Folks in Erick, Oklahoma, held a relighting ceremony on Friday for the previously long-dark neon sign at the closed West Winds Motel.
The sign had been restored and has been operating nightly since April. The ceremony last week served as more of a celebration.
Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, was there for the event and shot a video of the neon’s animation.
Another video by David Rios:
The City of Erick received an Oklahoma Route 66 Revitalization Grant of $35,710 from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission, administered through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, for the sign’s restoration.
The interesting part of the restoration is that Encinos Signs in Tulsa discovered the sign originally read West Winds Court. The company changed course and took the sign back to its roots.
Encinos Signs posted several photographs from the restoration process and installation:
Debbie Kemp now owns the property, and she told Route 66 News that the neon sign will be lighted nightly.
The West Winds Motel, built circa 1948, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The motel closed in the mid-1990s.
(Image of the restored West Winds Court sign by the author)