My first wife (RIP) grew up around Heavener and Poteau, I took her back there to visit and we went and saw the Runestone together. She said most of the local people have no interest and she had never seen it before. If it is for real then my ancestors must have traveled extensively in the New World, Oklahoma is a long way from the East coast!
There is controversy over what the runes mean. Some say it's old Norse alphabet (a really old version), with the date of 1012, written in a cipher. Others say that if you transpose two of the letters, you get "GLOMEDAL" or Glome's Valley" or "Eat at Glome's" or something like that. Then there's a guy who says everyone else is wrong, it's an encoded message by one of LaSalle's expedition members.
You're right, there is not much interest among the locals, most of whom think 'academia' is a nut that goes in cookies. Poor Vikings, God knows how they got to Heavener, because you almost have to intend to get there to get there.