TV host drives classic car into Springfield

Journalist Steve Doocy rolled into Springfield in a red, white and blue Ford Mustang yesterday morning for the final stop on a three-day jaunt along the iconic Route 66, known as the Main Street of America.

Since its founding in 1998, Doocy has been co-host of morning news program “Fox & Friends.”

Doocy presented live segments from Springfield at the same time as the Third Hour of “Today” was broadcasting live from the new Birthplace Plaza downtown, an event which was widely touted by city and local tourism officials.

Doocy appeared in three segments from Springfield on the April 30 episode of his show, with a few familiar faces joining him. They included Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and country music artist Chris Janson, who took a tour of the Route 66 exhibit at the History Museum on the Square Inc. Doocy pointed out the historic telegram that established the name of the route, securing the April 30, 1926, date as the start of the route.

He also checked out a trio of Mustangs driven by car enthusiasts into the downtown to meet him – two of the drivers just showing up in anticipation of Doocy’s visit. In that segment, Doocy spoke with Billy Long, a well-known Springfieldian, former U.S. representative for southwest Missouri’s 7th District and the former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, and who was confirmed last month as the next U.S. ambassador to Iceland.

Long, an auctioneer, offered a humorous take on the naming of the route, mimicking auction patter that raised the name from U.S Route 50 to 60 to 62 before arriving at 66 – and according to historical accounts, that’s exactly the progression taken to arrive at the name.

Another segment featured Sean FitzGibbons, director of the History Museum, with Doocy outside on Park Central Square as he recounted the famous gunfight that took place there in 1865 between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt. FitzGibbons described it as the first documented Wild West shootout in history.

Doocy called his journey an interesting one in the Long segment as he described his travels through Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, culminating in the Route 66 birthplace city of Springfield.

“So many people have just come out, they've seen the car along the way, they've watched us as we have traveled, and they just wanted to say hello and thank you for covering this, because in these towns, this is a very big deal,” Doocy said.

Kehoe said in his segment with Doocy that Route 66 was the first paved, numbered route in the U.S.

“I would say this is the birthplace of tourism,” Kehoe said. “Route 66 really is what created the roadside cabins, the first drive-through hamburger stand. All of those things happened on Route 66 – and it's a piece of history that not only the country but the world loves.”

Kehoe described himself as a car aficionado, particularly Fords, as someone who is in the car business.

“People are in love with the automobile,” he said. “As you know, in 1926 it was really just starting to get going. So, Route 66 really kind of fueled that movement.”

Walking through the museum collection, Doocy pointed out a photo of the marquee of the Fox Theatre next door to the museum, spelling out the name of actor William Holden starring in “Father Is a Bachelor.” He also pointed to a photo of Elvis Presley, performing at the Shrine Mosque along the route.

“All this stuff happened on Route 66. Where would we be without Route 66?” Doocy said.

“Well, we wouldn’t be here in Springfield, probably,” Kehoe replied.