This is admittedly not strictly related to cars, but stick with me for a minute, and you’ll understand why it’s important to hear about this. Sign theft is a growing problem in the US, and in Spencer, MO, it appears that the problem has reached this sleepy hamlet, not even a dot on the map.

You might recall that I stopped by Spencer last month, and shared a few pictures with you. Watching the video now, you can see all the damage the thieves did to the town. For better or worse, these kinds of signs and memorabilia are worth obscene amounts of money, and hanging them outside, even in a place like Spencer, can be risky. I heard somewhere that a certain show about two pickers from America would be in the Midwest, and the cynic in me thinks the thieves saw an easy way to make some money.

Towns like Spencer existed only because of Route 66, and died off as soon as Highway 96 and Interstate 44 came through the area. Today, if people are traveling Route 66 and going to towns like this, it’s because they choose to. Obviously, Route 66 and classic cars are a match made in heaven, and Spencer held its first car show last month – ironically, sponsored by the sheriff’s department (apologies for the low-quality picture).

We need places like this to stick around for a long time. Car guys, car gals, and all kinds of people like to get in their cars and enjoy driving them, and they enjoy driving them to places like Spencer, where they can enjoy the history of the Mother Road and appreciate the people who lived and worked near it.
I hope the punks are caught, but more importantly, I hope the signs and parts are recovered, so people like you and me can enjoy driving Route 66 to wonderful destinations like this.
[Source: KY3.com, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office Facebook]