That’s one of the headlines for a long and informative story today from the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.
The story focuses on the College Street Corridor Plan, which aims to revitalize that stretch of Route 66 and pay tribute to it at the same time. The city is holding public hearings before implementing the proposal.
Deep in the story, a couple of roadies try to answer the question:
Tonya Pike, a marketing assistant at the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, said she often hears from visitors who are underwhelmed by the area when they drive in.
“The thing I always hear is what a blighted area it is out there,” she said.
Pike, who spends much of her time at the hotel giving talks on Route 66 to visitors, and her father Tommy Pike, the president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, both say that Springfield doesn’t embrace its Route 66 legacy as much as it could.
“I get asked all the time, ‘Doesn’t the city care?’” Tonya Pike said.
“In years past, they really haven’t been that receptive to Route 66,” Tommy Pike agreed.
Both say the city has been slow to advertise the connection in its literature. Tonya Pike said the city seems more interested in promoting itself as “the home of Bass Pro [Shops] and a stop on the way to Branson.”
The main question — Are we doing enough to promote Route 66? — should be asked by every town along the route. You’ll probably conclude that few are. The only towns I can think of that seem to have really maximized Route 66 tourism are Pontiac, Ill.; Seligman, Ariz.; and perhaps a few others.
One observation from the article is Springfield lacks an “anchor” for Route 66 tourism — a museum or some other iconic attraction. This actually is a bigger problem for larger cities on the Mother Road. One could argue that Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff also lack a big Route 66 icon. It’s the smaller towns — such as Stroud, Okla., and its Rock Cafe, or Holbrook, Ariz., and its Wigwam Motel — that often boast anchor businesses or sites.
Back to the main issue, the fact Springfield’s daily newspaper is asking the question actually is a good sign. Acknowledging you might have a problem may pave the way for a solution. And the mere fact the question is being asked shows Route 66 is being more and more considered a viable tourism draw.
Cuba, MO, although small, is “well-anchored” with the Wagon Wheel Motel on the east end of town and the World’s Largest Rocking Chair on the west end of Route 66 with murals, shops, small 1930s gas stations, and restaurants in between.
However, we think of Route 66 as a daily part of our legacy as it has been since the road came through to give the economy a boost in the 1930s.
For us, it’s a matter of preservation, and it’s ongoing. We enjoy and welcome our Route 66 travelers from all over the world, but we also appreciate the old road within our own community. Towns are doing themselves a disservice when they don’t value their Route 66 legacy. The towns that embrace it will realize its importance as they make changes in what remains.
Tucumcari is another which has embraced 66 with both arms wide open. Why is it always the small places who do this in a big way?