The Rotary Clubs of Springfield have been selected to receive the 2026 Toast to Tourism Impact Award from Visit Springfield in recognition of their work to bring Birthplace Plaza to life in downtown Springfield, Missouri.
The award recognizes community, business and public-sector partners whose leadership in advancing major initiatives and partnerships has created new opportunities or meaningful growth for Springfield’s tourism economy.
The recognition will be presented during Visit Springfield’s annual Toast to Tourism celebration on Thursday, September 10, at Mother’s Brewing Company.
A Rotary Connection 100 Years in the Making
Birthplace Plaza commemorates a remarkable connection between Springfield, Rotary and one of America’s most famous highways.
On April 30, 1926, Springfield hosted the Rotary District 17 convention. Among those attending was Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Rotarian and member of the federal committee charged with establishing the nation’s new numbered highway system.
While Avery was in Springfield, a telegram was sent from the Colonial Hotel proposing “U.S. 66” as the number for the highway running from Chicago to Los Angeles. The designation was ultimately approved, helping establish Springfield’s claim as the Birthplace of Route 66.
Nearly a century later, Springfield Rotarians came together again to help ensure that story would be preserved and shared with future generations.
From History to a Destination
Birthplace Plaza was developed near the site of the former Colonial Hotel as a permanent destination where residents and visitors can experience Springfield’s Route 66 story.
The project includes public art, interpretive elements and gathering spaces designed to commemorate the events of 1926 while creating a new attraction for the thousands of Route 66 travelers who visit Springfield.
The project was co-chaired by Springfield Rotarians Michael Wehrenberg and Rusty Worley and supported by Rotary clubs throughout the Springfield area.
It also required an extensive community partnership involving Missouri State University, the City of Springfield, Visit Springfield, City Utilities, History Museum on the Square and numerous businesses, organizations, donors, artists and community leaders.
The professional team included Dake Wells Architecture, Toth and Associates, and DeWitt & Associates. Fellow Rotarian G.R. Stovall and the DeWitt & Associates team played an important role in turning the vision for the plaza into a finished community landmark.
Additional support came from the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission through its Tour Stop Grant program, helping position Birthplace Plaza as Springfield prepared for the Route 66 Centennial.
Building Local Economies
The project also illustrates Rotary’s commitment to Building Local Economies.
Birthplace Plaza does more than preserve history. It turns that history into a destination capable of generating economic activity.
Route 66 visitors who stop at the plaza also have opportunities to stay in Springfield hotels, dine at locally owned restaurants, visit other attractions and museums, and shop with area businesses. In that way, historic preservation, tourism, free enterprise and entrepreneurship work together to strengthen the local economy.
It is a model of how Rotary can serve as a catalyst by bringing people and organizations together around an idea with lasting community impact.
“The story of Birthplace Plaza is really a story about collaboration,” Wehrenberg said. “No single Rotary club or organization could have accomplished this alone. It took Rotarians, businesses, government, higher education, tourism professionals, artists, contractors, donors and community leaders all working toward the same goal.”
A Lasting Rotary Legacy
There is a fitting symmetry to the project.
In 1926, Rotary brought people together in Springfield, creating connections that helped contribute to the birth of Route 66.
One hundred years later, Rotary once again brought people together to ensure that history would be remembered while creating new opportunities for Springfield’s future.
The Toast to Tourism Impact Award recognizes not simply the completion of Birthplace Plaza, but the lasting tourism and economic impact the project is expected to have on Springfield and the surrounding region.
The award will be accepted on behalf of the Rotary Clubs of Springfield during the 2026 Toast to Tourism celebration on September 10 at Mother’s Brewing Company in Springfield.
Learn more about Birthplace Plaza: birthplaceplaza.org