The historic neon sign at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma, has a new glow after it was restored with a grant from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission with the aid of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.
The sign dates to the 1940s and was re-installed a few days ago.
And Rich Dinkela, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, ventured out to take a look at the rejuvenated sign at night.
According to a report from the association, it had been restored in 2001, but time and a hailstorm last year took its toll.
“The City of Tulsa has had a successful neon sign grant for years,” said Association President Rhys Martin. “We wanted to try and replicate that success along the entire corridor and were so excited when we were awarded funds from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission last year.” Several other projects are in the works across the state.
Encino’s Signs took the sign down last October and took it back to their shop in Tulsa, which is about an hour away. Many Route 66 communities have to rely on companies from far away to repair these vintage signs. But the work is critical to preserving the road’s legacy and character.
“It’s exciting to see the sign light up once again at the Rock Cafe!” said Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager of the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. “The NPS awarded a grant to restore the sign in 2001, but as we know preservation work is never done. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association’s neon sign grant program helps fill the critical need for ongoing preservation support. Kudos to Dawn, the Association, and all involved who make the enduring, authentic legacy of the Rock Cafe possible.”
The Rock Cafe was built in 1939 out of native stone. Longtime owner Dawn Welch rebuilt the restaurant after a fire destroyed it in 2008.
The Rock Cafe sign isn’t the only one in Stroud that soon will glow with neon. The city received a nearly $1 million grant from the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission that will be used to install neon lighting or neon signs along nearly 50 businesses along Route 66.
(Screen-capture image from Oklahoma Route 66 Association video of the reinstallation of the restored Rock Cafe sign)