They come from everywhere to Cuba, Missouri “Route 66 Mural City”

Occasionally, we like to feature some of our visitors to Cuba because their diversity never ceases to amaze us. Cuba’s Route 66 continues to be a main artery of travel for many. Cuba’s attractions and restaurants draw travelers in for a stop in our town.

Viva Cuba members routinely engage them in conversation, give them a brochure, and tell them of attractions in town. Here are some of our recent encounters.

One of our more exotic encounters this week was this couple from New Caledonia, an island in the Pacific Ocean. They started their trip in Chicago and were traveling on a Harley west along Route 66. I ran into them photographing the murals on Buchanan Street. After giving them a mural brochure, I discovered that they were Lions Club members, and they were interested in the Lions Den door logo. The woman had even attended an international Lions Club conference in Chicago on one of her visits to the U.S. New Caledonia is French, and they spoke with a French accent. They were headed to the World’s Largest Rocking Chair after they left Cuba.

This couple from New Caledonia, traveling Route 66, were Lions Club members.

The couple below was visiting from Nunica, Michigan. I met them in the morning as they were photographing at the Apple Mural in the Alps parking lot. They were traveling on and off Route 66 and seemed to be enjoying the murals and asked some question about the them. They were using an old Route 66 guidebook, which didn’t mention the murals. Since they were traveling west, I told them about the Rocking Chair.

This couple from Nunica, Michigan were traveling on and off Route 66.

On a recent Monday, Jill Barnett and I stopped in at the Al West mural to check on the artist and the mural maintenance there. While there, we ended up as impromptu greeters for out-of-town visitors.

The couple below from Maplewood, MO was celebrating their 35th anniversary with a day trip in their bright blue convertible. They stopped to watch the artist doing maintenance work on the Al West mural. They commented on what a neat town Cuba was and later had lunch at MO Hick BBQ. While they were here, we invited them to return for the Fair, the Lions Club Car Show, or Cuba Fest.

This couple from Maplewood, MO was celebrating their 35th anniversary.

The next woman had an interesting story that she shared with us as she got out of the car to take a photo at the West Mural. She told us that she and her husband had been at the Kinder Cemetery and found her husband’s family’s tombstone. Since Viva Cuba is now doing a Trolley Cemetery Tour during the annual Cuba Fest the third weekend of October, we are always interested in family histories.

Jill Barnett and this visitor shared Cuba history and contact information.

During our conversation we found that the family member in the cemetery was Charlie Frankenstein, and he had worked at the small stone Wagon Wheel Gas Station at one time. The couple thought the station had been torn down, but we told them that the station was still there and had recently been uncovered. We got their contact information and will be pursuing this part of Cuba’s history. Later, after driving by the station, they also had lunch at MO Hick.

I met another couple at Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel. I didn’t get a photo, but they were from Moscow Mills and were checking out some Route 66 attractions. Connie mentioned that she is getting many Route 66 travelers who are interested in the renovation at the Wagon Wheel Motel and just want some more information about this part of Route 66’s history. She has given many impromptu tours.

The next photograph is sort of a hometown visitor, meaning that he use to live in Cuba, but now lives somewhere else. However, Nick Sacco, as is true for many ex-Cubans, likes a trip back to meet old friends. He drove in on his yellow bike on his way to Arkansas. He stopped overnight in Cuba and ate at Frisco’s with his old friend John Stewart and his family. John was also visiting his mom Marilyn Stewart in Cuba for the weekend. The Stewarts breakfasted with Sacco at Country Kitchen and had coffee at Java.net. Sacco enjoyed seeing the changes in Cuba and cruising the area on his bike. He and John enjoyed swapping stories from the past.

One of Nick’s claims to fame, is that in the 1970s when he was a high school student in Cuba, he made up the fictional character Joe Beezley who has entertained students and teachers for decades. Joe is sort of the “ghost of Cuba high school.”