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Several years ago, Scott McCoy made
his mark on the small community of Pontiac Illinois by turning it
into the third most visited Route 66 destination in Illinois, coming
in only behind Chicago and Springfield. Later he would stretch his
reach into the small Logan County Community of Atlanta, assisting
that town in also making a place for itself on the “must see” list
of Route 66 tourists. And now, he is bringing that perspective to
Lincoln.
As one who started out knowing little about Route 66 specifically,
and the tourist trade in general, he has learned all that he can
about the Mother Road and what makes it special to so many people.
He said in an interview with LDN recently that as a kid he didn’t
give Route 66 a second thought except that he knew it was a faster
way for his dad to get home from work each day.
But when he somewhat accidentally ran for mayor in Pontiac the push
toward Route 66 tourism was just beginning and he had the
opportunity to grow it and nurse it and become an expert on the
topic along the way.
McCoy was living in Pontiac at the
time and he noted that the community was disenchanted with the
current city government. He recalled attending a city meeting along
with many other residents who would express their dissatisfaction
with the actions of the council. He basically started going just to
see and hear what was going on but began to ask questions, and some
of those around him formed an opinion. After the meeting, McCoy was
approached with the suggestion that he run for mayor. He said that
because it appeared to him that perhaps no one else was willing to
do so, and something needed to be done, he decided to run.
McCoy gives credit to a lady from
Pontiac named Betty Estes who got the ball rolling on Route 66
tourism in that town. McCoy took it up and worked with her in
building a relationship with the Route 66 Association of Illinois
and the city to start bringing travelers to that small community.
McCoy said that what was remarkable about that scenario was that
Pontiac was never located on Route 66. To get to the town, tourists
travel over a mile off the path, but they come because of what has
been built there.
The town now boasts museums and historic buildings and of course,
the famous Route 66 Mural. McCoy said that mural has been one of the
pivotal parts of tourism in Pontiac. People come off Route 66 so
they can take their photo in front of the mural. The work of art has
been featured in many travel magazines and is also being copied in
other Route 66 communities across the country.
Now, McCoy is excited about becoming a part of the newly designated
Lincoln Tourism Department and has accepted the position of
Department Director. As such he already has visions for the future
of Lincoln as a Route 66 destination.
McCoy said that Lincoln has long been on his personal radar. He said
that over the years he has spoken to various groups across the
country about Route 66 and tourism, and he has used two communities
as shining examples of towns that have missed the boat on Route 66,
with Lincoln being one of those two. He said that it seemed like a
big opportunity missed. He noted that there was really no reason for
it to be that way. If Pontiac can draw tourists more than a mile off
of 66 to their town, then why shouldn’t Lincoln, who has Route 66
traveling right into the heart of the city, be even more successful
at drawing tourists?
As many know, the city of Lincoln has been collecting the
hotel/motel tax from motels located in the city limits for the last
decade or just over. The lion’s share of that money was then passed
on to the Logan County Tourism Bureau which is also located in
Lincoln. In recent months, the city aldermen voted in favor of a
proposal by Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch that the city stop the pass
through of cash and start utilizing the money for tourism
initiatives in the city.
At the same time, Welch said he did
not want to see the LCTB go to the wayside and would therefore
encourage the council to make an annual contribution to tourism,
providing the county would do the same.
In recent weeks, there has been much discussion on this topic with
the final outcome being that the city will contribute $30,000 to the
LCTB and the county will match that.
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In addition, the
city is going to take over the ownership, and thus financial
responsibility, for several of the LCTB assets such as the
Railsplitter covered wagon and some new items coming soon that
had already been approved by LCTB.
In the last motion made and approved unanimously by the city
council, the LCTB will maintain ownership of the Mill on Route
66 Museum and will make that the headquarters for the entity.
Welch said he didn’t have any objection to this, but wanted to
stipulate in an agreement that should the LCTB decide not to
keep ownership of the Mill, the city would have the first option
on the property.
In another somewhat surprising move the Lincoln City Council on
Monday, June 16th voted unanimously to purchase the building
located at 500-508 Broadway Street. This is the former Heartland
Bank & Trust building better known to most people as the old
State Bank Building.
McCoy said that yes there is a definite plan for the building,
but that he would refrain from spelling it out pending press
releases from the mayor and further information gleaned in city
council meetings. In spite of this, he admitted that there are
those who have a reasonable idea of what may lie ahead for the
structure. He said that he would say that it was a multifaceted
project that would benefit the community through tourism as well
as economic development.
McCoy said that though some of these things may seem rushed, he
had been talking with Welch for at least the last couple of
years about how to grow tourism in Lincoln. With the anniversary
of Route 66 just months away, McCoy said that Lincoln has almost
missed the boat in being prepared for the 100th anniversary
year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still make a splash in
2026.
He described 2026 as the “debut” of Route 66 tourism in Lincoln
and said while the town may not be completely ready, it will
make its mark and earn a spot on the “must stop” map for the one
million or more tourists who travel the Mother Road next year.
He added that bringing Route 66 into the heart of the city is
not just about getting people to drive through the town take a
look and move on, it is about giving them enough to do and see
in town that they will stay. This includes promoting downtown
businesses and encouraging the spending of dollars in those
businesses, local eateries and local motels. He said that the
bottom line is that tourism is about money. The ultimate goal is
to bring tourist dollars into the community for the good of our
local businesses.
He also said that in this new role, he
hopes to become closer to downtown businesses and the downtown
business group. He wants to see interaction between tourist
attraction initiatives and downtown business owners. He said that
the goal is to have businesses recommend sites to visit and also
have site volunteers and staff recommend businesses and eateries, so
that there is a flow back and forth between tourist attractions and
local retailers and eateries.
McCoy said that while he will be
devoting a lot of his time to Lincoln as the new director, he still
plans to continue his work in Atlanta and will also continue with
the side business and speaking engagements promoting tourism and
Route 66 across America.
He said that proper exploitation of Route 66 in Lincoln will yield
more for the community in many ways, just as it has in Pontiac and
Atlanta. He noted that he felt that those two smaller communities
were a good model for the future of Lincoln. He said it would be the
same concept as in the other two towns, to bring people into the
heart of the city.
The final word on the subject of route
66 Tourism in Lincoln is "the best is yet to come." With 2026 just a
few months away, look for things to move quickly in the future, and
hopefully the city will enjoy success in all its efforts.
Stay with Lincoln Daily News for more to come on the future of
tourism in Lincoln.
[Nila Smith] |
