Meet the Owners of Gary's Gay Parita

Pull off Route 66 in Ash Grove, and you’ll find one of the Mother Road’s most beloved stops: Gary's Gay Parita (21118 Old 66, Ash Grove, MO, 843-324-6661) Once a 1930s Sinclair filling station, the site is a favorite of road trippers—thanks in large part to the duo who now run it, Barb Barnes and George Bowick.

The station has a storied past. Originally opened in 1926 by Fred and Gay Mason, it went through two fires and rebuilds before 1955, and it’s been bought and sold a few times. It was part of a small roadside complex called Camp Gay Parita, which once included three guest cabins. Barnes’s family has owned the property for more than 50 years. Her father, Gary Turner, known for his Route 66 hospitality and wild adventures, had a dream to recreate the gas station and welcome visitors from near and far. “My dad bought the property from my aunt and uncle in 2002,” Barnes says. “Then my uncle and cousin helped recreate the gas station for him a few years later.”

After her father passed away in 2015, Barnes returned home, fulfilling a promise to help her mom with the station. Just four months later, her mother passed. “In 2016, I bought the property from my family,” Barnes shares. “George and I have been here ever since, greeting visitors.”

Those visitors do indeed come from all over the globe. Some are Springfield-area locals, while others wander in from far-flung places, drawn by the station’s history.

Or, perhaps, by a certain viral music video. Springfield native Chappell Roan filmed part of her “Hot To Go” music video here, and since its release, a new generation of fans has flocked to recreate the dance moves at the station. “It’s a lot of fun, and we are very grateful she chose us,” Barnes says.

Although Barnes and Bowick are based at Gay Parita most of the year, Barnes also works at the Route 66 gift shop inside Springfield-Branson National Airport during the winter, keeping the spirit of America’s Main Street alive year-round.

When asked about a favorite Route 66 stop of their own, the pair responds demurely. “We don’t have a favorite, because each and every business along the nearly 2,500-mile stretch of Old 66 is doing an amazing job.” Spoken like true stewards of the Mother Road.