Lettering for a Camp Joy replica archway in front of one of the former Route 66 tourist camp’s original cabins was completed just before the new year at Boswell Park in Lebanon, Missouri.
Joker Welding and Weld Supply of Lebanon attached the lettering.
The only task remaining for the archway project is painting the back of it, according to a Facebook post by Gary Sosniecki of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society.
The project’s cost is being shared by the society, Lebanon Parks and Recreation, Craig Fishel, whose grandparents and great-grandparents founded Camp Joy in 1927; and Maritta Chastain, whose late husband Dave guided the cabin’s restoration in 2019.
More about Camp Joy:
Camp Joy, which started with tents, then cabins, was located across Route 66/Elm Street from today’s Cowan Civic Center. The arch at its entrance greeted visitors for decades.
The Route 66 Society restored the last surviving Camp Joy cabin in 2019 after it was donated by Lee Sing, who had bought the property on which Camp Joy sat. With the city of Lebanon’s blessing, the cabin was moved to Boswell Park, which has adopted a Route 66 theme in recent years.
The Route 66 Society furnished the cabin, the parks department built a sidewalk to it from the parking lot, and the Laclede County Master Gardeners lined the sidewalk with flower gardens in the style of those that once lined Route 66 in that part of Lebanon.
The cabin is furnished with period furniture, including an original Camp Joy bedspread donated by the Fishels. The cabin is open for viewing at the annual Lebanon Route 66 Festival, Christmas in the Park and other special events at Boswell Park.
Boswell Park is off Route 66 and Kent Drive on the city’s west side. In addition to the Camp Joy cabin, the park has Route 66-themed murals.
(Image of the arch in front of a surviving Camp Joy cabin by the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society)