‘It’s Electric Neon Sign Park’ celebrates Route 66 history in Granite City
A park in Granite City is bringing Route 66 history back to life with restored neon signs, larger-than-life monuments and murals
From First Alert 4: GRANITE CITY, Ill. – A park in Granite City is bringing Route 66 history back to life with restored neon signs, larger-than-life monuments and murals celebrating the historic highway.
The Electric Neon Sign Park features a 16-foot-tall Make It toy monument honoring the vintage wooden construction toy that was made in Granite City, and a 14-foot giant graniteware coffee pot — a nod to the city’s history as a center of American graniteware production.
Restoration of windmill sign is almost finished
The historic sign is turning and aglow again, but the banner that goes underneath still needs to be added. [Flemish American Facebook photo]
From The Kewanee Voice: The historic windmill sign that welcomes guests to the Flemish American Club in Kewanee, IL, is back in place after undergoing a restoration.
Most of the sign, that is.
The windmill, with its rotating blades and neon lights, has been installed again at the end of Burr Boulevard in the Flemish American parking lot.
Drink Like a Founder: 7 Bars That Are as Old as America
Stage House Tavern, parts of which date to 1737, served as a way station in New Jersey for people traveling between New York and Philadelphia. Photograph by James Estrin
From The New York Times: There’s a wooden plaque next to the bar at the ’76 House, a restaurant on a main thoroughfare in Tappan, N.Y., just up the Hudson River from New York City. It’s etched with a register of former patrons: Gen. George Washington, Gen. Nathanael Greene, the Marquis de Lafayette. These architects of our democracy would stop in for a glass of punch or a mug of beer after meetings at DeWint House, Washington’s headquarters, a half-mile away.
But taverns in early America weren’t just places to socialize.
In A Historic Southern City, This Original Taco Bell Signage Is A Hidden Gem Attraction
mokaiwen / Flickr / CC by 2.0
From TastingTable: The historic city of Savannah, Georgia, is famous for its Spanish moss-draped live oak trees, preserved 18th-century architecture, and carefully protected historic neighborhood districts. Its culinary scene is also impressive, with some of Savannah’s best restaurants and bars boasting multiple awards. But tucked away along a busy commercial corridor is a very different slice of history: an original Taco Bell sign from the chain’s earliest years.
Historic Kress Cafeteria sign joins archive honoring America’s 250th birthday
From Fox San Antonio: SAN ANTONIO — As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, historians and archivists across the country are preserving artifacts that tell the nation’s story. In San Antonio, one seemingly ordinary cafeteria sign is helping ensure a defining moment in the city’s civil rights history is remembered for generations to come.
The historic Kress Grant Cafeteria sign has been selected by the Society of American Archivists as part of a nationwide digital archive commemorating America’s 250th anniversary. The project showcases items from across the country that capture moments that shaped the nation’s history.
This Lifelong Angeleno Is Working To Save Historic L.A. One Diner at a Time
Credit: Courtsey of Jake Hook / Diner Theory
From Los Angeles Magazine: In recent years, the Los Angeles food scene has largely become known for restaurants covertly hiring influencers for TikTok, pop-ups with egregiously long lines and overpriced small plates are what the Los Angeles’ food scene has become known for.
Also, the closure of long-time L.A. institutions Angelenos have frequented for decades.
Practical Historian and native Angeleno Jake Hook has documented these sorts of classic L.A. dining spots for around three years. After finishing his PHD in New York, Hook traveled across the country from New York to the San Francisco area by car and became fascinated with America’s most identifiable roadside attractions: classic diners.
Fall River entrepreneurs revive two beloved local landmarks
From WJAR: A pair of Fall River, MA, entrepreneurs are hoping to bring a taste of the city’s past into the present.
The former Nite Owl diner at the corner of Pleasant Street and Eastern Avenue and the old Dairy Freeze on Globe Street are both being transformed by owners with a fresh vision for the future.
Chopstick Cafe sign to glow again as Neon Fest returns
A familiar piece of Pocatello history will glow once again when the restored Chopstick Cafe neon sign is relit during the city’s second annual Neon Fest on July 11. File photo
From East Idaho News: POCATELLO — For generations of local residents, the Chopstick Cafe was the go-to spot for Chinese food downtown. Soon, that familiar piece of history will shine once again.
As part of Pocatello’s second annual Neon Fest, the restaurant’s iconic neon sign will be relit and permanently installed in historic downtown, marking the latest milestone in the city’s ongoing effort to preserve its vintage neon heritage.
The Chopstick Cafe, originally opened by the Hom family, operated for decades, though not always under Hom ownership. It became one of downtown Pocatello’s best-known restaurants.