A couple days ago, I received an e-mail from Mike Gassman, reporting that the annual World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Summerfest in Collinsville, Ill., was abruptly canceled less than two months before its July 8 date.
Gassman promises more “gory details” over the weekend, but this story from the Belleville News-Democrat clearly shows that bickering, power struggles and bad decisions by the City of Collinsville sank the festival.
Gassman said it’s “all a bunch of nonsense, and unfortunately it’s the community that suffers.” He said it wasn’t as much a conflict with Downtown Collinsville as with the contractual demands of the city.
So the festival is canceled, and no one is sure about next year. Each group said it wants Summerfest to continue.
The festival was named after a specially painted water tower in Collinsville that resembles a giant Brooks Catsup bottle. The Brooks Catsup bottle isn’t on Route 66; it’s about a mile and a half from the Mother Road. But it’s frequently featured in Route 66 guidebooks as an example of roadside kitsch.
I believe that all of the car clubs and any individual that has a show car should boycott the City of Collinsville in responce to the canceallation of the summerfest due to the childish City Administration of Collinsville.