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 Meeting on January 12, 2013

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will hold the January meeting on Saturday, January 12 at the Hammons Tower in Springfield, MO. Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm and the meeting, including election of officers and board members will follow.

Special guest will be David Rittenhouse, son of Jack D. Rittenhouse, author of “A Guide Book to Highway 66″, originally published in 1946 and still widely used today. Mr. Rittenhouse did a very informative oral history for our Association and he will speak about his father and Route 66 experiences.

The Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven is offering special rates for the nights of January 11 and 12, 2013. For more information about these special rates, directions to the meeting and a form for reserving lunch, please download this January 2013 Meeting Notice.

Crestwood Bowl Neon Sign Relighting on October 20, 2012

Special Announcement!

Crestwood Bowl Sign on Watson Road in St. Louis County

A relighting of the vintage Crestwood Bowl neon sign in Crestwood, MO is scheduled to take place on Saturday evening, October 20th, 2012. Each of you are cordially invited to attend this special event to celebrate the restoration of this neon sign along Missouri Route 66 in southwestern St. Louis County, MO.

Since 2008, a fall relighting ceremony of one of our classic Route 66 neon signs has become an annual event. Our past 4 projects, under the direction of the Neon Heritage Preservation Committee (NHPC) within our Route 66 Association of Missouri, have included the Donut Drive-In in St. Louis, the Sunset Motel in Villa Ridge, the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, and the Luna Cafe in Mitchell (IL). With each subsequent year, these relighting events grow in interest and attendance as we support the preservation of these wonderful examples of commercial art along America’s Main Street.

Here are the details at this time for the Crestwood Bowl event on 10/20:

Crestwood Bowl is located at 9822 Watson Road, Crestwood, MO 63126. It is located on the south side of Watson approximately halfway between Lindbergh Blvd to the west and Sappington Rd to the east. Watson Road was the primary Route 66 pathway west coming out of the city of St. Louis in the heavy post WWII travel era.

The relighting (throwing of the switch!) will take place near dusk… estimated to be in the 6:30 to 6:40 PM time frame. However, you may want to plan for a bit earlier time should we have an overcast day. You are welcome to arrive an hour or so earlier, in order not to miss the speakers and presentations leading up to the actual relighting of the sign.

Current owners Mike and Ray Bluth welcome all to attend this event and are planning to serve refreshments. As noted above, we will have several speakers that evening, including representatives from the communities of Crestwood and Sunset Hills.

The bowling alley has a parking area out front of the building, which may be quite limited space-wise that evening, but also another parking lot behind the building as well.

Crestwood Bowl was the recipient of a $9,500 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to assist in the restoration of this sign. It is one of only three signs in St. Louis County to earn designation as a “County Landmark” by the Historic Buildings Commission of St. Louis County.

Please join us this special Saturday evening in October to welcome back this Route 66 beacon of light!

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact myself or Jim Thole, our NHPC Chairperson, at 66thole@sbcglobal.net.

Hope to see you in Crestwood!

Missouri Route 66 Corridor Management Plan Released

The development of this document, the Missouri Route 66 Corridor Management Plan, has been the undertaking of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, funded by the Federal Highway Administration, and administered by Missouri Department of Transportation. The document was prepared by Great River Associates under the direction of Spencer Jones, P.E. and Jerany Jackson, ASLA, MBA.

The ultimate intent of this document is to recognize, protect, and promote Missouri’s Route 66 as one of America’s most outstanding roads. All the information discussed has been compiled into this corridor management plan in an effort to identify the significance of Missouri Route 66.

This plan is a required step in the Missouri Route 66 formal application for the National Scenic Byway Program. This program recognizes two types of byways; National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. It is the goal of this document
to represent that the Missouri Route 66 meets and exceeds the requirements for recognition as an All-American Road. Recognition as such accesses funding opportunities that will highlight and market the intrinsic resources of the Route thereby creating interest and economic growth along the corridor.

