Rockaway Beach—What Could Have Been

“When we moved here nine years ago, it reminded us of Daytona Beach Shores, Florida,” Joe Szabo told me as he took me of a tour of Rockaway Beach, MO (population 537). “We were the first resort town built west of the Mississippi River. We were named for Rockaway Beach, NY.”

Joe and his wife Carol (who was elected Chamber president when I was there) own and run Kerrs Kountry Kabins (http://kerrskountrykabins.com). They have eleven 50s style cabins that they rent from $40 to $99/night. The $99 cabin sleeps 10 and has a full kitchen. They are also trying to lead an effort to lift up this vintage town, creating more opportunities than there are today. I loved their enthusiasm!

Branson is 11 miles away by road and 5 miles by boat on Lake Taneycomo, but it is light years away in mindset. It doesn’t look like much new has been built since the 50s, except for a condo complex and an occasional house. Virtually all of the retail space in the town is vacant. A few bars and restaurants are hanging on.

Roberta Mesenbrink, who moved back here nine years ago after retiring from education in SC, told me, “I grew up north and east of here. I remember coming down here as a child. This was a booming place where you could only buy property if someone died. Our biggest problem today is that we don’t think that we need anyone to tell us what to do. The town fathers feel like we can do everything ourselves.”

How did a town that was light years ahead of Branson, that hosted Harry Truman and Al Capone, that got Bob Barker started in entertainment lose its way? Is there hope for them?

I counseled them to work with Branson on promoting the town. There seems to be a lot of jealousy of Branson’s success, something that Rockaway Beach needs to get past. They’ve got a potential to sell themselves as “Branson of the 50s”, hopefully convincing a small percentage of the 7 million Branson tourists to pay them a visit.

Rockaway Beach also has potential with its proximity to the new Branson Landing. It is the closest town by boat from this new $420 million development and if I were them, I’d develop a shuttle boat system to bring visitors the five miles to Rockaway Beach.