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 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

Relighting Ceremony at the Sunset Motel

Sunset Motel Neon Sign Relit After Restoration

The evening of Saturday, November 14, 2009 was very special for members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Following our meeting in St. Clair, a festive gathering was held on the grounds of the Sunset Motel in nearby Villa Ridge to celebrate the relighting of the outstanding sign, which had been dark for approximately 30 years.

Just under half of the money to restore the sign and reroof the motel, refurbish dormers, cornice, fascia and soffits, and replace the neon on the gables was granted by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, with the owners picking up the rest of the tab. Kaisa Barthuli, deputy manager, was on hand to present a plaque to the proud owners. Work on the motel building continues and is expected to be completed in a month or two. In recent history, the motel had been rented as apartments, and when it reopens the owners plan to reserve half of the rooms for Route 66 travelers.

Exactly one year ago, members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri had attended the relighting of the Donut Drive-in sign in St. Louis, another day where we were blessed with exceptionally mild weather for celebrating a momentous occasion in the history of Route 66. In both projects, the property owners were assisted with their grant applications by members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri Neon Preservation Committee. We invite you to help us keep this streak going!

Upcoming Meeting in St. Clair

Sunset Motel Sign, Villa Ridge, MO

The next meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri will be on Saturday, November 14, at Elks Lodge 2651 at 35 East North St., St. Clair, MO 63077. Lunch will be served at 12:00 P.M. with the general meeting following.

Click here for more information and the lunch registration form.

Meeting guests will be Kaisa Barthuli, Acting Program Manager and John Murphey, Cultural Resources Specialist, with the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, Santa Fe, NM. Kaisa and John will provide Route 66 updates.

We encourage you to stay in the vicinity of St. Clair after the meeting, as it is now expected that the long-awaited “Official Re-lighting” of the newly restored neon sign at the Sunset Motel (just 10 miles east of St. Clair located just west of the old Diamonds (Tri-County) restaurant at Villa Ridge) will occur later that Saturday afternoon – with the festivities there beginning about 4:45 – 5:00 PM. Details will be given during the meeting.