will be made available at registration.

For more information and/or to obtain a registration flyer, contact Debbie Rhew (573)-433-9812; dprhew@windstream.net, or Kip Welborn, 314-776-7385, rudkip@sbcglobal.net, or download it here: 2013 Motor Tour Registration.

Here’s hoping that you can join us on this year’s Motor Tour!

Route 66 International Festival to bring the World to Joplin

Our regional Route 66 heritage will be on stage the first weekend of August this year. The Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau will be hosting the 2013 Route 66 International Festival, August 1-3. This means the Route 66 enthusiasts, Roadies as they affectionately call themselves, from around the world will be coming to Joplin.

“The past two events have been held in Victorville, California last year and Amarillo, Texas in 2011,” according to Rick Freeland one of the co-founders of the International’s parent organization, The Route 66 Alliance. He added, “Roadies from all 50 states attend, and we generally see 20 countries represented throughout the weekend. Traveling Route 66 is an important piece of Americana both European and Asian visitors want to experience.”

The agenda for the weekend is beginning to take shape and will include events in Carthage, Missouri and Galena, Kansas as well as Joplin. A kick-off event on August 1st is being developed to include a cruise from Joplin, along Route 66 to the Carthage Square, then ending at the Carthage 66 Drive-in for a Roadie’s meet and greet, plus a movie. Much of the Friday, August 2nd daytime events will be held in Downtown Joplin with the evening events moving to Galena’s Main Street. The City of Galena and Route 66 patrons there are planning an open house of newly renovated buildings and Main Street streetscape. A TV/Movie themed car show and a concert will cap the evening’s events.

Saturday, August 3rd, daytime and evening activities will all be held on Main Street in Joplin’s Downtown District. Cultural themed activities, vendors and exhibitors will be throughout the downtown area. A car show featuring hot rods, custom semi-trucks, vintage military vehicles and motorcycles will fill the streets in the afternoon in the 400-600 blocks of Main Street. The 200-300 will be the location for an evening concert.

For all 3 days of the International Festival, a Main Street Marketplace will house all things Route 66. Authors, artists, crafters and collectors will be vending their specialty; providing a great opportunity for young people to be exposed to the history and culture of Route 66. Food vendors will add their flavor to events.

For more details about the events go to www.route66internationalfestival.com. Join the conversation about the 2013 Route 66 International Festival on Facebook at facebook.com/Route66JoplinMO. All activities unless otherwise mentioned are open to the public.

4th Annual Route 66 Race to the Rocker to be held March 23, 2013 in Cuba, MO

Race to the Rocker, Cuba, MO

Route 66 Association of Missouri to Hold Meeting on November 17, 2012

The meeting will take place at the Stones Throw Dinner Theatre at 796 S. Stone Ln., Carthage, MO 68436. Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm with the general meeting following. The cost for lunch is $15.00 per person. To reserve lunch and for more information, please download this meeting registration form.

We will have a guest speaker to talk about the Stones Throw Dinner Theatre. Officers and board members, please attend the Board Meeting at 10:00 am.

The Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri is having a “Show & Tell” Party on Oct 19th

It may be something you— Drive, Ride, Eat, Drink, Wear, Write, Sing, Buy or Make.

Halloween is coming and there may be a few mysterious things going on ! What really is in Wilber’s Trunk? Will Joyce’s ghost make a visit? Maybe a new Neon Sign Lighting!

There will be a Bonfire of course! Starting around 5:30… BYOB and a lawn chair.

Route 66 Cuba Fest October 20-21, 2012

Fit and Healthy on Route 66 – Rogers Parkway to Memorial Park

Trailhead for Rogers Parkway

If you’re traveling on the Manchester alignment of Route 66 through St. Louis County and are in the mood for a short, easy bike ride or a walk for you or a canine companion, try the Rogers Parkway in Brentwood, Missouri. Brentwood is a small city but has a lot of little parks, most with water, some with restrooms. You’ll pass through several during the route I’m about to describe. You won’t see anything spectacular, but you’ll enjoy charming older suburban neighborhoods with large trees and pleasant shade. The trail is pet-friendly with plastic bag dispensers for waste and a water fountain with a basin at dog’s height. If you don’t know the area well you’ll want to download and print out this map to take with you.

If you’re traveling west on Manchester, start looking for the trailhead shortly after you cross over Hanley Road. The trailhead will be on the right, in between American Locksmiths and Brentwood Place Apartments. You’ll find an asphalt trail heading north that takes you to Broughton Park. Follow the trail until you reach Swim Club Road, where you’ll cross over to the other side of the street.

Intersection of Trails

Continue until you get to an intersection of asphalt trails. Turn right, and you’ll pass some handball, tennis, and volleyball courts. This is Hanley Park. You’ll see some signs along the way suggesting different fitness exercises that you can do if you like. The trail splits in two, and the more interesting route is to the right. You’ll cross a creek and follow along it for awhile on the Lee Wynn Trail until you get to Oak Tree Park. If you feel like doing some hill climbing, you can continue past the park and up a ridge to explore the streets a bit. If you’re not in the mood for climbing a hill, head back the way you came until you get past Hanley Park and back to the intersection. You can turn left here and get back on the Rogers Parkway, or you can turn right and continue for a short distance into Memorial Park. If  you’re hungry or thirsty, there is usually a snack stand set up here. If you care to head toward the huge American flag toward the northeast, you’ll come across a large shopping center that has a Trader Joe’s and a Target, both places where you can pick up some items for a picnic lunch. (If you turn right at the huge flag and continue for a few blocks, you’ll see some light rail tracks – turn left and there is the Brentwood I-64 Metrolink station if you want to explore more of the St. Louis area – bring your bike on board). If you don’t want anything from the shopping center, I recommend turning around in Memorial Park and heading back the way you came at this point – you’re roughly 2/3 of the way through the entire route if you’ve taken no detours.

If you’re on foot, you’re probably satisfied with the length of your excursion, but if you want a little more, you’ll notice some dirt trails on the right as you head back. Explore the small wooded area if you like.

If you’re on a bike, you might want to extend your ride considerably. If so, I recommend looking for Eulalie Ave. (this is the spot where you crossed the road previously upon reaching Swim Club Road) on the way back. It’s a little confusing because if you look left, the road is called Dorothy and if you look right, the sign is missing. Nevertheless, take a right turn and you’ll come to an intersection with Brentwood Blvd. Use the light and cross Brentwood Blvd. here with care – it’s very busy and the drivers are not necessarily attentive to cyclists or pedestrians.

Once you’ve crossed Brentwood Blvd., continue west on what is now Litzinger Rd. Look for four Lustron houses on your left. Continue for several blocks on Litzinger until you get to Tilles Park, a large park in the city of Ladue with a nice trail, more fitness stations, water, restrooms and more. There is a small lake with a shelter if you’ve brought a picnic lunch. Go around the park as many times as you like, then head back to Brentwood Blvd. on Litzinger and cross back over. Make a right when you reach Rogers Parkway and you’ll be back to the trailhead shortly.