Stories
ROUTE 66 NEON PARK OPENING IN PULASKI COUNTY, MISSOURI
A tribute to the Mother Road is set to light up the night sky in the heart of the Ozarks! Route 66 Neon Park at George M. Reed Roadside Park in Saint Robert, MO, will host a lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, 2025. The first park of its kind in the Show Me State, Route 66 Neon Park features nearly a dozen restored neon signs that once stood along the Missouri portion of Route 66 in its prime, paying tribute to the nostalgic roadside stops that once lined America’s most famous highway.
“The opening of the Route 66 Neon Park in Saint Robert is a proud moment for our city and for all of Pulaski County,” said Saint Robert Mayor James Breckinridge. “This park not only preserves the iconic glow of America’s Mother Road, but it also celebrates the rich history and culture Route 66 brought to our region and Missouri as a whole. It’s a tribute to the spirit of exploration and connection that defined a generation. Now, it inspires a new one.”
Discussions and efforts to establish the Neon Park began in 2014 with a meeting between Beth Wiles, CDME, Executive Director of the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau, and the Missouri Route 66 Association’s Neon Heritage Preservation Committee. Fundraising efforts commenced in 2015, during which the Pulaski County Preservation Organization acquired nine neon signs and raised more than $12,000. In October 2020, the City of Saint Robert took over development, making the vision a reality. All signs, collected and refurbished by private collectors, were once used to advertise along Route 66 in Missouri, stretching from St. Louis to Joplin. Along with the restored neon signs, the park will feature storyboards to provide visitors with the backstory of each sign. Aglow once again thanks to the hard work and dedication from collectors, the signs were donated to Route 66 Neon Park by numerous entities and individuals, including Friends of the Mother Road, Inc., Missouri State Parks, the Chmura family, Kenneth and Susan Bassett, and the Route 66 Association of Missouri.
“The City of Saint Robert Route 66 Neon Park is a pivotal attraction for both Pulaski County and the state of Missouri along the iconic Mother Road,” said Beth Wiles, CDME, Executive Director of the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau. “More importantly, it revitalizes and showcases vintage neon signage, allowing people from around the globe to appreciate these historic treasures. Neon Park not only celebrates our heritage, but also invites future generations to enjoy and cherish the beauty of these luminous works of art.”
Since 1926, no other roadway in American history has evoked a sense of reverence, nostalgia, and wanderlust quite like Route 66. Running from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA, the Mother Road brought thousands of cross-country travelers to Pulaski County in its heyday. Together with the establishment of Fort Leonard Wood in the 1940s, Route 66 brought many new businesses and residents to an area then known as Eastville, later incorporated as Saint Robert.
Today, Pulaski County’s centuries-old connection to Route 66 lives on in attractions like Route 66 Neon Park. That romance and admiration for mid-century Americana led to then-Gov. John Ashcroft signing House Bill 1629 into law on July 10, 1990, at the Pulaski County Courthouse in Waynesville, making Missouri the first state to assign historic status to Route 66 and cementing Pulaski County’s legacy as the Birthplace of the Byway.
“Route 66 Neon Park is a great addition to the already-noteworthy Route 66 attractions across Missouri, including those in Pulaski County,” said Stephen Foutes, Director of the Missouri Division of Tourism. “It’s also an acknowledgment that in embracing the historic past of Route 66, there’s a strong commitment to keeping its legacy alive for generations to come.”
Signs featured at Route 66 Neon Park include the following:
- AlPac Motel — Formerly located east of Pacific, MO, this sign advertised the motel owned by Fred and Jean Miller, which was known as the “Home of Good Food.” The sign was rescued by the Route 66 Association of Missouri, then owned by Missouri State Parks before it was donated for Neon Park in 2022.
- Alura Motel — Later known as the Lin-Air Motel, this motel located near St. Louis was built by Paul Lammers in the late 1940s. The lettering uses an uncommon style called “triple stroke,” with the letters outlined with an additional stroke of neon in the middle, creating a classic and highly visible calling card during its 66 heydays. The sign was purchased by Friends of the Mother Road, Inc. and eventually made its way to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, IL, in late 2004. Rich Henry took care of and displayed the sign for 13 years until its owner, the Friends of the Mother Road, Inc., donated it to Neon Park.
- D & G Liquor — Opened by Herman and Jodie Paulette, D & G Package Liquor operated in Saint Robert until 2009. At that time, Greg and Jolanta Chmura restored and moved the sign from its original location to Saint Robert Boulevard in 2015. The initial restoration work was done by Signs in Time of Saint Robert. The Chmuras later donated the sign to Route 66 Neon Park in 2018.
- Modern Cabins — Originally located just a quarter mile from Neon Park, this sign was originally installed on the rooftop at 515 Ole Route 66 in Saint Robert, where some of the original cabins still stand. The sign was removed in 1977 and stored in a garage until March 2015, when it was donated for use at Route 66 Neon Park.
- Motel St. Louis — Also known as the “Motel Beautiful,” this St. Louis-area motel boasted 44 “ultra-modern units” and station wagon service to the airport. In 2015, the Route 66 Association of Missouri recovered the sign. The Association and the Missouri History Museum worked together to refurbish it for an outside display at the museum’s exhibit along the Mother Road in 2016-17. After four years in storage, the neon has now been restored for its new home at Route 66 Neon Park.
- Skyline Garage Auto Service — Established as a business partnership between John Paul Richardson and Judith McMurtrey, Skyline Garage operated at 894 Old Business Route 66 in Saint Robert. The sign was acquired by the City of Saint Robert for restoration and preservation in 2023.
- Stanley Cour Tel — Built in 1950 by Stanley and Olivia Williams, this St. Louis-based motel earned notoriety for housing astronauts training for Project Mercury — the first U.S. manned space mission. The sign was purchased by Friends of the Mother Road, Inc., with a donation from Dr. Joel Braunstein and was housed at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch from 2004-2017, after which it was donated to Neon Park.
- Tri-State Bonding — This bail bonds company was founded by Gene and Kathleen Pugh in 1959 at the corner of Fifth and Lincoln streets in Carthage, MO. The sign featured a unique “jail bird” design — a popular photo op for Route 66 travelers — and was donated to Neon Park by the Route 66 Association of Missouri.