Workers from Ace Sign Co. on Friday returned The Tropics sign, now restored, to its original home in Lincoln, Illinois.
An official relighting ceremony will occur the evening of June 24.
A staffer for The Herald-News took photos of workers reinstalling the sign. A slide show of images are in this YouTube video.
The official relighting ceremony June 24 will occur near Route 66/Lincoln Parkway and Woodlawn Road, or 1007 Hickox Drive in Lincoln. The sign stands in a parking lot of a new McDonald’s, which supplanted the The Tropics restaurant after it was torn down in April 2017.
Spectators to the relighting are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. A social gathering will begin at 7:15 p.m., and the sign officially will be relighted at 8:15 p.m.
Commemorative T-shirts will be offered. The McDonald’s also will be offering a special cheeseburger and small fries for $1.66.
After the salvaged sign spent some time in a city-owned field, it was taken in June 2016 to Ace Sign Co. in Springfield, Illinois, for restoration. The $70,000 project — guided by Joe Bringuet, who serviced the original sign — finished in April.
Though the sign is restored, the Tropics Legacy Campaign still is raising money to cover the extensive costs. You can call (217) 732-8687 or email director(at)destinationlogancountyil(dot) com to find out how to donate.
Vince Schwenoha once traveled to California and drew inspiration from its palm trees when he founded The Tropics restaurant in Lincoln and designed its iconic neon sign in 1950.
Lew and Bev Johnson ran the eatery for the next few decades. The restaurant went through a spate of closings and reopenings after Interstate 55 bypassed the town, and it closed for good in 2003.
In 2016, the Tropics was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame.
(Image of The Tropics sign by The Mill Museum on Route 66 Lincoln Illinois via Facebook)