The Route 66 Association of Missouri is planning a May 28 event to repaint “the largest Route 66 shield in Missouri” at Gary’s Gay Parita Sinclair Station in Paris Springs, Missouri.
Roamin’ Rich Dinkela, now president of the association, in 2018 painted the large shield onto the roadway, and it has become faded with weather and time. The shield measures 12 by 15 feet.
In an email this week from the association, it and the Pharaohs Car Club of nearby Springfield, Missouri, are partnering in the effort to “freshen up” the shield.
This is a chance to help by volunteering labor in person or by donating funds to help the project. Barb and George took over the station after Gary’s untimely death. They have been working hard to keep Gary’s dream alive and to help promote Route 66 just as Gary did for years. Please donate generously to this cause or join Roamin Rich and the Pharaohs on May 28 at 10 a.m. in front of the Gay Parita Sinclair Station in Paris Springs Junction, MO.
To register for the event, go here.
Gary Turner’s Gay Parita was a re-creation of a circa-1930 gas station owned by Fred and Gay Mason that stood until it burned down in 1955. Turner built a replica of the station about 2004, and it became a must-stop for Route 66 travelers because of his hospitality and quirky, homespun humor. A planned 15-minute for visitors often turned into three hours — and they didn’t mind.
Turner died in 2015, and his wife Lena died less than six months later.
Gary’s daughter Barbara moved from South Carolina to reopen Gay Parita in early 2016 and has carried on his traditions.
(Image of the faded Route 66 shield in front of Gary’s Gay Parita Sinclair Station via the Route 66 Association of Missouri website)