By Debbie Robinson
news@joplinglobe.com
MIAMI, Okla. — The city of Miami and the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau have been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to develop a travel guide for historic Route 66.
The Oklahoma Scenic Byways Program will administer the project with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
About 250,000 copies of the Tri-State Route 66 Travel Guide will be distributed to visitor centers, hotels, businesses and other travel sites throughout Southeast Kansas, Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri, Miami City Manager Huey P. Long said Tuesday.
The project represents the first Tri-State cooperative effort funded by the Oklahoma Scenic Byways Program.
“We’re very pleased and excited to receive this grant,” Long said. “As the economy continues to tighten, we’ll see more people who have an interest in short-term trips.”
A $10,000 match is being provided by cities, counties and tourism bureaus in the region.
Long said the city hopes to have brochures available before spring.
“Most people do not understand what’s in the region and the immediate area,” he said.
The tourism brochure will feature such attractions as the Coleman Theatre in downtown Miami, the Rainbow Bridge on old Route 66 at Baxter Springs, Kan., and the Route 66 Drive-in movie theater at Carthage, Mo.
Amanda Davis, director of the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the 48-page brochure will be a marketing asset to the region.
“My goal is to really see us work together to turn those one-day trips into three-day trips,” Davis said. “We all understand that together we’re stronger.”
The region in the past two years has seen an increase in international travelers who are interested in the historic roadway and its attractions.
Last year, Davis said, the region had between 50 and 60 international groups who traveled the route on motorcycles.
Davis said revenue from Miami’s 4 percent hotel and motel tax is estimated to generate $150,000 this year — a 28 percent increase over last year’s figure. The city has 451 hotel beds, she said.
Matching funds
The local match of $10,000 comes from the Vinita Area Chamber of Commerce; the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the cities of Baxter Springs, Kan., and Galena, Kan.; Cherokee County, Kan.; the Joplin (Mo.) Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Carterville (Mo.) Route 66 Committee; and the city of Webb City, Mo.
Local News
Federal grant will help communities promote Route 66
- Local News
-
-
‘A creek runs through it’ concept posed for new JHS
The Joplin Board of Education got its first peek at preliminary architectural renderings for the new Joplin High School at a special meeting Wednesday night. Architects from DLR Group, based in Omaha, Neb., and Corner Greer & Associates, based in Joplin, presented the plans to the board for its blessing to move forward with the design concept.
-
Joplin Globe wins APME Sweepstakes Award
A Joplin Globe project, “22 Miracles in May,” telling stories about 22 victims of the May 22 tornado, has won the APME Sweepstakes Award, it was announced this morning.
-
Okla. receives waiver from No Child Left Behind
Oklahoma’s top education official reacted with glee Thursday with the announcement that the state is one of 10 states being granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 — but focused on getting students to “just pass the tests.”
-
Mo. optometrist filed $40 million refund claim
A southwest Missouri optometrist who filed a tax return claiming a $40 million refund has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.
-
Kan. House approves bipartisan redistricting bill
Power in the Kansas House is likely to shift next year from rural parts of the state to the Kansas City area after members overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Thursday for redrawing their districts.
-
Horses getting dumped into Mo.’s wild herd
Owners who can no longer afford to care for their horses are abandoning them in southern Missouri hoping they will join Missouri’s only wild horse herd, which descends from animals set free in the Great Depression also by their impoverished owners.
-
School district’s proposed street-closing plan questioned
Plans to close some streets near the proposed Joplin High School drew questions, including a challenge from a former Joplin mayor, during a public hearing this week.
-
City wants to buy weather radios for those without
Phil Jones had been working on a construction project outside his house all day on May 22 and was unaware that a tornado watch had been issued. Once he was inside, though, his weather radio went off, and he learned that a warning had been issued.
-
Mike Pound: Spirit of competition evident during double-overtime game
When I played basketball in high school, I played in several very close games.
Now, some people who may have known me in high school are probably laughing right now and saying, “What Mike meant to say is that when he was in high school, he came very close to playing in some games.” -
Neosho council approves new golf cart contract
The purchase of golf carts was back on the agenda this week for the Neosho City Council. City Attorney Steve Hays said there were errors in the financing terms that were part of a bid approved last month for the purchase of 55 gas-powered carts from E-Z-Go for $144,195, so the purchase of a new fleet was rebid.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