Read the Plan

Volume I

Preface

Introduction

History

Public Involvement

Intrinsic Resources

Corridor Mapping

Existing Conditions

Wayfinding

Education

Marketing & Promotional Branding

Economic Development

Toolbox

Appendix

Driving Map

Volume II

St. Louis County

Franklin County

Crawford County

Phelps County

Pulaski County

Laclede County

Webster County

Greene County

Lawrence County

Jasper County

Route 66 Association of Missouri Invites You to Annual Motor Tour

The Route 66 Association of Missouri is heading “Westward Ho!” on its  23rd Annual Motor tour. This year’s tour will be held September 7th, 8th, and 9th., starting east of Carlinville, IL and ending in Lebanon, MO. Tour registration begins on Friday, September 7, at 4:00 p.m. at the Magnuson Grand Hotel, located just off I-55 at Exit 60 (Carlinville exit) east of Carlinville, MO, where a block of rooms has been reserved for tour goers. Registration will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Hotel. Also, on Saturday night, there will be lots of activities, including a car show and complimentary Hors D’oeuvres for tour goers to enjoy. More information on activities will be available at registration.

On Saturday, September 8, tour registration will resume at 7:45 a.m., and the tour will depart at 8:00 a.m. from the Magnuson Grand Hotel. Tour goers will be provided a pamphlet at registration containing recommended but in no way mandatory stops between Carlinville and Lebanon. This will give you the opportunity to select your own stops and proceed at your own pace. Additional details on what to see on the way will be included in your Motor Tour Agenda Folder available at registration. In addition, tour goers will have the opportunity to cross the Chain of Rocks Bridge, at a cost of $5.00 (you must pay in cash at the bridge to cross). If you want to cross the Bridge, you must be at the Illinois entrance to the Bridge by 11:30 a.m. Tour goers will proceed from the Magnuson Grand Hotel, through St. Louis (passing Ted Drewes) to the Meramec Caverns Motel at Meramec Caverns (aka Jesse James’ hideout), located 3 miles south of Stanton, MO on CR W. We have arranged for a block of rooms to be held at the Meramec Caverns Motel, and Saturday night’s dinner will be held at the Caverns, where tour goers can chew the fat about the days events.

On Sunday there will be a nondenominational worship service at 8:00 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., tour goers will leave Meramec Caverns and proceed to Waynesville (recommended stops will be included in the pamphlet). Here we will tour the Pulaski County Historical Society Museum and possibly other locations, and otherwise congregate to proceed, caravan style, to D. C. Decker’s Cowboy Emporium, located in the former Wrink’s Market in Lebanon. There we will end the tour in true cowboy style with a chuck wagon lunch featuring cowboy stew and biscuits. The Caravan to Decker’s will commence from Waynesville at 12:00 p.m., and we will have lunch at Deckers at 1:30 p.m.

Additional information on any planned stops or activities along the way will be made available at registration. For more information contact Kip Welborn at (314-776-7385), rudkip@sbcglobal.net, Jane Dippel at 314-843-7132, vestaon66@cs.com, or visit our website (where you will find a registration form you can download) at www.missouri66.org. Here’s hoping that you can join us on our trek Westward Ho! on Route 66!

Fit and Healthy on Route 66: Onondaga Cave State Park

Oak Ridge Trail at Onondaga Cave State Park

On a recent Saturday, there was a meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri Motor Tour Committee at Skippy’s in Leasburg, MO. My friend Mark Reed tagged along so we could go on a hike after the meeting at Onondaga Cave State Park, about 7 miles down the road from Skippy’s. It had rained earlier in the day, but by the time of our hike there was only a light mist still falling – it felt delightful on my face! It’s usually so dry in the winter that the moist environment made me feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

Moss Covered Rock

During the winter season, there are no cave tours and we had the park almost to ourselves. I had hiked the Deer Run Trail on a previous visit so this time I chose the 3 mile Oak Ridge Trail for our hike. During wet weather, there are many small temporary waterfalls along the trail so for most of the hike the only sounds were the gentle trickle of water and occasional twitter of small birds. The trail is on rocky and hilly terrain so there was little mud to contend with and there were only a couple of spots where footing was questionable. We were astonished by the beauty of the abundant lichens, mosses and ferns – it was like walking in a giant terrarium!

