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Route 66 hasn't been an official U.S. highway for years, not since it was decommissioned in 1985, but it is still the stuff of legend, and towns along its 2,448 mile path know travelers are still interested in it. The Pixar movie Cars (and its sequel, released this summer) renewed that interest for the youngest travelers, while their parents and grandparents remember songs by Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, or Depeche Mode, depending on their age.
Carthage is one of the cities hoping to cash in on tourism opportunities by highlighting its connection to the fabled Mother Road. Historic Route 66 winds its way through eight states, including Missouri, a 13-mile stretch of Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Parts of the highway have been designated as a National Scenic Byway, formally known as Historic Route 66, and some maps show the renewed name. However, it's easy to get lost, especially as the road crosses state lines.
The trick for towns capitalizing on the legend is to make sure potential tourists can find their way.
For Carthage, this means making sure they don’t get confused as the old highway follows and then abandons Highway 96, turning onto Garrison and then onto Oak Street. West of Carthage it parallels 171 to Brooklyn Heights and points west.
“We get a bunch of people that come by City Hall that are from out of the country and we want to make sure they can find their way,” said Carthage City Administrator Tom Short. “Especially from 96 to Oak Street, people start losing track of Route 66.”
He said motorcycle tourism is especially popular along the old route. Once the tourists see the Carthage Courthouse, they are likely to come downtown and take in the sights, where they spend money and enhance city revenue.
To help drivers stay on course, Short said the city is painting Route 66 logos on the pavement of Garrison and Oak Streets.
“A couple of them are down already,” he said Monday night. One is on Garrison at the corner of Oak, and the other is just around the corner on Oak. Two others have been outlined but need to be filled in. The project, funded from the street department’s regular operating budget, should be completed by next week.
Short said the city looked at similar logos in Webb City before creating its own, but now that they’re in place, he’s not completely satisfied.
“They look fairly small,” Short said. “They need to be bigger and that’s something we’ll have to look at someday, but at least they’re on the ground for now.”
Route 66 hasn't been an official U.S. highway for years, not since it was decommissioned in 1985, but it is still the stuff of legend, and towns along its 2,448 mile path know travelers are still interested in it. The Pixar movie Cars (and its sequel, released this summer) renewed that interest for the youngest travelers, while their parents and grandparents remember songs by Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, or Depeche Mode, depending on their age.
Carthage is one of the cities hoping to cash in on tourism opportunities by highlighting its connection to the fabled Mother Road. Historic Route 66 winds its way through eight states, including Missouri, a 13-mile stretch of Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Parts of the highway have been designated as a National Scenic Byway, formally known as Historic Route 66, and some maps show the renewed name. However, it's easy to get lost, especially as the road crosses state lines.
The trick for towns capitalizing on the legend is to make sure potential tourists can find their way.
For Carthage, this means making sure they don’t get confused as the old highway follows and then abandons Highway 96, turning onto Garrison and then onto Oak Street. West of Carthage it parallels 171 to Brooklyn Heights and points west.
“We get a bunch of people that come by City Hall that are from out of the country and we want to make sure they can find their way,” said Carthage City Administrator Tom Short. “Especially from 96 to Oak Street, people start losing track of Route 66.”
He said motorcycle tourism is especially popular along the old route. Once the tourists see the Carthage Courthouse, they are likely to come downtown and take in the sights, where they spend money and enhance city revenue.
To help drivers stay on course, Short said the city is painting Route 66 logos on the pavement of Garrison and Oak Streets.
“A couple of them are down already,” he said Monday night. One is on Garrison at the corner of Oak, and the other is just around the corner on Oak. Two others have been outlined but need to be filled in. The project, funded from the street department’s regular operating budget, should be completed by next week.
Short said the city looked at similar logos in Webb City before creating its own, but now that they’re in place, he’s not completely satisfied.
“They look fairly small,” Short said. “They need to be bigger and that’s something we’ll have to look at someday, but at least they’re on the ground for now.”
