Baxter Springs trades cowtown heritage for Route 66 October 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Towns.trackback
The town of Baxter Springs, Kan., is holding a downtown Route 66 Fall Festival on Saturday night.
According to the Joplin Globe, the festival is going to be a sort of dress rehearsal for the 2010 Mother Road Marathon. What I didn’t know, however, is that Baxter Springs is phasing out its longtime Cowtown Days in favor of an annual Route 66 festival. Considering the town’s famed history as a cattle-drive stop, that’s a significant change.
More about the festival:
Activities include a car cruise, food vendors, a petting zoo, a beer garden and cash prizes. Live Wire will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration for the car cruise will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. at 10th Street and Military Avenue.
The event also will include the Mother Road Chili Cook-off, open to Baxter Springs civic clubs, churches and chamber businesses. The winner will receive a traveling trophy. The cook-off will be held in front of the Route 66 Visitor Center, which also is the chamber office.
A Web site for the festival can be found here.
It’s a shame they can’t do both, either individually or as a combined event.