Joplin, Missouri, for years has sought to boost Route 66 tourism to its city. Officials there want more visitors to stay in the city for longer periods, thus generating more tax revenue. However, the Joplin Globe reported a Colorado-based consultant threw cold water on that idea -- mainly because the city doesn't have enough historic … Continue reading Why historic preservation is important to future tourism
Tag: Joplin
Mother Road Marathon resumes with almost 900 runners
Nearly 900 runners participated in tri-state Mother Road Marathon, which resumed Sunday after a three-year hiatus. The 26.2-mile course went from Commerce, Oklahoma, through much of Route 66 in Kansas, and finished at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin, Missouri. A total of 300 runners competed in the full marathon. Another 400 ran a half-marathon, and 200 … Continue reading Mother Road Marathon resumes with almost 900 runners
Route 66 Bowl near Joplin being converted into training center
Route 66 Bowl, a facility which had served bowling fans for about a half-century near the Missouri-Kansas border, recently was purchased and is being converted into a wrestling training center and gym. KSN-TV reported Dave O'Banion, owner of Renegade Wrestling Academy in Joplin, Missouri, recently bought the facility, which also was known as Route 66 … Continue reading Route 66 Bowl near Joplin being converted into training center
Two big bicycle events to roll across Route 66 in Missouri, Oklahoma
Two large bicycle events are set for hundreds of miles of Route 66 in Missouri and Oklahoma in 2018, and Joplin, Missouri, plays a vital role in both. The annual Oklahoma Freewheel, after beginning in June 10 in the eastern Texas Panhandle, will end its tour June 16 in Joplin. The annual Big BAM, or … Continue reading Two big bicycle events to roll across Route 66 in Missouri, Oklahoma
Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2017 cost-share grants
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program on Thursday announced its annual cost-share grant awards, with seven grants totaling $98,137. This year's grant awards are remarkable in their breadth, including neon-sign restorations, oral-history projects, a full assessment of Route 66's bridges, a historic-property database, an educational websites and a documentary film. Since 2001, the program has … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2017 cost-share grants
Joplin announces “Fiddlers on the Route” music festival
Joplin, Missouri, will host a two-day "Fiddlers on the Route" music festival -- including the Nashville-based The Road Crew -- on June 30 and July 1 in the city's Landreth Park amphitheater. The Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau and Connect2Culture announced the event. Music begins both nights at 5 p.m., and the event is free. … Continue reading Joplin announces “Fiddlers on the Route” music festival
Westport Lodge in Joplin to hold grand reopening as Enlight Inn on Monday
The Westport Lodge motel, built in 1947 along Route 66 in Joplin, Missouri, will hold its grand reopening Monday as an Enlight Inn wellness center, motel and cafe. Joplin Globe business writer Wally Kennedy reports the motel at the corner of North Main Street and Fountain Road is the last surviving motor court in Joplin. It … Continue reading Westport Lodge in Joplin to hold grand reopening as Enlight Inn on Monday
New East Town mural dedicated in Joplin
Residents dedicated a new, 60-foot-long mural at 621 Langston Hughes-Broadway (aka Route 66) in Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday. According to the Joplin Globe, the mural on the side wall of a former grocery store depicts the history of the city's historic East Town neighborhood. About 200 people, many of them East Town residents, attended the ceremony. The mural is … Continue reading New East Town mural dedicated in Joplin
Joplin will officially revive Mother Road Marathon
Thanks to action by the Joplin, Missouri, City Council, the Mother Road Marathon officially will be resurrected in the tri-state region Oct. 1, 2017. The council on Monday night gave final approval to a licensing deal that will allow local race organizer Tom Rogers of Twelveone Race Management to revive the 26.2-mile footrace that begins in northeastern Oklahoma, goes … Continue reading Joplin will officially revive Mother Road Marathon
Joplin may resurrect Mother Road Marathon
Joplin may revive the Mother Road Marathon -- a 26.2-mile footrace through parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri discontinued in 2013 after declining participation and complaints about its promoter. Tom Rogers of TwelveOne Race Management and Marketing in Joplin, who helps run 35 events a year, wants permission from the city council to use its license for the copyrighted name, data … Continue reading Joplin may resurrect Mother Road Marathon