A highlight of our day was reaching a ridge with an open glade covered with copper-colored grasses. We enjoyed the subtle colors of the winter landscape and views of the surrounding hills. Eventually we reached a connector trail to the Deer Run Trail and since we both had some life left in our legs we decided to do part of that trail as well. There is a letterbox on the Deer Run Trail that I had found on a previous visit in 2010. I had my letterboxing journal and stamp with me so I logged another find for that box. If you want to find out about letterboxing and get clues to find that box, go to www.atlasquest.com. After wrapping up our hike we looked for and found another quick drive-by letterbox in Bourbon.

Here are some more photos from our hike.

Luna Cafe Neon Sign Re-lighting Party on October 22nd

The Route 66 Associations of Illinois & Missouri, and the Friends of the Mother Road, are proud to announce that the official re-lighting date has been set for Saturday,   October 22, 2011, at approximately 6:30 PM, depending on the timing of dusk that evening. Larry Wofford, owner of the Luna Café, is anxiously awaiting this exciting day when his historic Route 66 beacon will again shine like it did during the hey-day of the Mother Road.

He is delighted to welcome all Route 66 roadies to join in the fun and celebrate this exciting event with him. This would not only be a great celebration of the sign but a great way to join fellow road friends …… and make new ones — and it will also constitute a big thank you to Larry for his contribution to the preservation of the Mother Road with the rebirth of this classic sign.

Refreshments will be served, and it is anticipated that a representative from the Illinois State Historic Preservation Agency will be there for this special event, as well local media and community leaders.

Don’t miss the party at the Luna Cafe in Mitchell, Illinois on October 22nd!

First Annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival Announced

Springfield, Missouri Convention and Visitors Bureau

Springfield, Mo. – The West Central Neighborhood Alliance is planning the first annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Mo.

The festival is set for noon-8 p.m. Aug. 13 on College Street west of Grant Avenue. Activities include live music, food, activities for kids, interpretive history, a classic car show and more.

On April 30, 1926, officials first proposed the name of Route 66, the new Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway that became one of the most famous roads in America. People from around the world seeking a unique look at American culture still travel the route even though it was officially removed from the U.S. highway system in 1985. Many portions of “The Mother Road” are still visible in Springfield, along with other sites and sights that were at their heyday when Route 66 was the main east-west route through the country.

“It is important that people realize the significance of Route 66 in the history of the city and the country, and that it was born here,” said David Eslick, a member of the Route 66 Association of Missouri and co-chair of the festival. “This festival will be a fun way to achieve that recognition.”

The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival is designed to celebrate and remember the role Springfield played in the Route 66 era. College Street, where the festival will take place, is on the original Route 66 byway.

Partnering with the festival will be Mother’s Brewing (Springfield’s newest craft brewery) and Bud’s Tire & Wheel (established in 1958 to distribute custom wheels to its Route 66 customers).  More than 3,000 people visited Mother’s “Backyard” to celebrate its grand opening in May and raise money for Joplin tornado relief.

Tickets for the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival are $3 in advance at Machino’s, 1715 S. Campbell Ave., and Urban Districts Alliance, 304 W. McDaniel St. Cost at the gate is $5. Children 5 and younger are free.

For more information about the festival, call Urban Districts Alliance at 417-831-6200.

For more information about Springfield, visit www.SpringfieldAdventures.com or call the Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-678-8767.

The Route 66 Association of Missouri Welcomes New Business Members

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

Hood’s Propane Co., Inc – Bois D’Arc

Hood’s Service Center, Inc. – Bois D’Arc

Mizell Funeral Home – Cuba

Genghis Grilll – Ellisville

Hutchens Mortuary & Cremation Center – Florissant

Gateway Uniform & Apparel – Hazelwood

Creve Coeur Paving – St. Louis

Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce – Sullivan

Mile 277 Tap & Grill – Sunset Hills

Hoppers Pub – Waynesville

Cooper’s Grill - Webb City

Steve’s Candy and Jerky – Galena, KS

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

Upcoming Meeting in St. Louis, April 17, 2010

The Route 66 Association of Missouri will meet on Saturday, April 17, at Grbic Restaurant in St. Louis.

Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm, with the general meeting following. The meeting guest will be Kaisa Barthuli, Acting Program Manager, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Office. Plans are to attend a presentation by Kaisa, to Association Member Michael Griffin of Walter’s Market, for building restoration efforts in connection with the cost-share grant program.

Download the meeting notice and lunch registration form.