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.

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support.

East Office Bar & Grill – Cuba, MO

Boiling Spring Campground / Canoe Rental – Dixon, MO

RhineValley Limo / Shuttle Service – Hermann, MO

Stu’s Classic Car Care – Hillsboro, MO

Crabby’s Seafood – Joplin, MO

Whirlwind Ranch Alpacas – Lebanon, MO

Old Bus Stop Coffee Shop and Art Gallery – St. Clair, MO

Puffed Up Productions – St. Louis, MO

Kirk Wheeler Automotive, Inc. – Springfield, MO

Missouri Neon Company – Springfield, MO

Mother Road Motorcycles – Springfield, MO

Joe’s Route 66 Diner – Strafford, MO

Holiday Inn Route 66 (formerly named Viking Southwest) – Sunset Hills, MO

7C’s Winery – Walnut Grove, MO

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list:
Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support.

Avilla Post Office Building – Avilla

Country Cousin Antique Mall – Bourbon

Stewart’s 66 Cafe – Carterville

Cuba Super 8 – Cuba

Shelly’s Route 66 Cafe – Cuba

Cooper’s 66 – Joplin

Ace Muffler Shop – Lebanon

Madison Street Grill – Lebanon

Classic Thunderbird Club of St. Louis – Manchester

Down South Cafe – Pacific

Mahler’s Truck and Auto Repair – Pacific

Henderson’s Antiques – St. Clair

Old Bus Stop Coffee Shop and Art Gallery, LLC – St. Clair

River Hills Traveler – St. Clair

St. Clair Historical Museum – St. Clair

Auto Evaluators, Inc. – St. Louis

Banc Card Midwest, Inc. – St. Louis

Fireworks Supermarkets – Springfield

Louie’s Drive In aka Vaughn’s – Springfield

Route 66 Barber Shop – Springfield

Springfield-Greene County Library Local History Department – Springfield

Springfield/Route 66 KOA – Springfield

Your Big Hair Day Studio – Shannon Medley, Stylist – Springfield

Alice Delcour – Strafford

Odie’s Auto Repair – Strafford

Route 66 Tees – Sullivan

Sanders Service – Sunset Hills

Stovall’s Grove – Wildwood

Pearl Auto Works – Willard

Weezy’s Route 66 Bar & Grill – Hamel, IL

Litchfield History Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center Association – Litchfield, IL

Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket – Willowbrook, IL

SACS 66 – Baxter Springs, KS

Clanton’s Cafe – Vinita, OK

Shout & Sack C-Store & Deli – Vinita, OK

The Blue Swallow Motel – Tucumcari, NM

Lees Leasing Company LLC – New Salem, PA

Mother Road Music -Waverly, TN

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list:
Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Missouri’s Haunted Route 66 – Ghosts Along the Mother Road

The History Press is pleased to introduce a new book by Janice Tremeear.

Alongside the nostalgic appeal of Route 66 lurk ghostly roadside hitchhikers, the Goatman of Rolla, amusement park spirits, Civil War dead and the shadows thrown by the mighty Thunderbird. Spanning three hundred dangerously curving miles, the stretch of the Mother Road in Missouri earned the title of “Bloody 66,” and some of its stopping places are marked by equally grim history. The Lemp Mansion saw family members commit suicide one by one. Springfield’s Pythian Castle was an orphanage before becoming a military hospital and housing World War II prisoners of war. Follow Janice Tremeear as she takes a detour down Zombie Road, peers into the matter of the Joplin Spook Light and even stays overnight in Missouri’s most haunted locations to discover what makes the Show Me State such a lively place for the dead.

Born in St. Louis, Janice Tremeear has lived most of her life in Missouri. She is a second-generation dowser. In tune with the paranormal from an early age, she now directs her interest and research into investigating the unknown with her team Route 66 Paranormal Alliance. She has three grown children and four grandchildren. She currently lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Meet the Author!

