Palm Springs Follies picks Route 66 as theme May 28, 2008
Posted by Ron in Attractions, Events, Music.add a comment
The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a Broadway-style music and dance revue in Palm Springs, Calif., has chosen Route 66 as its theme for its upcoming 2008-09 season.
From the news release:
Beginning October 28, 2008, and playing through May 17, 2009, the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies will “travel” Route 66 via music, dance and comedy in its all-new show entitled Get Your Kicks!
“Here at the Follies, we’ve long celebrated the American Experience of the Early- to Mid-20th Century,” says Follies Man Riff Markowitz. “And nothing represents that era more perfectly than the legend and lore of Route 66. Whether the westward migration of Dust Bowl farmers, two young bachelors in a Corvette seeking adventure, easy riders looking for their own personal America, or Dinah telling us to ‘See the USA in your Chevrolet,’ Route 66 was the placeholder for all this and more.”
Guest stars during the production will be Freda Payne (Oct. 28 to Dec. 31), Susan Anton (Jan. 7 to March 7 and May 13-17), and John Davidson (March 10 to May 9).
Jim Conkle, general manager of the Route 66 Pulse and executive director of the Route 66 Preservation Foundation, had this to say about the Follies in an e-mail:
This is going to be a major attraction and another plus for the road. Over the next few months I will be sharing with you some of the great marketing ideas they will be using as well as the involvement with some of our authors/artists such as Bob Waldmire. They want to make the show and all merchandising/products/advertising hold true to the image of the road.
Ticket sales for the upcoming season begin in mid-July. The site to buy tickets is here.
High gas prices aren’t hurting tourism May 28, 2008
Posted by Ron in Attractions, Road trips.2 comments
Here’s something to chew on from the Wayneville (Mo.) Daily Guide:
High gas prices don’t seem to be hurting Pulaski County tourism, according to Tourism Bureau Executive Director Andy Thiem, and may even help local venues as vacationers choose to stay closer to home.
Speaking at Thursday evening’s meeting of the Pulaski County Tourism Board, Thiem said national surveys indicate most Americans won’t give up their summer vacations regardless of gas prices.
The tourism bureau’s primary revenue source is a transient guest tax levied on hotel and motel visitors, and that revenue stream is running about $8,000 better than budget for the month of March — the last available revenue report — and $26,000 better than budget for the first quarter. That’s not a large increase, but it does indicate there isn’t a major problem caused by rising gas prices, Thiem said. [...]
“Vacations are a non-negotiable part of contemporary life, even in challenging economic times,” Thiem said, citing the survey results.
Thiem said only 41 percent of those who responded to the survey said their vacation plans would change if gas prices continue to rise, but the greatest percentage of those — 38 percent — would simply drive a shorter distance for their vacations. About 36 percent say they’ll take fewer trips; 30 percent will spend less on surveys and shopping, and 27 percent would spend less on meals and entertainment.
“Gas continues to be a challenge, we’ll look at that, but right now the indicators are that everybody’s still traveling. They’re alternating where they’re traveling but they are still traveling,” Thiem said.
A prominent Route 66 business owner that I chatted with a few days ago concurred with Thiem’s assessment — that Route 66 travel would be the same or even increase this summer because it would gain more local travelers. The locals won’t be able to burn as much of that higher-priced fuel, so they’ll stick closer to home for vacations and weekend getaways.
Thanks to Thiem, there are solid numbers to support that notion.
Combine that with a weak U.S. dollar that’s spurring more spending by foreign travelers, and you could have a summer in which Route 66 tourism increases, despite the rising cost of oil.
