Sonrise Donuts neon sign in Springfield glows to life for first time in decades

The long-dormant Sonrise Donuts sign that once stood along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois, glowed to life Thursday for the first time in decades.

Ace Sign Co. of Springfield restored the double-sided sign after the city purchased it in an online auction for $22,000 in December 2018. The signs sat on a rooftop at 1101 S. Ninth St. (aka Route 66) for nearly 70 years but had to be removed after a new tenant wanted to open a Mexican restaurant there.

Ace Sign Co. has its own little neon-sign museum, including a few that once stood on Route 66.

Geoff Ladd of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway posted a video of the moment one sign was relighted:

Visit Springfield also posted photos on its Facebook page:

This nine-minute video from NBC reporter Shawn Balint shows much of the ceremony:

The Springfield State Journal-Register had some details about the future of both sides of the sign:

For now, one side of the sign will remain at the company’s sign museum, 2540 S. First St., while the other will be displayed at Route 66 Motorheads Bar and Grill, 600 Toronto Road.
But in the long term, the plan is to have the sign once again located in a signature spot along Springfield’s portion of the Mother Road. Springfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau executive director Scott Dahl said the sign will be large part of the city’s broader efforts to better market its Route 66 assets.
“Springfield is the hub of Illinois Route 66 and we will be ready for the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road in 2026,” Dahl said. “Combining Route 66 with Abraham Lincoln and Springfield (makes truly) ‘more than one day,’ which just happens to be our new marketing slogan.”
Dahl said a final location for the sign has not yet been determined, but he did confirm that it would be along the alignment of Route 66 that the city will emphasize as its main route, which will be Peoria Road and Ninth Street from the north and Fifth and Sixth streets from the south.
The Illinois State Fairgrounds and Motorheads will respectively serve as “anchors to the north and to the south,” Dahl said. Sites in between that will be marketed include Mahan’s Gas Station, Maid-Rite, Maldaner’s, Route History, Cozy Dog and the Route 66 Drive-In.

Ward 4 Alderman John Fulgenzi, who also owns Fulgenzi’s Pizza and Pasta on Route 66 in Springfield and acquired the Mahan gas station owned by the late Bill Shea, threw the light switch.

State Reps. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, and Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, and state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield were among those who attended the ceremony.

Byron Figuera founded Sonrise Donuts in 1947, and the sign arrived two years later. Don “Donuts” Greenslade, a former employee, bought the business in 1967 and at one point made more than 400 varieties of doughnuts daily until he died in 1998.

(Image of the lighted Sonrise Donuts neon sign by Visit Springfield via Facebook)