The Rivers Edge Arts Society (REAS) and Gallery @ 112 have secured a $50,000 Route 66 Revitalization Grant to install a 30-foot-tall metal sculpture at Sayre City Park. Called “Horsepower,” the piece will feature a giant horseshoe holding the Route 66 shield, symbolizing both Sayre’s quarter horse heritage and its place along the Mother Road.
Suzanne Hylton, REAS secretary- treasurer, said the project took shape after more than two dozen ideas were proposed during a pub- lic brainstorming session last year. “We wanted something that would draw people here and help our economy,” Hylton said. “Western Oklahoma has missed out on a lot of tourist destination advertising. We already have visitors coming in through the Oklahoma Route 66 Passport program. We needed something else for them to see and do.”
Th esculpture’ssite—just off I-40 at the city park’s WPA-era stone structures — was chosen for its visibility and parking space for travelers. According to Hylton, the city will contribute $10,000 in work for the red rock base and a drive-around area. REAS has contracted Justin Harold of Justin Time Signs to build the sculpture.
Hylton says the city’s only ongoing expense will be mowing. “There’s hardly any maintenance,” she said. The sculpture will be lighted at night, feature a QR code linking to town attractions, and be paired with brochures pointing visitors toward local businesses.
Still, some questions remain: - Who will pay the electricity bill for the lighting?
- Will the city carry insurance on the structure, and if so, who covers the premiums?
- Most importantly, how will a 30-foot art piece at the park — outside the main business district — reliably drive traffic into local shops? REAS hopes the answer lies in a multi-pronged tourism strategy. Alongside “Horsepower,” the group has developed a barn quilt trail that leads visitors through town, encouraging them to stop and explore. Hylton said the sculpture will be part of a broader effort to promote Sayre’s heritage, combining horse culture, rail history, and Route 66.
Once complete, the nonprofi t hopes “Horsepower” will join other notable Route 66 photo stops in Oklahoma. “We want to focus on our park and how important that is to our town,” Hylton said. “If we can just get the town people to get on board with us.”
The sculpture is one of several Route 66 projects in Sayre as the state approaches the road’s centennial in 2026. A custom Route 66 sign is also planned for installation near the Sayre library, and REAS hopes to keep layering in attractions that highlight the town’s western heritage, rail history, and position on the Mother Road.
As work begins and more projects take shape, The Beckham County Record will continue following the story — from groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting — and will report back on unanswered questions, including the city’s commitments, insurance responsibilities, and long-term costs.
For now, the “Horsepower” project stands as both a bold new landmark and a test of how small-town art and tourism investments can translate into real-world benefits for local businesses.
