Tropical attire encouraged for The Tropics sign relighting

Organizers of the relighting of The Tropics neon sign on June 24 in Lincoln, Illinois, are encouraging attendees to wear tropical-style clothing for the event.

A news release from the Tropics Campaign Relighting Committee states activities will begin at 7:15 p.m. that day with a pre-event reception at the McDonald’s parking lot at 1007 Hickox Drive (map here) in Lincoln. The sign will stand near the original site of the now-defunct Route 66 restaurant.

The program begins at 7:45 p.m., with the representatives from several organizations scheduled to speak. The switch for the restored neon tubing for The Tropics sign will be thrown at 8:15 p.m.

Organizers say seating is limited, so attendees should bring their own lawn chairs.

McDonald’s, a key supporter of the project, will offer a special $1.66 cheeseburger and small fries meal throughout the day.

Commemorative T-shirts of The Tropics also will be available.

Vince Schwenoha once traveled to California and drew inspiration from its palm trees when he founded The Tropics restaurant along Route 66 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.

After the salvaged sign spent some time in a city-owned field, it was transported 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 — was finished in April.

(Image of a restored The Tropics sign at Ace Sign Co. in Springfield, Illinois, courtesy of Bill Thomas)

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