Following in the footsteps of people like Mark Twain and Walt Disney, the Missouri Highway 36 Heritage Alliance has found another way to boost travel along the route known as “The Way of American Genius.” The American Genius Highway Corridor is an area spanning 36 miles north and 36 miles south of Missouri’s Highway 36.
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The Missouri Highway 36 Quilt Trail took home the Pathfinder Award at this year’s Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held Sept. 26-28 in Branson.
This honor is given annually and seeks to recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations that target specific niche markets and achieve great results.
The award was presented by Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, who serves on the Missouri Tourism Commission, and Missouri Division of Tourism Director Dan Lennon.
Accepting the award were Beth Carmichael, the St. Joseph CVB’s director of project development, and Meg Gazaway, marketing director at Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton. Both also represent the Missouri Highway 36 Heritage Alliance.
About three years ago, the Highway 36 group was asked to consider the idea of developing and promoting a quilt trail along the route whose cities include the hometowns of Twain, Disney, the site of the Pony Express, the Home of Sliced Bread and other innovators and innovations.
Carmichael was a leading voice in the effort and, with buy-in from quilt shops and quilters along Highway 36, the quilt trail was born.
Since its inception, participating shops on the trail have seen a tremendous response from visitors, with many reporting revenue increases of more than 20 percent, increased visitor traffic and the need to hire additional staff.
More than 500 requests related to the Quilt Trail have been received through the dedicated Highway 36 Quilt Trail website since fall 2016. Among those seeking information were many out-of-state residents who indicated they’d be traveling to Missouri in the near future – some specifically for the Highway 36 Quilt Trail experience.
Having been featured in McCall’s Quilting magazine and America’s Patchwork and Quilting, it is clear the Highway 36 Quilt Trail has earned a reputation as one of the top quilting destinations in the U.S.
The Missouri Highway 36 Quilt Trail was one of several honorees at the Sept. 27 tourism awards banquet held at Branson Convention Center.
Pictured are Beth Carmichael and Meg Gazaway