Route 66 Task Force in Tulsa report February 10, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, Preservation, Towns.2 comments
So what happened at the inaugural City of Tulsa Route 66 Task Force meeting Thursday night at the Campbell Hotel?
The answer: Not much. That doesn’t mean it was a waste of time. The meeting was more of a reception and fact-gathering mission than a planning session. The Task Force isn’t going to be one group, but a bunch of subcommittees to divvy up responsibilities. The wish list is long, but basically the city wants to exploit Route 66 more as an economic engine.
(Disclosure: I volunteered to be on the Task Force; my duties will be known at a future date.)
I had planned to write something about the event, but other projects got in the way. And Laurel Kane of Afton Station did a good job reporting what happened, so you can read it on her blog and be well-informed.
My impressions: First, a lot more people showed up for that meeting than I expected. I would have been satisfied if 25 people showed up. But the number was closer to 100.
Second, the meeting wound up being a nice showcase for the recently restored Campbell Hotel. I think a fair number of people came away impressed with the facility, and will encourage out-of-town guests to use it.
Finally, I have to give new city councilor Blake Ewing a lot of credit for getting this started. He assumed office barely two months ago, but apparently told the city fathers that Route 66 was going to be a top priority. He regards the Mother Road as “low-hanging fruit” that the city has for too long ignored or under-appreciated.
Victorville newspaper takes note of Route 66 report February 6, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Towns.1 comment so far
It took a while, but it looks like other media types are taking note of the recently released Route 66 Economic Impact Report.
On Sunday, the Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press took a closer look. And one longtime roadie, Jim Conkle, said Victorville isn’t doing enough to draw Route 66 tourism:
Conkle has seen small towns along the route flourish by bringing in tourists after they’ve redeveloped their main streets around the Route 66 theme, opening antique shops, souvenir stores and diners.
But few tour buses traveling on Route 66 stop in Victorville, he said, because there’s almost nothing related to Route 66 in Old Town other than the California Route 66 Museum on D Street.
“To attract Route 66 tourists, you have to have places for them to eat, sleep and shop,” Conkle said. “Victorville has not made itself an attraction. There are people within this city that don’t find Route 66 all that appealing. It’s just unbelievable that the city doesn’t embrace Route 66. Route 66 is here, you don’t have to invent it. Tourists are not going to come into the community unless they feel safe and they feel welcomed.”
Joe Flores, general manager of the city’s Green Tree Inn, echoed Conkle:
“Coming from a marketing background, you look at what’s the most valuable asset you have. Route 66 is just tremendous and it always has been,” said Flores, who grew up in Victorville. “No one in the area has really embraced it.”
The Green Tree will serve as the official host hotel of the International Route 66 Festival in August.
The report, once it gets disseminated more widely in the coming weeks and months, probably will serve as a wake-up call for many Route 66 communities. The figure of $127 million — the total spending that Route 66 generates each year — is bound to draw attention.
A summary of the report can be read here.
UPDATE 2/7/2012: A business beat writer for Oklahoma City also asks when business owners and merchants will exploit Route 66 to their benefit.
Off to the bed races January 29, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Events, Towns.add a comment
The Mojave Daily News posted a humorous account of the annual Oatman Great Bed Races in Oatman, Ariz., on Saturday.
It’s not so much a competition as a fun-filled farce. To wit:
In accordance to contest rules, teams must first push one teammate in a bed the length of the course, park the team’s bed with the passenger still aboard while the other four members put the sheets and pillowcases on a stationary bed and then push the team bed back to the finish line. While each of the four pushing team members carries a roll of toilet paper between their knees. Oh, and this year, each team member also had to put on a pair of granny panties after completing the bed-making portion. A few of the teams struggled getting the elastic-banded undergarment on over their legs, so adapted by pulling them on like a shirt. Others took a cue and wore them as a hat, bracelet or scarf.
“Guess there’s nothing in the rules about that,” noted one of the judges, shrugging his shoulders.
The Super Country team won the 18-team event this year with a time of 54.7 seconds, after being disqualified for a rules violation the previous year.
Here’s a video from last year’s races:
Another town sees surge of Route 66 tourism January 22, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, Museums, Restaurants, Towns.1 comment so far
It isn’t just Pontiac, Ill., seeing a big increase in Route 66 tourism in recent years. According to an article today in the Springfield State Journal-Register, the small town of Atlanta, Ill., is experiencing a surge, too.
From the newspaper:
In Atlanta, sales tax revenue jumped 43 percent last year during the peak tourism season of April to August compared to four years ago, before the opening of the Atlanta Museum and the reopening of the 1930s-era Palms Grill Cafe. Both buildings in the 100 block of S.W. Arch St. are owned by the Atlanta Public Library.
The two endeavors were Atlanta’s first efforts to generate revenue from the steady trickle of Route 66 travelers who drive through the town every summer. [...]
The increase in foot traffic led to the opening of two new businesses: the Route 66 Gift Shop, which sells memorabilia and vintage items, and the Arch Street Artisan Shop.
And Atlanta isn’t done in trying to attract tourism dollars:
This spring, Atlanta will begin preparing a walking trail and signage around a quarter-mile of the original Route 66 pavement north of town. Officials also plan to open a coal-mining exhibit next to the grain elevator museum.
