Neon sign returned to Skyliner Motel in Stroud after its restoration

The owners of the Skyliner Motel in Stroud, Oklahoma, on Saturday celebrated the return and restoration of the vintage neon sign there.

Here are some images from the event, via the Route 66 motel’s page on Facebook:

Earlier this summer, the motel posted images of the sign being taken down and its restoration:

Charles Palmer and Cody Paige of Stroud-based Skyliner Investments acquired the property earlier this year.

Previous owners changed the “Motel” part of the sign from neon letters to a backlit format, though the cursive-style “Skyliner” neon and big neon arrow remained intact. The restoration project brought back the neon lighting to “Motel.”

Palmer said he still plans for a grand reopening of the Skyliner Motel on Jan. 1 — the start of Route 66’s centennial.

He wrote in a message to Route 66 News that he “hopefully” plans for a soft opening in about three weeks.

He said the motel would be an Airbnb site “as kinda our booking agent” when it reopens, but travelers will have other options to stay there.

Palmer is one of the driving forces behind Stroud’s sprawling Route 66 neon sign project, where dozens of new and old signs along the highway will be erected or restored. The Oklahoma Route 66 Commission awarded the city a $999,600 grant for the project.

The idea for a slew of neon signs along Stroud’s Route 66 corridor came from a key scene in the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated film “Cars,” which takes place in a fictional Route 66 town.

According to Route 66 Times, the 10-room Skyliner Motel opened in 1950 at the corner of Main Street (aka Route 66) and Highway 99 / U.S. 377.

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