The Hi-Way Cafe near Vinita, Oklahoma, announced it would hold a relighting ceremony on March 25 for its soon-to-be-restored neon sign.
The Route 66 restaurant posted photos Friday of the sign being removed “so it can be completely refurbished back to its historical glory.”
The restaurant added it would be the first time in more than 20 years the circa 1962 sign would have operating neon.
Sunset in the Vinita area is scheduled to be 7:37 p.m. on March 25, though darkness could occur earlier if it’s cloudy that day.
The Hi-Way Cafe in October received a $17,200 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore the sign. The Route 66 Association of Missouri Neon Heritage Preservation Committee is assisting.
The restaurant last summer also was one in 25 to receive a $40,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program.
(Image of the Hi-Way Cafe sign near Vinita, Oklahoma, by Stu Rapley via Flickr)