Roadhouse and the Real Jasper

I grew up in Jasper, Missouri. In the late 1980s, Patrick Swayze came to Jasper, Missouri in the form of Dalton, the head bouncer (or cooler), to clean up the town's popular nightclub called the Double Deuce. Let me tell you right off the bat that Dalton's Jasper is not the Jasper that I knew. But I still enjoyed the movie because of the name usage. And it did give little ole' Jasper, Mo something to talk about.

As Roadhouse was coming out, the real Jasper was in a buzz about it for awhile. Some people were excited about it, but others were concerned due to the rating and the nature of the movie's description. Rumors even began that part of the production might actually happen in the town, but that sure enough didn't happen. The California landscape is pretty obvious in the film. I often wondered what Dalton would have thought had he tried to live a real Missouri winter in that barn loft he rented. And I am definitely sure the Jasper area farmers would have done something drastic about a dude trying to go around collecting improvement money with his circus goons. Those fellows don't even have the heart to approve a little tax increase to fund adding on to an overcrowded school and repairing the older buildings. As for the nightclub that was the focus of the production, I believe the last tavern Jasper had went out of business awhile back. There is no hospital with a hot doctor, no auto supply store, and there isn't even a car dealership where you can buy "a runner."

The economy of the real Jasper may have begun going sour in the early 80s, after highway 71 was moved to a four-lane freeway going around and bypassing the town, a project that will someday be known as Interstate 49. Prior to that, it was a two-lane that went right through the city, and for awhile it was the first town that the highway went through south of Kansas City, as the four-lane had already been built up closer to it. Stations and other businesses on the old highway strip had a hard time staying open as the traffic no longer went through the place. But truckers still to this day take the exit there so they can eat or spend some time resting at Judy's Café and Truck Stop. Judy's is one of the icons of Jasper, and I'll say they have a great Superburger and fries. Whether you're a trucker or not, it is worth the stop.

Even with a struggling economy, the Jasper area has opportunities if it would grab them. The residents are considered a part of the Joplin metro area, the fourth largest in Missouri, and the potential for developing into a bedroom community or more is there. Even though Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot never made an appearance in the city limits, the town can still do alright, if the people there will wake up and seize the possibilities. A glamorous Jasper doesn't have to fade on a Hollywood reel, it can shine north of Joplin, if allowed.