Weekday mornings are typically quiet in downtown Springfield, Missouri.
But this Thursday morning, the predawn hours were full of chatter and the buzz and hum of generators and trucks. A team from NBC’s "Today Show" were preparing to celebrate the Centennial of Route 66 with a live broadcast. Eager audience members were lined up for blocks.
Amethyst DiTieri and Brandie Lewis were in line at 2:30 a.m. this morning. Gates opened at 5 a.m.
“It's pretty cool, how we're a part of a historical event right now,” DiTieri said, “I'm originally from New York, so being able to have a little bit of New York here I think is really cool.”
Lewis said she came for her mom, who has passed. “We used to always watch the 'Today Show' together while we were trying to wake up in the mornings. This is like an homage to her, something she would have wanted to do.”
Springfield is considered the birthplace of Route 66. In 1926, Cyrus Avery — or the "father of Route 66" — sent a telegram from the Colonial Hotel in Springfield to Washington, D.C., asking to designate the Chicago-Santa Monica road as Route 66.
The road's heyday lasted until construction of the Interstate Highway System started in 1956. The last part of Route 66 was bypassed in 1984. Authorities designated portions of the road as a National Scenic Byway, or Historic Route 66, but tourism to small American towns ultimately died down.
Kenny Mcmahon owns Druff’s diner in Springfield, just feet away from the "Today Show" stage. He was up early helping to feed the crew. He said he loves to see the community coming together downtown.
He thanked Downtown Springfield Association Executive Director Crystal Quade for helping businesses affected by the morning’s event. "She reached out to us and the other businesses and helped out a lot, especially today,” he explained. “I'm catering for the crew breakfast, which is a big help. You know, I'm probably going to lose a day's business today, but made it up that way.”
As things got underway, hosts from the "Today Show" mingled with the crowd and signed posters between segments. Co-host Dylan Dreyer said she was impressed with her first visit to the Queen City of the Ozarks.
“Like the nicest people in the country,” she said. “I mean, honestly, everybody that showed up, you had to get here so early in the morning, and they came just to watch us do our thing. So, it was really a special place to be.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe made an appearance to gift the Today Show’s host with a key to the city.
"Springfield is the birthplace of Route 66. Today is the 100th anniversary of the famous telegram that asked Washington, DC to name it Route 66. It means a lot for the state to be the birthplace. But, you know, all along the Route 66 corridor from Joplin, all the way up to St. Louis, we have events going on all summer. It's great for our tourism industry.”
The corner of Jefferson Street and St. Louis was also dedicated as “Birthplace Plaza,” in honor of the Centennial. A weekend of events are planned downtown and on Commercial Street.
In southeast Kansas, Baxter Springs celebrated the anniversary Thursday by releasing 100 lanterns into the sky.
Mary Billington, with the Kansas Route 66 Visitors Center and the Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum, said the city expects a boost in its sales tax revenue due to increased tourism.
“With tourism, you depend on gas tanks, hotel stays, and restaurant usage. So all of these things impact (the community), and the more people we get to stop, the higher that impact is,” Billington said.
She said thanks to the highway's major milestone, the number of tourists in Baxter Springs is expected to triple compared to last year.
While the specific numbers are unknown, Billington knows it’s already busier than it was around the same time last year. She said she’s always looking for more volunteers to help with the uptick in visitors.
“We are desperately looking for more volunteers, because the more volunteers we have, the more hours we can have the visitors center open, the more people we can get to stop,” Billington said.
Kansas has the shortest stretch of Route 66 with 13.2 miles. There are three cities in Kansas along the original route, with Baxter Springs being one of them. But Billington said the highway still had a large impact on Baxter Springs over the years.
“When you've got a gas station every other block, and they're all doing well enough to support their families, and we're talking during the heyday of Route 66,” she said.
The visitors center for Baxter Springs is an old gas station that was used along historic Route 66. The main street, Military Avenue, has several Route 66 signs, with the original black and white coloring.
Baxter Springs also is one of three places along the eight-state highway that inspired Radiator Springs in the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars.”
The event was at a local bar called Bricks and Brews. Tragic Prelude provided the music, standing on a stage in front of a mural showcasing where Route 66 was in Baxter Springs.
Baxter Springs Mayor Kelly Abbott said the feeling of Route 66 is still in the town.
“And so all these folks, especially the folks that travel from overseas to come see Route 66,” he said, “I think they're looking for that nostalgia and that old town.”
He said the city is working with a software company called Main Street America to determine the specific number of tourists that have visited Baxter Springs.
Galena resident Christy LaTurner was one of the event planning coordinators. She refers to Route 66 as “the Mother Road of the world” because of the travelers that visit every year.
“Route 66 will never not be important. And like this 100th celebration, it's reviving it and it's only going to get better from here,” LaTurner said. “It's only gotten more beautiful because we all geared up for the party.”
KRPS Intern Luke Geier conducted interviews and gathered photos for this story.
Rachel Schnelle reports on Missouri and Kansas issues for KRPS.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