September 25th at 7pm at Pythian Castle in Springfield, MO
October 16th from 2-5 at Prosperity School Bed & Breakfast in Joplin, MO
October 28th at 7pm at The Library Station (2535 North Kansas Expressway, Springfield, MO)

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

Rack it Billiards & Pub, LLC – Buffalo

Florissant Valley Historical Society – Florissant

The Chappel House – Florissant

White Auto Body, Inc. – Florissant

News/Talk FM 102.9 / AM 1310 KZRG – Joplin

KC Obsolete Parts LLC – Miller

Gascozark Trading Post & Flea Market – Richland

First Baptist Church, 525 South Avenue – Springfield

Mexican Villa El Taco – Springfield

Schmidt Auto Center – Sullivan

Mason Dixon Flea Market – Union

Sunset Motel – Villa Ridge

Legends of America – Warsaw

Superdawg drive-in – Wheeling, Illinois

Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burger – Miami, Oklahoma

Rt 66 Frame Shoppe and Gallery – Sapulpa, Oklahoma

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list:
Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will be “Cruising into the New Decade” on its 21st Annual Motor Tour

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will be “Cruising into the New Decade” on its 21st Annual Motor Tour, September 10, 11 and 12, 2010. The tour will start in Gray Summit, MO and end at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin. This year’s tour will highlight the many places along Route 66 that we will look forward to seeing, stopping at, photographing and patronizing going into the next decade. The host motel for Friday night (September 10) will be the Travelodge Six Flags/Gray Summit (“Diamond Inn”) in Gray Summit, MO. Registration will be held there from 4:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. that Friday night (September 10), and we have secured a block of rooms at the Diamond Inn for tourgoers. That evening there will be a cruise which will feature choice local neon, including the Sunset Motel – an Association success story – and the Gardenway Motel. More details on Friday night activities will be available at registration. On Saturday, the tour will proceed as far as Springfield. There will be “passports” available at registration and “passport stops” between Gray Summit and Springfield. The Saturday evening stop will be at the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven in Springfield, MO, where a block of rooms will be held for tourgoers. That evening there will be some fine bar-b-que served up by Buckingham’s in Smith Park in Springfield. On Sunday, September 12, the tour will proceed from Springfield to Joplin, taking in a few more passport stops along the way. The tour will conclude at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin with a picnic lunch catered by Columbia Traders Restaurant.

For more information, contact Kip Welborn at 314-776-7385 (rudkip@sbcglobal.net), or Jane Dippel at 314-843-7132 (vestaon66@cs.com), or visit our website at www.missouri66.org to to download a
registration form.

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

Connie’s Shoppe at Wagon Wheel – Cuba

Main Street Bakery & Cafe – Cuba

Florissant Old Town Partners, Inc – Florissant

Sandie’s Interiors – Florissant

Joplin Transmission & Auto Center – Joplin

Forest Manor Hotel – Lebanon

Historic Route 66 Motel – Lebanon

Route 66 Stop – Lebanon

Value Tire Center – Lebanon

Big Chief Holdings, LLC – Wildwood

Pacific Plaza, LLC – Pleasanton, California

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list: Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcome’s New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

Schaefer Autobody Centers – Crestwood

Flying A Motorsports – Cuba

Country Caboose – Joplin

Diana’s Diner – St. James

Route 66 Fudge Shop & Specialized Chocolates – St. James

Vacuum Cleaner Museum and Factory Outlet – St. James

Luttrell Auction & Music Barn – Springfield

Route 66 Hot Dogs – Springfield

Culver’s Route 66 – Webb City

Cheques in the Mail, Inc. – Las Vegas, NV

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list: Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

Crawford County Fair Inc. – Cuba

Joplin Special Road District – Joplin

Custom Lawn Care – Lebanon

The Cutting Room – Strafford

Becky’s Barn – Auburn, IL

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list: Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members

Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

We welcome the following new business members and thank them for their support:

Peggy Sue’s Drive-In – Carterville
City of Florissant
Gay Parita Sinclair – Gay Parita
Hogs & Hot Rods Saloon – Joplin
RVExpress RV Park & Motel – Marshfield
Hot Wheels Mobile Auto Detailing / Party Express DJ Entertainment – St. Charles County
Comfort Inn – St. Robert
Fairfield Inn – St. Robert
Hampton Inn – St. Robert
ArdPark Cabins, LLC – Steelville
Midpoint Café & Gift Shop – Adrian, Texas

Please patronize the business members that support what we do. Here is a link to the complete list:
Route 66 Association of Missouri Business Members