Carol Stark, editor of the Joplin (Mo.) Globe, talked to Vincent Lindstrom, the new director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Most chamber and tourism folks usually take an “everything is beautiful” tone with the local media. But Lindstrom seems willing to address the area’s weaknesses (with the bold type as my emphasis).

With Route 66 running right through the town and a number of Civil War battlefields in the area, Lindstrom believes history buffs need to put Joplin on their travel agendas.

I might stop here and tell you that even though Lindstrom’s title has the word Joplin in it, he is very much a believer in regional cooperation. He wisely notes that tourists don’t know where the city limits end and neither should he.

So, what could Joplin be doing better? Lindstrom believes our town could make a better first impression, but he gives the city big creds on what it’s done from First Street to Seventh Street.

He thinks we make it too hard for tourists to navigate. He sees a signage program as a big need.

He thinks that Missouri Southern State University could offer up a world of resources and says a closer relationship between the city and the university is needed.

Lindstrom quickly admits that “quiet” is not his strong suit.

Hmm. Apparently he’s not the only one who thinks tourism signs are lacking in that part of Missouri.

The Mohave Daily News has a wrapup story about the 17th annual Great Oatman Bed Race in Oatman, Ariz., on Saturday.

Oatman, a little Route 66 town nestled in the Black Mountains, periodically holds these goofy but lovable contests, including a sidewalk egg-frying event on the Fourth of July.

The Mohave Family Health Care team won first place. If someone on their team got injured, there wasn’t far to go for a doctor. The News West team finished second.

And even though it had been the team’s first year, Pynakker joked they’d soon start practicing for next year.

“It was way harder than it looks. We’re not in shape, so…,” she said, trailing off. “We’re going to hit Mad Dog [Fitness] on Monday.”

Well, not everyone on a bed-racing squad has to use athletic prowess. After all, one member has the slacker duty of simply reclining on the mattress while the others do the heavy pushing.

That doesn’t mean you can eat Oreos with impunity, however — there’s no sense in gaining weight and making the race harder for your teammates.

Heather Clark of the Associated Press takes a look at the Route 66 town of Grants, N.M., which is undergoing a boom of economic activity again because of a rise in uranium prices.

With uranium prices approaching $100 a pound, it’s anticipated that Uranium Resources Inc. will create the nation’s largest uranium mill and draw 4,000 jobs. Other companies have exploration permits in the area.

Some residents are wary of uranium companies coming back into town. Many former mine workers are having trouble getting treatment for work-related illnesses. And the previous boom-to-bust cycle has made locals tentative about the current upsurge.

It’s a good story about a town that’s too dependent on one industry, but doesn’t know what else to do.

Here’s Joe DiVeglia playing “Route 66″ on an old upright piano, in quite a bit of a New Orleans style.

In this old clip from “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, here’s the Manhattan Transfer performing “Route 66.”