Boots Court neon relighting set for April 9

Boots Motel front

The architectural neon lighting of the historic Boots Court, which has been absent for more than a decade, will be formally relighted the evening of Saturday, April 9, at the Route 66 landmark in Carthage, Missouri.

The Route 66 Association of Missouri said in a news release the festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with entertainment and light refreshments from owners Debye Harvey and Priscilla Bledshaw. The throwing of the switch for the neon lighting will begin near dusk about 8:15 p.m., or earlier if it is overcast that day.

Boots Motel neon installation

Workers were busy this week reinstalling neon tubing to the building. It still must be fully wired and tested before it’s ready for relighting.

As someone who stayed in the motel, also known as Boots Motel, in the late 1990s, I can attest the architectural neon will make it stand out even more than it does.

Several speakers, including representatives from the Carthage community, will be there. The event also will offer music, vintage cars, and a limited number of T-shirts and pins to commemorate the evening.

The Route 66 Association of Missouri has hosted a neon-relighting ceremony annually since 2008. The association also is hosting its quarterly meeting at noon that day at the Legacy Barn in Carthage, so it’s urging roadies to make a day of it.

The Boots Court was built in 1939 by Arthur Boots at 107 S. Garrison Ave., which at the time was called the “Crossroads of America,” because the motel was near the intersection of U.S. 66 and U.S. 71. Actor Clark Gable stayed there several times during cross-country trips; room No. 6 was known where he rest his head.

The Boots is believed to have become the Boots Motel during the 1950s. Because the owners have dedicated themselves to restoring the motel to its 1940s appearance — including “a radio in every room” and no television sets — they reverted to its original Boots Court name.

The motel came close to being knocked down in the early 2000s when its owner, citing poor health, sold it to a local developer. There was speculation the motel would be razed to make way for a Walgreens drugstore. But outcry from the Route 66 Association of Missouri, Friends of the Mother Road and other preservationists apparently scared off the developers.

The current owners bought the property in 2011 and reopened it to overnight guests in 2012 after months of renovations.

(Image courtesy of Ron Hart)

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