Route 66 Retreat
Placemaking and Community Connectivity
Luther, Hydro, Texola and Quapaw | Spring 2024
In the summer of 2023, the Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) received three proposals relating to placemaking along Route 66 in response to the annual Request for Proposals. There are more than 35 communities along Route 66 in Oklahoma. With the Centennial celebration of historic U.S. Route 66 coming up in 2026, many communities across the state are preparing for the expected influx of tourists and road trip enthusiasts. The proposals came from the town of Hydro, the Threatt Filling Station Foundation in Luther, and the Oklahoma Route 66 Association in connection with Quapaw and Texola. IQC brought together these three projects into a 1-day retreat experience so the communities could learn from each other and build off one another’s ideas. The team also brought in subject matter experts to share insights with the group. During the retreat, each community was given the opportunity to share their project goals and join a collaborative discussion. The subject matter experts also had time to present on relevant topics. The brainstorming and conversations that came out of the retreat were enriching and enlightening for all involved. In preparation for the retreat, the IQC team visited the project sites and engaged with project partners and the community members to learn more about the goals of each project. The initial site analysis and community engagement work completed during these site visits helped inform the structure of the retreat and the recommendation set forth in this report. This report contains a summary of the retreat presentations followed by the team’s findings and recommendations for each project.
IQC Team
Ron Frantz, Director of Small Town Studies and Project Manager
Vanessa Morrison, Interim Director
Rebecca Blaine
Anahita Niknejad
Brianna Haley
Emily Pendergast
Logan Gray
Mahathi Akella
Natalie Young
Rajith Kumar
University of Oklahoma
Dr. Kimberly Marshall, Associate Professor, Arts and Humanities Forum
Dr. Angela Person, Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement, College of Architecture
Sherry Kast, Instructor, Department of Journalism
Luis Alfaro, Department of Journalism
Carla Holmes, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism
Threatt Filling Station
C. David Threatt
Reverend Allen Threatt
Edward Threatt
Nerissa Berry Threatt
Ronald Johnson
Hydro
Allen Entz
Jackie Entz
Crystal Hamons
Jalee Abbott
Janey Pease
Charlie Wieland
Jimmy Mogg
OK Route 66 Association
Rhys Martin
Kerry Barrick
Larry Morgan
Retreat Contributors
Kelly Burns, Oklahoma Humanities
Kelly Tompkins, Neato Design Co.
Lenae Clements, Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Linnea Harvey, Rural Renewal Initiative
Lynda Ozan, Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office
Stacy Tomas, Oklahoma State University