The community also has purchased an 1891 residence that served as a rooming house for Route 66 travelers in the 1940s, before motels were readily available. The city plans to offer the same service to modern travelers, although the Atlanta Route 66 Rooming House isn’t expected to open until 2013.
Between Pontiac and Atlanta, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that a concerted Route 66 tourism effort between locals and city government will pay dividends.
The newspaper article also examines several other Illinois Route 66 towns, whose tourism efforts range from tentative to feeble. Save for a bicycle rack, Virden doesn’t seem to be doing much. But nearby Girard boasts Doc’s Soda Fountain, which displays a map showing all of its foreign Route 66 visitors and hires an additional waitress during tourism season.
Bill Deck said area schools and local groups book tours throughout the year. But out-of-towners traveling the Mother Road make up 40 percent of summer traffic. [...]
“There’s a growing awareness,” Ernst said. “The Europeans are looking for small communities to explore. We want to make them feel welcome to stop in Girard.”
It sounds like a cliche to say: “If you build it, they will come.” But when it comes to Route 66 travelers, that seems to be the case.
Springfield, Mo., discusses future of College Street January 19, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Preservation, Towns.add a comment
The City of Springfield, Mo., discussed ideas Wednesday on how to revitalize College Street west of downtown, which also served as the original Route 66.
KSPR-TV filed this good video report:
One person voiced concerns that are on the minds of many roadies. According to the Springfield News-Leader:
Route 66 Association of Missouri President Tommy Pike was worried about changing the street’s historic character.
Referring to comments planners solicited about what to do with the street, Pike expressed concern.
“When I see ‘widen it’ and ‘bulldoze it,’ that’s why I’m here,” Pike said.
I’m going to withhold judgment until I see what’s proposed. But I think Pike’s concerns are well-founded, given the long and inglorious history of “redevelopment.” An area can be revitalized without wrecking balls. In fact, keeping historic structures would actually add more character.
New Pontiac tourism video January 18, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Towns.add a comment
This just got posted today. This is the official 2012 tourism video for Pontiac, Ill.
As you might figure, Route 66 plays a prominent role.
This is another feather in the cap of Pontiac Tourism, which recently announced record tourism in 2011.
Should Joplin provide tornado maps? January 18, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art, Attractions, Events, Towns, Weather.1 comment so far
A new map that details the path of a deadly tornado that ravaged Joplin, Mo., is being distributed by the local chamber of commerce, reported KOAM-TV in nearby Pittsburg, Kan. And that’s causing a few headaches for the agency.
The station reported:
The map is being put out by the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau (on Facebook) and marks the path of the tornado, showing visitors where they can find certain tornado landmarks, like the remnants of Saint John’s and Joplin High School.
Some residents fear the city is trying to capitalize on tornado tourism. A Facebook has recently been created called Joplin Citizens Against Tornado Tours. [...]
“We are not actively promoting ‘tornado tours’” says the Director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Pat Tuttle.
The Joplin CVB also made this statement on its Facebook page, in part:
For the past seven months, the JCVB office has received numerous phone calls and in-office requests for a map or description of the affected area. These requests come from visiting volunteer groups, contractors and out of state workers, weather watchers, media, writers and bloggers, travel groups, individuals and tour bus operators. The map was produced as a low-cost information piece in response to these types of inquiries. It is not a marketing piece. The purpose of the map was not to “sell” the sites to anyone…it was to provide a snapshot of information to visitors who were already traveling to Joplin and either guide them through the zone using the main roads and staying out of the residential areas as much as possible or to outline where the zone is so that an alternate route for travel could be determined.
Our intention was not to be insensitive or disrespectful of those who lost loved ones or their property. It was simply to address a situation that was already occurring and hopefully help inform our out of town visitors about the devastating effects of the tornado and emphasize the positive efforts of the community working towards recovery.
I don’t think the Joplin CVB is doing the wrong thing here. It seems its intentions were good. It’s just something that got blown out of proportion or misinterpreted because emotions remain raw eight months after the twister. More than 160 people dying and a third of the town being destroyed will keep people on edge.
At the same time, Joplin’s residents are going to have to cope with this disaster. Like it or not, the May 22 tornado has become a major part of the town’s history, and will forever more. The hurt won’t go away completely. But some reconciliation — whether it’s through a monument or an annual memorial service — is needed.
Oklahoma City dealt with its terrorist bombing in 1995 by building the Oklahoma City National Memorial at the site. I’m sure more than a few residents are disturbed it has become a tourist attraction. I hold no doubts that a few visitors are there due solely to morbid fascination. But many other visitors were genuinely moved by the disaster when it happened, and feel compelled to visit the memorial. Best of all, the site also has become a source of comfort for the victims’ families.
And let’s face it — the more visitors that Joplin attracts, the more money goes into coffers and speeds its recovery. I’ve made it a point since the disaster to stop in Joplin every time I’m passing through and ring up some business there. Whether it’s money for gasoline, a meal, or souvenirs, that’s cash that’s pumping into Joplin’s economy.
The damage is profoundly disturbing, as the above video shows, and still is months later. But I recommend stopping to see the Wall of Hope at 20th and Main streets (map here). This is public art that spring up spontaneously. It’s moving and uplifting. You can read the blog post by Emily (aka Redforkhippie) about the wall.